Pour it on: Coffee business is steaming

Coffee is good business and getting better, not just in Seattle but throughout the nation and abroad, said roasters, suppliers and retailers gathered Friday for the opening of Coffee Fest.

More exhibitors and attendees are expected at the three-day trade show, which convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, than in the show's 14-year history, said assistant manager Marni Heilbrunn.

And many of those attending reported unprecedented success.

"It's growth, growth, growth," said Keith Hayward, vice president of Dillanos, a Sumner supplier of roasted coffee beans.

The 42-person company's revenue grew by more than a third in each of the past two years, with roughly half its new business in Western Washington but the fastest growth in the nation's South and Southeast, Hayward said.

He said his customers report the biggest boom in sweet, complicated drinks made with syrup and whipped cream, in larger and larger sizes -- even in cups as large as 32 ounces.

"That sort of drink means more margins for retailers and more sales for us," Hayward said.

Synesso Inc., a South Park-based maker of high-end espresso machines, wishes the trend were in the other direction: toward smaller, simpler drinks emphasizing the quality of the beans, roast and espresso.

The 15-month-old company took a booth for the first time "to let people know we've taken the next step, and to strengthen relationships with roasters," said controller Sandy Schneiter.

"The Starbucks of the world are opening peoples' eyes with those frilly drinks," she said. "Then we hope people's tastes will get more refined, or smaller coffeehouses will open nearby" to offer simpler drinks.

New York-based Shock Coffee used the show to introduce beans containing 50 percent more caffeine than the average, employing the catch phrase "Sleep is overrated."

Whether they serve their espresso frilly or straight up, retailers need accessories, such as steaming pitchers, shot glasses and condiment displays.

Seattle's Espresso Supply Corp. supplies such "smallwares," and its business is continually growing, said sales director Jane Rockhold.

"A lot of people thought the growth of the specialty coffee market would flatten out, but it hasn't, and we don't see it stopping any time soon," she said.

Visions Espresso Service Inc. of Seattle, which supplies retailers with parts and service as well as accessories such as grinders and mugs, is also enjoying the boom. About 30 percent of its accessory sales are local, while a third are international, said President Dawn Loraas. International sales are one of the company's biggest growth areas, she said.

Free courses on how to succeed at running a coffee shop lured Robin and Gordon Andersen and their daughter, Megan, to the show from Corvallis, Ore. The family plans to open Exalted Espresso & Eats Inc., a Christian-oriented establishment, by Jan. 1, then expand it into a chain. "This is a chance to meet suppliers and learn how to get our start," Gordon Andersen said.

Roughly 300 companies, more than half of them based in Seattle, are exhibiting, up from 280 last year, according to the show's sponsor, Bellevue-based Lifestyle Events Inc.

About 6,000 people, compared with 5,000 last year, are expected to attend the show, which is closed to the public.

P-I reporter Dan Richman can be reached at 206-448-8032 or danrichman@seattlepi.com.

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