November 3, 2015 – Dave Larkin knows a thing or two about business. After starting the first of what would become four Coffeetopia locations throughout Santa Cruz county twenty-one years ago, being the owner and operator of a mini coffee chain has given him an understanding of how to adapt over time. He’s also had a lot of practice identifying when the time has come to make a change.
Observing how inefficient and stressful the breakfast burrito production was becoming at each Coffeetopia location, Larkin spent over a year looking for a solution to streamline the process. That problem is now solved, since he and his wife Kristin purchased Kitchen Santa Cruz, a 2,400 sq. ft. commercial kitchen near Costco, last summer.
The kitchen was built by Chicha Russo in the 1980’s, for her Bella Chi Cha brand, and has housed some of the area’s most long-standing wholesale companies ever since. This includes Kerri’s Kreations (some would say founder Kerri O’Neill is the original vegan cookie queen) and Shelley’s Biscotti, both Santa Cruz classics and brands that have been featured at Coffeetopia since the beginning.
“One of the nice things for me coming into this is that I already knew a lot of these people. It’s nice to come in not as an unknown stranger, but as someone who had a personal relationship,” says Larkin, on his long-term connection in the community. Currently, there are several businesses renting space there, including Inzane Pops, The Kale Company, The Truck Stop, Rebecca’s Mighty Muffins (another long-time Santa Cruz name) and the new owners of Bella Chi Cha, but Larkin is still looking to fill some hours, especially the night shifts.
Aside from breakfast burritos, the larger facility has provided space to expand the Coffeetopia product line, to include salsa, hummus, oatmeal cups, quick breads and to possibly expand production of their already house-made, cold brew coffee. Kristin put in a lot of work to test, develop and scale up the baked goods. “Starting on a Monday, she came home every night and jammed out a quick bread…towards the end of the week she decided to throw some crystallized ginger in and it was an ‘aha’ moment,” says Larkin, of the ”really fantastic” spiced ginger pumpkin bread they are now baking for all locations.
It’s no surprise that he has taken this big step forward, one of many over the years required to grow with the ever-changing demands of his customers, the economy, and to find home in a coffee industry that is ceaselessly trending, wave after wave after wave.
“There was a moment some years ago where I felt the need to be what folks consider to be a third wave coffee place, but it wasn’t who we were and felt pretentious. I joke that we’re a ‘seventh wave’ coffeehouse, leap-frogging over trendy categorizations back to being a reflection of the neighborhoods and people who make Coffeetopia what it is…We simply try to serve the best coffees, espressos, teas and experience that we can. We strive to be friendly and welcoming to all. We are fortunate to have some amazing folks working with us,” reflects Larkin.
He is pretty modest when asked about his secret to success, evolving and thriving in the face of big challenges. He says, “After twenty one years I feel like I’m still learning and have a long way to go. The economic downturn and competitive pressures of the last six years taught us how to be better business people. Starbucks opening their 17th Santa Cruz location a few weeks ago down the street and a small wave of new coffee places set to open in the near future will guarantee that one can’t sit back and relax. We are so fortunate to be a part of the locally-owned Santa Cruz coffee community, one with a rich history and amazing variety!”
“What lessons have I learned?” he repeats. “Everybody likes something different. Most people are great. Enjoy every day. Treat folks well. Think Local First. Have a coffee.”
About the author
Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
