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FRESH ROAST

By Tina Barry
The Brooklyn Paper

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Plenty of places exist where one can mainline a cup of coffee, but few claim their beans are socially and environmentally conscious.

At Gorilla Coffee (owner Darleen Scherer, pictured, has an affection for apes), which opened in Park Slope last month, the coffee is brewed using beans purchased through the Fair Trade Organization, a group that pays farmers a decent wage to sustain their farms and crops.

If you pull up a chair to one of the store’s nine tables any day from 1 pm to 6 pm, you can breathe in the aroma of roasting beans. Scherer buys hers "green" and then roasts them in 30-pound batches.

The roasting produces a strong, rich brew that "the customers are really enthusiastic about," said store employee Graeme Kennedy. Scherer purchases scones, biscuits and old-fashioned cookie bars topped with pecans and caramel, or a treat called a Revel Bar - graham crackers and chocolate pudding - from Taylor’s, a well-known supplier of baked goods in Manhattan.

In addition to their robust coffee, organic teas and hot chocolate are also served.

Gorilla Coffee (97 Fifth Ave. between Park Place and Prospect Place) accepts cash only. The shop opens at 7 am and serves until 9 pm on weekdays, and until 10 pm on the weekend. Drinks: $1.50-$4.50. Baked goods: $2.25-$3.50. Half-pound of freshly ground coffee: $5. Pound of ground coffee: $9.50. For information, call (718) 230-3243.

©2003 Community Newspaper Group

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