Upstate NY Entrepreneur Launches Elemental Coffee Lab in Honor of Late Husband

Elemental Coffee Lab and Cafe 19 Owner Casey Galloway. All images courtesy of Elemental Coffee Lab / Cafe 19.

Casey Galloway has rebranded her recently acquired coffee roasting business in the Finger Lakes region of New York as Elemental Coffee Lab. The brand and spirit of the business are designed to honor Galloway’s late husband, Chris Galloway, who died unexpectedly just before the deal was finalized. 

Co-owners of the popular Seneca Falls coffee shop Cafe 19, the Galloways had been in contact with the owners of local roaster Cobblestone Coffee, should the latter ever intend to sell. In late summer of 2024, an acquisition agreement started to take shape as Chris Galloway was traveling for work as a medical service engineer.

Unfortunately, Chris Galloway suffered a heart attack and passed away suddenly on Sept. 20, 2024, at the age of 43. 

Casey and Chris Galloway.

“He had been so excited about the coffee roasting business; it was rare to see him without a cup of coffee in his hand,” Casey Galloway recently told DCN. “In honor of Chris and his passion for both science and coffee, I decided to move forward with the purchase of the roastery. From that inspiration, Elemental Coffee Lab was born — a blend of his love for science and the timeless joy he found in every cup.”

This blend of passions manifests on every roasted coffee label, with neon tube lettering conveying primary details atop molecular structure patterns against a black background. 

“The neon aesthetic was inspired by the periodic table, since neon is one of the elements; it felt like a fun and fitting nod to our science-inspired theme,” said Casey. “It really brings the whole concept to life visually.”

Before entering the world of coffee, Casey attended culinary school at Paul Smith’s College and worked as a chef in the Finger Lakes region for more than 20 years at hotels, restaurants and cafes. 

“During my time at the Inns of Aurora [resort], I wore many hats, gaining valuable experience across different areas of hospitality,” said Casey. “I also ran Dorie’s, a café and ice cream parlor, where I first learned to use an espresso machine while serving locally roasted coffee from Gimme! Coffee in Ithaca.”

Inside Cafe 19 in Seneca Falls.

For the past 11+ years, Casey has been running Seneca Falls-based Cafe 19. The brand is a nod to the region’s deep ties to the women’s suffrage movement and the 19th amendment of the U.S. constitution. Chris was a partner in the business. 

“A family friend and the late president of Generations Bank, Menzo Case, offered me the opportunity to open Cafe 19 inside the new Generations Bank headquarters,” Casey said of Cafe 19’s origins. “After successfully running the business for eight years, I realized that roasting our own coffee would make better financial sense.”

Casey acknowledged numerous coffee roasters in the Finger Lakes region doing some “incredible” work, including Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters, Simple Roast and Copper Horse. Elemental Coffee Lab’s own roasting operation is now being led by longtime Cafe 19 employee Xavier Millerd, who oversees a Coffee Crafters fluid-bed roaster in Geneva. 

Elemental Head Roaster Xavier Millerd.

Before getting into roasting, Millerd earned a creative writing degree, then joined Cafe 19 by opening and running a coffee kiosk at the Northeast College of Health Sciences, discovering a passion for coffee and espresso craft. After the kiosk closed, Millerd returned to Cafe 19 as a barista and social media manager.

Elemental’s focus currently is split between direct-to-consumer coffee sales, local grocery and wholesale, with Cafe 19 being a key client. The roastery is also collaborating with Geneva-based Brewery Ardennes for a bourbon-barrel-aged coffee.

Said Casey, “Right now, most of my time is spent at Cafe 19 since we’re incredibly busy and it demands a lot of attention.”

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