It's another busy morning for John Sofia as he helps customers throughout Rockland County start their day at his shop, The Coffee Maker.

" I've always had a passion for coffee, and I wanted to create something in the community…where everybody can come enjoy themselves…meet up with friends, coworkers," Sofia explained. "It's kind of a place to get away where they're just having a great time and leaving everything else outside the door."

Sofia opened The Coffee Maker in October after realizing there wasn't a locally owned coffee shop in his area. Once its doors were open, he knew he had to go the extra mile for the cups of joe he had to offer.

"We do our roasting on a machine...so I roast all my coffee, fresh, from different origins. I do Columbia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Peru, Honduras…If people come by and they see me roasting, they get a little more involved with the coffee process too."

For those who might not start their day with a cup of joe, Sofia has plenty of other handmade options to help get their day going. That includes smoothies, refreshers, teas and different pastries.

No matter what customers get, however, Sofia said their reaction to his shop has made his dream of creating a community hotspot a reality.

"It's been amazing. I couldn't ask for [anything] more," he said. "We've just had great support from the town, from the community [and] even just people traveling from the city [and] from upstate...We know a lot of people by name. We even have, in our POS system, certain customer names with their drinks in there. So, they just come in, we know who they are, we click on their name, and their drink is made. So, it's more personal."

In the near future, Sofia plans on hosting some coffee roasting courses and taking part in some street fairs this summer. The Coffee Maker will also be hosting a Q&A event with Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann on June 7.

The Coffee Maker is located at 78 Maple Ave. in New City.