For Bernadette Gerrity Zumot, coffee is more than a morning ritual—it’s a family legacy. Her grandfather, Cuban immigrant Rogelio “Roy” Montes De Oca, founded Café Aroma in 1961, beginning a family business that has now spanned three generations. But joining it wasn’t always her plan. After studying psychology and working across fashion, beauty, and the sciences, Bernadette found her own way into the coffee industry before eventually bringing that experience back to her family’s brand.
Today, as VP of Marketing and a third-generation coffee roaster, she’s helping introduce Café Aroma to a new generation while keeping its heritage at the heart of everything it does. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we caught up with Bernadette to talk about the family business, the evolution of coffee culture, and the coffee trends she’s watching now.
As a third-generation leader, how do you balance honoring your grandfather’s legacy while also evolving the brand for a new generation of coffee drinkers?
It’s a unique privilege to be the third-generation within a family-owned and operated company, and honoring tradition while maintaining pace in a rapidly changing consumer landscape can be challenging! In everything we do, we always try to channel culture, heritage, and community building so that, when seeking ways to evolve the brand, those elements are naturally integrated. Over the past few years, we’ve been telling our story and building community through our growing presence on social media and serving our espresso in new spaces, including venues around NYC (The New York Public Library, several locations during NYFW, etc.), the Hamptons, and Miami. We’ve also extended our line with new formats like Keurig compatible pods and Nespresso compatible capsules, and a reserve blend, Café Aroma Especial (or as I like to call it, “my Sunday coffee”).
Coffee has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, with consumers paying closer attention to sourcing and roasting. How have you seen coffee culture evolve during your time in the industry?
Coffee culture has evolved tremendously over the decade I’ve been working in the industry! I’ve been fortunate to see it unfold so expansively throughout my career. What’s so interesting about coffee is that it’s a pretty small industry; everyone knows everyone, and it’s truly a people’s business! Still, the rise of specialty coffee has shown us that there is so much still to uncover.
For people who are just beginning to explore specialty coffee, what should they look for when choosing a high-quality roast?
I would say the most fun is had when trying new single origins! This helps us hone in on what we enjoy about the coffee we’re drinking (e.g. flavor profile, roast profile, origin, acidity, etc.). Often we find that roast profiles will also complement these single origins to enhance their flavors!
What trends are shaping the future of the coffee industry right now?
Espresso! I think consumers are opting to purchase espresso over drip coffee, which means different blend, roast, and grind preferences. This has been an ongoing trend, as many of the most-loved and well-known coffee beverages are espresso-based (cappuccino, macchiato, lattes, etc.). However, it’s huge because it guides roasters on what consumers are purchasing and subsequently what’s on the shelf!
And social media! Both as an educational tool and a creative outlet. I find social media can be beneficial to both consumers and roasters because it provides an educational platform on brewing, recipes, etc. It’s wonderful that coffee has piqued so many people’s interest, and the level of engagement in fine-tuning brewing methods and creative recipes is awesome to see (and try)! I personally loved the Spanish latte and Banana latte trend.
