Debbie Kufner of Huntington is choosy about her coffee, and she could not find a local purveyor whose beans suited her. About 10 years ago, her husband read an article about roasting coffee beans at home. It didn't seem too complicated, so she bought a little roaster - it handled 6 to 8 ounces at a time - and started experimenting with green (i.e., unroasted) beans. Turned out she had a knack. Kufner started roasting beans for friends and family. She bought another little roaster.

Kufner's mother bragged about the coffee to the owners of A & S Pork Store in Huntington. They tried it and asked if they could sell it to their customers. That was the beginning of Berceto Coffee, named after the Italian town, just south of Parma, where Kufner's father was born. 

What distinguishes Berceto's coffee is that it is roasted in extremely small batches, entirely to order. This means that if you order a pound of coffee, Kufner measures a pound of green beans and pours it into her roaster. (Her largest one has a 5-pound capacity.) She watches it like a hawk, pulls it off the heat when it is done just to her liking. When it is cool, she grinds it to your specifications (or leaves it whole), packs it in heat-sealed pouches and sends it out via priority mail.

Kufner is constantly experimenting with different beans and blends thereof. She usually carries about 15 different regular beans (half of which are organic and/or fair trade) and six decaffeinated beans. Right now the selection includes her favorite, Brazil, as well as Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and Sumatra. Prices range from $10 to $12 a pound. A 12-month subscription to her Coffee of the Month Club (2 pounds a month) is $335, plus shipping.

Berceto Coffee is available through bercetocoffee.com and at these Huntington retailers:  A & S Pork Store, 61 Wall St., 631-423-4530; Caruso's Italian Fine Foods, 64 New York  Ave., 631-271-1374; and Happy Farms, 212 Wall St., 631-271-7949.