Local Coffee Roaster with Seven Cafes

Walk a few blocks in any direction in Seattle, and you’re likely to find a coffee shop. But the rarer kind — those that roast their own beans — are worth seeking out, especially if they carry Seattle’s best pastries. Diva Espresso, founded in 1992 and roasting small batches since 2001, now has seven cafés throughout the Seattle area.

“Each location has its own identity and customer base,” says owner Greg Hamper. He and his daughter, Jessica Moses, manage the entire operation, including a crew of nearly 50 employees. They deliver freshly roasted coffee to each café every few days, so each cup bursts with lively flavors.

Diva Espresso began with a single café in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood in 1992. Through careful expansion, the company has grown to two downtown locations and five neighborhood cafés. Throughout, it has stayed true to its roots: provide great coffee and a warm welcome — without pretense. The father-daughter partnership has flourished. Greg handles leases, banking, and other behind-the-scenes work, while Jessica oversees day-to-day operations and manages the staff.

Roasting is done entirely by hand — no automated machines — by a roaster who has been with the company for two decades. “The coffee that you’re getting in our stores is less than a week old. It’s very, very fresh,” Jessica says. “It’s one of the things that sets us apart from the competition.”

Their signature Highlands blend is used in all espresso drinks. That never changes. But each café picks what drip coffee to serve. Offerings rotate often, showcasing blends and single-origin beans — Ethiopian, Mexican, Costa Rican, and more — giving customers a chance to discover something new with each visit.

“We ship it all over the world,” says Greg. “I guess when people move, they still want their favorite coffee. They’ll buy it in one pound or even five-pound bags. Some people are pretty amazing how much they buy.”

None of Diva’s seven locations sits more than twenty minutes from the roaster and warehouse at the Broadview café, where a glassed-in area lets customers watch the roasting process unfold. “The key for us,” Greg says, “is for each café to be close enough that we can keep our fingers on quality.” The original Greenwood café is a cozy, 800-square-foot nook that has become a neighborhood icon. Downtown, the Harborview and Chinook spots cater to doctors, nurses, office workers, and visitors — often with lines that run all day, but with friendly baristas who know most customers by name, and by drink.

Diva recently moved its Stone Way store, near Green Lake, across the street to a bigger building. They’ll miss the funky converted gas station that was home for many years, but the new location doubles the available space in a more comfortable environment — complete with the same friendly faces and robust coffee that regulars know and love.

The average tenure of Diva’s managers is around 15 years, a rarity in the coffee business. One manager has been with them almost since the beginning. “It’s a good community,” says Jessica. “They support each other and share the same vision.”

Diva is a longtime Macrina customer, carrying both sweet and savory baked goods. “Over the years, we’ve struggled with a few vendors,” says Greg. “Macrina is consistent, on-time, and communicative.”

“Macrina brought some consistency that we desperately needed for seven locations,” says Jessica. “What you order is what you’re going to get. And you’re going to get it when you’re supposed to get it. And if something goes awry, they’re very, very quick to fix it and address it and move on.”