Verve Coffee Roasters have opened a new cafe in their hometown of Santa Cruz, California. Located just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, at 1010 Fair Avenue, this is Verve’s fourth in Santa Cruz, following locations on 41st Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and their Seabright Roastery. Our friends & partners at Verve also operate three cafes in Los Angeles, including Downtown LA, Melrose, and on West 3rd in Beverley Grove.
Verve’s new Santa Cruz spot is located in an arch bow truss building that used to be a plastics factory, making novelty dice and other knick-knacks. New neighbors include Sawyer, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery, El Salchichereo, New Leaf Market (recently acquired by Portland, Oregon based New Seasons Market), and the acclaimed restaurant Bantam, from Chez Panisse and Avanti alums Ben and Sarah Sims.
Gear at the new shop includes a 4-group Kees van der Westen espresso machine with custom panels by artist Jeremiah Kille, a longtime Verve collaborator, paired with grinders by Nuova Simonelli, plus equipment from Modbar, Mahlkonig, and Wilbur Curtis Company. “It’s an all black everything sort of situation,” Verve co-founder Colby Barr told Sprudge. Barr and fellow co-founder Ryan O’Donovan personally developed the cafe’s design, which is modeled on a “coastal outpost vibe”, as per Barr. Think floating plants, macrame, lots of natural light to let the ocean seep in, and a comfy outdoor parklet for the hundreds upon hundreds of nice days the people of Santa Cruz get to enjoy each year.
Pastries at the new Verve location come from Manresa Bread, the bakery adjunct of multi-Michelin Star restaurant Manresa in nearby Los Gatos. Other non-coffee offerings include Dr. Kefir probiotic on tap, and the first Santa Cruz appearance from Juice Served Here, the popular LA-based juicery with whom Verve shares their DTLA digs.
Up next, Verve’s first Tokyo location opens April 15th at Shinjuku Station. No rest for the radical.
Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge.com. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.
All photos courtesy of Verve Coffee Roasters.
