FOR SALE: 50% share in profitable Seattle coffee business

CityGrind

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Feb 1, 2016
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Seattle, WA
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Looking for a buyer for my 50% share in Seattle-based retail coffee business. This long-term, profitable company has two Seattle locations with good lease terms and solid customer bases.

The company first opened in 1991 and was one of the first espresso carts on the streets of Seattle. It was purchased 18 months later by two guys who owned and operated it together until 2013. At that time, one of the partners wanted out and sold his half to me. Now, life changes are happening and I need to sell my half of the business. The remaining partner doesn’t want to sell at this time and also doesn’t want to run the whole thing on his own.

We operate two locations: One is inside a downtown government building where we still use the same cart that the business started with. We’ve been located within a block of this location since the first shots were pulled and still boast some customers from those days. This location is open Monday to Friday 11-4. Most of the business here is drinks with some grab and go food and catering. We do not cook or prepare anything other than excellent espresso and other drinks. We just installed a new (to us) three-group synesso and also have two well-maintained Mazzer Super Jolly grinders, a small under-counter cooler, a Structural Concepts commercial reach-in cooler for grab-n-go items, as well as a few other coolers, an ice machine etc.

The second location is in a building on the University of Washington Campus. It opened a little over three years ago and is open six days a week (closed Mondays). We serve great drinks as well as hot and cold sandwiches, soups, breakfast tacos and other snack items. None of it is prepared onsite though we do have grills for the sandwiches and steam tables for the soup and tacos. We run a two-group Astoria along with two more Mazzer Super Jolly grinders and own one under counter cooler though this space comes with a walk-in cooler, a reach-in cooler, and a low-temp dish sanitizer that are owned and maintained by the museum where the cafe is located.

Full equipment lists will of course be furnished during the negotiation process.


This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to get into the coffee business but doesn’t have a lot of capital. It works best when each location is operated by one of the owners. When that model is used, both owners earn a solid, regular wage and we’re able to pay one FT employee as well as 3-4 PT folks. Owner financing is a possibility.

We prefer to work on a person-to-person level so are hoping to avoid the use brokers and agents. Obviously, since one partner is staying, personality will play a role here. If you’re enthusiastic about making and serving great coffee, building relationships with your customers, and are ready, willing and able to help this historic business keep growing, this could be an excellent fit.

Serious inquiries only. You will have to sign an NDA before we share our books with you. Please PM with your email address and we can talk more about asking price and the like.
 
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