Seneca Sunrise Coffee Groundbreaking

June 28th Ceremony Marks Next Chapter for Watkins Glen Roastery

On June 28, 2021, Seneca Sunrise Coffee in Watkins Glen marked another milestone and broke ground for a new roastery at their current location. While the new building will have a modest footprint, it will still be bigger than the 400-square foot apartment the small-batch coffee roaster occupies and—more importantly—will provide them with a more efficient production space and ample storage for raw coffee beans, allowing Seneca Sunrise Coffee to grow its wholesale business. A small retail space will be located at the front of the building where visitors can purchase bags of freshly roasted beans, local products and coffee to-go. The expansion project represents a capital investment of $700,000, part of which is funded through a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant awarded to Watkins Glen by the State of New York.

The groundbreaking ceremony was well-attended by supporters and local officials. From left to right: Tim O’Hearn, Schuyler County Administrator; Luke Leszyk, Mayor of Watkins Glen; John Franzese, general contractor; Jochen and Mindi Beheydt, owners of Seneca Sunrise Coffee; and Ryan Hallings, of Lyons National Bank. Not pictured is Judy McKinney Cherry, Executive Director of SCOPED (Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development) and co-chair of the DRI Local Planning Committee.

Seneca Sunrise Coffee is a small-batch roaster of organic coffee beans in Watkins Glen, NY, and is owned and operated by Melinda Beheydt with the help of her husband, Jochen. Their coffee is available at the retail space on Decatur Street, online at senecasunrisecoffee.com, and at select local retail partners, and is served at several local restaurants, including the Watkins Glen State Park Cafe and Gift Shop.