In the Kitchen with Ocean City Coffee Company
Roasted right on the Boardwalk, Ocean City Coffee Company has brewed up a quality reputation thanks to its amazing coffee and espresso drinks, delicious baked goods and stellar customer service
BOB ALEXANDER estimates he drinks about five cups of coffee a day – and with almost a decade under his belt working at Ocean City Coffee Company, only five cups of delicious, Boardwalk-roasted brew doesn’t really sound like that much.
Of course, he also admits that on some days, he may be throwing back closer to seven cups of the Pirate’s Blend (his favorite from the shop). We’re not judging. In fact, we might call it a good day if we stop at half a dozen mugs of Ocean City Blend (our favorite) – and we don’t even work there.
“I can’t wait to get up in the morning and have that first cup of coffee,” Bob said.
Marking nine years with OCCC in April, Bob’s current role is director of human resources/information technology and payroll. He’s worn many hats during his tenure with the company, and he’s seen things evolve and grow. OCCC now numbers three shops in Ocean City (and two more in Pennsylvania). The flagship location where all the roasting is done is at 916 Boardwalk. There’s a second shop on the boards at 1066 Boardwalk, and the year-round location is at 917 Asbury Avenue. Of course, OCCC is open year-round, 24/7 right online at oceancitycoffee.com.
“We deliver our coffee all over the United States and overseas,” Bob said, adding that this includes ground coffee and, for their most popular flavors, also K-cups. It’s clear Bob is passionate about coffee – and OCCC in particular.
“Our motto is to satisfy every customer that comes in with the best possible cup of gourmet coffee,” he said.
Ocean City Magazine caught up with Bob to learn more about that Boardwalk-roasted gourmet coffee, the expansive OCCC menu and even how a live feed of the boards came to live on the company’s website.
Q: Tell us about your coffee – how is it sourced and roasted?
A: We obtain green coffee beans from farmers throughout the world. We have a wholesaler up in North Jersey that is able to obtain those coffees for us. We get coffee from Jamaica, Brazil, Colombia, Africa, Mexico. We get our Kona from Hawaii. So, we’re getting coffee from pretty much all over South America, all over Africa and from various other locations.
Q: So you get the coffee beans in – then what happens?
A: I send one of our drivers up to North Jersey. We pick up a pallet of beans, bring them back to our flagship location, and there I have my fulltime roaster. Each roast takes somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes. Whether it’s a light, medium or dark roast determines temperature and the amount of time.
Q: How many types of freshly roasted gourmet coffees do you offer? What are the most popular blends?
A: We are constantly looking at the count on this. I would say it’s somewhere between 200 and 250. We probably carry the most (options of) decaffeinated flavored coffee in the area, too. Ocean City Blend is our No. 1 seller, and Pirate’s Blend is a pretty close second.
Q: And you have a large variety of tea, too. How many types?
A: That’s correct. We’re not just a coffee store. When I ran the flagship location, a lot of customers would come in and say, “I’m not a fan of coffee, but I love the aroma. I’m a tea drinker.” And so we carry a large variety of teas. Flavored teas. We carry chai, which is very popular.
Q: Now let’s talk espresso-based drinks. What do you offer in that realm?
A: Any number of drinks can be made with espresso, but typically it falls into the categories of lattes, cappuccinos and Americanos. Customers come in and ask for iced coffee with a shot of espresso in it, too. I would estimate there are about 30 flavors of lattes that are most requested. Some of the more popular ones are vanilla and caramel. We get customers asking for coconut. Hazelnut is a big latte request. Some people ask us to mix the flavors, too, and we will make it to your satisfaction. If you’ve gotten a drink at another shop and come to our counter and ask for that drink, we tell the customer if you can describe it to us, we’ll make it for you.
The basic espresso drink remains the same. What differentiates one from the other is the flavor being added. In making a latte, just as we do with any of the espresso drinks, we ask the customer if 2 percent milk is going to be fine. We also offer skim and milk alternatives – almond, milk, soy. We’ll steam half and half and heavy cream, too.
Q: What about food – what sweet and savory treats are on the menu?
A: We serve baked goods: crumb cake, blonde or chocolate brownies, biscotti, muffins, cookies (including vegan). We try a lot of different things. We also have cinnabuns, which is one of my favorites. They’re all things that go wonderful with coffee. At 916 Boardwalk, we have breakfast sandwiches. I call the guys who make them our grillmasters. We sell them 6am to noon, and to 3pm in the summer.
Q: We love that you run the live feed of the Boardwalk on your website. What inspired that idea?
A: I’m very proud of this. My son is the one who created our website for us. We were making some camera changes at our flagship location, and I asked him to put a live stream camera in because I wanted it on the website. I’ve had customers telling me, “We can see what the weather is, and that’s enough for us to get in the car and drive down to Ocean City.”
By Kristen Dowd