Quality and ‘Individual Expression’ with Coffee Subscription Startup ModRec

Screenshot from the ModRec homepage.

Joining the expanding field of coffee subscription services is Modern Recreation (ModRec), a startup venture that is as much a lifestyle brand as it is a quality-focused coffee service.

“That’s what Modern Recreation is all about: individual expression measured in equal parts emotion, character, and panache; with some glorious coffee along the way,” the new company Modern Recreation Inc. says on its website.

Among the company’s Instagrams — featuring the likes of Björk and Basquiat — is also revered roaster and coffee educator Sonja Björk Grant of the Kaffibrugghusid roastery in Iceland, who provided the subscription service’s first roasts.

The self-described “coffee person” behind the ModRec venture is Square One Coffee Co-Owner, Q Grader and certified WBC Judge Jess Steffy, who is leveraging her years of experience in high-end coffee to seek out intriguing roasts from equally intriguing roasters. Those roasts may come from “Iceland, Japan, Scandinavia, Mexico, Australia, the USA, and everywhere in between,” the company said in a launch announcement.

“We partner with roasters who we know are running ethical operations, first and foremost,” Steffy told Daily Coffee News. “Many of these roasters have won awards and/or are run by folks who are industry veterans and pioneers. When it comes to selecting the specific coffee, we step out of the way and allow the roaster to choose coffees that they feel represent themselves and their unique style the best. They’re the experts.”

Coffees come to subscribers in the original packaging from the roastery, so as to honor their original artwork and share their aesthetic. According to ModRec, some coffees may be publicly available offerings, or they may be exclusive to the ModRec partnership.

The subscription plans currently include one-, three-, six- or 12-month plans, ranging from USD$49.99-$65 plus shipping, depending on the length of the subscription, with two bags of roasted coffee included in each shipment. The company says it will be sourcing coffees from a new roaster each month.