Seattle · United States

Caffè Vita

Caffè Vita is one of 5 Seattle roasters tracked on day9, in Washington.

Since 1995 · Mike McConnell, Michael Prins

Overview

Caffè Vita was founded on January 1, 1995 in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighbourhood by Mike McConnell and Michael Prins, then moved its flagship to 1005 East Pike Street on Capitol Hill in 1999, taking over the former Cafe Paradiso space from Anne Michelson. McConnell pioneered the company's Farm Direct programme — buying coffee directly from growers in roughly eleven countries before fair-trade certifications became the industry default — and on January 1, 2020 sold full ownership to Seattle restaurateur Deming Maclise, an early wholesale customer who once managed Uptown Espresso.

Known for

Founded January 1, 1995 in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne by Mike McConnell and Michael Prins
Capitol Hill flagship at 1005 E Pike St since 1999, in the building that formerly housed Cafe Paradiso
Pioneer of the Farm Direct sourcing model — direct producer relationships across roughly eleven origin countries, predating Fair Trade's mainstream adoption
Cafés in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and Brooklyn plus a second roastery in Phoenix, Arizona
Official coffee of Washington State Ferries since 2017; barrel-aged coffee collaboration with Batch 206 Distillery

Why it matters

Caffè Vita is one of the load-bearing pieces of Capitol Hill identity — McConnell built the company alongside Via Tribunali pizza, the Crocodile, Neumos and a music-and-food network that defined the neighbourhood through the 2000s — and his Farm Direct programme was an early, articulate argument that bypassing fair trade in favour of direct grower relationships could pay producers more, not less. The Maclise ownership transition in 2020 is a rare specialty handoff that kept the business independent and Seattle-rooted rather than rolling it up.

Production

roaster machine: Vintage Probat roasters (Capitol Hill flagship)
roastery location: 1005 E Pike Street, Capitol Hill, Seattle (flagship); Phoenix, Arizona (secondary roastery)

Café

1005 East Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122

Recognitions

Official coffee of Washington State Ferries (since 2017)
Named one of '10 places offering the best coffee in America'

Sources

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