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03/09/2022 07:30 AMThrough the end of this month, residents can help fund the restoration of the steeple at Old Stone Church while also supporting a local business and getting their caffeine fix. For the fourth time, One World Roasters has created a community blend to benefit an organization in East Haven, where shop owners Christine Ucich and Eric Ciolino have lived since 2015.
“To me, while it’s for the church and their building, that building—more than any other building in town besides maybe Town Hall—is a major icon for East Haven so the repairs are really important,” says Christine. “We need to keep that building looking good for the town.”
After Christine saw the announcement about the necessary restoration in the Courier, she reached out to Pastor Mark Pilletere, who she says was “very excited” about One World Roasters creating a community blend with profits benefiting the restoration fund. Once Old Stone Coffee Blend was created, members of the church community were invited to a tasting with nearly two dozen attending.
“They not only got to taste the blend, but learn about the health benefits of coffee,” says Christine. “The church has a lot of members and this has been our most successful community blend so far.”
The community blends began in 2020 with One World Roasters creating unique blends for each of the three community organizations it has supported. The first partnership was with the Shoreline Greenway Trail with a Wintergreen Blend, inspired by the outdoors.
Christine and her husband then created East Haven Strong Coffee Blend with proceeds benefiting the Town Green Beautification Project. Proceeds from the third blend went to Clean Up East Haven, one of the first groups Christine got involved with after moving to town.
“We’re always thinking about community spaces and we really believe in creating spaces and helping support community space,” says Christine. “We use the Shoreline Greenway Trail in town and in other towns and the green is a beautiful part of the town. We want to have the place we’re in be a better place for us and everyone else.”
Christine and her husband had been living in town for several years. One World Roasters began after Ciolino fell in love with coffee roasting on a visit to Italy. The business began with online sales, but when the couple found the historic property on North High Street in East Haven, they saw the opportunity for growth.
Since purchasing the property, the couple has worked to make repairs and improvements, calling on Ciolino’s experience as a landscaper. They now not only have their roastery on site, but a coffee shop and One World Wellness where Christine teaches Sundo, a type of yoga and meditation practice from Korea. They also live on the property.
With both the coffee shop and the wellness studio, Christine focuses on “creating space” for the community.
“One World Roasters started with a coffee roaster and a dream,” says Christine. “The coffee shop is a space for people to come in to meet a friend and attend an event and One World Wellness offers a practice space.”
Christine has been involved in Sundo since 1997, initially drawn in by her interest in meditation. She worked toward her certificate, which she earned in 2004, went to Korea to become a senior instructor in 2013, and became a teacher in 2018.
“This is very much like a yoga and meditation practice and is really good for helping you with breathing so you have a slower and deeper breath, which is good for your parasympathetic nervous system and puts your body into a relaxation mode,” says Christine, who previously taught in West Hartford. “Sundo has a belt system and your posture set and breathing changes at each level with deeper breathing as you go through the levels.”
In addition to teaching her classes, Christine volunteers her time with Sundo International, a non-profit retreat center based in Vermont. She not only works on publicity and with different presenters, but spends time there volunteering in the warmer months.
Christine, who is a member of the Democratic Town Committee, was recently appointed to the East Haven Recreation Commission. She plans to “put my programming experience to use” as she works with Liz Franco-Spano, the new recreation director, to bring new fitness and holistic health programs to the rec department.
Of course, Christine can also be found in the coffee shop at One World Roasters, where she is the manager. She works closely with the three baristas, who also help with things like marketing, social media, and graphic design. The logo for both One World Roasters and One World Wellness are based off the yin yang.
“The logo came out of the idea of oneness and the yin yang represents balance and wholeness,” says Christine. “It applies to our coffee as it’s fair trade, organic, and helps people all along supply chain and to One World Wellness, which is trying to get people back to a state that’s calm and relaxed and to achieve peace of mind and feeling contented—a sense of wholeness.”
For information, visit One World Roasters at 967 North High Street or online at www.oneworldroasters.com.