Co-owners Kaihla Laurent, 25, and Jaydon Diamond, 27, chose the image of a bird for their Woodnote Coffee Company logo; a woodnote is a natural musical sound or song, like that of a wild bird. The allusion seems fitting, as the young company recently landed gracefully in our midst, gaining numerous Franklin County fans in 2023. The new year finds them forging even more connections with customers, as well as local growers and makers.

Laurent refers to coffee as if it’s a location, or even a world, of its own. “Jay and I met in coffee about five years ago, when we were both baristas in Hatfield.” Laurent dove into familiarizing herself with café realms while Diamond completed studies at Hampshire College. Laurent had worked extensively in the hospitality industry, “including with Italian food and with wine,” but the Chicopee native wanted to stop working late nights. “Coffee seemed like the perfect move,” she said.

Speaking of connecting with people through coffee, Laurent said, “You might think people are grumpier in the morning, but it’s not so.” Using yet another musical metaphor, she added, “People are excited to get their morning drink and head to work, starting their day off on the right note.” Laurent’s speech, gestures, and descriptions of her business are distinctly poetic, which may come as no surprise, since her concentrations while a student at PVPA (Pioneer Valley Performing Arts) charter school included music and theater.

Woodnote is a mobile coffee company based in Easthampton, and a new favorite location for them to set up shop is the Greenfield Farmers Market — outdoors on Court Square during three seasons, and indoors at some of the Market’s monthly winter events held at the brand-new Greenfield Public Library. “We’re grateful to (Farmers Market manager) Hannah for taking a chance on us,” said Laurent. “We’re a small company that most people in Franklin County had never heard of, and that can deter people from giving us a shot, but Hannah went to bat for us.”

Their coffee kiosk soon became a destination for shoppers, tourists and passersby. With a tidy tent and classic-looking paraphernalia, Woodnote exudes creative flair within a professional framework. Using the pour-over method, Laurent and Diamond provide each customer with a made-to-order cup. “We use a Japanese-made glass system with natural filters,” said Laurent. “There’s no plastic involved, and no way for contaminants to be introduced. This is the cleanest, most streamlined cup of coffee you can get. It’s what we use at home.”

Woodnote also offers tea blends, and all of their beverages can be served hot or cold. “In the summer, we sometimes sell out of iced teas and cold brew (coffee),” said Laurent. “It’s wonderful to sell out, but also a terrible feeling!” They’ve established collaborations with other vendors, including Lynn Golan of The People’s Gold. Golan, who will be featured in an upcoming column, produces bioregional herbal remedies and herbal teas.

“Lynn helped us come up with tea blends,” said Laurent, “guiding us toward her personal favorites.” For example, Golan makes a sweet mint tea that incorporates tulsi, sweet mint and hyssop. “It smells incredible and tastes amazing,” said Laurent. “We’re pleased that we met Lynn and so many other wonderful vendors through the Greenfield Farmers Market. We love to uplift local businesses.”

Woodnote uses maple syrup from Colrain-based Sunrise Farms Maple, a longtime farmers market vendor. “For years, I’ve added maple to my coffee, latté, and other (beverages),” said Laurent, “and Sunrise maple is truly out of this world.” Some ingredients come from Laurent’s home garden: “Chocolate mint is a real mint (plant) that tastes like chocolate,” she said. “We also use peppermint from our and others’ gardens, and our lavender syrup is made from dried local lavender.”

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Laurent and Diamond were impressed with the assistance they received from Greenfield’s Health Department. “They helped expedite the permitting process,” said Laurent. “We owe a lot to the city and the community.” As for the indoor market, Laurent said, “We love the library because we have ready access to water and it’s wonderful that the library is open for regular business during the market. (Library patrons) seem ecstatic to have the market there monthly during the winter.”

For their outdoor set-up, Laurent and Diamond haul water in five-gallon containers, with separate water supplies for hand washing and sanitizing. “The scene at the library is more efficient,” said Laurent. “Everything’s right there, including electricity — no need for a long extension cord, like when we’re outdoors. But we love both sites.”

Woodnote prioritizes freshly made beverages. “We want people to have a truly fresh cup, not a brew that’s been hanging out,” said Laurent. Customers choose what level of roasting they prefer, medium or dark. “When it comes to non-coffee options, we provide a local choice with our chai tea lattés, which we source from Pinky Toe Chai in Brattleboro,” said Laurent. She added that Woodnote creates their own blends, as well, like Pomona’s Garden, a delicious mix of hibiscus, orange peel, rosehips, lemon balm and peppermint.

Nicholas D’Alessandro, president of the Greenfield Farmers Market steering committee, said that Woodnote is “a huge benefit to the market. They have an outstanding quality product, and obviously love what they do, and love serving others.”

Some people avoid drinking coffee because they don’t wish to support what can be a highly oppressive industry. Laurent and Diamond are sensitive to this concern, and avidly seek coffee beans that ensure both quality and integrity. “We considered a lot of different companies,” said Laurent, “and went with Number Six Depot in West Stockbridge. For many reasons, it just kept coming up as our favorite.” She urges coffee lovers to check them out. Train buffs may enjoy Number Six, too, since the coffee shop is housed in what was the first train station in the Berkshires.

Number Six co-owners Flavio Lichtenthal and Lisa Landry started their business 10 years ago, involving their two young sons in the project. I chatted with Lichtenthal recently after he returned from Chiapas, Mexico, where he participated in the harvest alongside coffee growers in the southern Mexico state that borders Guatemala. A native of Argentina, Lichtenthal says he and his wife love working with independent farmers and small operations. “We get (coffee) beans from many places in what’s called the Coffee Belt,” he said, “including Central America, northern South America, parts of Africa and Indonesia.”

Like Woodnote, Number Six Depot prioritizes human rights as well as quality. “We avoid industrial practices,” said Lichtenthal. “Most of our coffee falls under (categories of) shade grown and fair trade. We can’t claim to be strictly organic — that’s a whole other topic — but we have transparency with coffee growers and sellers.” He added that many poor farmers can’t afford expensive organic certification, but they also can’t afford pricey chemical applications. “We could have very long conversations about coffee,” he said, “similar to lengthy conversations you could have about wine or olive oil. There’s a lot to it. In fact, my wife is working on writing a historical fiction about coffee, set in the regions of Yemen and Ethiopia.”

Coffee people are serious about their craft, and it can be a family affair. Woodnote’s Kaihla Laurent said, “My 17-year-old sister, Arianna, worked with Jay and me for a while. She was a great help. We’re fortunate that my whole family is supportive.”

Franklin County may see more of Woodnote, if their hopes and dreams come to fruition. “We’d love to open a brick and mortar spot in Greenfield,” said Laurent. “One of our farmers market customers is connected with the Chamber of Commerce, and encouraged us to think about opening a café here. We’d love to have a coffeehouse featuring poetry, music, and art, and to invite people into a beautiful, welcoming space.”

Woodnote is on Instagram and may be contacted by email: woodnotecoffeeco@gmail.com.

Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope” and an artist, teacher, musician, and mom. Readers may contact her at eveline@amandlachorus.org.