Espresso Academy x Catboat Coffee: Building a Coffee Project Together in Martha’s Vineyard (and Beyond)

Sometimes the most meaningful collaborations in coffee don’t start from a structured plan — they start from people, conversations, and a shared vision.

That’s exactly what happened when we met Naji and Alexander from Catboat Coffee, a Lebanese café and restaurant based in Martha’s Vineyard, USA. From the very beginning, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be just a training experience. There was something deeper: a strong identity, a clear philosophy of hospitality, and a genuine desire to grow.

And that’s where this journey began.

A Week in Florence: More Than Just Training

Naji and Alexander joined us in Florence for one of our most complete and immersive programs: the One Week Coffee Route.

👉 Discover the program here: https://espressoacademy.it/en/one-week-coffee-route/

This course is designed to offer a full overview of the coffee world, combining technical training with a broader understanding of coffee as a product, a craft, and a business.

During the week, we worked closely together on:

• espresso extraction and dialing in
• understanding balance, body, and flavor clarity
• tasting different coffees and building a sensory vocabulary
• improving workflow and consistency behind the bar
• exploring roasting fundamentals and coffee selection

But what made this experience truly valuable was not just the content — it was the exchange. Every session became a dialogue. We talked about their café, their customers, their standards, and the direction they want to take in the future.

Catboat Coffee: A Strong Identity with a Clear Vision

Catboat Coffee is not just a café.
It’s a place where specialty coffee meets Lebanese culture, food, and a deep sense of hospitality. A concept built around authenticity, where coffee is part of a broader experience.

This is something we immediately connected with. Because at Espresso Academy, we believe that great coffee is not only about technique. It’s about identity, consistency, and the ability to create something that people remember.

Working with Naji and Alexander meant understanding what makes their project unique — and finding ways to elevate it without changing its nature.

From Training to a Real Project

What stood out the most during the One Week Coffee Route was their mindset.
They didn’t just absorb information — they questioned, adapted, and continuously related everything to their daily operations.

This is where training becomes something more. Throughout the week, we started building together:
refining espresso profiles, improving consistency during peak hours, structuring the coffee menu, and aligning quality with customer experience.

Very naturally, this evolved into something beyond a course. It became the foundation of a long-term collaboration.

Looking Forward: A New Project in the Boston Area

One of the most exciting aspects that emerged from this experience — and clearly discussed in the interview — is the development of a new Catboat Coffee location in the Boston Area.

This is not just an expansion. It’s a new project where everything we started working on together will take shape from the very beginning: coffee quality, workflow, training, and overall concept.
And this is where Espresso Academy will play a key role.

We will be directly involved in supporting the development of the coffee program, contributing to the structure, training, and quality standards of the new location.

For us, this represents the most meaningful outcome of any training experience:
when education turns into a real project, and a shared vision becomes something concrete.

Watch the Interview with Naji and Alexander

To better understand their journey, their experience in Florence, and the vision behind this collaboration, we invite you to watch the full interview.

In this conversation, Naji and Alexander share their perspective on coffee, their time at Espresso Academy, and the future of Catboat Coffee.

Building Something Together

This collaboration is just at the beginning, but the direction is clear. We are not just working on improving coffee in the cup — we are building a project together.

From Martha’s Vineyard to the Boston Area, the goal remains the same: to create a strong, consistent, and recognizable coffee identity, supported by knowledge, training, and passion.

And this is exactly what we love to do.