Ovelle Brings the Wide World of Coffee Closer to Home
HARTFORD’S COFFEE CULTURE IS GETTING FROTHY, MICRO-FOAM-Y, IN A GOOD WAY, WE THINK.
Behind the scenes with Ovelle Coffee’s Sasha Fay and Brianna Stefano
Not just cafés—but actual coffee people. Pop-ups. Baristas. AND a roaster. Folks building businesses and communities around something as simple as a morning ritual, or that 4th espresso at close. Its bubbling up so much even the City put together a coffee trail initiative.
On Pratt Street alone you can get espresso at 4 places (you won’t, but let us know if you try) now. It is a giant leap from when it was just JoJo’s churning espresso and roasting up second wave beans.
Speaking of roasting, with the growing and possibly competitive cafe scene to one side, to the other, tucked into that growing ecosystem is Ovelle Coffee. A Hartford-based roaster making it happen inside the Swift Factory in the North End.
Founded by Sasha and Ian Fay, Ovelle was originally inspired by a connection to Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, one of the world’s most famous coffee-growing regions. What began as an appreciation for Jamaican coffee evolved into a roasting company rooted equally in quality, culture, and community.
A certain 18-cup stovestop espresso maker
Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee ship in unique barrels
A lot of coffee brands talk endlessly about sourcing and tasting notes. Ovelle clearly cares about those things too—they roast specialty coffees out of the Swift Factory as part of the building’s food business incubator spaces. But what makes them interesting is that they also seem genuinely interested in people and a deep love of the craft.
They show up. Farmers markets. Community events. Collaborations. Coffee classes. Even without a cafe they’re very much part of the energy helping shape Hartford’s growing independent coffee scene.
A Field of Gems
Today we can announce that we have partnered with Ovelle on “A Field of Gems,” the official roast of the Moka Pot Charity Invitational. A natural fit.
Brianna Stefano walk us through our blind taste test
The first mock up of the bags.
When we approached Sasha about creating a coffee tied to Hartford’s café soccer tournament and World Cup summer energy, she immediately got excited. Not just “make a coffee,” but make something tied to the game. Something collaborative, something unique. Also something that was going to taste great when brewed at home, in a moka pot.
Flavors from around the world were narrowed to three with a final option fit for the Moka Pot selected.
Their operation feels personal in a way that’s increasingly rare. The kind of business where you can still feel the hands behind it. Let us be the first to tell you that the level of care and hands-on experience they gave our modest project was magical. High touch, lots of care, more love.
With that we are excited to present: A Field of Gems. Brew it up at home, and tell us if you are getting dark chocolate, blackberries, and honey too.
A Field of Gems is an exclusive roast by Ovelle Coffee for the Inaugural Moka Pot Charity Invitational for Cafeteria.FM.
Ovelle Coffee is part self-discovery, part adventure into the unknown—born from the passion and partnership of Ian and Sasha Ovelle Fay. Beyond the cup, Ovelle is dedicated to community impact through coffee education and sustainable standards that support producers and future generations alike.
Roasted for brewing in a moka pot.
Dark Chocolate | Blackberries | Honey
Proceeds from each sale support Active City and youth sports in Hartford.
