Anonymous Neighbors Still Complaining About D'Amico's Coffee Smell

Last month, an anonymous neighbor of ground coffee at D’Amico Foods, on Court Street, and now Gothamist reports that the roast bean-hater is at it again with another complaint to 311.

According to the blog, after another anonymous 311 complaint last week, a Department of Environmental Protection agent paid D’Amico another visit, though luckily the more than six decade-old roastery escaped without a summons.

Patch contacted D'Amico Foods to hear their reaction to the second complaint.

"How am I feeling? To be honest with you, the first time it didn't bother me so much," said Joan D'Amico, who runs the business with her husband Francis D'Amico. "But now that this person made a second call, I'm a little annoyed. I put a sign in our window, asking for the person to come talk to us. 'We are willing to work with you.' And they didn't. Instead, they placed a second phone call. So I was a little ticked to say the least."

Gothamist also reported that unrelated to the 311 complaints, D’Amico still has plans to move their roasting operations to a new location in Red Hook, though will roast small batches at the Court Street store just to keep the tradition alive.

"We are expanding, so we're looking for another location," D'Amico confirmed to Patch. "My husband has started another wholesale business. The store would still stay here. We're not going anywhere. But if we get the location we want, then the majority of the roasting would take place there."

In the meantime, D'Amico said the store has taken some cautionary measures in approaching their roasting schedule, checking the weather more often and not roasting for long periods at a time.

"Some customers have suggested getting t-shirts, we haven't decided on that yet," D'Amico said. "Another one insists that we put a jar on the counter to accept donations should we get fined. Every time he comes in and buys coffee, he leaves change behind for that."

According to on the shop, D’Amico’s is a third-generation family business that all started when Emanuele D’Amico came to Brooklyn in 1925 from Palermo, Italy, setting up shop at 309 Court Street in 1948, with nothing more than “an old-fashioned coffee roaster machine and your standard grocery items lining wood shelves.”

Stay with Patch for updates.