Our Mission

We are on a mission to bring amazing coffee and tea to more people–and to make the world a better place while doing it.

We believe that coffee and tea are one of life’s simplest and most accessible pleasures—and when enjoyed thoughtfully can open our eyes to the here and now—what’s around us and those we love—even if only for a moment. In addition, coffee and tea created through a responsible and ethically managed supply chain has the ability to empower millions of people involved in coffee production across the world.

In addition to serving great coffee, we believe that cafés are uniquely positioned to enrich the communities of which they are a part. We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive environment that functions as a space where people can connect with one another in meaningful ways—and in doing so, drive economic benefit and opportunity to our team, our suppliers and our city.

Our Promise

We promise to only sell top-quality coffees and teas at a fair price, and we promise to pay a fair price for the products we purchase. We promise to never sell something we don’t love ourselves. We promise to source responsibly and hold our partners accountable as well. If you’re ever unhappy with a product, we will rectify it. If you ever have a question, comment or suggestion–we will welcome your feedback. We promise we’ll never stop striving to improve everything about our business. We promise to reinvest in our community and help Pittsburgh continue to develop as a truly amazing place to live. We promise to treat our customers, partners, vendors–and all whom we encounter–with utmost respect. And of course, we promise to never judge if you put milk in your coffee, sugar in your tea, mispronounce our name or over-steep your french press. You decide what makes you happy–we’re just here to help.

Our Team

Matt & Vanessa Marietti

FOUNDERS

Prior to opening de Fer, Matt and Vanessa spent years working corporate jobs as a marketer and graphic designer, respectively--all the while of dreaming of opening something that would tie food, drinks, community and design together. In 2017, they hit the real-world eject button and made it happen.

Matt oversees our coffee program (among other things), Vanessa leads our kitchen and graphic design.

They live in Morningside, Pittsburgh with their little future baristas, Ilan and Althea.

Merritt Donoghue

WHOLESALE | EVENTS | OUTREACH

Not only does Merritt manage our events, and our wholesale relationships--but she happens to be a super talented artist to boot. If you've ever seen anything that looks good around de Fer, from flower arrangements to Instagram photos--she's probably had a hand it.

Chris
Koster

CAFE MANAGER

If you've been here, you may have been startled by one of Chris's ultra-hearty welcomes. Chris is master of all things coffee and tea related. The only thing that makes Chris happier than great coffee, is great people--and if you have had the pleasure of meeting them, you would probably agree they are one of the nicest people around.

Dave
Sonney

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Dave steers the ship, keeps the boat afloat and whatever other metaphor you can think of for taking care of business. Dave loves dogs, puns on t-shirts, and Dormont. He’s been with us since day one, and is as much of a fixture at de Fer as our Marzocco. And he’s much more personable than the Marzocco I might add.

Stephanie Gonzalez

HEAD ROASTER

Like her homeland of Guatemala, Stephanie has coffee (and magma) in her blood. Her ability to combine off-the-charts levels of kindness, passion, knowledge, and skill make her very special in our industry, or any other for that matter.

Mohit Kudaravalli

CFO & FOUNDER

Mohit and Matt met working at HJ Heinz, and over countless coffee and tea breaks, decided 1. that they should be friends and 2. that they both loved coffee and tea, wayyyy more than ketchup.

Brandon
Wilczek

COFFEE PRODUCTION / E-COMMERCE

Brandon wears a lot of hats like all of us, but he probably takes most pride in the personal notes and drawings he puts on each box of coffee he packs and ships out. It may seem like a funny way to spend time, but Brandon believes each customer deserves a genuine thank you, and we couldn’t agree more.