Each year there are a handful of new businesses that open up on Martha’s Vineyard, from restaurants to boutique clothing stores to local art galleries. At Point B | Compass, we are always looking for small businesses to support, and this year we are especially excited about the new Catboat Coffee Co. Catboat Coffee is now officially open, currently Thursday through Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm. This small but mighty business is easing in with a lean crew but plans to be open regularly by the summertime. We had a chat with Morgen Schroeder, one of the owners of Catboat Coffee, to learn more about the business and what exciting things they have coming! Spoiler alert: they are bringing unique new flavors into a gorgeous new space that will have you returning again and again.
Catboat Coffee Drops Anchor in Vineyard Haven – What to Expect
Catboat Coffee Co. is a year-round coffee shop in the Tisbury Marketplace, where you can also find Net Result, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center, and a number of other small businesses. Catboat Coffee combines specialty beverages with a Lebanese-inspired menu under their sister brand Epicure, and a curated selection of artisanal cheeses and small-batch goods by their other sister brand Martha’s Vineyard Cheesery. According to Morgen, they believe in “celebrating local farmers and artisans, implementing sustainable practices, and treating their crew with kindness and respect.” That’s a mission we can all get behind.
Inside the shop, they feature beans from La Colombe coffee roasters for coffee and espresso drinks, plus a rotating “drip of the day” selection that will feature beans from local roasters. If you’re not a big coffee fan, they plan to carry teas, local kombucha, and other specialty beverages such as Epicure’s Rose Lemonade. In true coffee shop fashion, Catboat has recently added pastries and breakfast sandwiches will be added to the menu in the coming months. And as a super delicious added bonus there’s baklava!
Catboat Coffee Drops Anchor in Vineyard Haven – What’s on the Menu
We are super excited about the menu items coming from Epicure and Martha’s Vineyard Cheesery, we’re always hungry for new food offerings. Epicure’s additions to the coffee shop will include dips, such as hummus, baba ganoush, and labneh, as well as salads like tabbouleh, fattoush, and local greens salads. Plus, they will offer other Lebanese favorites like falafel, fatayer, baklava, and manousheh flatbreads. Martha’s Vineyard Cheesery, according to Morgan, will offer a cut-to-order cheese counter featuring primarily American-made farmstead cheeses, small batch accompaniments, and pre-assembled grazing boxes. All of these incredible offerings will be rolling out over the next few months.
Catboat Coffee Drops Anchor in Vineyard Haven – The Company’s History
How did such a dynamic and unique storefront come to be on the island? Morgen filled us in on how the Catboat vision was started amongst family members who shared a dream. Siblings Andrew and Merideth Danberg-Ficarelli and Alex Ficarelli-Danberg grew up visiting the island, where their mother was born and raised. Fast forward to 2020, and Alex and Meredith found themselves living on the island with their respective spouses, Morgen Schroeder and Naji Boustany. With extensive experience across the food industry, Morgen started Martha’s Vineyard Cheesery and Naji started Epicure. While their businesses saw early popularity with pop-ups and catered orders, they both realized they needed a dedicated kitchen space if they were to grow these brands. The family shared a dream of opening a coffee shop that could combine all of the family’s food endeavors under one roof, and thus Catboat Coffee Co. was born!
Catboat Coffee Drops Anchor in Vineyard Haven – Behind the Name
So why the name Catboat? The Catboat Coffee brand honors the catboat, an iconic New England sailboat, but more than that it honors the owners’ family ties to the revered watercraft. Alex and Meredith’s grandfather Victor Danberg, originally had a catboat. Their mother Victoria Danberg grew up sailing catboats, and her Beetle Cat sailboat’s mast, boom, and gaff are on display inside Catboat Coffee Co. Victoria also convinced Menger Boatworks to construct a catboat and her family still has hull #1 of the Menger Cat 17! There’s a lot of catboat love going back generations.
Catboat Coffee Drops Anchor in Vineyard Haven – Catboat’s Commitment to Community
Perhaps just as important to the success of a small business as good food, great coffee, and a compelling story is the business’s involvement in the community – especially so on Martha’s Vineyard. In just a few short years, this family has invested and involved themselves across the community. Morgen is involved with the Vineyard Haven Business community, helping to put on the First Friday events, while Alex is a woodworker with Chappaquiddick Wood Company and participates in the vibrant island artisan community. Naji is a consultant for Island Grown Initiative and leads operational efficiency projects with many island farms, and Meredith is a zero waste advisor and volunteers with the Island-Wide Organics Waste Management Committee.
With a delicious beverage menu, unique Lebanese cuisine, plus the addition of artisan cheeses, this coffee shop is sure to become an island favorite. Catboat Coffee Co. is a business that we are happy to have in our little island community, and we’re so excited to see how they grow in the coming months and years. Make sure you pay them a visit, and keep an eye on their Instagram as they roll out their new offerings so you don’t miss anything!
