Victrola Owner Vibe Coffee Group Acquires Seattle Coffee Works

The downtown Seattle Coffee Works location, which will be reopening following the Vibe acquisition. All images courtesy of Vibe Coffee Group.

Vibe Coffee Group, the business group that owns longstanding Seattle-area coffee purveyors Victrola Coffee Roasters and Whidbey Coffee, is acquiring Seattle Coffee Works.

Dating back to an initial pop-up shop near the Pike Place Market in Seattle in 2006, Seattle Coffee Works has been led by partners Sebastian Simsch, Oscar García, and Pipo Bui. The three built a devoted following for the brand through direct-trade principles and transparency along with a focus on coffee craft within the cafes.

Capital Coffee Works.

Vibe will be acquiring all four of Seattle Coffee Works’ retail locations — including Ballard Coffee Works, Cascade Coffee Works and Capital Coffee Works — which will maintain their brands within the Vibe portfolio.

Initially incorporated in 1993 and formerly known as Double O Enterprises, Vibe Coffee now controls the 10 Whidbey cafes and drive-through locations, along with the four existing Victrola cafes.

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“We like to say Victrola is the ‘adventure in coffee’ and Whidbey is the ‘comfort in coffee,'” Vibe Coffee Group President Dan Ollis told DCN, noting that the group also offers wholesale and direct-to-consumer coffee services.

Ollis declined to discuss the financial terms of the Seattle Coffee Works acquisition, but he did say that the deal came about after Seattle Coffee Works listed one of their locations for sale. Ollis said that “sparked the conversation for all of them.”

Ballard Coffee Works.

Vibe initially plans to reopen the two Seattle Coffee Works locations that have remained closed due to the pandemic: SCW at 108 Pine St. and Cascade Coffee Works.

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