By Jeff Cunningham
A cup of coffee is a sensory delight. The aroma of freshly brewed beans. The warmth of the mug (for those who like it hot). The steam rising from the top, mingling with conversation and fogging up glasses.
The anticipation of that first sip, mixed with the hope of not burning one’s tongue.
Now, take all that and drop it in the middle of a college campus.
To that end, Old Dominion University has partnered local coffee shop Town Center Cold Pressed to develop, roast and launch Monarch Morning Roast. The new blend will be officially unveiled on Thursday, April 3, at Town Center’s Central Park Ave. location in Virginia Beach.
Town Center Cold Pressed owner and co-founder Tiffany Nieves loves that smell, and she loves the taste— so much so, she is hands-on in the roasting process as a taster. She also loves what coffee represents in college life.
Which is why she calls the partnership a “no-brainer.”
Because coffee is everywhere these days—perhaps nowhere more so than on a college campus. There are three coffee shops on ODU’s main campus, and another 15 within a five-mile radius. Coffee cups wearing cardboard sleeves and insulated travel mugs are as common as backpacks and smartphones.
In addition, two of Town Center’s six total locations are on college campuses.
Town Center Cold Pressed was already connected to ODU through raffle donations at University athletic events, as well as a number of students who have been both customers and employees, particularly at the Colley Avenue location.
“We’ve always wanted to partner with ODU,” Nieves said. “It seems like a natural, great fit, and when we were approached by it, it seemed like a great opportunity for us to have more synergy or connection together.”
Brian Eubank, ODU’s executive director of licensing, knew he wanted to create a coffee when he joined the University two years ago. “For many, coffee is more than just a beverage,” he said, “it’s a daily ritual, a comforting aroma and a shared experience.”
For roaster Mike Vecchione, the goal in formulating Monarch Morning Roast—a process that included a panel
tasting of four different blends—was universal appeal. To that end, Monarch Morning Roast uses a blend of Indonesian Sumatra and Colombia beans, creating a dark roast with notes of chocolate, almond and caramel.
While Vecchione created options that ranged from a morning roast all the way to something more akin to an espresso blend, he worked on a formula that incorporated notes and features from both light and dark roasts to create, in his words, “a good middle-of-the-road coffee for everybody.”
12-ounce bags will be on sale for $19.99 at Town Center Cold Pressed’s Norfolk and Virginia Beach locations, the ODU Bookstore and Town Center’s website. There is also the potential in the future for bags to be available in local convenience and grocery stores.
As with ODU’s other licensed consumables, royalties from each sale of Monarch Morning Roast will fund student scholarships. Since August 2023, the University’s licensed consumables have racked up more than $17,000 in royalties and over $443,000 in total sales.
“We always want to have a give-back initiative in everything we do,” Nieves said.
Monarch Morning Roast joins a robust collection of consumables that includes New Realm’s ODU Golden Ale, Big Blue Q and Big Blue Belly Rub from The Dirty Buffalo, Lolly’s Ice Cream and Cake flavor and the Big Blue Smash Burger from Ghost Kitchen.
“Monarch Morning Roast will be a valuable addition to our licensed consumable portfolio,” Eubank said, “aligning with our commitment to supporting local businesses and delivering high-quality ODU products for Monarch Nation.”
Because when in college, that aroma, that cultural touchstone, is impossible to ignore.
“Coffee is the one beverage that’s kind of universal,” Nieves said. “The one thing everyone can connect with is coffee.”