MIAMI – If you want to take a bit of Cuban Florida home, grab a package of Cafe Bustelo coffee to take home.
The espresso coffee is a Florida classic, made even more interesting because they sell a canned chilled version of the drink, and have a Cafe Bustelo shop at the Hotel Gaansevort.
Last fall, Miami-based Rowland Coffee Roasters opened a flagship coffee, casual dining and retail shop at Gansevoort South Hotel at 2377 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, between 23rd & 24th Streets.
The two-level Café Bustelo has a modern and sleek, yet comfortable and airy ambiance. Its décor, design and merchandise evoke Café Bustelo’s timeless feel in a contemporary way. Along with traditional Hispanic menu items, infused with modern gourmet and tropical influences, Café Bustelo’s new incarnation pairs trademark characteristics of its past with 21st century chic as it heads in an unprecedented new direction for the brand. The flagship Café Bustelo shop is set to emerge as the perfect after dinner spot to grab a coffee and catch up with friends.
The Café Bustelo concept was imagined by the sixth generation of the Souto family, currently at the helm of Rowland Coffee Roasters, which underwent a rebirth of its own, following the third generation of the Souto family’s relocation from Cuba, where the company was born in 1865, to Miami in the 1960s, where it resumed operations. Today, more than 130 years since the company’s inception, in a different place and time, the Souto family still follows its family’s philosophy that the best coffee is achieved through excellent quality beans and roasting perfection. From its state-of-the-art facility in Miami, the Souto family fuses technology and tradition, producing more than 25 internationally popular and heralded coffee brands in the style of days gone by.
With an understanding that continued success and expansion for Café Bustelo must be rooted in its rich heritage, J.P. Souto, Rowland Coffee Roasters’ 33-year-old Vice President of Marketing, is ready to share Café Bustelo with the world in a new way. He and his team were intimately involved in all aspects of developing the Café Bustelo Lounge concept, from ambiance to menu items.
“Our goal for all of our brands is always to maintain their integrity,” Souto said in a press release. “Now is the time to build on Café Bustelo’s history, which dates back to the 1930s, as the best-loved Cuban-style espresso by expanding the brand into retail coffee shops, so eventually we can share the best coffee in the world with everyone everywhere. The opening of the first-ever Café Bustelo location also reflects the importance my family puts on the close relationships we have nurtured with our customers since they days of selling coffee door-to-door out of Volkswagen Beetles when we relaunched in the U.S. post Cuba.”
A variety of espresso drinks, light bites and desserts on Café Bustelo’s menu represent staples of Latin cuisine with modern culinary inspiration. Jumpstart the day with a variety of traditional coffees including our single and double shot espresso, café con leche, the popular cortadito, cappuccino or an American coffee. Other selections from the eye-opening beverage menu include the newly launched ready to drink Bustelo Tea and Bustelo Cool, the espresso perfection of Bustelo in a convenient, ready to drink can.
Tasty traditional Latin and Cuban finger foods, re-imagined to blend their Hispanic heritage with today’s food trends, are the perfect complement to any Café Bustelo beverage. Guests can enjoy Cuban Sandwiches, Bustelo Potato Sticks, Mojo Chicken Sandwiches and Croquetas with a variety of fillings new and old, like Chorizo, Chicken, Rice and Beans, and Plantano and Cheese. Sweet tooth highlights include pastries available with guava filling or chocolate filling, Bustelo Rice Pudding in original and dolce de leche flavors, and a variety of flan, available with Cheese, Coconut and Coffee – way beyond the traditional flan, which is also on the menu.
Design and Style
Designed by the young, Miami-based architecture firm, NC Office, Café Bustelo, was inspired by original coffee shops and factories in Cuba.
The colors blanketing Café Bustelo are inspired by the process through which coffee beans are roasted. White is used in furniture and walls, representing beans in their purest state, while the light browns and rich espresso colors present in the floors and counters, embody the state of beans in their final stages of roasting.
Café Bustelo Merchandise & History
Guests can purchase one of the many Café Bustelo items available at the retail store. Merchandise ranges from coffee mugs, t-shirts and hats to high-end totes and espresso machines. Additionally, individuals can purchase Café Bustelo to enjoy at home, with coffee items available by the brick, jar or can in a variety of sizes. Patrons who do not find what they desire at the store can order online from www.javacabana.com and have it shipped directly to their door.
Of course, there are delicious sandwiches, snacks and sweets to go along with the delightful brew. For more information, please visit www.cafebusteloshop.com.
