The Strip District is much more than an area and neighborhood near downtown Pittsburgh. The Strip District is history. It is the embodiment of time and place, of people and their memories. Like history itself, the Strip District evolves and changes through the years—but also as within history, some things never change. This idea of the past melding with the present in a beautiful and perpetual balance of the then and now is perfectly illustrated in the legacy and presence of Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea!
Prestogeorge was founded by John Prestogeorge in 1958 and was originally called the Olde Fashioned Coffee Shoppe at the Miracle Mile shopping center in Monroeville. John specialized in gourmet foods and goods from all over the world, as well as importing teas and, of course, roasting his own coffee. In 1965 he expanded to Greensburg when the Greengate Mall opened, and that store operated there for over two decades. John’s son and current owner, Stan Prestogeorge, worked in his father’s business for years mastering the art of coffee roasting and developing a love for all things gourmet and specialty. Then in 1981, fresh out of college, he opened up a storefront in the Strip District—Prestogeorge Fine Foods. Under Stan’s ownership the location became a hub for the finest meats and cheeses, homemade pastas, imported teas, and the star of the show—a wide selection of premium, fresh-roasted coffee beans. All of the elements of this enticing show were done in-store and often right in front of the customers!
According to Stan’s son and Prestogeorge’s operations manager, AJ Prestogeorge, this truly cemented the company’s philosophy, which he describes as being “devoted to searching the world for the finest products available and getting better and better at our craft each and every day—so that we can offer our community a better alternative to whatever else is out there, and in doing so ensure it’s accessible to everyone.” This is actually where Prestogeorge’s two slogans also come from: “The World’s Finest Coffee & Tea” and “Seriously Devoted to Better Coffee & Tea.” AJ clarifies: “We say better because we know there is always room for improvement—and each day, we work on crafting a finished product that was better than the last. It would be disingenuous for us to label ourselves as offering ‘the best coffee in Pittsburgh’ because that implies that we, as masters of our craft, have nothing more to learn—but we certainly do.”
After more than 20 years renting out a beautiful space in the heart of the Strip, Prestogeorge became the premier coffee roaster and importer of tea in Pittsburgh. But the owner of their building was not looking to sell; so in 2005, seeking to secure Prestogeorge in the neighborhood that had been so pivotal in the business’s success, Stan purchased a building of his own in the Strip. However, this space was significantly smaller and came with the need to downsize. As a result, Stan had to pick and choose carefully which aspects of the business he wanted to keep in his new but humble space. His passion for coffee roasting and tea importing drove him to leave most of the prepared foods behind. But in this change came a new opportunity to focus mightily on the keystone aspects of Prestogeorge—and thus Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea was the decided rebrand.
“It has now been almost another 20 years of operating out of our very own building, and we are proud to be one of the largest roasters of coffee in Pittsburgh—with perhaps the widest selection of origins, roasts, blends, and flavors to please the tastes of every customer, as well us certainly the largest selection of loose-leaf teas and herbs,” AJ explains. Every day, depending on the season, Prestogeorge roasts from 500 to over 1,000 pounds of green coffee fresh for its customers. “Yet we would not be true to our mission if we stopped continually honing our craft. Today, we operate our Strip District retail store and coffee bar, supply wholesale customers, and focus on providing the retail experience of walking into our store and choosing from over 1,000 different products on the internet as well,” AJ notes.
Prestogeorge’s dedication to continual growth and improvement is perhaps most evident in the company’s newest family representative. In 2023, Stan’s son, AJ, after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business Administration and managing corporate supply chains, joined in to become the third generation of Prestogeorge’s family-owned and -operated business. He grew up working alongside both his grandfather (“Papou” in Greek) and his father, and quickly caught on to the unique life of small business entrepreneurship and the passion for specialty products.
With AJ joining the family business, Prestogeorge very recently has taken on an expansion project aimed at growing distribution and production capacity. “In our humble Strip District digs, everything was done under one roof—but eventually you reach a plateau point where you just cannot grow any further,” AJ explains. Subsequently, they acquired a property in Blawnox (just outside of the city), which houses a brand new coffee roaster, production space, warehouse space, office space, and fulfillment/shipping space for all online orders. AJ continues: “The space here is perfect for us to increase the back end of our business, while taking a lot of stress off the front end (the flagship Strip District location)—which still operates as a retail store and houses two coffee roasters of its own. The future of Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea, which had many unanswered questions for us prior to 2023, is now full of potential and opportunity!”
In addition, AJ says that this new initiative directly reflects and coincides with Prestogeorge’s central concept as a company. “Our largest goal has always been the same and is the crux of our business—remaining devoted to providing our community with the ability to purchase high-quality and fresh coffees and teas, with an enormous selection to reach the taste preferences of every single person; that includes sustainability to the farms that create them, and at a price point that is accessible to all. Ultimately all of this leads to better cups of coffee and tea!”
With this business philosophy, Prestogeorge does not see why the company cannot grow its distribution further outside of the region, while also increasing its footprint in Pittsburgh as well. “Today, online retail orders are a larger part of our business than they ever have been, and we see a huge opportunity here to achieve our growth goals and take us into the future,” AJ adds.
But despite this progressive movement and growth, Prestogeorge will always hold the Strip District near and dear to its heart and history. In fact, AJ does not hesitate to characterize the Strip’s importance to the whole city of Pittsburgh and especially to Prestogeorge’s heritage: “Forty-three years ago, my father made the best decision possible for our family’s business—moving to the Strip District, an epicenter of culture, specialty retail, food products, and most importantly, family-owned and operated businesses that make up the bread and butter of the success of the Strip and specifically Penn Avenue. The uniqueness of the offerings of the Strip District and the community and coalition of small businesses means everything to Prestogeorge. Our past and future successes are hinged on the Strip, and we are honored to be a part of its history and aim to also be a part of its preservation and lasting future.
After all is said and done, in the simplest terms, Prestogeorge was formed due to a love of all things specialty and gourmet, and especially due to the art of coffee roasting in classic, fire-roasted style roasters, and importing teas. At a time when Starbucks did not exist and daily coffee was whatever one found at the grocery store, Prestogeorge was one of the very first families to bring a new wave of coffee to Pittsburgh and to make it widely accessible. “It is one thing to offer high quality, niche products—but it changes the game when you can do that at a price point that creates very few barriers to a better cup of coffee or tea. This is the impetus that we built our business on and it continues to drive Prestogeorge forward,” AJ concludes.
Although Prestogeorge’s new Blawnox location is not a retail space open to the public, you can still see, smell, and taste a true staple of the Strip District’s history at Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea, 1719 Penn Avenue (Pittsburgh, PA 15222). For more information and orders call 412-471-0133 or visit prestogeorge.com. Stop by today for a “better” cup of coffee or tea!
Christopher Cussat is a Pittsburgh-based freelance writer who only loves one thing as much as the Strip District…and that’s great coffee! Read more of his work at: cussat.com.