Local roasters Upstate’s Cold Brew is on the rise, expanding their distribution and product offerings. A combination of community building, creativity and a drive for a well balanced, eye popping brew are the driving factors behind this dynamic duo’s move to supply your morning routine with a bump of flavorful exuberance and maybe a whole lot more.
Please state your name(s). What is your position in the company? Can you share a little about your educational or experiential background?
My name is Khalid Miller — most folks just call me Kha. I am a Co-Owner of Upstate Cold Brew alongside my brother-in-coffee, Jamel Mosely. Day to day I steer operations and recipe development as the Head Brewmaster in addition to and other cool stuff. Jamel drives brand and community outreach (he’s the people magnet). We both do everything of course – but we tend to lean in those respective directions. I received a Master’s in Education from the College of Saint Rose. I was a School Councilor / Behavior Intervention Team Leader at the Brighter Choice School for Boys in Albany, New York for just over 8 years when I left in spring of 2023. Since 2019 my focus and passion has been on deepening my knowledge of the coffee industry and different brewing techniques – such as cold brew!
Cold Brew is a crowded space. What made you decide to start up the company? Can you tell us about your mission? When did you start?
The seed was planted more than a decade ago: we dreamt of a coffee shop that doubled as a creative studio where aspiring entrepreneurs could hatch ideas and find the tools to build them. But we ended up slamming the brakes on the brick-and-mortar plan, because life had other plans – but we eventually came back around to it, but this time with a different approach. Cold brew concentrate. We made it, gave it to friends and family, they loved it and convinced us to bottle up this magic and share it with the world. We got our big break in 2022 at the Troy’s Riverfront Farmer’s Market where it took off. We now have a thriving community that supports us and is growing everyday and the best part is that our mission hasn’t changed– coffee is still the conduit. We brew to spark connection, fuel creativity, and pour resources back into the community that raised us.
Can you share a bit about your process and method? What would you say is the identifying characteristic(s) about UCB?
We start with organically-grown, sustainably-traded beans roasted right here in the Capital Region. In the early days we soaked coarse grounds for 14–24 hours and triple-filtered every batch. Today we scale that same philosophy with a chilled, closed-loop system that extracts in a fraction of the time while locking in a richer, smoother, profile and extending shelf life. The result is a velvety concentrate that’s “eye-opening” strong, yet incredibly smooth and flavorful!
How are you primarily distributing the product? Do you have additional channels that you are pursuing?
Right now a large percentage of our volume moves through direct-to-customer channels we can shake hands with: the Troy Riverfront Farmers Market every Saturday, plus refill stations and grab-and-go bottles at Emack & Bolio’s in Albany, and in the coffee cocktails at DeFazio’s Pizza and The Whiskey Pickle in Troy.
For retail, Honest Weight Food Co-op just gave us shelf space, and other regional grocers are in the pipeline. Online, we ship nationwide from our website at upstatescoldbrew.com, and we’re working through the final hoops to launch an Amazon storefront later this summer. So we are doing our best to get this high quality concentrate to as many people as possible!
BONUS: Anything coming up we should know about? New releases or live tasting events?
Catch us in person in right off Monument Square on Second Street at our booth every Saturday at the Farmers Market in Troy. You can also keep up to date on pop up events and special product releases by following our Instagram page @upstatescoldbrew.
WEB: upstatescoldbrew.com | IG: @upstatescoldbrew