DiBruno Bros. Switches Up Their Coffee Program


Long after you and I have finished drinking our coffee for the day, DiBruno Bros. in Center City is still working on theirs. Within the next week (a hard date is projected for August 9th), DiBruno Bros. will be completing a shift from their longtime Italian coffee partner, Illy, to the North Carolina-based Counter Culture, as part of a total renovation of their coffee program.

Though DiBruno’s extensively considered local roasters including ReAnimator and Rival Brothers, Counter Culture finally won out. The shift will ensure that DiBruno Bros. coffee, like many Philly’s many microroasters, is direct trade and seasonal, brewed with beans roasted, packaged and shipped only after DiBruno’s has actually ordered them.

Even more than the quality of the raw materials (since we all know that there is no shortage of great, carefully roasted coffee in this town), DiBruno’s selected Counter Culture for the extensive training and support that they provide to ensure that great beans make their way into great brews. Last week, DiBruno’s baristas underwent an eight hour training on how to brew a better cup of coffee: measurements, temperatures, ratios for espresso beverages, and immaculate cleanliness to ensure that each roast and bean maintains its unique character. Counter Culture is also roasting DiBrunos’ new line of private label coffees of which there will be four: an espresso, a decaf, Rittenhouse Roast (apparently boasting honey and nutmeg nuances) and the darker, more chocolatey Family Blend. There’s even talk of adding a pour over option to the menu once the program is up and running.

Since a cup of coffee isn’t a balanced breakfast without a pastry, the extent of the coffee makeover will reach into the bakery department as well. Frangelli’s Doughnuts of Ritner Street, a longtime staff favorite of cheesemongers at DiBruno’s 9th Street location, will (come September when they reopen after summer vacation) join Metropolitan Bakery breads and the recent Best of Philly winning cupcakes from Whipped Bakeshop.

DiBruno Brothers [Official]