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New Life at Caffe Vita – Rebranded Eco-Friendly Bags Have Arrived with New Management & Identity

Seattle-based coffee roaster Caffe Vita proudly announces the launch of their new brand look and coffee bag, made with 100% renewable materials. The new logo and bag design are a reflection of a new era of Vita under new ownership. Caffe Vita coffee roasters and cafes in Seattle, Portland, and New York City spent 2020, after Seattle hospitality impresario Deming Maclise bought the company in January, navigating a whole lot more change than is usually associated with a new owner and management team. Deming started his career as a barista at Uptown Espresso years ago. Now he owns some of Seattle’s coolest restaurants and a string of organic coffee houses called Caffe Fiore, which now operate under team Vita. 

New Ownership & Management as of January 2020

Under new management starting on the first day of 2020, Vita constructed a team of all-stars from the coffee industry. Tom Buckley and Scott Baldwin came back to team Vita after Tom spent seven years away as Director of Sales for espresso equipment manufacturer La Marzocco USA and Scott was National Sales Account Manager for Caffe Ladro. Baldwin tells us, “The new brand alone is the sign of Caffe Vita taking a risk during an unprecedented time to self-reflect and find its next stage in life as Seattle’s favorite coffee roaster”.

Nationally-recognized coffee professionals take part in rebranding effort

Along with Buckley and Baldwin, US Barista Champion Sam Spillman and nationally-recognized coffee professional Skip Colombo, and Head Judge for the US Barista Championship / Certified Sensory Judge for the World Barista Championship Terika Raak joined team Vita. Raak tells us, “The new bags make the coffee so much more approachable. All flavor notes are all updated and roast level is added, and those are key aspects of a coffee. It gives our customers a better snapshot of what’s inside the bag”.

Their New York City crew is headed by roaster Gair Wissenbach, who helped open their first location there 10 years ago. “We’ve assembled some of the best brains in coffee and we’re headed big places”, further explains Maclise. Vita’s new look was designed by Seattle artist Karl Maxx, also known as Vita’s in-house Creative Director Max McLoughlin, who has done the art direction of the company’s distinctive brand on everything from buildings, to packaging, to merch. “The pandemic has forced us to look inward and think about our company. What do we reflect back to our community and who are we? The bag is a big change, and we’re showing our community that we’re ready for big change. We’re moving forward into the future. It’s a transitional time and the bag is an important step in the right direction.” explains McLoughlin.

Legacy employees like Head Roaster Wade McIntire, PDX Head Roaster Argus Keppel, Head of Service Lorenzo De Amicis, and Marketing Director Kate Van Petten have stuck around to push forward Caffe Vita’s 25-year legacy. Keppel explains, “We’re putting a lot of care into every aspect of what we do. Every little detail is getting as much care as it possibly can. The new Vita is a highly creative, inviting, and nurturing environment. We’re all working together to bring you the best cup of coffee possible”. 

New Brand & Bag

About the bags: 

As of March, all Caffe Vita 12oz. bags are made of 100% renewable material. Maclise tells us “Our new bags are better for the environment and keep our coffee fresher, longer”. The bags are made of Biotrē 2.0™ and feature a resealable zipper pouch and top-of-the-line degassing value made, both made from 100% renewable materials. 


The back of the bag features Vita’s tried-and-true legacy logo – Pulcinella, raising up a cup. The front features their new logo and an updated label. Each coffee has a custom color that reflects the flavor profile, farm story, and overall experience of the coffee. “We wanted to show the vibrance of who we are with the colors on the bag,” tells Max McLoughlin, in-house Creative Director for Caffe Vita. Each label also includes three updated flavor notes, the roast profile, and all certifications. 

caffe vita logo

Vita’s new bags are made of a revolutionary material called Biotrē 2.0™, the latest evolution of the product line made of all renewable materials, including the degassing valve and resealable zipper pouch. Biotrē™ 2.0 is the top of its class, being 60% certified compostable (by weight). Other than the soon to be launched Biotrē™ 3.0, which will be 100% curbside compostable, no other coffee bag comes close to protecting the planet and the product as well as this. Vita’s Purchasing Manager Kori Nyquist tells us, “Sourcing the best “earth-friendly” coffee bag was a learning process, to say the least. It’s hard to find a material that has the lowest impact on the planet while keeping the coffee inside at the highest level of freshness. A lot of thought has gone into the material we chose, making sure we are using the best option available. Vita’s new focus to do better for our planet is a goal that trickles down from the top of our company into everything we do”.