For over 25 years, Bellissimo Coffee Advisors has had the privilege of working alongside hundreds—if not thousands—of passionate entrepreneurs, small business owners, and established coffee companies to help them navigate, grow, and thrive in the ever-evolving specialty coffee industry. From the earliest stages of concept development to scaling successful operations, we’ve been honored to support those who share our dedication to quality and community. What makes our work truly rewarding isn’t just the success stories—it’s the relationships, collaborations, and friendships we’ve built along the way. Here are just a few of the inspiring clients we’ve had the pleasure of supporting.
LeGrand Coffeehouse – Woodbridge, NJ
To get up to speed as fast as possible, Eric went through our coffee startup business course and had several consulting sessions with our team. His advice to anyone looking to open a coffee shop soon is to “Educate yourself as much as possible. I get all kinds of questions now and it’s important to know what you’re talking about.”
We work with Eric and his team to launch his eCommerce website and work thru the initial phases of starting the business, as well as developing Eric’s confidence in the Specialty Coffee retail world. We help with every step of the way to also open his flagship coffee shop in Woodbridge, NJ which is a thriving beacon of the community. Post launch Matt and Eric stay in touch and brainstorm future growth, adding SKUs to his line up and navigate the future of the industry together.
“Obviously being my first coffee venture, I was a little bit nervous.” LeGrand told me. “But having Matt there and the knowledge I got from Bellissimo made people realize ‘Oh, this guy’s in good hands. He’s going to be alright.’”At Bellissimo we believe anyone can open a coffee shop with enough commitment and dedication to learning. The pandemic has hit the coffee industry especially hard, but it’s people like Eric who inspire us and prove that it’s all still possible. We couldn’t be happier for Eric, and can’t wait to see what’s next for LeGrand Coffee House. You can check out the LeGrand Coffee House website here, and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Bodhi Cafe & Bakery – Corvallis, OR
At Bodhi Bistro, we believe in serving delicious and nutritious food made from the freshest ingredients. Our menu is carefully crafted to cater to a wide range of dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Bodhi Bakery is a locally owned artisan bakery and cafe with multiple locations in Oregon, including Eugene, Corvallis and Albany. They specialize in fresh, handmade sourdough breads, pastries, and other baked goods, using locally sourced ingredients. In addition to their retail locations, they also sell at farmers markets.
Cody Utman and Bodhi Bakery recently were awarded a number of local awards including Corvallis Chamber of Commerce’s Large Business of the Year Award!
Bellissimo has worked alongside Cody and the team at Bodhi Cafe & Bakery from day one, consulting on menu, design and layout, marketing, equipment and every aspect as they grow. Bodhi is now looking to open it’s 4th and 5th location, and is also in full swing with their farmers markets and expansion plans into Albany and Eugene, OR. Matt is currently helping with lease negotiations, location selections and developing their internal custom branded coffee program launch.
We couldn’t be happier for Cody and Jamie, and can’t wait to see what’s next for Bodhi. You can check out the Bodhi Cafe & Bakery website here, and follow them on Instagram.
Buunni Coffee – New York, NY
Sarina & Elias Prabasi worked closely with Bellissimo Coffee Advisors in the planning and development stages and assisted in the menu, design and layout, equipment, and other areas to bring Cafe Buunni to fruition. Elias attended our hands on workshops as well, and we are very excited for them both and wish Buunni Coffee tremendous success.
In Upper Manhattan, New York, the storefront at 213 Pinehurst has emerged from its hiatus to reveal a new specialty coffee shop – Buunni Coffee. Buunni Coffee is a coffee, tea, espresso bar, also serving fresh juices, smoothies, packaged Ethiopian foods and baked sweet and savory goodies. Starting off with their Washington Heights based fair trade and organic coffee delivery company, Buunni Coffee, the husband and wife pair is expanding with the opening of their Ethiopia-inspired café. and their new roasting and training facility. Café Buunni will feature a variety of eclectic handpicked items that complement its focus on Ethiopian coffees.
Buunni brings Ethiopian hospitality and warmth to the United States via fabled, full-flavored coffee beans. Elias and Sarina, a husband-and-wife team, founded Buunni in 2012 when they moved west across the Atlantic from the birthplace of coffee—Ethiopia.
We couldn’t be happier for Sarina & Elias, and can’t wait to see what’s next for Buunni. You can check out the Buunni Coffee website here, and follow them on Facebook, Instagram.
Handlebar Coffee Roasters – Santa Barbara, CA
We were both professional cyclists, Kim having won the Women’s Tour de Feminine (Tour de France for women) in 2009 and myself riding 2 times in the Tour of Italy. We have passion for great coffee and had spent the past couple years taking ideas from Europe, the SF Bay area and Portland for the interior design.
We spent 3 1/2 months doing most of the work ourselves, using reclaimed wood, of which our countertops came from the 2×6 studs that we saved from tearing down the wall which now has all the windows to the exterior patio seating. We are in a great little locals corner, a well established spot in Santa Barbara, with businesses of 25 and 30 years respectfully surrounding us. Our location is in a densely populated business district and has residential apartments above the store front below.
Best put, Bellissimo helped us gain a better understand of specialty coffee, we already had the passion and drive to do our best, Bellissimo helped give us the basic tools, knowledge and understanding of how to put it all together. Without Matt and Bellissimo, we wouldn’t have had the skill-set to be ready for all that happens when the doors are open. Everyday is learning for us, and that is a good thing.
We couldn’t be happier for Kim and Aaron the founders, and can’t wait to see what’s next for Handlebar Coffee. You can check out the Handlebar Coffee website here, and follow them Instagram.
Viva Espresso! – San Salvador, El Salvador
“Our journey in specialty coffee practically started with Bellissimo at the American Barista & Coffee School in November 2005. Making the ABC our starting point, has been one of the best decisions we have ever made. At the ABC we learned about the basics of operating a coffee business and most importantly about the craftmanship that goes into preparing espresso thru a perfect balance of theory and hands-on training. We where also introduced to the most forward thinking indie coffee bars in Portland…this experience really opened our eyes and inspired us to join their initiatives and bring that same level of quality back home. We can’t think of a better place to have begun our careers in specialty coffee other than with Bellissimo!” – Federico
A couple of years later, they wanted to start roasting our own coffee, so they returned to Bellissimo to learn about coffee roasting and cupping. Again, then came back to El Salvador full of information, practice and feeling ready to ignite the flames of their new roaster!
Their baristas have placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at every Salvadoran Barista Championship many years in a row! At the WBC their national champions have ranked 23rd (2008), 9th (2009), 11th at semis (2010), and finally: 1st place in 2011! They have trained each and every one of them for both national and world competitions and feel very proud for their accomplishments.
We couldn’t be happier for Federico and Lily the founders, and can’t wait to see what’s next for Viva Espresso!. You can check out the Viva Espresso website here, and follow them Instagram.
Bynx Cafe – Orlando, FL
Bynx is a proudly family-owned-and-operated small business located in downtown Orlando, Florida. We deal in gently used vinyl, collectible books, as well as music and counterculture ephemera, while also serving up specialty coffee, wine, beer, and light eats in our café. In the back of our shop is a project recording studio – perfect for cutting your next single or full-length release.
Bynx was born out of a passion for arts & culture, and for a desire to create a “third place” for coffee lovers, whose passion for quality specialty coffee is only matched by their desire to spend time working, relaxing, or socializing in a welcoming environment. Our partnership with Portland-based Industry leader Water Avenue Coffee and local roaster Otus Coffee ensures the high standard of coffee products that are critical to our primary objective. Similar to Bynx, both partners are family-owned, whose values line up perfectly with ours as a community-focused small business owner.
Our intention was to develop a community space that would inspire creativity and comradery, with a focus on quality and service. Throughout our shop, you’ll notice odes to musical and artistic giants, but we also support emerging and local creatives as well. That’s indeed one of the main reasons we built the stage in our café, and why we regularly host an array of events – from music to culinary to art.
Bynx has sent their entire team to our trainings, and has worked with Bellissimo and Matt from day one, utilizing our Business Workshop, consulting services and a complete advisory capacity to open and evolve their cafe. Bynx continues to grow and expand and work alongside the Bellissimo team.
We couldn’t be happier for John and James the founders, and can’t wait to see what’s next for Bynx Cafe. You can check out the Bynx website here, and follow them Instagram.
Hub Coffee Roasters – Reno, NV
We are a hub for the driven, the kind, the creative, and the adventurous. Vibrant cafes where well-loved bikes are parked, big ideas are born, and genuine connections are made. A place where delicious specialty coffee comes with all smiles and no snobbery. A home-away-from home where you and yours can sip something truly special surrounded by friendly people.
“Bellissimo gave us all the necessary tools to craft tasty coffee beverages in a traditional manner, while still promoting the artisanal, progressive edge inherent in the emerging “third wave” coffee culture.
Were it not for Bellissimo providing us with our training wheels and a loving push in the right direction, we might never have made it to the top of the big hill! Thanks Bellissimo!” – Mark Truijo
We couldn’t be happier for Mark and Joey and the team, and can’t wait to see what’s next for Hub Coffee! You can check out the Hub Coffee website here, and follow them Instagram.