Belleair Bluffs will soon be a substantially more caffeinated place with the debut of two new coffee shops, both offering their own spin on great java.
Belleair Coffee Company, located in the Plaza Shopping Center at 100 Indian Rocks Road N., is set to open June 15. To make the shop a haven for artisanal and ethical coffee, owners Chris Whalen and Cammie Griffin formed a partnership with well-known Tampa roaster Buddy Brew Coffee, which has direct-trade relationships with coffee farmers, as well as Myakka City’s Dakin Dairy Farms, producers of milk and cream from grass-fed and sustainably raised cows.
“It’s nice to know you’re not hurting somebody else in another part of the world when you drink your coffee,” Griffin said.
Belleair Coffee Co. will also have a full-time pastry chef in Linda Carroll, whose business, Desserts of Distinction, has gained a following at shops and markets around Pinellas. Trained under accomplished pastry chef and St. Pete Bakery owner Michael Ostrander, Carroll’s specialties include cookies, cakes, turnovers and scones.
Other edible offerings to expect? Breakfast sandwiches and quiche made with cage-free eggs, chocolates and ice cream, plus Italian sodas and teas by Tampa’s TeBella Tea Company.
The shop occupies a roomy, well-lit space. Designer Jennifer Lindsay is using as many salvaged pieces as possible; long counters created from split cypress trees are installed along the floor-to-ceiling windows. There are also plans for a dog-friendly patio out front.
Practically around the corner, Kahwa Coffee will open in three weeks at 2919 West Bay Drive. This will be the St. Petersburg-based company’s 10th location; coincidentally, 2016 marks its 10-year anniversary.
According to Raphael Perrier, who owns Kahwa with his wife Sarah, the duo envisioned Kahwa as a success from the start. But he’s still surprised by how fast it’s all happened. Their customers include restaurants and hotels in Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey and the Bahamas, plus Tech Data and the Epcot France Pavilion at Walt Disney World. A deal for five locations to pour Kahwa at Tampa International Airport is also in the works.
The Perriers, who started selling their coffee beans on the Home Shopping Network six months ago, are close to signing on locations 11, 12 and 13 — a drive-thru in Sarasota and two Jacksonville shops. Wholesale beans now account for half of Kahwa’s business, and the pair hope to start franchising soon as well.
Despite the roaster’s rapid expansion, Raphael says they’ve made a strong effort to bring a mom-and-pop vibe into each cafe.
“People start calling the Kahwa they go to ‘my Kahwa,’ and we like that. We are always trying to stay away from the corporate feeling,” he said, adding that tapping into Belleair Bluffs was an easy decision. “We love the area. The crowd matches what we do.”
This latest Kahwa debut will coincide with the addition of several blends of cold brew — available by the glass or in take-home growlers — to the menu. Raphael says the company continues to accomplish what it set out to do: “Create a better Starbucks, with quality coffee and fast service.”
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.