Our story

A cart, a garage and a lot of coffee

Halfmoon started as a coffee cart at the farmers market and a roaster in a garage. Today it is two shops, eleven people and the same small roaster.

2017
The cart
Nina and Theo Alvarez start pouring at the Burlington farmers market from a converted bike cart. They roast on weekends in their garage.
2019
Pine Street
The roaster moves into an old welding shop on Pine Street, and the cafe opens around it. The garage gets its car back.
2022
Church Street
A tiny walk up bar opens on the marketplace, for the people who just need an espresso and a croissant on the way to work.
Today
Still small
Eleven people, two shops and about 300 kilos of coffee a week. We still cup every lot ourselves.

What we care about

Three promises

1
Pay farmers properly
We buy through importers who share their prices, and we pay well above the market for every coffee.
2
Roast it, sell it, start again
Small batches twice a week, so nothing on the shelf is older than a few weeks.
3
Be a good neighbor
Pastries from the bakery next door, milk from a farm 40 miles away and our spent grounds go to a community garden.

Who you will meet

Nina Alvarez
Co-owner and head roaster
Roasts every batch and cups every lot. Ask her about Ethiopia.
Theo Alvarez
Co-owner, runs the shops
Hires the baristas, fixes the espresso machines and writes the board.

Catering, wholesale and private events

Boxed coffee for the office, beans for your restaurant or the whole Pine Street shop for an evening. Tell us what you have in mind.

We reply to every message within one working day.