Chris Coffee is up and running at new Latham warehouse.

/ Uncategorized

By Mike De Socio and Donna Abbott-Vlahos  –  Albany Business ReviewNov 23, 2020, 10:29am EST Updated Nov 23, 2020, 10:35am EST

Chris’ Coffee Service has moved into its new 64,000-square-foot warehouse at 348 Old Niskayuna Road, enabling the company to consolidate its equipment and raw materials into one building — and more than double its roasting capacity.

“It’s not just extra space, everything is so much more organized now,” said founder and president Chris Nachtrieb.

Chris’ Coffee Service now occupies 37,000 square feet of the $7 million building, which was finished this summer. The remaining 27,000 square feet has been leased to Plug Power.

The new building replaces Chris’ Coffee’s old office at 10 Corporate Circle and a rented warehouse in a nearby industrial park off Route 155. Nachtrieb sold the old office to Cummins-Wagner Co. Inc. for $1.55 million.

Crisafulli Associates LLC was the developer/general contractor for the new building.

The expansion for Chris’ Coffee comes at a time when sales are up due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s selling more coffee at supermarkets, and also selling more high-end home coffee machines that go for as much as $8,000.

Nachtrieb, who is preparing the business for the second generation with his daughters Taylor and Mackenzie, sees private-label coffee as another area of growth. He pitches the product to coffee shops as a way to differentiate themselves and avoid competing on price when selling bigger brands.

A “cupping lab” in the new building allows clients to test out the roast color, taste and shade and develop the right blend for them.

We recently took a tour inside the new facility — check it out in the slideshow above.