Otto Coffee Roasters is Off to a Promising Start in Binghamton

Inside the new Otto Coffee Roasters cafe in Binghamton. All images courtesy of Otto Coffee Roasters.

A new cafe and roasting company in Binghamton, New York, called Otto Coffee Roasters is open for business, serving expertly roasted coffees and other drinks in a European-inspired cafe space. 

The company’s name — “otto” is eight in Italian — reflects eight promises that its founders have outlined. They cover sustainable and equitable green coffee sourcing, fresh roasting and delivery of high-quality coffees, and business practices that support the staff and the surrounding community with pride and professionalism. 

The venture builds upon the decades of coffee experience held by co-founder and director of coffee Coe Young, who took inspiration from Italian and other European influences to design the shop. 

Inside, dark wood surfaces are warmed by ambient lighting, while off-white walls contrast with exposed red brick. Classic hairpin bentwood chairs stand opposite a long banquet inside the approximately 1,000-square-foot cafe space, while three taller seats sit along the front window. 

Atop the coffee bar stand a 4-group La Marzocco Linea machine for espresso and a Fetco Extractor NG for batch brews. 

Coffees heading to the bar are part of a roasting program that was designed from the outset to evolve with time, while balancing production roasting with roaster training. Young designed the coffee program alongside apprentice and front-of-house manager Emma Dofton. 

“I’m 66 years old and at a point in my life where my plan is to transfer the knowledge that I have gained during my career to Emma to carry forward in her own way,” Young told Daily Coffee News. “I can honestly say that working with a talented apprentice like Emma has improved my roasting skills.”

Prior to starting his first roasting business in 2000, Young originally trained with John Gant, who was at Gimme! Coffee in Ithaca at the time. Young also consulted with coffee legend and Roasters Guild Co-Founder Donald Schoenholdt, as well as Agtron CEO Carl Staub.

To this day, Young makes green coffee buying decisions from his home office using the same Sivitz sample roaster he bought directly from Mike Sivitz 25 years ago.

“I consider myself very lucky to have had amazing guidance early on in my coffee career,” said Young. “My time with John was amazing, I have great memories.”

After two years as a contract roaster, equipment technician and seller of cafe supplies and equipment, Young and his wife opened Laveggio Espresso Bar in Endicott, New York, in 2002 with a 450-square-foot espresso bar. In 2007, they relocated to 101 Court Street in downtown Binghamton to establish Laveggio Roasteria.

The 2,000-square-foot Court St. space was split down the middle for the espresso bar and roastery that operated side by side for 10 years until the landlord sold the building. This prompted a move to 178 State Street in Binghamton where the company lived on with a similar layout for another five years.

In 2022 Young closed Levaggio in order to tentatively pursue the position of Chief Coffee Officer for Batch Coffee in partnership with the owners of Beer Tree Brewing. Young returned to the space at 178 State last year to resume a more autonomous pursuit of his own coffee muse.

“I have no regrets about the Batch partnership. Going into business with people you don’t know well is always a calculated risk,” said Young. “I kept renting the location as a fallback in case Batch didn’t work out.”

Today customers can see into the 950-square-foot Otto Coffee roastery where a 5-kilo US Roaster Corp machine turns out the Illuminator Espresso, honoring the Laveggio classic blend Coe developed in 2007. At Otto, Young also continues his 20-year tradition of developing new holiday blends every year, using standout coffees served throughout the year.

“We are long past due for a much larger roaster, and will be looking seriously in the new year,” said Young. “The current focus is building a viable and sustainable business by concentrating on producing sound financials. The near term goal is producing a repeatable model to expand the Otto brand regionally.”

Otto Coffee Roasters is located at 178 State St. in Binghamton. Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.