Breyting Community Roaster: How The B-52s Frontman Fred Schneider Found His Calling
Breyting Coffee Bar & Roastery
Singer Fred Schneider—famed founding member of The B-52s—is well known for several of his hobbies. For one, he’s a rabid collector of vinyl records. (The more obscure, the better, he once told me.) He’s also a self-proclaimed coffee aficionado. Fun fact: Schneider typically prefers a medium-dark roast with a smooth finish and a chocolatey/nutty taste.
A few years ago when I found out the iconic new wave performer had become a partner in a fledgling roastery just outside Orlando—well, I had to kibitz with Mr. Schneider.
I wanted to know the who/what/when/where stat. Turns out his alliance with Breyting Community Roaster—a civic-minded coffee company—started just a few years ago. He sealed the deal with co-owner Von Coven over a bottle of white wine—because, of course, he did. (Forget handshakes—imbibing on wine is how all businesses should be founded.)
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Breyting—which is Icelandic for “change”—started as a roastery striving to make a gigantic global impact. Since its inception, they’ve seized every opportunity to ensure that happens.
Tin Roof—Roasted!
Thanks to Schneider’s notoriety and Breyting’s marketing efforts, the coffee bar started creating buzz even before they served a single caffeinated elixir. Once they opened, there was a groundswell of support for their coffee-centric charitable efforts.
If you like your coffee with cream and philanthropy, you’ve stumbled into the right place. This DeLand, Florida-based java bar uses coffee as a catalyst to support positive change. They offer a virtual online coffee fundraising program to help support worthwhile organizations, causes, and missions. The pay-it-forward model helps organizations achieve their funding needs, which, in turn, funds the roastery. For Coven, it’s exponential progress one cup of joe at a time
When the pandemic hit, it gave Coven a chance to regroup a bit. He closed up shop for a while to reflect and strategize next steps. “We decided to hit the pause button and really lay the foundation to come out strong this year,” he says. Together, Schneider and Coven tweaked their business model a bit and updated a few of their long-term plans. The result was an even more earth-friendly, charitable endeavor—complete with a new coffee that comes in light, medium, dark, or decaf roast. A hyper-mobile friendly website now allows users to not only pick the coffee roast they want, but the cause(s) they want to support along the way.
One Part Sanctuary, One Part Greenspace
When Breyting Community Roasters reopened to fanfare in mid-October, guests got the chance to see the reconfigured—and now Zen-tastic—outdoor space. “With 1,200 square feet of bamboo and water fountains, it’s a very peaceful place to have coffee and tea,” says Coven. It’s only the first phase of expansion for the roastery which includes an upcoming tea walk, which will feature indigenous plants specific to Florida and “coffee we can grow from this region, along with plants, shrubs, and edibles,” Coven adds. A mini-hydroponic farm is also set to grow (figuratively and literally) on the property. “It’s a $300,000 investment. We’ve been working with the city for approval,” says Coven. “As we start hiring more baristas, we want people who can also help run the hydroponics. Eventually, we’ll offer a monthly vegetable box program where people can pick up fresh greens and coffee in one monthly subscription.”
Both Coven and Schneider are also determined to harvest the power of the sun as much as possible by becoming a solar-powered coffee house. “Fred has really had a lot of interest in being self-sustaining and getting off the power grid as much as we can,” says Coven.
Belly Up to the Bar
Besides coffee, the bar offers plenty of zingy libations for patrons to try. Yes, dare I say, it’s an “ever-changing kaleidoscope of moods and colors” as Fred sang in the B’s Detour Thru Your Mind. Guests will also find nom-worthy, gluten-free, vegetarian fare on the menu. Want to fully immerse yourself in the DeLand experience? There’s even a quirky Airbnb room ready to rent at the roastery!
Schneider—who only drinks one cup of java per day—says he’s a bit of a coffee purist, so rest assured, Breyting’s various offerings will appease even the most persnickety coffee drinker. (How does Fred take his coffee? “A little bit of milk or a little bit of half and half. No sugar,” he mentions. “Although some people like maple syrup.”)
Coven, meanwhile, is just excited to re-open and see the fruits of his labor. Now he’s on a mission to—you guessed it!—spread Breyting’s mission. “Most people still don’t know about us. I’m very touched by people who come into our coffee bar, and they feel relaxed among people they trust—peers in the non-profit world who want a better world. The conversations are very inspiring.”
Schneider adds he has plenty of organizations and causes near and dear to his heart, so having this roastery and coffee bar is a perfect outlet for all parties involved. “When Fred is here, the creativity flows a lot better. And getting to watch Fred do something he really enjoys—raising money, celebrating—is amazing,” mentions Coven. “He shows up and uses his celebrity to help other people. Plus, it’s so cool to see how many people love Fred and when they see him in the coffee bar and learn he’s part owner, they are just blown away. It’s cool.”
Breyting Coffee Bar & Roastery
126 W Ohio Ave, DeLand, FL 32720