Richard Palizzolo and his husband, Joe McCarthy, have always been avid coffee drinkers, but they could never find that perfect balance of boldness and smoothness without any bitter aftertaste.
So, they embarked on a journey to develop the most satisfying cup of joe, leading them to set sail with a nautically themed, Newport-based brand called Springline Coffee.
“We talked about wanting to create roasts that are as bold as the ocean,” Palizzolo said.
Springline Coffee LLC launched in 2020 as a strictly online business amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but now that the severity of the pandemic has diminished, the company is trying to make a splash by introducing the product at more community events, with plans to launch a cafe in Newport during the summer.
Palizzolo said the genesis of the small business goes back to a chance meeting with Ken Marot, an experienced local roaster who is now a business partner.
Springline sources its custom blends of coffee beans from Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia and Peru.
“Ken has built a relationship with small estate farms,” Palizzolo said. “He’s worked with them for years. That helped us get a quality product.”