La Colombe Coffee Is Getting Ready For An L.A. Debut

It's been almost a year and a half since Philly's coffee company La Colombe inked a $28.5 million investment deal that was supposed to make it a household name around the country with 100 cafés. The team has been deliberate in their plans, gradually bringing rich nitro lattes to D.C., Chicago and New York. La Colombe cofounder Todd Carmichael has a thing about manifest destiny. "I'm always looking west, because there's something romantic in that," he told Daily Coffee News when he announced the deal.

His westward expansion has nearly been realized. Two shops are slated to open in L.A. this year, and signage is already up at the first one in Beverly Hills, just across the street from Amorino Gelato (let's hope someone starts making an affogato soon). The second one will land in Silver Lake, Eater LA reports. When it does, it will have plenty of other coffee shops in the neighborhood like Intelligentsia and Dinosaur Coffee to keep it company (and to keep it on its toes).

At La Colombe's home base in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, the team has been experimenting with bread baking, producing high-quality baguettes and miniature challah loaves. So far, that venture has remained local, but one can hope that with the coffee will come the bread.