Caffe Amouri Celebrates Six-Year Anniversary in Vienna

PHOTO: The roaster team: Michael Amouri, Ian Cline, John Asman, Nicki Amouri and Kyle Butera. Photo courtesy of Caffe Amouri

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VIENNA, VA -- Vienna institution Caffe Amouri is celebrating its six-year anniversary. Find out more about this popular destination for Vienna residents, in our Q&A with owner Michael Amouri.

What was the date you opened? We opened on July 14, 2010.

What has changed the most in the past six years? This is a good question. How about....Customers? We actually have some now! But really, the change has been just an increase in the amount of "Community Feel" Over time, folks have made new friends, lasting friends, by meeting and talking to people they've met in the shop.

One big change has been the coffee knowledge of our customers. When we first opened, folks didn't know the different flavors that different origins had - sweet, floral, earthy, etc... Now, we have a customer base of extremely knowledgable folks. the knowledge is fueled by our incredible staff who take the time and effort to taste and understand the products that we serve.

What has stayed the same? Our Mission statement of QUALITY, COMMUNITY, SUSTAINABILITY. Our commitment to Quality has stayed the same. Our Quality result has increased as we now have 4 staff members who have gone through the exacting program to become SCAA Certified Baristas (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and two who have done the same (myself being one) to become Certified Coffee Roasters. Our training program is second to none, I can modestly state. Each employee is trained to SCAA guidelines on everything from brewing to hand pours to being a Barista.

Community. We opened to be a place that reached into the community and remain a place that reaches into the community.

SUSTAINABILITY - Our commitment to the environment remains strong. We were named the 2015 GREEN RESTAURANT of the year. And we continue to look for ways to reduce our footprint.

What made you want to open a coffee house? Why Vienna? The second part of this question is easy. I've lived in Vienna since 1985. I've coached Vienna Basketball and softball. I still coach (17+ years) girls basketball at Madison High School. Vienna is my Town....my community. It's the natural place to be for me.

Now, the why.....It's easier to share with you excerpts from a speech I gave recently titled "Beyond the Bottom Line - Where Coffee Meets Community" The sub-title was...Can a company succeed by focusing on factors other than a strict adherence to the bottom line?

I’m a city boy turned television producer turned coffee roaster and now Q Commons speaker. It has certainly been a long, strange and incredibly fulfilling trip.

It starts with not a “dream” mind you, but a thought. Saying, in your college days, “One day, I’m going to open the coolest coffeehouse ever!” Envisioning days of sipping espresso while conversing with intelligent peers, listening to poetry and music.

I began writing the business plan 20+ years into my profession as a television producer. About 6 years later, the opportunity presented itself. The perfect spot opened up in my home town, on the best street, the right side of the street, near the bike path…

OH OH…Now what was I going to do? As I thought and prayed, three things come to the surface.

My mom. She’d recently passed away and taught me the mark of a truly good life…that you leave something, as much as you can, for others to use and to grow with.

The second factor was that as a girls’ basketball coach, I preached reaching for a goal, no matter how lofty, no matter how many obstacles. How could I ever espouse that philosophy again without being a hypocrite?

And then, considering leaving a successful career that I loved, was really good at, that paid well with top benefits to start a business….in the worst economy in a generation? In a conversation I had, call it an epiphany. I realized that a coffeehouse offered my “mission” opportunity. I could use this brick and mortar shop to reach into the community. That sealed the deal.

Caffè Amouri opened its doors less than one year later to, I must say, a less than resounding community welcome.

After about 3 months of opening our doors, my manager and I were standing in an empty shop. That’s when something else hit me. The words of legendary coach John Wooden: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

We would from then on only look at sales at the end of the day because each time we looked at sales, we weren’t doing those tasks that were necessary to our success. We realized that if, at the end of the year we had to close our doors, we could look back and say we were a success for the community fundraisers we did, the coffee we sent to troops, and any enjoyment we provided people that came through our doors.

Caffè Amouri has been in existence for 6 years. Have we always “maximized” our profits? Most assuredly not. But we have been a success. Our Vienna Idol competition, now in its 5th year, has raised over $50,000 to fund SUDEP research, provide epilepsy monitors and fund college scholarships through the Khristin Kyllo Memorial Fund – honoring a young lady I coached at Madison High School.

We provide free coffee to parents who walk their kids to school and numerous gift baskets for charity auctions, send coffee to troops, collect coats and food donations, host family friendly open mics, and are immersed in the community in so many other ways.

We have a wonderful staff who fully support the value of a business/community relationship, and are the front line in demonstrating these values. Our staff is always looking for ways to positively impact the community…to touch someone’s life…perhaps in a way that changes their life forever. Just like my mom did.

And that, my friends, to me, is called being a success.

What keeps people coming back? Quality, Community, Sustainability. People are looking for positive things in their lives and Caffe Amouri continually strives to provide these things.

What are your plans for the future? A beach house on the coast of Italy, perhaps? Actually, I just let things be organic. It's amazing to me the opportunities that open up if you stay true to your mission. Business wise, we are currently expanding our on-line sales and wholesale opportunities. But, true to our mission statement, we are doing so carefully, with a strict vision based on the mission statement. When we get a new wholesale customer, it comes with training.....their success is our success. Another shop? Who knows.

I do want Caffe Amouri to grow even more in our community involvement. I'm so proud of Vienna Idol which in its 5 years of existence has now given, I believe, 8 scholarships to Madison students who faced significant challenges and might not have been able to go to college via the Khristin Kyllo Memorial Fund. Myself and Caffe Amouri were the instigators behind Vienna's First Night which the VBA then embraced and help make a reality and a huge success. We're looking for more and more projects to make a positive impact in our local community and beyond.

What's the most popular coffee drink ordered? Our signature drink, the CAFFE AMOURI. This is a drink I came up with at home on my home espresso machine and it's hugely popular. Folks also like our traditional cappuccino.