What's Brewing?
Amante Coffee now has 3 locations.
We are serving a variety of coffee drinks, Italian pastries, Panini sandwiches, gelato, Italian sodas and Italian beer and wine. Wireless Internet connection is available.
4580 Broadway, Boulder
1035 Walnut Street, downtown Boulder
Hwy 40 and Mt. Werner Rd in the Wildhorse Plaza, Steamboat Springs
Amante Coffee
Source: QSR Online
After six years of selling what many consider the finest Italian coffee in America to other restaurants, the partners behind Amante Coffee decided they could make more money if they opened their own restaurant. The company still sells to more than 100 fine restaurants and cafés in Boulder, Denver, Aspen, and San Francisco, but its focus has turned to replicating an Italian experience to go along with the great coffee.
Founder and operator Greg Buchheister was 26 and working in an Italian restaurant in Colorado when he discovered the coffee that would become his lifeblood. The restaurant imported wine from the Ghigo family in Northern Italy, equally famous in their homeland for great coffee. When the wine shipments were accompanied by coffee samples, the restaurant held blind tastings and found customers repeatedly preferred the Ghigo coffee. Buchheister saw potential in importing the brand and launched a distributorship to do so. Amante means “lover” or “mistress” in Italian and seemed appropriate, given the seductive qualities of good coffee.
Buchheister partnered with James M. Temple, now the CEO, in mid-2004, after Temple suggested turning Amante into a retail brand. The two share a background in ski racing, which Buchheister says is evidence of their risk-taking personalities. And Temple has proven talent for growing a small business into a multimillion-dollar firm: He founded Case Logic, the electronics storage accessory producer, in 1984 at the age of 28. That company’s sales hit $17 million in five years.
Amante opened its first two retail stores in March and May in Boulder. A Steamboat Springs store opened in October. A fourth location will open in the Erie/Lafayette area, and 10 more are planned over the next three years in Aspen, Vail, and Denver, before the company looks beyond Colorado.
The menu mirrors that of an Italian café, where patrons sit down for a cup of coffee, a snack, or an afternoon. The stores, which range in size from 800 to almost 1,800 square-feet, offer roughly 10 espresso drinks, all for $1. They sell cappuccinos, lattes, drinks made with gelato and coffee liqueurs, and simple Italian roast and French press coffee. Fine wines and beers are available in the evenings, along with cheese platters and snacks. Other fare includes Italian croissants, muffins, rolls, and baguettes. Panini sandwiches are made daily with classic Italian ingredients, and desserts include tiramisu, cheesecakes, and gelati.
As important as the menu is the atmosphere. “We are trying to offer a different, more traditional coffee experience,” Buchheister says. “Sixty percent of our coffee is served in-house in porcelain cups. That’s what we want—for people to take a little Italian vacation every time they come in.” The environment is a mix of old and new, with walnut millwork, vibrant colors, plasma televisions, and free WiFi—all surrounding a classic old coffee machine.
Beyond the coffee—a round, robust, rich flavor, free of bitterness—Amante excels in service. “We must compete with Starbucks and the other guys on speed of service,” Buchheister says. “We offer that speed but with very high quality.” Amante’s baristas train for several months behind a machine and must be able to create at least one latte art design with the froth. “I stress the importance of latte art,” Buchheister says, “it gives customers a great experience before they even taste the coffee.”
Why it bears watching: Amante’s first store hit its sales target on the third day and has maintained its high volume. “We’re 60 percent above where we thought we would be at this point,” Buchheister says.
The company goal is to serve 1,000 patrons a day at each location. Less than a year into operation, daily traffic averages between 600 and 700, and annual sales per store in the first year are projected between $800,000 and $1 million.
Buchheister and Temple are excited about the early success but plan to grow the company slowly over the next few years to maintain quality and improve systems before becoming a national brand. They have no plans to franchise.
“It’s not that our concept is so much better than the rest,” Buchheister says. “It’s our quality that is much better. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better cappuccino in another coffee shop.”
Buchheister credits the competition for creating an entry point for his brand. “Starbucks has done an amazing job of bringing awareness to the market,” he says, “but Starbucks is the superhighway of coffee. When people get tired of being in traffic, they get off on the frontage road to see more interesting things. That’s where we come in. Starbucks is educating the market, and we’re going to be picking off customers one by one.”
Weblink: http://www.qsrmagazine.com/issue/onetowatch/dec2005.phtml#second
AMANTE COFFEE TO OPEN TWO CAFÉS IN BOULDER JANUARY 2005
North Boulder and Downtown Boulder Cafés
to Offer Italian Coffee Drinks, Pastries, Sandwiches, and Gelato
BOULDER, Colo. (November 8, 2004)—Amante Coffee, exclusively imported in the United States from Northern Italy, plans to open two Italian espresso bars, one in North Boulder and one in downtown Boulder, in March and April 2005. In addition to serving a variety of coffee drinks, the cafés will also serve Italian pastries, panini sandwiches, gelato, Italian sodas and Italian beer and wine. Wireless Internet connection will be available at both locations.
“We want the Amante Coffee bars to not only offer the best tasting coffee, which is rich, complex, bold and smooth,” said Greg Buchheister, president of Amante Coffee, “but also offer a true Italian experience that’s complete with the best trained baristas, personal service and high energy ambiance just like if you were in a coffee bar in Italy”.
The Amante café to open in North Boulder is located in a 1,700 square-foot space in the new Uptown development at Broadway and Yarmouth. The café to open in downtown Boulder is located in an 850-square-foot space at 1035 Walnut Street. Operating hours for both cafés will be from 5:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week.
Amante, which means lover or mistress, has been selling its coffee to more than 100 restaurants in Colorado and out of state, as well as offering online purchases of the company’s whole bean coffee and espresso blends, espresso machines and high end grinders.
“When Amante wins every blind taste, you can’t doubt the quality,” said Buchheister. “ We have won over 150 blind taste tests against Illy, Lavazza, Torrefazione Italia, Seattle ’s Best, Allegro, Silver Canyon and other respected companies. But on top of that, we strive to make each coffee drink perfect for each customer. People want to be recognized, they want to be a part of something. And, we are giving them the chance to enjoy a great coffee drink, an excellent pastry, an Italian soda, a glass of wine, and a panini sandwich in a place that feels better than home—it feels like vacation.”
About Amante Coffee
Amante Coffee is exclusively imported into the United States from a small family from Northern Italy . With more than 60 years of experience in roasting coffee, the Ghigo family distributes both whole bean coffee and espresso pods to over 1500 accounts across Italy . Amante Coffee is served in more than 100 fine restaurants and cafés in Boulder , Denver , Aspen , San Francisco , and beyond. Amante is also available via internet at the company’s secure online store. Amante expects to have four retail locations in Colorado before the end of 2005 with the first two stores opening in Boulder , CO this January. For more information on Amante wholesale and retail availability, please visit us at www.AmanteCoffee.com or call 303-449-5114.
Media Contact
Janet Braccio
Bella Voce Communications
303-447-7163
jbraccio@BellaVoceCommunications.com
Italian-style cafe serves caffeine, ice cream
Amante coffeehouse puts North Boulder ‘in the black’
04/29/2005
Source: Boulder County Business Report
Author: Doug McPherson
LOUISVILLE — Between Starbucks and local coffee vendors like Vic’s, Joe’s and Peaberry, most mornings smell like fresh-brewed coffee.
With Louisville-based Amante Coffee joining the mix, the aroma is getting thicker.
Six-year-old coffee wholesaler Amante just opened its first sit-down coffeehouse — an Italian-style cafe at 4580 Broadway in North Boulder.
“People want a third place,” says Greg Buchheister, a partner with Amante Coffee. “They have work and home, but they want a place to meet their friends, family and business associates to take a break from reality.”
But the big question is, can Amante compete with all the others out there?
“Starbucks has done a great job bringing awareness to the market, and Boulder has many good coffeehouses,” Buchheister says. “But we feel that we have a different concept with the Italian coffee, wine, ambiance and culture. Amante is a blend of what you would find in a café in Italy with the forward thinking of Seattle. We are going to help put Boulder on the map for great coffee.”
Yes, Amante serves wine. It also serves beer. A little espresso in the morning and a little alcohol for the afternoon.
However, Buchheister says alcohol will not be a centerpiece for the shop, which aims to cater to businesses and families.
Amante, which means lover or mistress, has been distributing wholesale coffee to independent restaurants, coffee shops, specialty food retailers and grocery stores since 1999.
Then Buchheister wanted to take the Amante brand “to the next level,” he says.
“We felt that even with all of the great places in Boulder, there was still a void for a full-scale Italian coffee bar. We always wanted to start do our own coffee shop with an Italian feel, and we felt very strongly about two locations in Boulder, so we decided to go for it.”
In May, Amante will open a cafe on Walnut Street in Boulder.
Buchheister says the North Boulder “community … has been starved for local businesses. There are so many new households there and very few places to go that are within two to three square miles. Plus, the area has over 35,000 feet of retail space and over 200 lofts and apartments for sale or rent, so we have our own community built around the store.”
The shop on Broadway opened for business in mid-March.
Amante began designing the store last August with McGinty, an architectural design firm, and construction began in January.
Jamie Temple, the founder of Boulder-based Case Logic Inc. who sold his interest in Case Logic in 1991, joined Amante in the summer of 2003 as an investor and director of corporate development. Buchheister said Temple and investor Lee Weldon, former owner of Nature’s Apothecary, a manufacturer of natural herbal products in Louisville, are key in advancing Amante into the restaurant market.
The 1,778-square-foot store offers a menu of more than 10 espresso drinks very typical of Italy — all for $1. It also sells some of the standard fare of cappuccinos, lattes and other espresso-based drinks. Four drinks are made with the Italian ice cream known as gelato, and eight drinks are made with alcohol.
For the less adventurous, Amante serves Italian roast and French press coffee.
All Amante coffees are available for sale for home use, and it will grind to order. It also sells espresso machines from Italy.
Hungry patrons can dine on Italian croissants available plain or stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, Nutella or chocolate/raspberry filling, or they can munch on muffins, rolls or baguettes. Amante’s panini sandwiches are made at the store. In the evenings it sells cheese platters and snacks to pair with the wines and beers.
Buchheister wouldn’t disclose startup costs but did say they were “enough to make it look great but not over the top.” Nor would he reveal projected revenues, saying only, “we hope enough to pay the bills.” Michael Wilkens, a 22-year veteran of the coffee industry and the national key accounts manager for Espresso Specialists, an espresso machine company in Boulder, says people have been asking if there’s enough room in Boulder for another coffee shop for 20 years. “The answer is ‘Yes,’ if the people opening it know what they’re doing,” Wilkens says.
Wilkins says coffee shops are like restaurants, and the statistics for them aren’t good. “About 90 percent close in the first year of business,” he says. “But you have those who get the right constellation of vision, creativity, planning and people with a desire to succeed, and they can make it.”
Wilkins says he believes Amante falls in the latter category. “I think Greg has the right items in place to do well.”
Amante will open two more stores in the next eight months, one in Steamboat Springs and one in the Erie/Lafayette area. Plus, the company plans to open 10 more Amante shops over the next three years in Aspen, Vail and Denver and beyond Colorado.
AMANTE COFFEE TO OPEN TWO CAFÉS IN BOULDER JANUARY 2005
North Boulder and Downtown Boulder Cafés
to Offer Italian Coffee Drinks, Pastries, Sandwiches, and Gelato
BOULDER, Colo. (November 8, 2004)—Amante Coffee, exclusively imported in the United States from Northern Italy, plans to open two Italian espresso bars, one in North Boulder and one in downtown Boulder, in March and April 2005. In addition to serving a variety of coffee drinks, the cafés will also serve Italian pastries, panini sandwiches, gelato, Italian sodas and Italian beer and wine. Wireless Internet connection will be available at both locations.
“We want the Amante Coffee bars to not only offer the best tasting coffee, which is rich, complex, bold and smooth,” said Greg Buchheister, president of Amante Coffee, “but also offer a true Italian experience that’s complete with the best trained baristas, personal service and high energy ambiance just like if you were in a coffee bar in Italy”.
The Amante café to open in North Boulder is located in a 1,700 square-foot space in the new Uptown development at Broadway and Yarmouth. The café to open in downtown Boulder is located in an 850-square-foot space at 1035 Walnut Street. Operating hours for both cafés will be from 5:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week.
Amante, which means lover or mistress, has been selling its coffee to more than 100 restaurants in Colorado and out of state, as well as offering online purchases of the company’s whole bean coffee and espresso blends, espresso machines and high end grinders.
“When Amante wins every blind taste, you can’t doubt the quality,” said Buchheister. “ We have won over 150 blind taste tests against Illy, Lavazza, Torrefazione Italia, Seattle ’s Best, Allegro, Silver Canyon and other respected companies. But on top of that, we strive to make each coffee drink perfect for each customer. People want to be recognized, they want to be a part of something. And, we are giving them the chance to enjoy a great coffee drink, an excellent pastry, an Italian soda, a glass of wine, and a panini sandwich in a place that feels better than home—it feels like vacation.”
About Amante Coffee
Amante Coffee is exclusively imported into the United States from a small family from Northern Italy . With more than 60 years of experience in roasting coffee, the Ghigo family distributes both whole bean coffee and espresso pods to over 1500 accounts across Italy . Amante Coffee is served in more than 100 fine restaurants and cafés in Boulder , Denver , Aspen , San Francisco , and beyond. Amante is also available via internet at the company’s secure online store. Amante expects to have four retail locations in Colorado before the end of 2005 with the first two stores opening in Boulder , CO this January. For more information on Amante wholesale and retail availability, please visit us at www.AmanteCoffee.com or call 303-449-5114.
Media Contact
Janet Braccio
Bella Voce Communications
303-447-7163
jbraccio@BellaVoceCommunications.com
Locals stir up Italian coffeeshop
Coffee bar and deli pegged for Pressto's spot
By Michele Nelson, For the Camera
November 6, 2004
URL: http://www.dailycamera.com/
Louisville-based Amante Coffee, a wholesale coffee
distributor, will open its first retail business at 1035 Walnut St., a
space left empty when Pressto closed its doors Tuesday after 12 years of
business.
Greg Buchheister says he and business partner James Temple expect the
classic Italian coffee bar to open during the first week of January.
The restaurant will sell coffee imported
from the Ghigo family of northern Italy. It also will sell panini, Italian
salads and pastries prepared by Boulder's Blue Fine Pastries and
sandwiches delivered daily from Parisi Italian Market and Deli in Denver.
Buchheister plans to obtain a liquor license to sell Italian beers and
wine. But he says alcohol will not be a major focus for the coffeehouse,
which will cater to businesses and families.
"We want the store to be a place where business people and other
customers in the community can come in the morning and have an espresso or
cappuccino. The hope is that we can get them back in the afternoon for a
glass of wine to wind down," Buchheister said.
Amante Coffee hopes to build brand identity and gain business from
customers developed through its wholesale distribution. More than 100
Colorado restaurants, including locals Bacaro, Mateo, Bloom and Rhumba,
buy from Amante Coffee.
John Bachman, general manager for Rhumba, supports the company's new
venture.
"Any time you have little, independent coffee places going up, like
Trident and the Bookend, they are successful. Boulder has always been
supportive of local businesses and unsupportive of big conglomerates," he
said. "Amante makes great coffee and they are bringing in a great product.
I'm always in favor of the local little guy making good."
Buchheister said he hopes customers will be attracted to the
restaurant's blend of modern and Old World styles and decor, which will
feature traditional marble tables and an atmosphere filled with the high
energy of an Italian coffee bar.
The business will feature a big-screen television broadcasting Italian
and European events, such as the Tour de France, European soccer games and
ski races.
"We want it to be a home away from home," Buchheister said. "We want
you to feel like you get five to 15 minutes of an Italian vacation every
time you are in the store."
The company plans to open 10 Amante Coffee locations over the next
three years. Although Buchheister hopes to open locations in Aspen, Vail
and Denver, he said Amante Coffee will not be limited to Colorado.
Copyright 2004, The Daily Camera. All Rights Reserved.