Ask anybody what the two signature adult beverages of the Northwest are and you’ll probably hear: coffee and wine. This month, Coffee Exchange in old town Kingston will begin offering the savory tastes of both as it broadens its menu to include not only coffee drinks and snacks but also a substantial wine menu and hors d’oeuvres.

In the last few months, the ambiance of Coffee Exchange has undergone an upscale remodel with a newly polished interior featuring leather chairs and an electric fireplace. Beginning in mid-February, customers can drop by to relax in the evening with a glass or two of fine Washington and California wines and nibble on a cheese plate. When the weather warms up, they’ll be able to enjoy long days out back on the deck with its view of Appletree Cove.

Coffee Exchange owners Randy and Annemarie Olson, residents of Kingston for nearly 30 years, are excited about broadening the scope of offerings at their shop, anchored in downtown for 15 years. They lease the 1,100 square-foot retail and roasting space, housed in one of Kingston’s original buildings constructed in 1873.

The couple bought the business after Randy decided to leave the corporate world and channel his energies into something he really loved – coffee, of course. Annemarie had been working at the shop part-time and when the opportunity arose for them to buy the business, they went for it. Now, with their two children grown, it’s become a joint family effort and a mainstay favorite of residents. Son John, 25, is taking on the burgeoning wholesale end of the business, and daughter Shelbe, 28, helps manage the shop.

Another place to toast the town

Bringing wine into Coffee Exchange highlights the similar nuances between coffee and wine – both have subtle yet complex varieties valued for their individual characteristics of aroma, body, acidity and flavor.

The Olsons are getting input on creating the wine menu from a connoisseur on Bainbridge Island who’s been in the wine business 30 years. He’s educating them on fine wines and helping select 15 to 20 labels that will be offered by the glass and bottle. An accompanying hors d’oeuvres menu will compliment them.

Randy doesn’t see the wine service competing against other restaurants and bars downtown or taking away business, but instead “adding value to what they already do.” He anticipates customers may drop in for a glass of wine before going to dinner elsewhere, or bring business clients and friends in to the quiet, comfortable environment to enjoy a glass of wine at a candle-lit table.

“Part of the reason of doing this is to extend our hours into the evening and make it profitable business-wise,” Randy said.

The wine menu and evening hours will evolve over time to meet the desires of customers.

“We just want to have fun,” he said.

Majestic Mountain Coffee: a unique Kingston brand

In addition to expanding the beverage menu to include wine, Coffee Exchange has re-branded the on-site roasted coffee beans into Majestic Mountain Coffee with a purple-peak-against-an-orange-sky logo, a transition that began not quite a year ago. A new Web site details the variety of specialty blends for sale to retailers and wholesalers, which may be purchased through the site. The label was kicked off at a coffee festival at the Seattle Convention Center last October.

Touted as “Quite possibly the world’s finest coffee,” Randy said it’s mastering the painstaking, hand-roasted and slow development methods that provide customers with a unique variety of coffees “to fit every palate and occasion.”

“We’re pitching something that a lot of the big guys don’t get involved with: custom roasting,” Randy said. “We can spend more time doing special things for special customers. We offer a production-oriented service.”

John added, “We won’t have them settle for anything less.”

The Olsons have been roasting beans at Coffee Exchange for 12 years. “We were the only one around in those days,” Randy said. “The only other roaster close was on Bainbridge Island.”

Over the years, the shop has undergone various remodels to make room for more tables and seating, and now the Olsons are taking their coffee to go and offering it to other coffee shops and retailers.

An on-site bakery was phased out that Randy said “wasn’t worth the time and money.” Instead he’s put his energy into honing roasting techniques and creating an extensive offering of single-origin, premium blends and Fair Trade organic coffees. The blends, with names such as “Snow Cap,” “Glacier Bay,” “Commuter Wake-up,” “High Mountain Espresso” and “Clear Water,” are created with combinations of African, Central and South American beans.

Randy, with help from John, is selling Majestic Mountain Coffee to hotels, restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops throughout Kitsap County and expanding into Tacoma, Bellevue and Bellingham. Their van was painted to reflect the new logo and they deliver the coffee directly, though it can also be shipped. The business also offers to help establishments that want to brew Majestic Mountain Coffee, purchase and maintain equipment, and train employees how to use it.

“It’s real competitive. We just got the whole thing going and we’re taking it a day at a time,” Randy said.

Majestic Mountain Coffee is also offered with private labeling, so instead of selling and promoting the Olsons’ brand, a retailer can work to build recognition of its own brand and differentiate its store from competitors.

Working with Randy, a retailer can create a unique custom-roast blend packed with a custom-created label.

“That way, they can sell coffee under a private label. Nobody can get that coffee anywhere else,” Randy said, and the business can market its own blend instead of promoting the roaster.

“It’s more of a benefit for them. We’re all about customer service,” he said.

“I love coffee. I want to make this happen.”

For more on Coffee Exchange offerings – Majestic Mountain Coffee and hours the shop is open – call (360) 297-7817, or (800) 593-2163, or e-mail service@majesticmountaincoffee.com. Extensive information about coffee blends and details on purchasing options – wholesale, creating a private label, or just buying a pound of a favorite blend – is available at www.majesticmountaincoffee.com.