Swiss Water keeps coffee drinkers up all day and night for ten days at their second pop-up in Venice, California.
Coffee is means to caffeine. For some, the sole reason they drink coffee is to get the boost that caffeine provides. However, there are some on the opposite side ”the true lovers of coffee that can’t or choose to abstain from caffeine. The decaf drinkers.
For a long time, coffee shops and the specialty industry in general did a bad job of catering to this subset of coffee imbibers. When’s the last time you really discussed the flavor profile of your decaf espresso? The folks at Swiss Water, a decaffeination company known for its proprietary processing that yields a flavorful, yet almost completely devoid of caffeine, coffee, hope to turn these ideas around by opening a series of pop-ups around the United States. First, Swiss Water showed up in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, handing out decaf drinks in all forms, and now they’ve created a new retail pop-up in Venice, a neighborhood on the waterfront Los Angeles, Calif.
œVenice is the perfect setting to drink exceptionally fine coffee all day and into the evening, because the evening is more fun anyways, isn’t it? said Frank Dennis, President and CEO of Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company. For ten days, beginning last weekend on October 14th, Swiss Water will be running a pop-up café featuring all different types of coffee, brewed a number of ways, from a variety of roasters, all sharing one thing in common ”they are all decaf. Like the New York event, baristas from all over the city will provide patrons with drinks to sip on intended to taste delicious, but not keep you up all night.
Last year’s New York pop-up brought in over 10,000 visitors who drank over 15,000 different coffee-based drinks. However, to simply call the event a pop-up detracts from how dynamic their take on coffee service was, and will continue to be in Venice. œThe idea was to do something different ”instead of just a pop-up coffee shop, we set up a coffee without caffeine taste experience to help people discover great tasting decaf. We brewed and served coffee as many ways as we could for ten days, says Andrea Piccolo, Brand Manager for Swiss Water. Patrons could enjoy coffee brewed on almost any brewing device imaginable, and Swiss Water even received requests from home enthusiast wanting to serve coffee to customers.
The Venice iteration plans on differentiating itself by embracing new ideas and catering to the unique social atmosphere of Venice. œFor this pop up, we’ve also got a lot of events happening on the second floor of our space. Royal Coffee is bringing Crown on the Road (an educational series presented in the Bay Area and Los Angeles) to our Coffee Taste Experience. We are collaborating with local chefs and mixologists to incorporate Swiss Water coffee as a fresh ingredient in food and cocktails, shares Andrea. On Thursday October 21st, Swiss Water will host an entire night along Abbott Kinney Boulevard, aimed at engaging the local community and members of business groups as well. œFor customers that venture in off the street, we want them to know that Swiss Water is a great tasting coffee taste experience available through many awesome roasters in LA and throughout California, shares Andrea.
Sometimes, and incorrectly so, decaf is attributed those whom the specialty market has ignored or passed over. But decaf drinkers come in all sizes and ages, and by ignoring decaf, we ignore a whole subset of potential café patrons. œDid you know that 18-24 year olds are the leading consumers of decaf, and caffeine is the #1 reason they choose not to purchase coffee? Our goal is to keep them drinking great coffee throughout the day and into the evening, says Andrea, and Swiss Water allows everyone to participate in the coffee social circle.
The pop-up will run from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM everyday until October 23rd at 1421 Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Swing by and drink up ”the drinks won’t keep you up all night.
