Every morning for the last 16 years, Jordan Filippidis has been waking up and making coffee out of his small shop on Griswald Street in Warren.
Business for Top Shelf Coffee was good, until a year ago, when the company's biggest customer, Delphi, moved out of the area.
A few months ago, Filippidis was trying to get a deal in Florida. It didn't work out, but the man he was working with gave a bag of Top Shelf Coffee to his girlfriend, who loved it, and she called Filippidis with this news. "She calls me and tells me she believes in this product and is going to send it to a big shot in the NBA," Filippidis said.
"Next thing you know, I get a 40 page contract at my door," Filippidis says. "I am the exclusive producer for NBA coffee."
Filippidis says in order to keep up with the demands of the NBA contract he will have to expand and hire more people, which he says will help this city that is thirsty for jobs.
He says he has tried to contact local and federal officials for help with the expansion project but has not received any calls back. However, we contacted city and county officials, as well as the Regional Chamber, Wednesday afternoon and they say they want to sit down with Filippides and do whatever they can to help.
"My next dream is for me and LeBron to slam dunk a good cup of coffee," Filippidis said.
Top Shelf Coffee will begin producing coffee for the NBA in about two weeks.
