In December of 2001, A&E Coffee & Tea began roasting beans. "We sold our first bags at a craft fair in Hingham, MA." "We started with four coffees: single origins from Guatemala and Colombia, a blend, and a decaf," founder Emeran Langmaid recalls. "At the time, no one was offering single origin coffee." It didn't make sense to me to spend time blending when the coffees we were purchasing were excellent on their own. We spent money on high-quality equipment because we knew it would last. A Diedrich IR-5 was our first roaster. We upgraded to the Diedrich IR-12, which we still use today, in addition to our new Diedrich CR-25. Looking back, it's incredible that those early decisions to prioritize quality, relationships, and being a bit of a rebel are still how we approach our work today."