BUFFALO, NY – Alisa Officer has loved coffee her whole life. She and her twin sister, Alicia, began to dream of opening a cafe together.

“That was maybe five and more years ago,” said Alicia. “We had this conversation and then COVID hit in the height of 2020 and it was such a whirlwind for us because I think a lot of people were deciding, where do I go from here? “

The pandemic made their dream a little harder to achieve, but the twins didn’t give up.

“I came to my sister with this crazy idea like, ‘we’re going to roast our own coffee,’ Alicia said. we don’t have the coffee yet, and we will eventually make that other dream come true. “

Alicia and Alisa therefore learned the science of roasting coffee.

“We bring a lot of our learning process to the Bellweather and Ikawa roasters,” said Alisa. “We will take classes in the spring, we will go to special coffee roasting schools.”

The officers roast their coffee in the eastern part of Buffalo. They will share a space with a wine press, which is also in progress. They say location is what is crucial.

“When we were interested in opening a cafe, we actually tried to use a national brand to deny ourselves the right to vote, but we were basically told there was no market in it. east of Buffalo, ”Alisa said. “So rather than be discouraged, Jeff Bezos decided it and started ours.”

Their company is called Unapologetic Coffee. Alisa says it’s a way to showcase the rich culture of the east side of Buffalo.

“Which is heavily influenced by African Americans, Blacks and Browns,” said Alisa. “And, basically, shed some light on the fact that we value the same products as everyone else and shouldn’t have to go very far to get them. “

Alisa and Alicia grew up on the east side, and Alisa still works in the area.

“There isn’t a place where students or locals feel invited or welcomed, to sit and have a cup of coffee, learn more about it. Most of the time what we notice here is that there are limited choices, ”said Alisa.