Times Highlights Stumptown and Dolcezza

We’ve been thrilled to work with some a handful of artisanal food and drink aficionados, with expertise in coffee roasting and gelato making to cupcake and, most recently, biscotti baking. The New York Times is taking notice of these culinary aficionados as well. Last month, the Times highlighted Stumptown Coffee Roasters in their article Specialty Coffee Roasters Brew in New York. They note that owner Duane Sorenson

is one of the people who have remade the coffee business, searching the world for the best beans, roasting them with exquisite attention and preparing them to order….He’s forged an outsider identity for himself and his company. He is both selective about and demanding of his wholesale customers, requiring training for anyone who will handle Stumptown’s coffee and commissioning the occasional unannounced spot check.

Throughout our time working with Stumptown, we’ve had the chance to visit their roasters in Portland and Seattle, often taking part in coffee tastings with the roasters. Their passion for coffee is remarkable. More recently, Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato is highlighted in Move Aside, Frozen Custard, and Make Room for Gelato. They note that

gelato seems to be catching on, joining artisanal coffee, cheese and wine in catching the fancy of food lovers. With less than half the butterfat of regular ice cream, gelato is less fattening and healthier, and its dense, rich flavor and smooth texture can be highly addictive….Robb Duncan and his wife, Violetta, run Dolcezza, a small gelateria in the Georgetown section of Washington that features handmade gelato. They said that in the four years since they opened their shop, their business had grown 700 percent. In response, they have just opened a second location in nearby Bethesda, Md., and also sell pints at local farmers’ markets. “The D.C. market has really responded and was clearly ready for artisanal gelato,” Mr. Duncan said.

We’ll never forget our experience working with Robb at Dolcezza. Robb was adamant that we could not design his site before tasting his gelato, even though we are on the opposite side of the states from him; Robb overnighted us dry-ice packed gelato so that we could understand his product first hand. He wasn’t kidding about the difference ingredients fresh from the farmers’ market can make; this was truly the most flavorful and delightful gelato we’ve tasted. It is passion like this that makes us so excited about web design and we’re thrilled to see these fine folks getting recognized for their incredible products!