Longtime Seattle specialty coffee stalwarts Fonté Coffee Roasters are expanding across the lake, opening a new location in Bellevue, Washington later this year. This will be one of the last new cafes featured in our 2016 Build-Outs of Summer seasonal series!
As told to Sprudge by Joyce Monaco, Marketing Director at Fonté Coffee Roaster.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Fonté Coffee Roaster, one of the Seattle area’s original micro-roasters, was established in 1992 by Paul Odom, then 21 years of age. His goal: to deliver an exceptional coffee experience by carefully defining distinctive specialty coffee flavors and then doing everything possible to deliver those flavors intact in every cup.
Paul met Steve Smith, Fonté’s Master Roaster, who had over a decade of experience at this time. Smith’s wealth of coffee knowledge and Paul’s business experience was a perfect match.
Fonté’s production and service team boasts over 20 years of experience in virtually any setting in which coffee is offered. High-end coffee bars, fine dining, banquet facilities, and in-room brewing are just a few of the areas in which our practical expertise can assist you in the design, administration, and maintenance of a coffee program.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Fonté will be taking over the space in Bellevue Place currently occupied by Tully’s.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Fonté’s proprietary blends are created by Master Roaster Steve Smith, one of the most senior roasters in Seattle with more than 30 years of experience in the coffee industry. Smith works to create unique blends, and then roasts by hand to bring out the natural flavors of each region represented. All orders are shipped the same day the coffee is roasted, ensuring to-the-minute freshness to all customers. Renowned for meticulous methods of production, Fonté is committed to exceptional cup quality—from sourcing the highest-quality coffee beans to blending complex aromas and flavors to roasting coffee by hand with masterful expertise.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
– Four-group La Marzocco Linea Classic
– Nuova Simonelli Mythos One Clima-Pro grinders
– Mahlkönig EK 43
– FETCO water tower
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Photos courtesy of Fonté Coffee Roaster.
