The first Phoenix location of Seattle-based coffeehouse Caffe Vita will open soon, featuring espresso drinks, pour overs, pastries and funky jams.
Caffe Vita officials say the ongoing expansion is a direct response to the people wanting more.
“Caffe Vita is a classic, old school meets new school kind of coffee roaster that sits in the middle of specialty coffee and what we know as second wave or Starbucks coffee,” marketing director Kate Van Petten Phoenix New Times. She added that many Seattle snowbirds who relocate to the desert each winter were craving a fix of their hometown coffee shop.
“We just knew that if we had this strong demand and a community that was already built and existed there, that it was about time to do something,” Van Petten said.
Caffe Vita plans for a soft opening July 1, followed by an official opening party July 30.
The new establishment represents the ninth for Caffe Vita, which first opened in Seattle in 1995, and currently counts other operations in Portland, Oregon, and New York. Four locations ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Phoenix shop will be the first to open for business since then.
“There will be a lot more iced drinks, cold brew, lemonades and teas,” owner and CEO Deming Maclise said, as reported by Phoenix New Times. “I always like to leave a solid amount of room for what the public wants. We're gonna come with our ideas and be listening and taking feedback while we’re there.”
Maclise, who has a background in music, worked as a barista to pay the bills. Over time the coffee life stuck, and he managed a few independent cafes before opening his own shop.
He developed a wholesale relationship with Caffe Vita, and by 2020 had taken over ownership of the company while still maintaining his musical roots.
Caffe Vita's Seattle Center location shares space with KEXP-FM, an indie rock radio station. Design plans call for a DJ booth and a partnership with Record Bar Radio, a collection of independent DJs who play sets at venues like Crescent Ballroom and Walter Studios.
"We always want to be promoting music in general because 30 to 50% of people that work here are musicians and it's a big part of who we are and where we come from," Maclise said, as reported by Phoenix New Times. "I think the owners are great people."