SEMINOLE — Buddy Brew Coffee will open its first Pinellas County cafe on Friday, Aug. 14, inside the Sprouts Farmers Market at 7263 Seminole Blvd.
A ribbon cutting is set for 9:45 a.m., with doors opening at 10. Seminole Mayor Leslie Waters is scheduled to attend, along with executives from the Tampa-based roaster and the Phoenix-based grocery chain.
Every drink will cost $3 that day. The first 25 people in line get gift bags with merchandise and gift cards, one customer wins free coffee for a year, and a DJ will play through the celebration.
“We’ve wanted to bring Buddy Brew across the bay for a long time,” said Dave Ward, the company’s CEO and co-founder.
Ward and his wife, Susan, started Buddy Brew in 2010, moving from roasting beans in the garage of their South Tampa home to a storefront on Kennedy Boulevard. The company buys only beans that score 85 or better on the 100-point specialty scale and roasts them in Tampa.
Seminole is the fourth of 10 cafes Buddy Brew is opening inside Sprouts stores this summer under a partnership announced in June. The deal will more than double the number of Buddy Brew cafes, which stood at eight when the two companies announced it.
Only one other Pinellas location is planned, at the Sprouts on U.S. 19 in Palm Harbor. The rest are in Hillsborough, Pasco and Sarasota counties.
Grocery aisles are new ground for the chain, and the early returns have been strong. When the New Tampa cafe opened this month, more than 50 people were waiting when the ribbon was cut, and the first customer in line arrived three hours early.
The Seminole cafe will serve espresso drinks, cold brew, matcha, smoothies, pastries, and breakfast and lunch items, along with seasonal specials.
It also debuts as national brands take a closer look at Seminole. Shake Shack appears headed for the former Pieology space at Seminole City Center, which would be the burger chain’s first Pinellas restaurant. No opening date has been announced.
If you go
What: Buddy Brew Coffee grand opening
Where: Inside Sprouts Farmers Market, 7263 Seminole Blvd., Seminole
When: Ribbon cutting 9:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14; doors open at 10 a.m.
Details: $3 drinks all day, gift bags for the first 25 in line, a free-coffee-for-a-year drawing and a DJ.