Café Rico will provide old-world feel

In an orange-hued coffeehouse off North Carson Street, businessman Steve Arelliano wants to start his coffee empire.

Coffee baron may be imprinted into his lineage. Arelliano, a native of Hawaii, is a third- generation coffee seller. His ancestors grew coffee in Puerto Rico. His father owns Kona Coffee, a 100-acre plantation on Kona, Hawaii.

"I'm really getting back to my ancestry," Arelliano said. "We're going to sell natural coffees and specializing in Third World country coffees."

Café Rico is his 2,000-square-foot, $100,000 investment into frothy drinks and aromatic roasting to tempt the caffeine addicts of Carson City.

Although opening day isn't until Wednesday, a few customers wandered into Suite 25 at 1987 N. Carson St. last week. The wooden stools and chairs were still packed in boxes beside the door. The two neon "open" signs were also boxed.

Arelliano's wife of 29 years, Jennifer, served the customers. She didn't mention that the café isn't officially open yet.

"We're originally from Portland where every corner there's a coffee shop," Arelliano said. "So, my wife and I have been in this area for over a year and we noticed that there's not too many. So we decided to open our own."

Arelliano, 49, will put a San Franciscan micro-coffee roaster in the corner. He said it'll roast 25 pounds an hour. Half the coffee house will be dedicated to retail, selling teas and packaged coffee. The other half is a sitting area. Arelliano will install a big-screen TV, surround sound and free Internet access to customers. For those who are interested in more mental stimulation, Café Rico also has two tall chess tables.

He said he's keeping the atmosphere simple, yet with a touch of the old-world feel.

Arelliano, who is also the general sales manager at Michael Hohl Honda-Subaru, said his goal is to build four more coffee houses in the next four years.

The Arellianos hope to pass on a coffee house to each daughter, they have five. The second shop may open in Los Angeles, where his oldest daughter lives.

"I've been wanting to do this for 15 years," Arelliano said.

Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.