Edible Food Finds: Acoustic Java
Photos by Little Outdoor Giants
Early mornings and mid-afternoons are when coffee plays a role in most people’s days. For David Fullerton, owner of Acoustic Java, coffee is all day, every day.
“Our role as a coffee roaster is being a community hub and catalyst,“ says Fullerton of the coffee-centered conversations, meals, education, experience and community he has cultivated at the 13-year-old Worcester-based company with two locations in Worcester and one in Providence (now "permanently closed").
Roasting his own beans is one way Fullerton carved out a niche among Central Massachusetts coffee shops and cafés. “As a roaster,” he says, “we can speak to the coffee in a way that differentiates us. …When you taste coffee, it’s a language where smells and textures can get passively consumed—you enjoy it but you don’t know why. We can help you put your finger on the underlying pleasing aspect.”
An authorized instructor for the Specialty Coffee Association, Fullerton teaches classes, instructs baristas and hosts tastings for the public to better acquaint people with the nuances of a cup of joe. “It’s a knowledge-intensive industry, and we’ve dedicated ourselves to the ongoing research needed to stay in touch with current trends,” he adds, while sipping a cup of black Colombian coffee.
The Acoustic Java experience doesn’t stop with the brew. Each retail location boasts a scratch kitchen creating everything from olive and herb toast topped with whipped feta, to a grilled cheese-and-soup combo, to vegan muffins and almond toffee cookies.
Coffee, to Fullerton, is the starting point for community gatherings. After partnering with Jared Wagner, a cinephile staff member, the café launched a series of independent and art house film screenings associated with their now-closed Providence location. At the Rhode Island city’s former Cable Car Cinema, Acoustic Java hosted microcinema pop-ups replete with coffee and treats.
Pairing great art with great coffee, says Fullerton, “went hand in hand with the kind of composition that represents the potential of a coffeehouse.” Initially, the plan was to expand from pop-ups to a brick-and-mortar cinema. However, the COVID pandemic forbade large gatherings, forcing the closure. Yet, Fullerton holds fast to the idea that cinema has the ability to “enhance the café experience” and hopes to relaunch in Worcester.
COVID’s fallout was a jolt for the coffee roastery. In addition to the Providence closure, the Main Street Worcester café remained shuttered as of mid-August. Fullerton hopes to reopen for a short duration as students return to nearby Clark University but says he knows a multi-week shutdown will occur when the truncated semester winds down.
But Worcesterites have not gone caffeine free. The roastery remained open throughout early 2020. As summer rolled in and customers were allowed back inside, there wasn’t enough space to comply with state dine-in regulations so Fullerton set up outdoor seating allowing customers to enjoy a latte or cold brew alfresco.
In the past eight months—which Fullerton characterizes as “extremely challenging, to say the least”—he reports learning a lot about himself as an entrepreneur. Choosing to remain open, he says, “is like a recommitment. This was an opportunity to do anything and, given the choice, this is what I love.”
Itself a small business, the café employed 24 people prior to COVID and now employs half that. To remain operational, Fullerton is focusing on increasing wholesale clientele thereby investing in the local small business economy. Today, partnerships include Ed Hyder’s Mediterranean Marketplace, Maker to Main, BirchTree Bread Company, NU Kitchen, Central Cup Coffee and Cupcakery and multiple Central Massachusetts breweries. In addition, Fullerton is pursuing organic roastery certification for Acoustic Java—hopefully another standout characteristic for the brand, he says.
In less than six months, Acoustic Java has had to pivot, says Fullerton, but in so doing, “We have a new set of eyes, and it’s been very inspiring.”
