Pearl River businessman Gary Triola is hoping to change the way people drink coffee.

Triola and his partner, Paul Gremillion, are the owners of JavaFlow, a patented system for dispensing fresh-brewed coffee. Similar to a standard water cooler, it dispenses hot or cold water and coffee at the touch of a button. It uses a liquid coffee concentrate in half-gallon cartons that are stored in a refrigerated unit at the bottom of the machine. Each carton lasts between four and six months and yields about 400 cups of coffee.

Triola first started toying with the idea about 10 years ago when he worked for a liquid coffee company and saw the need for a distribution system.

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“The water cooler idea just stuck in my mind because it’s the most straightforward,” he said. “We thought we’d just buy a water cooler and convert it, and probably build them in the back yard.”

The former owner of an automotive repair shop, Triola has over 28 years of mechanical and plumbing experience. He and Gremillion initially thought they would manufacture the machines here in the U.S., and tried for several years to do so, but it turned out to be a tricky, and costly, process, even with UL approval.

The two realized they could save about $40,000 a year by building their machine in China. Triola’s wife Jane, an attorney, was enlisted to help with the UL application. Once a prototype was approved they shipped it to China and began manufacturing about three years ago.

The system costs about $450, and businesses all over the country have been snapping them up.

From firehouses to car dealerships and doctor’s offices, clients are enjoying the convenience of being able to brew exactly how much coffee they want, whenever they want.

The idea also appeals to those looking to cut down on waste.

“Most studies show that about 30 percent of coffee brewed every day in a standard coffeemaker is thrown out,” he said. “You also don’t have to use a new paper filter each time.”

Some customers have even purchased a machine for home use, and a child safety switch helps keep little hands from accidentally brewing up a batch of hot coffee.

Triola and his staff travel to trade shows all over the country and will soon introduce a point-of-use, or bottle less system at the InterBev show to be held in Las Vegas in October. This system will connect to a water line, but can be switched to add a bottle if the user’s water supply is cut off for some reason.

The company currently offers about a dozen different private label coffees, and is investigating other options to enhance the machine. About 360 machines are produced each month, and more orders are coming in every day.

Triola is happy to be part of such an innovative concept.

“Once it came together, we were kind of surprised someone hadn’t thought of it sooner,” he said.

JavaFlow is located at 64242 Louisiana Highway 41 in Pearl River. For more information, call 863-7792.