Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Company facts for kids
Caffe Vita in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
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Key people
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Deming Maclise |
| Products | Coffee, tea |
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Number of employees
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100 |
Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Company, often called Caffe Vita, is a coffee company from Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It started in 1995. Caffe Vita is known for being part of the "third wave of coffee" movement. This movement focuses on making high-quality coffee. It also cares about where the coffee comes from. Some people have even called Caffe Vita one of the top 10 places for "the best coffee in America."
The company was founded by Mike McConnell in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. Mike McConnell was one of the first to work directly with coffee farmers. This idea, called the Farm Direct movement, meant buying coffee straight from the farms. It helped farmers get a fair price for their hard work. On January 1, 2020, Deming Maclise, a local restaurant owner, became the new owner of Caffe Vita.
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Where to Find Caffe Vita Coffee
Caffe Vita has its main location at 1005 East Pike Street in Seattle. This spot is special because it has their main coffee shop, where they roast coffee, and their company offices. The company runs seven other coffee shops around Seattle. They also have another place where they roast coffee in Phoenix, Arizona.
In March 2012, Caffe Vita opened a coffee shop in Manhattan, New York. They grew even more in New York in 2015. They opened another roastery and coffee shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn. In total, Caffe Vita has 10 locations across the country. They also sell their coffee to many other coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels.
How Caffe Vita Helps the Community
Caffe Vita believes in giving back. They work with different groups to help people and support local events.
Helping Young People Learn Skills
In 2009, Caffe Vita teamed up with p:ear, a program in Portland. This program helps young people who are experiencing homelessness. Together, they created the p:ear Barista School. Caffe Vita provides everything needed for the school. This includes coffee machines, coffee beans, milk, and training. The school teaches young people how to be baristas in an 8-week program. This helps them get jobs and build a better future.
Caffe Vita also supports FareStart's youth barista training program. FareStart trains young people who are homeless. It also gives them jobs at coffee stands, like those at T-Mobile Field. Caffe Vita helps FareStart with its yearly fundraising events. These events bring together chefs and winemakers from Seattle. They raise money to support FareStart's important work.
Supporting Events and Causes
Caffe Vita helps out with several local events. They sponsor music festivals like Timber Music Fest and Thing Festival. They also support the Capitol Hill Block Party.
In 2009, Caffe Vita helped create "GIVE Seattle." This was a music album with 36 songs. It featured artists like Ben Gibbard and Fleet Foxes. The money raised from the album went to four local food banks and arts groups.
Every year, Caffe Vita holds a holiday fundraising drive. They collect donations for organizations like Community Passageways and Trans Lifeline. Caffe Vita matches every dollar donated in their coffee shops.
Under the new owner, Deming Maclise, Caffe Vita started a special line of "Coffees for a Cause." For every bag sold, $2 goes to non-profit groups. These groups include Seattle Foundation, Lambert House, and FareStart.
Working with Other Businesses
Caffe Vita has some cool business friends. They work with Easy Street Records. They even named one of their coffee blends, Easy Street Indo 30, after the record store. The owner of Easy Street Records, Matt Vaughan, was Caffe Vita's very first wholesale customer back in 1995.
Since 2017, all Washington State Ferries have been serving Caffe Vita coffee. In 2019, the company started a unique project. They began aging their coffee in barrels from Batch 206 Distillery. So far, they have released three special barrel-aged coffees. These coffees have hints of bourbon, rum, and gin.
Caring for the Planet
Caffe Vita is a leader in the Farm Direct movement. This means they carefully choose their coffee beans. They also build strong, long-term relationships with farmers in more than 11 countries. The company has offered many coffees that are Organic, Farm Direct, and Rainforest Alliance Certified. These certifications show that the coffee is grown in a way that protects the environment and supports farmers.
In 2009, Caffe Vita worked with Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Project. They helped bring the first coffee from Papua New Guinea's Yopno Uruwa Som region to the U.S. This coffee was bought directly from the farmers. It was sold at all Caffe Vita locations in Seattle and at the Woodland Park Zoo stores. They also offered a "Zoo Special Reserve" coffee. A dollar from each bag sold was given to the Woodland Park Zoo to help their conservation efforts.
New Leadership at Caffe Vita
On January 1, 2020, Deming Maclise took over Caffe Vita. He was already a small owner in the company before this. Maclise is a local restaurant owner. He said that the company should "have a general welcoming policy to everyone." This meant making sure everyone felt welcome at Caffe Vita. He also mentioned that this change in ownership had been planned for about a year and a half. It was not related to any past discussions about how the company handled unsold food. Maclise suggested that Caffe Vita might change its food menus over time. He also wanted to work with more local businesses. This could involve his other restaurants.
See also
- Coffee in Seattle
- List of coffee companies
