The story of our Dreamy Coffee Co. goes back to 1988 when our founder Lynda Sylvester went on a safari in Kenya.
There, she observed her guide toasting beans over an open fire, crushing them between rocks, and steeping them in cold water through cheesecloth. The next morning, the guide simply added boiling water to this concentrate, creating a special experience.
The coffee was so good that Lynda wanted to share this method with others back home in Sag Harbor. In 1989, she developed her own line of beans specifically calibrated for cold brew, though they proved equally excellent for espresso and traditional hot coffee preparations.
For 35 years, her Sylvester & Co. shop became the home of this distinctive brew, creating a loyal following among locals and visitors alike.
With the original shop now closed, we're focused on expanding the reach of Lynda's beloved coffee beyond the Hamptons.
We've just opened in California with Gone Bananas Bread Co. in Brentwood, Los Angeles, and we're exploring opportunities across the country.
The majority of our business is online retail and we don't do any outside advertising - it's all word of mouth. It's all based on our coffee drinkers’ first experience in the Hamptons and then we're sending coffee to them all over the world.
Every day we're shipping around 50 bags of coffee to places like London and Dubai. We just sent some to France to somebody who's got a mega yacht at the Cannes Film Festival. A 100 bags of coffee. We've sent coffee to every state in the union, including Alaska and Hawaii.
That's all from people tasting it here and having an actual experience with the coffee in the Hamptons and taking that experience back to wherever they are from and remembering it and making the effort to seek it out and bring it to their homes all over the world.
While we're not opening physical coffee shops in the Hamptons this year, you can find us at select premium locations: Barryville General Store in Southampton, Hampton Racquet Tennis Club, L'Epicuriste in Bridgehampton, Round Swamp Farm, Provisions in Sag Harbor, and Sagaponack General Store.
Our beans sourced from Peru and Colombia – with blends coming from Ethiopia and Mexico - are in the top 10% quality-wise of all coffee sourced around the world.
Ian Montgomery grew from punk rocker to Seattle tech worker to global nomad, exploring Colombia and Peru where he met his wife Elizabeth before settling in the Hamptons in 2022. As COO of Dreamy Coffee Co., he has partnered with founder Lynda Sylvester to expand their premium, small-batch coffee throughout the East End and beyond. Ian’s journey reflects the brand's ethos - breaking free from conventional limits to create something exceptional that connects people across continents through dreamy coffee and shared experiences.
Sag Harbor, NY 11963, USA
@dreamycoffeeco / Instagram