Caffé Artigiano, known for its high-end coffees and award-winning baristas in Vancouver for a decade, has opened its first location in Victoria.
It's in the Bedford Regency at 1140 Government St., where the boutique hotel's airy lobby has been sliced down the middle and redesigned for the 32-seat coffee house and bistro.
"The response we have had has been incredible," says Caffé Artigiano president Willie Mounzer. "We have been flooded with e-mails from coffee aficionados in Victoria that couldn't wait for us to open. It's a vibrant, bustling city [and] we are thrilled to bring a high quality artisan coffee house to Victoria."
It is the 10th location for Caffé Artigiano, including seven in Vancouver where it was founded in 2000 and recent openings in Kelowna and Calgary.
Mounzer, the former vice-president of operations at Earl's Restaurants, acquired the coffee houses from founding brothers Vince, Sammy and Mike Piccolo in December 2006. Vince Piccolo retained ownership of the coffee roasting operations and still provides the chain with product while Sammy Piccolo -- Canadian barista champion for the last seven consecutive years, including 2008 -- assists in training Artigiano's workforce.
Fred Hawkshaw, who has helped open previous stores, is managing the Victoria location and said response by customers since opening in early January has been "fantastic."
"A lot of Vancouver people living here are flocking in and they're telling the locals about it," he said, adding the company wanted to be on Government Street to attract the business crowd, local coffee lovers as well as tourists.
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Peter Hansen, one of the original employees of Thrifty Foods and the owner-operator of the James Bay store from 1986 until the chain was sold to Sobeys in 2007, has started a new career from his long-time hobby and passion. Hansen has joined Three Point Motors Mercedes- Benz dealership as a sales associate, selling the cars he has restored and driven for more than 30 years. "I've always been passionate about these cars," said Hansen, 48.
He started out on the ground level with Thrifty founders Alex Campbell and Ernie Skinner when the partners opened the Fairfield store in 1977 and carried the employee number 001 throughout his three-decade career with the grocer. After taking a year off to travel and "learn to play golf," Hansen starts his new job Monday. He can be reached at 250-385-6737.
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Victoria-based GenoLogics and Carbonetworks have made the Ready to Rocket 25 list this year, a compilation of B.C. tech companies forecast to experience significant revenue growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. GenoLogics, a medical research software development company and one of the city's fast-growing firms, made the list a third consecutive year while Carbonetworks, which designs software platforms to help organizations manage emissions as financial assets or liabilities, is a newcomer. Ready to Rocket is compiled by Rocket Builders, a Vancouver management consulting firm servicing the technology industry.
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Owner Bhupinder (Mike) Purewal has taken over management of custom suit maker Curt's Custom Tailoring at 780 Fort St., saying manager Trevor Franklin is no longer with the company. Purewal, who also owns A&B Tailor Shop in the Bay Centre and Breeze Boutique at Government and Bastion Square, said Curt's is offering several new services, including a tailor on site, custom clothing for women and children, law enforcement uniforms and legal apparel for lawyers and judges. Call 250-388-6724.
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Victoria-based Copeland Communications has won back a major client it lost to a rival ad agency in 2004. B.C. Ferries said it will use Copeland for tactical marketing work. DDB Canada, the corporation's former agency of record, has since closed its Victoria office. It's a big win for Copeland, which also has heavyweight clients such as Island Savings, Great Canadian Casinos on the Island and the Carson Group of Companies.
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Gina Petrocelli has joined the Telus Community Board as investment manager for Vancouver Island. Formerly with Victoria United Way, she will manage an annual donation budget of $350,000 that allocates funds to projects involving youth and technology and will work from the Telus office downtown. Applications for funding can be made at telus.com/community
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Amanda Mills has been named chair of the Victoria chapter of the Appraisal Institute of Canada. The principal of Mills Appraisal Group has served on the local executive for the past four years and will play a major role in planning a national appraisal conference being held in Victoria in May 2010.
dkloster@tc.canwest.com
