About Straight From Seattle Espresso

In recent years Americans have seen a dramatic increase in sales of premium coffee and espresso-based beverages. It began in Seattle, where, in the 1980s, local entrepreneurs adapted the Italian business model (selling high-quality espresso-based beverages from portable carts). The resulting product, Seattle-style espresso, was an immediate rip-roaring success. It is the Seattle-style espresso model that Straight from Seattle Espresso introduced to Baltimore.
 

Baltimore native Ashley McCauley, returned to Baltimore from Seattle with her husband Matt in the mid 90s after working for some time in the red-hot specialty-coffee industry in Seattle. Ashley's intent was to establish a Seattle-style espresso business. in the Mid-Atlantic region. The company has been growing ever since. Straight From Seattle Espresso is now the largest operator of premium Seattle-style espresso bars in the Baltimore-Washington area. In addition to its soon-to-be twenty retail units, the McCauleys operate a wholesale coffee business through McCauley Coffee Roasters, in Kent, Washington. McCauley Coffee Roasters, a FairTrade licensed roaster, distributes bulk coffee to espresso carts and other retail coffee purveyors, and imports and distributes espresso equipment and the fine products of major American manufacturers of commercial coffee equipment and supplies. McCauley Coffee Roasters also roasts and distributes an extensive line of retail-packaged whole-bean coffees through its wholesale channels and online retail store.  In addition to these activities, Straight from Seattle Espresso offers consulting and training services that are individually tailored for folks who are entering this exciting and rapidly growing business sector.  

 Producing Seattle-style espresso starts with top-quality coffee beans that are fresh-roasted, and then ground just before extraction, which, to accomplish properly, requires good equipment and the skills of trained baristas. A well-run espresso cart is a sophisticated mix of quality ingredients, quality tools of preparation, and professional skills. The espresso cart's presence in a host institution enhances image, satisfies a need, and increases customer traffic. Esthetics are an important ingredient in the overall package. Straight from Seattle Espresso carts are designed for compactness and easy storability, and to fit esthetically in host institutions. If you are a facilities administrator in a business or educational institution looking for an amenity that will please your resident staff and customers, while also generating beneficial traffic and an income stream from non-producing space, contact us and ask Ashley McCauley to tell you more about what Straight From Seattle Espresso can do for you. Food-industry analysts assert that espresso carts are the most innovative new food and beverage marketing trend in the United States since fast food drive-in restaurants. It is found that many of espresso-cart customers increase traffic in host institutions. A recent study commissioned by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, predicts that within a few years over 10,000 coffee cafes, espresso bars, and carts will be operating in the US. It is a true growth industry.