Fresh face joins Village coffee scene

New PortRush Coffee shop in Port Chester hopes to hook residents on specialty coffee and give to charity at the same time
June 19, 2024 at 11:55 p.m.
Abi Nares-Yanez prepares to mix a Butterfly Lemonade, one of the signature drinks at PortRush Coffee, on Friday, June 7. The newly opened café, which she helps run, strives to be a gateway into the world of specialty coffees for customers in Port Chester.
Abi Nares-Yanez prepares to mix a Butterfly Lemonade, one of the signature drinks at PortRush Coffee, on Friday, June 7. The newly opened café, which she helps run, strives to be a gateway into the world of specialty coffees for customers in Port Chester. (David Tapia/Westmore News)

By DAVID TAPIA | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment
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Upon entering PortRush Coffee at 14 King St., there’s a lot to look at.

The wall to the left features a grid of potted plants and an empty canvas, while the view straight ahead sees a slew of coffee machinery with menus overhead. To the right, customers can peruse bags and containers of coffee beans for sale.

A bar facing the windows at the front of the shop offers a handful of patrons a quaint spot to sit and enjoy a cup of joe in the small, hole-in-the-wall sized establishment. The limited space means many choose to take their drink on the go.

But what stands out most is the aroma.

The smell of freshly ground coffee beans mixed with the sage, mint and basil growing nearby creates a soothing, earthy scent.

David West, owner of the recently opened espresso bar, said the crafting of fragrance is by design.

After the Greenwich, Conn., resident took to growing herbs with his daughter several years ago, he became infatuated with scents.

“I have a real love for aroma,” West said. “And one of those strong aromas is coffee.”

The tech entrepreneur’s love of the drink inspired him to open the café. “I really wanted to bring people together through coffee, so I started trying to build this place up.”

    Jonathan Yanez, the manager of PortRush Coffee at 14 King St., puts the artful finishing touches on a cappuccino.
 By David Tapia 
 
 

Though West had experience with the food industry, having previously worked as an executive at Nestlé, he decided to look for a well-qualified individual who could develop the menu and handle the day-to-day business.

His search for a caffeine aficionado led him to Jonathan Yanez, an Ecuadorian who’s spent the last 10 years in the coffee industry.

Originally studying the culinary arts, Yanez was drawn to coffee after seeing a barista competition for the first time in Costa Rica.

“It was the first time that I learned about specialty coffee, and it really caught my attention,” he recalled. “I started moving away from food and a lot more into coffee. It really expanded my horizon.”

He dove into the subject, finding courses and visiting artisanal cafés wherever he could. His passion led him to more barista competitions around Latin America, ultimately putting him in a position to open the first specialty coffee shop in the Galapagos Islands in 2018.

It was there he met Abi Nares-Yanez, who had been backpacking through South America after graduating from SUNY New Paltz.

“She walked into the coffee shop and ordered a tea,” he joked.

While they made a powerful connection, their paths led them in separate directions—and opposite ends of the earth.

He continued to work in coffee, visiting the U.S. before he settled in Spain where he continued to help open cafés, while she landed in Thailand teaching English until COVID-19 brought her back to the U.S.

Though physically apart, they maintained their relationship as a long-distance couple and aimed to get married in Spain.

But the pandemic spoiled those plans.

As time went on, Yanez became ineligible to enter the U.S. because he no longer met the requirement for a visa. “So, we just decided to meet in Ecuador,” he said.

The couple married in August 2021, staying in Ecuador for 10 months before moving to Florida, where they spent the next two years as consultants for restaurants and coffee shops. But the allure of the Big Apple called to Yanez.

“I would always tell my wife that I wanted to move to New York at some point,” he said. “I’ve always really liked the New York vibe.”

And while he had always been open to new environments and experiences, he was looking for somewhere to settle down.

So, when West approached him with the idea to start a specialty coffee shop in Port Chester, it seemed like the perfect fit.

After a visit in October 2023, the couple made the move to Willett Avenue, within walking distance of PortRush Coffee, where they both now work.

Yanez spent months developing the menu, experimenting with different beans, roasts and flavors. He prides himself on the quality of each drink and has been putting each employee through rigorous training to ensure consistency.

    Jonathan Yanez makes an adjustment to one of the 25 herbs growing in the café.
 By David Tapia 
 
 

“I would say it’s been pretty intensive,” he laughed. “Every drink is made by weight, and we worked really hard to develop their sensory skills, because if they don’t, it’s like a chef who doesn’t taste their food.”

At the same time, he’s trying to expand customers’ palates, exposing them to coffee flavors they may be unfamiliar with by changing out the beans used every day.

“We’re indirectly forcing people to try something new. Because we’re all creatures of habit, sometimes we just stick with what we know,” Yanez said. “But we’re already seeing people taste the differences between some blends and discovering what they prefer. And if there’s one that they particularly like, they can just buy a bag of that.”

West said that on top of PortRush Coffee’s dedication to creating unique drinks developed through months of experimentation—such as the Butterfly Lemonade and Cold Brew Lemonade—their business model is what sets them apart.

Once the café starts making a profit, he plans on splitting the wealth with his employees and charity.

“Forty percent of profits will go to our team members and 10% will be given to the Feathers Project,” he explained.

The Feathers Project is a nonprofit organization that West founded, which donates money directly to impoverished individuals in the Philippines.

“I felt that a lot of charities felt very anonymous or detached,” he said. “It’s almost like throwing money over a fence. We’re trying to introduce human contact into that experience.”

West explained that all money donated to The Feathers Project is sent directly to a beneficiary, who records a personalized thank you message for the donor.

Yanez is hopeful PortRush Coffee will be able to begin making charitable donations, as it’s something customers will be able to visualize as well.

“For every individual we help, we’ll put a feather on the mosaic,” he said, pointing towards the blank canvas on the wall. “Eventually, they’ll form the wings of an angel and people can see how much we support others.”

While Yanez readily admitted it may take some time to get to that point, he believes they’ll form the wings in due time.

“For now, it’s there as a reminder for us to see where we want to get,” he said as he gazed at the empty mosaic. “It reminds me that we’re a business focused on quality, but we’re going beyond that. We’re looking to help people.”


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