No regular joe

By Liz Barry

Published: February 27, 2008

There's a new coffee shop in town, The Good Cherry, and it's serious about its java.

For owners Greg, Aaron and Rebecca Skeen, the Forest coffee shop is a platform for educating consumers about everything coffee, from the science of roasting to the socio-economic conditions of farmers.

"Our hope is to connect this community with growers in other countries," Aaron says.

"People are getting paid pennies for coffee that they've picked and processed by hand," he later adds.

The Good Cherry will celebrate its grand opening at 7 p.m. Saturday with a photography exhibition by Richmond photographer PJ Sykes and live music from three regional bands: The Late Virginia Summers (of Forest), Mild Winter (of Harrisonburg) and Cold Toast (of Richmond).

The Skeens designed The Good Cherry with a venue in mind. There is ample wall space for art and a nook for bands to play. The couple's hope is that the shop will be a community hub for music, art and culture.

The Good Cherry will also sell smoothies, hot chocolate, pastries and panini. But at the end of the day, it's about a good cup of joe.

"We're just passionate about coffee," Rebecca says.

The shop's name comes from coffee itself. Coffee trees produce cherries, whose seeds, once roasted, are what we call coffee beans.

This isn't the first coffee endeavor for the Skeens. In 2006, they started the city's first commercial roaster: The Rosetta Coffee Company. In November, the couple moved their operations from Campbell County to a warehouse on Kemper Street.

But the Skeens weren't satisfied with just roasting.
All of their coffee is sold within two days of roasting to maximize flavor, Rebecca says. Since they roast the coffee themselves, they have control over the details of the process.

Right now, the Skeens buy imported beans from Central and South America, Africa and Indonesia. In accordance with their "think globally, act locally" ethos, the couple's ultimate goal is to buy directly from coffee farmers.

If You're Going:

The Good Cherry is located at 14805 Forest Road in the Forest Square Shopping Center. The hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.