Palouse Coffee Club
At a glance
- Roasts inSeattle, WA
- Founded1988
- Founded byDavid Schomer and Geneva Sullivan
- CafesSeattle
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Espresso Vivace is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Washington: an independent roaster based in Seattle, founded in 1988. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
David Schomer and Geneva Sullivan, then married, founded Espresso Vivace as a partnership in 1988. The name loosely means great enthusiasm for espresso. Vivace began as coffee carts. Sullivan's full time salary as a technician carried the business through its early years, and in 1992 it made the move from carts to indoor shops. Its first cart stood at 5th and Union downtown, serving mostly financial workers, before the company moved its focus to Capitol Hill. Schomer, a former Boeing engineer, is credited with developing and popularizing latte art in the United States.
Since 1992 Vivace has roasted in a Northern Italian style that Schomer chose after trips to Italy in 1989, taking mild arabicas to a peak of caramelized sugar. The company calls it the caramel roast. Schomer wrote the book Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques in 1995 and has revised it twice. It has been translated into Japanese, Russian and Korean, and he also made two barista training DVDs. In 2015 the roasting operation moved out of a small garage space into a larger facility.
Vivace closed its Broadway sidewalk bar in May 2023 and kept its flagship at the Brix building and its South Lake Union shop.
What they roast
Roast levels run Northern Italian caramel roast. House blends include Vita Blend and Dolce Blend. Single origins on the list when we checked: Ugandan, Indian Monsooned Malabar, Ethiopian Sidamo, Brazilian Yellow Bourbon and Weekly single origin club coffees such as Mexican Nayarit, Peruvian Rio Tambo and Ethiopian Guji. Espresso is the focus. Vita is the more versatile blend and suits lattes; Dolce is built for straight espresso. A Swiss Water decaf Ethiopian Sidamo made only for Vivace. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
Two espresso bars are open to the public, Brix on Capitol Hill and Alley 24 in South Lake Union. Neither takes cash. The roasting and shipping facility handles online orders only.
- Brix (Capitol Hill): 532 Broadway Ave East, Seattle
- Alley 24 (South Lake Union): 227 Yale Ave N, Seattle
Address
532 Broadway Ave East, Seattle, WA 98102
Flagship cafe, Brix (the roasting facility is separate and not open to the public).
Why buying from Espresso Vivace matters here
Has served Capitol Hill since its early cart days, and its flagship Brix cafe is on Broadway East. In 2004 it worked with Cascade Land Conservancy to plant hundreds of cedar trees in Seattle's Interlaken Park to offset roasting emissions. Delivers to its Seattle shops in a small electric van, and since 2019 its bags, cups, lids and straws are all compostable. Long tenured local staff: its production facility manager started as a barista in 1999.
Every bag bought from a Seattle roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Washington, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Espresso Vivace is part of the club.
Are you Espresso Vivace? Email roasters@palousecoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Washington roasters
- Elm Coffee Roasters, Seattle
- Fulcrum Coffee Roasters, Seattle
- Seven Coffee Roasters, Seattle