The Valerio Familys coffee experience dates back to 1958 when Joe Sr. sourced some of the best Central and South American coffee to brew. He would fill the urn on his steel cart and sell coffee in factories and businesses in Bridgeport and Norristown, Pennsylvania. Ready to expand, Joe Sr. began loaning brewers and delivering fresh coffee to fellow entrepreneurs to brew on their own. The Valerio family was the first coffee service provider in the Delaware Valley to brew coffee into thermal servers - keeping the coffee fresh after brewed. His son, Anthony Valerio, studied coffee from seed to cup and quickly developed a passion for quality coffee and the roasting process. He networked and shared ideas with people from around the country, visiting various coffee roasting facilities. In 1992, he ventured the Valerio family into their first retail coffee house called Caf Excellence. The coffee house was located in Glenside, Pennsylvania next to the Keswick Theater. As a young entrepreneur he blended different origins to make a unique coffee taste and worked on his Barista skills creating specialty drinks that he could call his own. Being one of the pioneers in the coffee house business helped Anthony see the changes in the industry - the traditional institutional roaster whose recipes consisted of three countries and standard grade coffees were going to quickly become dinosaurs. It was clear to him that Specialty Grade Coffee was the product of the future and someday consumers would recognize that coffee should be enjoyed like wine with an appreciation for the "labor of love" it truly is. Caf Excellence buys coffee from over 25 different countries. All of our coffees are Specialty Grade Coffee meaning they are Arabica beans grown at high altitudes 3, 000 feet above sea level with only the ripe cherries picked. Caf Excellences roasting techniques are unique because they combine Artisan Roasting with new technology and science. All Caf Excellence coffees are dry roasted and air-cooled, ensuring freshness and consistency. Anthony personally cups a sample of the beans three times. Once before they are purchased, again when the beans are received and finally as he inspects and samples all of Caf Excellences finished products.