Caffeine, ukuleles, community: Moschetti Coffee Saturday tastings in Vallejo offer connection

VALLEJO – Whether it’s listening to musicians like the Ukulele Lovers of Vallejo, chatting with neighbors or just sipping coffee, Moschetti Coffee’s Saturday tastings have long offered a blast of caffeine and a community connection in Vallejo.

French native Fabrice Moschetti founded the coffee company in 1990 in Napa, moved to Vallejo three years later, and launched the community tastings in 2006. They were  suspended for about three years during the pandemic, but returned with a vengeance this January with an appearance by the Ukulele Lovers. A classic car show is coming up June 10, and French jazz musicians Duo Gadjo will perform June 17.

The free events take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Moschetti Artisan Coffee Roaster headquarters at 11 Sixth St., just off Curtola Parkway.

“I’ve long believed that there’s nothing like tasting coffee to bring people together,” Moschetti said. “It’s a special kind of intimacy.”

The initial motivation for holding the events was to expose folks to a wide variety of coffees, from the pungent flavor of French roast to the jet-propulsion of espresso and beyond. Moschetti roasts more than 40 different types of coffee beans, and six different coffees are offered at each Saturday tasting.

As they progressed, the tastings became what Moschetti describes as community-building events where people meet and discuss politics and barter their garden-grown products, among other things.

“Many local artists use Moschetti as a free venue,” Moschetti said in an essay on the company’s website. “Musicians and poets share their talent during the open mic, food startups showcase their local fare and farmers share their plant starters or eggs.”

Around 9:30 a.m. on a recent Saturday, people lined up at a table where six approximately two-foot-tall coffee dispensers – some gray, some red – were arranged outside the coffee roastery.

The offerings were Guatemala, Dolce, Light Ethiopia, Colombia, Sumatra and Noir Naturel, the last of which got a strong endorsement from at least one participant.

“It’s strong, and that’s good. I have yard work to do today,” said Marti Ramirez, who attended the tasting with her 17-year-old daughter Julia Ramirez. Both live in Vallejo.

Folks at the tastings usually drink one cup or more. This is different from traditional tastings in which the taster takes a sip of coffee and then spits it into a container.

“That’s a waste of good coffee,” opined Dean Ahlberg of Vallejo, who was at the tasting with his wife Judy Faye. They were sitting at one of several tables outdoors, drinking coffee and eating pastries purchased at the small retail store that’s part of the compound on Sixth Street, along with the roastery.

“I like the Ethiopian coffee [Moschetti] roasts,” Ahlberg said. Faye, a decaf drinker, said the decaf Sumatra “is the best you’ll ever find.”

“We see friends here all the time,” said Ahlberg, who sings with the Vallejo Choral Society and said he often runs into fellow members at the venue.

George Psaledakis of Glen Ellen dropped by with his son Max.

“I drive by here three days a week. Sometimes when they are roasting, I smell the wonderful aromas on Curtola Parkway,” said Psaledakis, who bought cookies and a bag of Sumatra at the retail store. “Today I saw the sandwich board saying ‘Free Tasting’ and thought I’d check it out.”

“It’s my first event. I’m sure we will be returning,” he added.

The bulk of the company’s revenue comes from the many restaurants and cafes all over Vallejo and the Bay Area, as well as Sacramento, that use Moschetti’s coffee. “We sell to about 400 hotels, restaurants and cafes,” Moschetti said.

“We make a lot of different beverages, coffee, tea, decaf coffee,” Moschetti said. “We distribute nitro brewed coffee and hibiscus tea.”

Hoping to create a community hub similar to the tasting events and the renowned cafés of Paris, Moschetti expanded and opened Moschetti Café at Florida and Main streets in Vallejo in October 2019.

“We love bringing people together,” said Moschetti, who came to the U.S. in 1989 and now lives in Napa.

In May, Moschetti passed the baton, selling the café to Diana and Julian Escobar, his friends of 13 years who plan expanded hours and a greater variety of food offerings.

“It’s a win-win,” Moschetti said. “They wanted to open a café, and post-COVID, I did not have the energy to expand the hours or enlarge the menu.”

Escobar has many years’ experience as a barista, and her husband has opened and operated restaurants including Scoma’s of Sausalito, Moschetti said. Since the two were in the market to open a café, they were a natural choice to take over, he said.

While he no longer owns the café, Moschetti is still fully dedicated to his business. He wouldn’t think of ending the tastings, either, even though he doesn’t make money on them.

“It’s not about money,” Moschetti said. “The event is to celebrate the link that forms around a cup of coffee. We are not a large company, we are a Mom and Pop.”

“My kids have been involved; this Saturday my daughter Juliette was there. She is on break from UC Berkeley. She came to help me. A lot of customers have known her since she was a baby,” Moschetti said. “My second child, Marco, comes too,” he said.

“It’s not just a business,” he said. “We are kid-friendly and dog-friendly. It’s an event for the whole family; it’s your family meeting mine.”