Neolocal Landscape - Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters

 Neolocal Landscape – Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters 

Small businesses often have a great deal of competition from corporate giants selling the same product that they are. Massive scale production and convenience give corporations a leg up in sales and building an audience. However, this doesn’t mean that smaller businesses can’t hold their own. Often utilizing the local charm and tradition of the area that they are located, “neolocal” businesses aim to captivate an audience of people from right in their backyard. 

The neolocal business I will be discussing is the Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters. While you might not have heard of them, this little shop is located just five minutes away from my house, so I’ve paid them quite a few visits! The location is kind of small and in a somewhat odd building, but I see a certain charm in the place and their little coffee cart. Though some neolocal companies may try to stay extremely local, Covered Bridge does ship their products throughout the country. However, a majority of their customers and businesses that they supply are locals of Bucks county, with their delivery service operating within 15 miles of their Feasterville location. 

There are a couple of things that make this landscape a particularly local one besides their singular public location. The name of this place is a direct reference to a Bucks County specific attraction: the covered bridges. The roaster’s logo also features one of these bridges in its iconic red and white color scheme. There are twelve of these structures throughout the county, with Bucks County being “one of the birthplaces of covered bridge building in America” (https://www.visitbuckscounty.com/things-to-do/covered-bridges/). Though it is, in my opinion, a somewhat dull attraction to be known for, this is one of the factors that makes the area distinct from others around the country. The Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters utilizing this attraction in their name and logo draws attention to its local roots, as well as attracts other locals who may recognize this symbol.  

As well as the name and logo being representative of local imagery and history, the company has curated their own roast blends that are named after some of the bridges individually. These include the Mood’s Covered Bridge Blend, the Loux Covered Bridge Blend, Frankenfield Covered Bridge Blend, Frankenfield Covered Bridge Blend, Schofield Ford Covered Bridge Blend, and Pine Valley Covered Bridge Blend (https://www.coveredbridgecoffeeroasters.com/store/c12/Signature__Blends.html#/). The blends also include a bit of the bridges’ histories on their website descriptions. This is also evidence of the company’s neolocalism; the emphasis on local history and landmarks not only appeals to locals in the area, but also helps educate others on what makes this area/company unique to others with similar products.  

One limiting factor for this company’s local production is location. While many local companies are able to source their products locally, coffee beans specifically are not something typically grown in Pennsylvania or even a majority of the U.S. However, this doesn’t stop the company from playing a big part in the local production. Though the beans are imported from other countries, they are roasted, ground, and blended locally. The Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters’ effort to include local history, imagery, and production in the company all contribute to its neolocal nature as a landscape.