PK COFFEE: THE ROMANTIC
The coffee ritual became romanticized for Katrina, and she realized that what is embedded in coffee culture is human connection.
Katrina Veerman, who opened PK Coffee in 2016, discovered coffee as a young child visiting her uncle Piet, PK’s namesake, in Europe with her father. “My father and I stopped in Rome on our way to visit Uncle Piet in Trieste. My dad and I walked into a café with high ceilings and beautiful, round marble tables. It was packed with people. I remember the din of conversation surrounding us like a hug of humanity. We sat, and I had a cappuccino. I don’t remember if my dad ordered it, or if I did, but the milk was foamy, and it was sprinkled with cocoa. I barely remember how the coffee tasted, but I remember the feeling of connecting to my dad and this space when time slowed.”
Katrina saw a contrast between European and American coffee cultures. “It seemed like such a wonderfully civilized experience, to have a cup of coffee, mostly espresso, and to sit with my father at these marble counters. It was totally different than what existed at the time in the U.S.”
The coffee ritual became romanticized for Katrina, and she realized that what is embedded in coffee culture is human connection.
Katrina lived in San Francisco in the early 2000s, around the same time that Blue Bottle Coffee emerged as a coffee innovator. “I was already predisposed to coffee, and then, being in California and tasting espresso that was so well balanced was like a gift that I got to receive. I wanted to find a way to give this gift to other people and to surprise people with how good coffee could taste.”
PK Coffee is not a roaster. They partner with Counter Culture Coffee, another coffee-industry pioneer. Katrina says that some customers ask why PK doesn’t use a Vermont roaster, while many others recognize the Counter Culture name and what that brand stands for. “Counter Culture does an amazing job supporting their farmers, and they train our staff and maintain our equipment,” said Katrina. Working with Counter Culture helps her staff stay connected to the broader U.S. coffee community. On every other level, Katrina says she supports Vermont producers, companies such as Sweet Rowen Farmstead, Roots, and Elmore Mountain Bread to purchase raw products that they use in baked goods.
Katrina talked about the ups and downs of owning two shops in two different communities, Stowe and Waterbury, and operating through the pandemic. “It’s amazing to feel where we are and that we made it through. I just love the idea of bringing people together, sitting down over a cup of coffee, and providing a space where people can come in and say hi to another human. It’s a little spot of humanity.”
