Crazy Mocha Coffee Company is a

coffeehouse chain This list of notable coffeehouse chains catalogues the spread and Market share, markets share of coffeehouses world-wide. This list excludes the many companies which operate coffeeshops within retail establishments, notably bookstores and departme ...

in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania region. As of August 2021, the chain has 10 locations.

History

The original store was the Dancing Goats coffee shop on

Ellsworth Avenue Ellsworth Avenue is located in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is mostly a commercial street that has locally owned businesses, galleries, restaurants, and bars. It runs southwest-northeast, parallel to Walnut Street, an ...

in Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The shop had been named after the

apocryphal Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

legend of the dancing goat that heralded the beginning of coffee. It was purchased in 2000 by Ken Zeff, a merchandise buyer for

J.C. Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...

and native resident of

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

. In 2003, the Crazy Mocha chain had three locations. In 2004, the operation doubled to six locations with 25 employees. The rapid pace of expansion raised questions among observers about whether the growth was sustainable. By 2008, the 21 locations required over 100 employees. In 2007, Zeff opened a store at PPG Place. Other downtown locations were developed to improve brand awareness. In 2009, the downtown flagship store was opened on Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District. In 2009, the expansion into Cranberry marked the first time the store had gone beyond

City of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

limits into the suburbs. Crazy Mocha was profiled by the ''

Pittsburgh Business Times American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

'' to highlight retail stores' issues with the

2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit The 2009 G20 Pittsburgh Summit was the third meeting of the G20 heads of state/heads of government to discuss financial markets and the world economy. The G20 is the premier forum for discussing, planning and monitoring international economic ...

. On March 14, 2018, Crazy Mocha was purchased by the Kiva Han Coffee Company, located in Cranberry Township, Pa owned by Ed Wethli. In October 2020, Crazy Mocha's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, due to the effects of the pandemic. The company divested 10 locations as part of its restructuring plan and under new management those 10 locations are still operating in the City of Pittsburgh.

Business philosophy

Each location is designed to emulate a small and independent coffee shop that fits the neighborhood it's in. The Shadyside location attempts to match the art-conscious neighborhood, South Side location has a faux-iron canopy hanging over the tables in honor of the area's industrial past, and the location at the

SouthSide Works SouthSide Works is an open-air retail, office, entertainment, and residential complex (often referred to as a lifestyle center) located on the South Side of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. and just across the Monongahela River from th ...

was based on a "trendy Brooklyn cafe." The Bloomfield location teamed up with The Dreaming Ant, an independent video rental store. When possible, Crazy Mocha uses local contractors for construction and avoids opening near other independent coffee shops. The company has been an early newcomer to urban rehabilitation in Lawrenceville and the North Side. The 2010 opening of the North Side location was hailed as the cornerstone of a redevelopment effort in that neighborhood.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.crazymocha.com/ Coffeehouses and cafés in the United States Companies based in Pittsburgh Culture of Pittsburgh Retail companies established in 2000 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020

History

Business philosophy

See also

References

External links