Main Street News

All photos courtesy of Camphill Village Coffee Shop. Above: Ryan Huntington, Elijah Kent, and Laura Meza Assia at the shop.

From the moment you step into the Coffee Shop at Camphill Village, you’re sure to be greeted with the ambience of friendly chatter and a vibrant, inviting setting. I visited Camphill Village Copake in Copake, NY, which is the oldest and largest Camphill community in the United States, for the first time earlier this year to learn more about this dynamic community and all of the opportunities it has to offer. I wrote about what I learned in an article that appeared in our March issue. Since then, the energy, thoughtfulness, and importance of Camphill Village has continued to inspire me, and when it comes to the magic of this community, the Coffee Shop is no exception.

How the Coffee Shop came to be

First established in 1961, Camphill Village Copake has a rich and extensive history in the region centered around fostering meaningful connections with “volunteers from all over the world that live and work hand in hand with people of different/all abilities in the Hudson Valley,” Alena Roberson and Laura Meza Assia, who both work at the shop, explain.

While the Coffee Shop has existed at Camphill in several iterations since the 1970s, Alena and Laura point out that it was thanks to donations and fundraisers that the shop was able to open its doors. The current version that you can visit today came to be around 2014/2015. “As Camphill Village grew and developed, people within the community saw the need of creating a space where they could showcase Village products, become a social hub for the whole community, and welcome people in so they can get to know where we are and what we do,” they describe.

Sharing the Village Green building with the Café, Bakery, and Gift Shop, the Coffee Shop is situated in a unique and dynamic space, serving up an array of coffee and espresso drinks using freshly roasted coffee beans from Barrington Coffee Roasting company. Open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 5pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm, they also offer hot chocolate, lemonade, iced tea, chai, matcha, and more! When it comes to flavored syrups, they use organic ingredients and strive to incorporate seasonal fruits and spices, like lavender, strawberry, vanilla, and more.

If you’re hungry, you’ll be sure to find some tasty options, including grilled sandwiches, focaccia sandwiches, soups, and salads, all of which use seasonal ingredients produced in Camphill’s Café and Bakery. Be sure to grab one of their scrumptious sourdough brown butter chocolate chip cookies or a fluffy croissant—both options are amazing—and a loaf of bread, all fresh from the adjacent Bakery!

All about their mission & goals

Indeed, the Coffee Shop serves more than just delicious offerings, acting as a comprehensive window into work life at the village and showcasing a plethora of artisan craft studio products made at Camphill Village Copake and other Camphill communities. Furthermore, opportunities for work and connection at the Coffee Shop, and at Camphill in general, are intentional, meaningful, and fulfilling, “built on cultivating social responsibility, a sense of vocation, and also providing economic interdependence with the needs of everyone within our community,” Alena and Laura add.

Of course, the Coffee Shop also acts as an engaging social destination and gathering place for both folks living in the village and those visiting. Laura and Alena reflect on the truly rewarding nature of seeing people come together and get to know both Camphill and each other at the shop. “We love to be a space where we can build relationships with the wider community, and we are happy to provide the opportunity for some folks in our village to have a meaningful work experience and create relationships with those outside the village.”

Truly, this sense of community is strong regardless of who walks into the shop. Many customers are regulars who live at Camphill, meaning that Coffee Shop workers build strong bonds with these patrons and even have their orders memorized before they have to ask! The shop also offers a key space for villagers to buy what they’d like to independently and gather with friends. “The Coffee Shop is a very welcoming place and a lot of the people who live here love to greet everyone who comes in,” Alena and Laura emphasize.

Fostering an inviting environment that’s all about encouraging connections, providing high-quality food and beverages, and shedding light on Camphill’s beautiful work and unique experiences, the shop is happy to get people acquainted with Camphill’s mission and even inspire them to become involved with it in one way or another!

Spreading the word & navigating the future

Considering their location, tucked right in the village on Camphill Road just past Bluestone Office, they mention that it’s been a notable challenge spreading the word and making people aware of their shop’s atmosphere, the amazing coffee and food they offer, and the overall range of delightful products they provide. Despite this, in the past three years, they’ve worked hard at the Village Green to promote their presence through social media activity and draw in customers from all around the region. 

“Even though we are a bit off the beaten path,” Laura and Alena acknowledge, “we do have many customers who come in from the surrounding community who we have gotten to know well as well as visitors to the area who are just looking for a cup of coffee. Many are excited to come back again and again to have their favorite things.”

All of the folks at the Coffee Shop are truly grateful for the generous donations that not only brought their current location to life but allowed them to purchase a high-quality espresso machine—one which has been a mainstay of the shop for many years now. Going forward, they’re hoping to get a new one soon so they can continue serving tasty treats to their customers and acting as a community gathering place for all! 

Alena and Laura exclaim, “We would like to invite more and more people to see where we are at and hope that they get inspired to contribute towards our coffee shop growing more and more!”

Camphill Village Coffee Shop can be found in the Village Green at Camphill Village, which is located at 84 Camphill Road in Copake, NY. For more information, please visit camphillvillage.org/visit-us and find them on Instagram @camphillvillagegreen. You can also follow the village @camphillvillagecopake.

Thank you to Camphill Village Coffee Shop and The White Hart Provisions for sponsoring this cafe spotlight series and this coffee article in our July issue!