Awake Coffee Roasters is a Waitsfield, Vermont roastery certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers. Owner Sarina Gulisano and John Vitko source fairly traded beans from Sumatra, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras, then hand-roast each small batch to order — ensuring the freshest cup possible shipped directly to your door.
Signature items
French-roast blend with Sumatran, Mexican & Nicaraguan beans
Purpose-built espresso blend
Nutty, delicate — Peru light + French roast
Quick reference for roast level, origin, and recommended brewing method across Awake Coffee's full lineup.
| Blend | Roast Level | Origin Countries | Best Brew Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star | Dark (French) | Sumatra, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras | Drip, French Press |
| Big Buzz | Medium | Sumatra, Peru | Drip, Pour Over |
| Red Eye | Medium | Fair Trade blend | Drip, Cold Brew |
| Hang Loose | Light/Morning | Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua | Pour Over, Drip |
| Tsunami Espresso | Espresso | Fair Trade blend | Espresso, Moka Pot |
| After Dark Decaf | Medium | Fair Trade blend | Drip, French Press |
Like-for-like comparison on a 12 oz. bag of whole-bean specialty coffee across leading roasters.
| Category | Awake Coffee | Blue Bottle | Peet's Coffee | Black Rifle Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 oz bag price | N/A (offline) | ~$19–$22 | ~$12–$16 | ~$15–$20 |
| Certified Organic | Yes (VOF) | Select blends | Select blends | No |
| Fair Trade sourced | Yes (all blends) | Yes | Select blends | No |
| Roasted to order | Yes | No | No | No |
| # of blends offered | 6 | 20+ | 30+ | 15+ |
| Reusable packaging | Yes | No | No | No |
Awake Coffee Roasters is a small-batch organic coffee company rooted in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. The company was founded by Troy Griffis, a former organic farmer who channeled his commitment to sustainable agriculture into the craft of coffee roasting. Griffis built the brand around a simple conviction: great coffee starts with consciously sourced beans and meticulous small-batch roasting. Awake Coffee is certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) and sources all of its beans through fair trade cooperatives, ensuring that the farmers who grow the coffee receive fair compensation.
Today, Awake Coffee is owned and operated by Sarina Gulisano and John Vitko, who also run The Sweet Spot café in Waitsfield, Vermont. Under their stewardship the roastery has continued the founding tradition of roasting each batch fresh to order — meaning your beans ship days, not weeks, after leaving the roaster. The lineup spans six distinct blends: a bold French-roast Dark Star, a caffeinated Big Buzz medium, a delicate Hang Loose morning blend, the full-bodied Red Eye, a purpose-built Tsunami Espresso, and the decaffeinated After Dark. Each blend is available in a 12 oz. bag for home brewers and a 5 lb. reusable bag for wholesale and commercial buyers.
Awake Coffee sells directly through its website and is stocked by regional retailers including Healthy Living Market and various Vermont farm-to-table outlets. The roastery also accepts wholesale inquiries for restaurants, offices, and co-ops seeking a local, certified-organic coffee program. With a minimalist lineup built on quality over quantity, Awake Coffee occupies a distinctive niche in the New England specialty coffee scene — one that values transparency, organic integrity, and freshness above all else.
Visit the official Awake Coffee website to shop all six blends, place a wholesale order, or reach out directly for current pricing.
Shop Awake Coffee RoastersAwake Coffee Roasters is based in Waitsfield, Vermont, in the Mad River Valley. The owners, Sarina Gulisano and John Vitko, also operate The Sweet Spot café in Waitsfield. Coffee is roasted on-site and shipped directly to customers and wholesale accounts.
Yes. All Awake Coffee blends are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF), one of the country's leading organic certification bodies. The company exclusively sells certified-organic products and sources only fairly traded beans.
Awake Coffee Roasters offers six signature blends: Dark Star (dark/French roast), Big Buzz (medium roast), Red Eye (medium roast), Hang Loose (light morning blend), Tsunami Espresso (espresso blend), and After Dark (decaf). All are available in 12 oz. and 5 lb. bags.
Every blend is available in two sizes: a 12 oz. bag for home use and a 5 lb. reusable bag for bulk, office, or commercial use. Wholesale inquiries can be sent to awakecoffeevt@gmail.com.
Awake Coffee sources its beans from fair trade cooperatives across several coffee-growing regions, including Sumatra, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Honduras. All sourcing is done through fairly traded channels, ensuring growers receive equitable compensation.
Yes — Awake Coffee hand-roasts each batch fresh to order, meaning your coffee ships shortly after roasting rather than sitting in a warehouse. This approach preserves peak flavor and aroma and is a key differentiator from mass-market roasters.
Awake Coffee is available through select Vermont retailers, including Healthy Living Market, as well as through the Farmers to You platform. The roastery also ships direct-to-consumer via its website at awakecoffeevt.com for customers outside Vermont.
Yes. Awake Coffee accepts wholesale inquiries from restaurants, cafés, offices, and co-ops. For wholesale pricing and availability, contact the roastery directly at awakecoffeevt@gmail.com.
Awake Coffee stands out for its combination of VOF-certified organic sourcing, fair trade procurement across all six blends, small-batch hand-roasting to order, and reusable packaging for both retail and bulk sizes. Unlike many specialty roasters that offer dozens of SKUs, Awake keeps a tight lineup of six well-crafted blends, making it easy to find your go-to without overwhelm.