On the second floor of O’Connor Hall in the Dickinson Community lies Dichotomy Coffee, a dorm coffee shop that stems from a love of coffee, authentic interactions and crafting a unique experience.

The shop, co-founded by Edan Amos, a freshman majoring in business administration, and Milo Raimes, an undeclared freshman, began in early September after the duo bought a $12 espresso machine at the Goodwill NYNJ Store & Donation Center on Vestal Parkway East.

As Binghamton still sees fairly warm days in September, Dichotomy Coffee started as a pop-up shop. Around once a week, Amos and Raimes would set up shop either on the Spine or outside of their dorm building. Their goal was to draw in as many people as they could, and in exchange for coffee, they would ask customers for ways to improve their drinks, experience and branding.

Currently, Dichotomy Coffee is operating out of their dorm room. The setup, all of which fits on a desk, sits to the left of the room’s entryway. Customers are welcome to come in and chat as they have their drinks. Raimes explained the origin of their shop’s name.

“So we were in C4 and there was this guy who was obviously a little bit inebriated, walking past us with his friends and he looked at us cause I was wearing a leather jacket,” Raimes said. “And he said, ‘Wow, the dichotomy of C4 leather jackets.’ And then we were like, ‘wow, Dichotomy Coffee. What a great name.’”

Their marketing, which can best be described as a frenzied and vibrant display of their drinks, speaks to the shop’s mission of creating a visual space in contrast to big corporate coffee chains.

As of now, the shop offers several different coffee roasts and matcha. Drinks can be made hot or iced, and customers can include add-ins such as caramel, mocha and vanilla syrups, whipped cream and milk substitutes.

“We have what’s called a Panda Latte, and we’re trying to make that our signature drink,” Amos said. “It’s brown sugar in the portafilter with coffee, and then you pull that and you basically make a latte. And I think that could catch on. It’s really good. And we found that when we went on a trip to Japan, and I saw it in a cafe there. I was like, we have to provide this.”

Along with their Japan trip sparking new ideas for their business, the duo also have plans to compete in the New York Business Plan Competition. Amos mentioned the help they have gotten from Chou-Yu Tsai, an Osterhout associate professor of entrepreneurship in the School of Management, as well as conversations with Leighton Blackwood ‘21, the founder of 2nd Heaven in the Marketplace who recently reopened the Chroma Cafe & Bakery. [RECENTLY REOPENED: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/chroma-cafe-and-bakery-reopens-in-binghamton/159837/]

Recently, the shop has also started a few other baked goods with the help of Hatim Husainy, a newly added team member and a freshman majoring in political science.

Initially, the shop’s desserts were made using the kitchen in their dorm, but after filing some paperwork, Husainy explained that moving forward, they plan on using the Culinary MakerSpace in Hinman Dining Hall for efficiency and ease.

Current treats customers can expect include chocolate chip cookies, banana bread with walnuts and Earl Grey shortbread cookies.

“Our end goal is not to operate out of a dorm,” Amos said. “We really want to work with the University to be able to operate somewhere on campus or somewhere else. And this is really a proof of concept to show that it’s something that people want, and something that we are capable of doing.”