Courtesy / Precipice Coffee
The Bellwether roaster.
Updated: April 20, 2023
Powered by green energy, business perks up for Ellsworth coffee roasters
Courtesy / Precipice Coffee
Maggie and Bill Iannuzzi opened Ellsworth’s Precipice Coffee in 2021 with an all-electric roasting machine. The installation of solar panels, announced this week, makes the operation powered by 100% clean energy.
A coffee micro-roasting business in Ellsworth said it’s the first of its kind in Maine to be completely powered by clean energy.
Precipice Coffee installed an all-electric, vent-less machine called the Bellwether Coffee Roaster that reduced the carbon footprint from roasting by 87% when compared to traditional gas roasters, according to a news release.
The installation of solar panels this week made the roastery, cafe and bakery operation self-sustainable and powered by 100% clean energy, said Maggie Iannuzzi, Precipice’s co-founder.
“After extensive research, we realized that conventional gas roasting methods do not align with our eco-conscious vision, so we were thrilled to find Bellwether’s electric roaster,” Iannuzzi said.
Switching to solar power and becoming self-sustainable seemed like a natural next step, she said.
Precipice, which Iannuzzi owns and operates with her husband, Bill Iannuzzi, is located at 56 Deane St.
The couple opened the shop in July 2021 and roasted nearly 22,000 pounds of coffee in under two years. Since then, they’ve expanded to selling coffee at local farmers markets, and later opened an online store with coffee subscriptions, serving dozens of wholesale customers throughout Maine.
The business is a member of A Climate to Thrive, a nonprofit that works to transition Mount Desert Island off fossil fuels.
SolarLogix, based in Belfast and a partner of A Climate to Thrive, installed Precipice’s rooftop solar system.
The electric Bellwether Roaster is made by Bellwether Coffee of Berkeley, Calif., and was designed to be the most sustainable coffee roaster in the world, both in air quality and energy use. The machine enables businesses that roast coffee to minimize their environmental impact for zero-emission roasting, according to the company’s website.
Precipice also taps into Bellwether’s green coffee marketplace program, which connects roasteries to farmers of ethically sourced, organic green coffee beans. Iannuzzi said the business also uses biodegradable bags to package its products.
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