(Image: Capitol Coffee Works)
The company behind Capitol Hill-born Victrola Coffee has acquired the Ballard-born Seattle Coffee Works family of shops including a cafe in Pike/Pine.
Vibe Coffee Group announced the acquisition Wednesday. The company, which operates Victrola cafes on 15th Ave E and E Pike, now adds E Pike’s Capitol Coffee Works to its Capitol Hill collection.
“This opportunity not only adds the additional locations, it also opens an additional door to more direct relationships with the coffee growers,” Dan Ollis of Vibe tells CHS in a statement sent on the deal. “I am constantly humbled by all the effort put into a cup of coffee, from the coffee cherry all the way to the cup. These farm to cup stories have been shared many times, but I never lose sight of the hard work that goes into our cups of coffees.”
CHS reported here on the arrival of Capitol Coffee Works in Pike/Pine in 2017 with an Atelier Drome-designed cafe from owners Pipo Bui and Sebastian Simsch.
The Coffee Works name will apparently stick around as Ollis says the first mission is to reopen shuttered cafes including the just acquired Pine location near Pike Place Market.
Born on 15th Ave E, Victrola was acquired by Ollis and his Whidbey Coffee company in 2008 from founders Chris Sharp and Jen Strongin. In 2018, the company moved its roasting operations off E Pike and expanded production in Lynnwood. 2018 also saw Victrola expand to downtown.
The consolidation of the two local chains follows 2020’s sale of Caffe Vita to Seattle restaurateur Deming Maclise. Meanwhile, the Cafe Ladro chain maintains cafes across the city. Other multi-cafe players have come and gone though some like Overcast Coffee are currently on the rise and adding new locations.
It also comes amid increased labor activity in the industry as unionization efforts are underway at two Capitol Hill Starbucks locations including the Melrose roastery. The moves are reshaping the coffee giant which announced it is raising wages — but not for unionized workers who must collectively bargain with the Seattle-based company.
Ollis spoke generally about the labor issues. “I believe that in order to have a great cup of coffee you need to have happy and wonderful people,” Ollis said. “Victrola Coffee, Whidbey Coffee and now Seattle Coffee Works cannot be successful without this powerful ingredient.”
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So wild to see Seattle Coffee Works expand and change over the years. I remember going to their first little shop down on an alley corner spot where the City Target downtown now is. Met William Shatner there! And then they took over that old Johnny Rocket and started roasting their own coffee before expanding across the city. Hope they keep the great coffee going with the acquisition!
Same! That first spot was fantastic with the little espresso tasters. A great founding idea from a great owner in Sebastian. all the best to them in this next chapter.
Catching up late to all this news, but yes I remember that original shop too (note to authors, Coffee Works was not Ballard-born but downtown–Ballard came second I believe) and all the following ever-larger iterations. If you caught Sebastian there you could get him talking coffee at the slightest prompt. Have been so happy to see this crew’s success over the years.