Boarding Pass Coffee, a new coffee roaster set to come to the Gainesville Renaissance building in Downtown Gainesville, will give its customers the chance to travel through their taste buds.
This will be the second Boarding Pass Coffee location, with the original located in Milton. Boarding Pass Company is set to break ground in September, with an estimated completion date in late 2022 or early 2023.
Owners Christine and Murilo Santos started their business to combine their love for travel and coffee.
“We have coffee from all over the world,” Christine Santos said. “We really want people to understand where the coffee comes from and learn something interesting about a travel destination there.”
Their new Gainesville location will add a twist – a coffee tasting lab for customers to learn about and taste different roasts across the agricultural Coffee Belt, which passes through 70 countries between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
“People will be able to come and enjoy different coffees and go through a tasting session with me to learn more about coffee and understand the nuances and the differences between coffee,” Murilo Santos said. “And hopefully leave with a better and a bigger appreciation of what goes into a great cup of coffee.”
Murilo’s brother runs the family’s coffee farm in Brazil, and his specialty-grade house roasts give a true farm-to-cup experience.
Christine explained that specialty-grade roasts are different from the coffee that is commonly found on store shelves.
“That's like a higher-rated grade than just typical run-of-the-mill coffee,” Christine said. “And we really want to introduce people to really good coffee to learn about it and to appreciate it.”
The new Boarding Pass Coffee location will make customers feel like they are en route to their next vacation destination, with travel-related decorations.
“We don't sell coffee, we sell coffee experiences,” Murilo said. “Once you come to our shop, you're kind of being transported to kind of airplane setup, where you have real airplane seats to enjoy your coffee.”
Gainesville Renaissance owner Mike Ivester is eager to welcome this unique coffee business to his building.
“Boarding Pass Coffee fits the profile of the types of companies we have set for Gainesville Renaissance –raising the bar of downtown services,” Ivester said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome Christine and Murilo to the Gainesville Renaissance family and we are all looking forward to experiencing their unique and international coffee concept.”
Click the above link to listen to the Santos' full Mornings on Maine Street interview.
