Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Company

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." Caffè Vita was founded in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood in 1995 by Mike McConnell, Mike Prins and Michael Foster. 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, 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 invests 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. In the Spring of 2013 Caffè Vita opened a location on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. In 2015, Caffè Vita expanded its New York presence with the opening of a roastery and cafe in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Caffè Vita also supplies coffee to cafes, restaurants, and hotels who value farm direct, organic, specialty coffee. 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. 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.