Can the coffee craze continue?

• Author: Berger, Michael

First, breathe in the aroma. Let the fumes penetrate deep into your inner being, and experience the quality of the fine vintage prepared by the local producer.

Next, take a small sip. Slosh the potion around your palate, and absorb the fine flavors locked in by the master roaster.

Then, swallow and sense the after-effect. Questions about origin and vintage come to mind. Opinions -- "It has a specific flavor nuance indicating a pleasant plethora of assorted bean blends," or "There's a strong, sour taste denoting an inferior processing" -- are declared.

It's espresso education -- the new, hip way to do coffee and one of Alaska's hottest entrepreneurial industries.

The specialty coffee industry has evolved from hobby status to big business in Alaska, allowing roasters and retailers alike to elevate espresso to a prosperous economic enterprise. From Ketchikan to Fairbanks, coffee companies now brew high quality caffeine while furnishing a central location for relaxed conversation. Nationally, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) reports U.S. retail sales per year will skyrocket from over $1.5 billion in 1989 to an estimated $3 billion in sales by century's end.

"Back in 1975 when I started roasting coffee, it was a 50-50 chance whether anyone had ever heard of a latte, let alone order one in a coffee shop," says Anchorage's Cafe Del Mundo owner and roast master Perry Merkel. "Now you can get espresso in shops all over the state."

Retail's Robust Resolve

Charlene Crozier, general manager of Anchorage-based Cafe Fonte, says that since opening its doors in May 1992, the firm's retail sales have increased between 10 percent and 20 percent each quarter.

"In Alaska, we (Cafe Fonte) have three stores and employ 25 people, not including the roasting plant," Crozier says. "It's fun to be in this. I have the best job in Anchorage, I know I do. Making Cafe Fonte more than just a daily stopover in the daily routine is what I enjoy doing."

Adds Sitka mobile espresso cart owner Rita Danner, "Even if you don't have a place to sit down, atmosphere can be created through a friendly attitude and a desire to please every customer. It keeps them coming back."

After watching the coffee craze hit Anchorage, Danner decided to take the idea to Sitka. "I figured if I could establish a steady clientele among the fisherman, locals and tourists, I could make a mobile cart successful," she says. "Right now, at the height of summer, I'm putting out 150 cups a day."

Heritage Coffee Co. in Juneau has been grinding its way into capital city culture since 1974 when owner Grady Saunders opened his...