Values Spur Growth of A&E Coffee and Tea

When it comes to selling coffee, there’s plenty of competition, but mixing a healthy dose of values has helped A&E Coffee and Tea to stand out and grow. Owner Emeran Langmaid, who opened her third cafe on Nov. 15 in Goffstown, focuses on being environmentally conscious.

Since launching in 2001, A&E has grown steadily to three locations (including Amherst and Manchester) and built a robust wholesale operation supplying coffee beans and tea leaves. The company’s success “boils down to having quality staff and making sure they are aware of the company’s values,” Langmaid says.

Its chief value is sustainability. When it opened, A&E was the first USDA Certified Organic Coffee Roaster in NH. Part of its dedication to sustainability is its Coffee Grounds Recycling Program. Customers can participate by bringing in a five gallon bucket with their name on it and taking it home free of charge once it’s full of spent coffee grounds. On average, the business is able to recycle 75 percent of all coffee grounds annually.

“I can’t take credit for the idea completely,” Langmaid says, “It has been around for awhile. I first learned about it when I was roasting out of my house, and I used them in my own garden.” Langmaid believes this program is successful because many customers, including gardeners and chicken farmers, participate in it.

A&E’s eco-friendly efforts don’t end there. The cups, boxes, packaging and coffee bags that are used are all recyclable, but as Langmaid says, “Recycling still takes energy in order to compress and package it, where reuse takes minimal effort.”

To reduce its use of energy, A&E reuses as much as it can, starting with local providers delivering pastries in plastic containers as well as storing cafe products in plastic tubs.

Langmaid estimates that “all the components added saves around $500 to $700 a year.” This includes paying for less trash pickup, using LED light bulbs in her cafes, and reusing plastic containers. Though saving money is a benefit of these recycling and reuse efforts, that’s not what motivates Langmaid.

Her main goal is to contribute to a long-term environmental solution by reducing her footprint on the world. She says she has learned over time that doing something positive, such as making environmentally conscientious decisions, pays off in the long run for both the financial and moral aspects of her business. For more information, visit aeroastery.com.

By Robyn Caron of the Young Reporters Project, a partnership between Business NH Magazine and the University of NH Manchester. Caron is a student at UNH Manchester.