The Peccary is more than a specialty coffee shop; The Peccary is a call to action, commanding baristas and guests to take notice of a new kind of shop in town. The exterior signage even exclaims “Baristas Assemble!”, an imperative that turns the traditional business model on its head and delivers an experiential service as a result. Located in downtown Millburn along Millburn Avenue, The Peccary opened this fall and is quickly setting itself apart with strong coffee. And an even stronger ethos.
After years in the corporate design world, the founder of The Peccary — whose work precipitated an addiction to coffee and friendships with many baristas — recognized a sincere amount of burnout among passionate professional baristas and seized the opportunity to open a shop that develops its staff as much as it tends to its guests. The Peccary baristas are afforded a deeper connection with their work and the customer, which begins with the beautifully efficient build-out of the space.
Designed by Jeff Jordan, Principal of Jeff Jordan Architects, the first foundationally distinct aspect of the shop is that rather than prioritize the total number of seats, they maximized the behind-the-counter comfort and efficiency for baristas, which was a real win-win for aesthetics as well. Drawing on ideas from the wine industry and elongating the coffee bar, the set-up is not so compact and encourages the overall experience. Of course, drinks to go are available, but many customers stopping in for a quick drip coffee end up sitting down and talking for a while — “A nice affirmation of what we’re doing,” The Peccary told Jersey Digs.
Every detail down to the dual purpose of a raised platform for the baristas (it neatly houses all the equipment lines and elevates the server to a welcoming position) and the emblematic peccary driving glove graphic subtly evokes craftsmanship and drives the ethos home.
The town of Millburn gets its name from the Scottish word for stream, burn, that once powered the paper mills, and so the Scottish Highlands imagery played heavily into the color palette of blues and greens and grey as well as the patina of brass and copper. A high tin ceiling painted a bright white and exposed ductwork are a stunning juxtaposition and pendant lighting lends a high-design gallery feel. The dark walnut coffee bar takes center stage and the extra uncluttered space lets the coffee, and the baristas, really shine.
“Jeff [architect Jeff Jordan] guided all of the possibilities. His work feels meaningful,” The Peccary told Jersey Digs. “He understood the intention and conceptualized it.”
The Peccary currently serves coffee from Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland, Maine, and the baristas have even visited, gaining an in-depth understanding of the product they’re serving, paid for by The Peccary. Traditional drip coffee is available, latte art is on full display, and pour overs provide a kind of show-and-tell customer experience, but the real show is the syphon: It is pure coffee brewing theater that produces a really smooth cup.
Tea and dessert are also on the menu and offerings are locally sourced whenever possible. Located at 315C Millburn Avenue and just one block from the Millburn train station, The Peccary is open every day except Monday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, The Peccary uses paper cups and straws and no plastic utensils, shopping bags, or milk bottles, minimizing their environmental impact and delivering a consistency of commitment to both the craft of coffee and the world surrounding it.
