Variety Coffee Roasters

Overview

Variety was founded in 2008 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by Gavin Compton, who took the name and signage from the previous tenant — a corner store called Cho's Variety on Graham Avenue. It was one of the first places to serve third-wave coffee in Brooklyn. The roastery launched at 146 Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick in 2014 — Variety was the first major specialty operator to plant a roastery flag in Bushwick — and has since expanded to nine NYC locations across Brooklyn and Manhattan. Compton also runs Blue Collar (3 locations), Three Decker Diner, and Miller's Tavern, but the line he repeats in interviews is 'all I do is coffee.'

Known for

• Founded 2008 by Gavin Compton in Williamsburg, named after the previous tenant Cho's Variety
• One of the first third-wave specialty cafes in Brooklyn
• Wyckoff Avenue Bushwick roastery — first major specialty brand to plant a roastery in Bushwick (2014)
• Nine NYC locations across Brooklyn and Manhattan; expansion to Upper West Side 2025
• Working-man positioning — affordable price point in a high-cost city, La Marzocco Linea + French press

Why it matters

Variety is the Brooklyn coffee operator that grew to nine locations without losing the working-class neighborhood ethos that made the original Graham Avenue store work. In a category where most NYC specialty operators chase Manhattan first then collapse, Compton's measured cash-flow expansion — and the long-tenured staff (Variety baristas routinely stay 5+ years, in an industry where 6-month turnover is normal) — is the actual operating discipline behind the scale.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

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color sorting

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roaster machine

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filter equipment

French press into airpots

cupping frequency

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roastery location

146 Wyckoff Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn

espresso equipment

La Marzocco Linea (with Piero cap upgrades and steam foot pedal)

annual volume tonnes

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Café

146 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237

Sources

• https://theshopkeepers.com/shops/variety-coffee/
• https://www.ilovetheupperwestside.com/variety-coffee-roasters-opens-at-82nd-and-amsterdam/
• https://www.tryperdiem.com/spotlight/gavin-compton-variety-coffee-nyc-success
• https://greenpointers.com/2023/01/31/a-diner-and-decades-old-dream-an-interview-with-the-new-owners-of-three-decker-diner/
• https://honeysucklemag.com/variety-coffee-roasters/
• https://sprudge.com/variety-coffee-bushwick-54629.html
• https://bedfordandbowery.com/tag/gavin-compton/