Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Company
 | This article contains promotional content. (July 2016) |
| File:Caffe Vita Logo 2013.jpg | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, US |
Key people | Michael McConnell |
| Products | Coffee, tea |
| Website | www.caffevita.com |
Caffè Vita Coffee Roasting Company, commonly known as Caffè Vita, is a coffee roasting company in Seattle, Washington. Part of the third wave of coffee movement, Caffè Vita has been named one of the top ten places "to get the best coffee in America."[1][2][3]
Caffè Vita was founded in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood in 1995 by Mike McConnell, Mike Prins and Michael Foster.[4] Prins and Foster left shortly after the first cafe opening in 1995 and 1998, respectively. McConnell was an early proponent for developing direct relationships with coffee farmers, and bypassing the fair trade of coffee,[3] pioneering the Farm Direct movement, sourcing coffee while developing long-term, mutually fruitful relationships with coffee growers in more than 11 countries. Caffè Vita works with and invest in farmers who are committed to sustainable practices.
Locations
Caffè Vita's location at 1005 East Pike Street, Seattle, houses their flagship cafe, their roasteria, and company offices. The company operates five other cafes around Seattle, one in Olympia, Washington, and two in Portland, Oregon. In March 2012 they opened a cafe in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.[5] In the Spring of 2013 Caffè Vita opened a location on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.[6] Caffè Vita also supplies coffee to cafes, restaurants, and hotels who value farm direct, organic, specialty coffee.[7]
Community service
In 2009, Caffè Vita partnered with Portland's p:ear, a homeless youth mentoring program, to create the p:ear Barista School. Caffè Vita provides equipment, coffee beans, milk, and training that allow the school to take homeless youth through an 8-week program that give them the necessary skills and experience to get a job as a barista.[8] Also in 2009, Caffè Vita underwrote and organized "GIVE Seattle": a 36-track compilation record, featuring artists such as Ben Gibbard and Fleet Foxes to benefit four local food banks and Arts Corps.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Thelin, Mike (May 2010). "Coffee Confidential". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ Strand, Oliver (November 2009). "The Most Important Drink of Your Day". GQ. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ a b Allison, Melissa (July 11, 2008). "Seattle's Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting is expanding". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Coffee Land", Seattle Magazine, p. 101, October 2010, Vol 19, Number 10.
- ^ Strand, Oliver (7 March 2012). "Caffé Vita, a Seattle Staple, Squeezes Into Manhattan". dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ Betty Hallock (July 8, 2013), "The great L.A. coffee scene: Your dream caffeine fix may be just around the corner", The Los Angeles Times
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Tamra (March 26, 1999). "Finding Niche Brews Big-Time Success For Small Coffee Roaster". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ Bingham, Larry (November 28, 2009). "In coffee-swilling Oregon, barista training helps at-risk young people find jobs, hope". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
- ^ Grandy, Eric (November 6, 2009). "Caffe Vita Announce GIVE Charity Compilation". The Stranger. Retrieved 2010-10-01.