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Once a Comp Lit Major, He’s Telling the Story of (Ultra-Fresh) Coffee

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By Beth Saulnier

Matthew Berk ’92, BA ’93, is the cofounder and CEO of Bean Box, a leading online source of curated specialty coffee—so it may be surprising that he doesn’t drink the stuff all day long. But his single daily serving, sipped from a chipped-but-beloved Cornell mug, is something of a meditative ritual.

He uses freshly roasted beans, grinding them on the spot with a burr grinder. He favors bottled water over tap, heating it to around 200 °F. He employs no fancy brewing gadgets—just the pour-over method with a 16:1 ratio of water to coffee—and drinks it black.

“I don’t consider myself a coffee snob at all,” says the Arts & Sciences alum, who frequented Goldwin Smith’s Temple of Zeus in his undergrad days. “I haven’t always been in touch with coffee, although I’ve always enjoyed it.”

I haven’t always been in touch with coffee, although I’ve always enjoyed it.

These days, coffee is Berk’s livelihood. Founded in 2014, the Seattle-based Bean Box operates in what he calls the industry’s “excluded middle”: the largely untapped area between giants like Dunkin’ or Starbucks and local players such as Ithaca’s own Gimme! Coffee.

The high-end retailer offers beans from more than 60 independent roasters around the country and beyond, curated by an in-house expert. The business works largely on a subscription model, though it also offers gift boxes and individual products.

A selection of coffee beans sold by Bean Box, with two cups of coffee — A sampling of Bean Box's offerings, all from independent roasters.

Customers can either tell Bean Box their taste preferences—with options like “light and bright,” “medium and cozy,” and “dark and toasty,” as well as espresso, decaf, single origin, and cold brew—or leave it to the curator’s choice.

Priced at around $18–20 per 12-ounce bag, the products are shipped directly from a supplier geographically near the recipient, so beans are optimally fresh from the roaster.

“We try to build that freshness into everything we do; you can taste it without having a ‘refined’ palate,” Berk says. “It’s the difference between ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,’ and ‘This is pretty good.’ Even a few days can make a huge difference, so we build that into our model.”

Founded in 2014, the Seattle-based Bean Box operates in what Berk calls the industry’s “excluded middle”: the largely untapped area between giants like Dunkin’ or Starbucks and local players such as Ithaca’s own Gimme! Coffee.

Bon Appétit recently named Bean Box the best subscription service “for never drinking the same coffee twice,” while noting that its offerings come at a premium price commensurate with roasters who pay a livable wage.

“If you have the means, get the beans,” the reviewer opines. “I would keep this going for years if money were no object.”

Variety calls the company “a great way to try out different beans from across the world”; Wired dubs it the top espresso subscription and praises its large selection.

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“While a lot of the newest, trendiest coffee subscriptions lean funky and fruity and light,” Wired’s critic observes, “I’ve found that the curation for Bean Box leans toward depth, balance, and rich chocolate or toffee notes.”

Matthew Berk with a friend on Slope Day as a student — With a friend during Slope Day as undergrads.

On the Hill, Berk started out studying computer science. But he eventually switched to English and comparative literature—and he sees a parallel in his current métier.

“We’re in e-commerce, so I write code all day,” he says, “but fundamentally, this is a business about connecting people and telling stories.”

As he observes: a simple cup of coffee links the drinker to a global chain of growers, pickers, importers, roasters, and others—not to mention a universe of flavor profiles, origins, and brewing methods.

We’re in e-commerce, so I write code all day—but fundamentally, this is a business about connecting people and telling stories.

“There’s meaning in every cup that you don’t tend to think about,” he says. “And when you discover that world, it opens up new possibilities in your life, your habits, how you decide what goes into your body. That’s a pretty magical experience.”

Distinct from many founders, Berk’s current passion for coffee is a result of his business, not a motivation for launching it.

He landed in the java field almost by accident, after a start-up he was working on—a platform for peer-to-peer recommendations—didn’t take off.

Matthew Berk visiting the AD White Reading Room as an alum — In the A.D. White Reading Room during a recent visit to campus.

“At the tail end of it, we looked at our data and saw spikes that were expected, like that people were interested in consumer electronics, travel, and restaurants,” Berk recalls. “But then we saw peaks in activity and engagement around some unexpected things—and one of those was coffee.”

Serendipitously, that recommendations start-up had been headquartered in Seattle, the nation’s epicenter of coffee culture.

“People were talking about coffee equipment and brands and roasters, and we thought, ‘It must be a glitch; it must be local to Seattle.’ But we discovered it was a national trend,” Berk says.

“People were interested in having better coffee experiences, and they were thinking critically about it. And we thought, ‘Huh; this isn’t just a craze in Seattle. This is all over.’”

(All images provided.)

Published October 22, 2026

Once a Comp Lit Major, He’s Telling the Story of (Ultra-Fresh) Coffee

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