Tazza D'Oro

Tazza D'Oro is an independently operated café and espresso bar based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its name is Italian for “golden cup” or “golden mug,” reflecting the business's European-style coffeehouse concept. The café's principal location is in Pittsburgh's Highland Park neighborhood, where it developed into a recognizable community gathering place and became associated with the city's growing interest in higher-quality coffee. The business opened in June 1999 under the ownership of Amy Enrico. Enrico, a University of Pittsburgh graduate, had previously co-founded nTouch Research, Inc., a company involved in medical testing for pharmaceutical companies. Travel experiences, including visits to Seattle, helped inspire her interest in opening a coffee shop. She received assistance from a community development corporation involved in Highland Park redevelopment, helping establish the café in a neighborhood that was then being encouraged to attract new businesses and services. Tazza D'Oro differentiates itself through an emphasis on coffee provenance and preparation. The café serves single-origin coffee rather than presenting a broad commodity-style coffee menu. Its original roasting partner was Batdorf & Bronson; the café later worked with Verve Coffee Roasters of Santa Cruz, California. The business has also maintained a visible connection with local customers and Pittsburgh's cycling community. Its “Bicycle Love” roast was created in recognition of bicycle-riding patrons, contributing to the café's reputation as a bicycle-friendly establishment. Food is another part of the concept. Approximately 70 percent of the café's food was described as locally sourced, including pastries supplied by Enrico's Bakery in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. The bakery is owned by Enrico's family and was managed by her brother as part of its third generation of family ownership. This family connection gives Tazza D'Oro a local and personal identity beyond coffee service. The brand expanded beyond Highland Park with a second location in the Gates and Hillman Centers at Carnegie Mellon University, which opened in 2009. Its selection was supported by the café's stated commitment to fair-trade and organically grown coffee. Tazza D'Oro also operated for a period from a Penn Avenue location in the Downtown Pittsburgh Central Historic District. The business marked its tenth anniversary in 2009 with a customer event involving more than 200 attendees and offerings from East End Brewing Company. In addition to serving beverages and food, Tazza D'Oro has functioned as a neighborhood and civic venue. It has periodically hosted local officials for constituent discussions, and Amy Enrico worked with East Liberty Development Inc. to encourage additional commercial activity in nearby areas, particularly around Bryant Street. The café displays postcards contributed by customers from their travels, reinforcing its role as a community-oriented space. Overall, Tazza D'Oro occupies a niche between specialty coffee retailer, independent neighborhood café, and local cultural meeting place.

Tazza D'Oro was established in June 1999 by Amy Enrico in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The café emerged from Enrico's interest in coffeehouse culture after traveling, including experiences in Seattle, and from her desire to create a distinctive neighborhood business. Before entering the café trade, Enrico had studied at the University of Pittsburgh and co-founded nTouch Research, Inc., a company that conducted medical tests for pharmaceutical companies. She received support from a community development corporation working on Highland Park redevelopment, which helped the business become part of the neighborhood's commercial renewal. From the beginning, Tazza D'Oro was designed as a European-style café and espresso bar rather than a conventional diner or broad-service restaurant. Its coffee program centered on single-origin beans. Batdorf & Bronson was the original roasting partner, later replaced by Verve Coffee Roasters, a specialty roaster based in Santa Cruz, California. The café's emphasis on provenance and quality placed it within Pittsburgh's broader movement toward more carefully sourced and prepared coffee. By 2000, the business had grown to approximately 12 employees. The café developed a strong local identity through its sourcing practices and community relationships. About 70 percent of its food was described as locally sourced. Pastries came from Enrico's Bakery in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, a family business owned for three generations by Enrico's family and managed by her brother. Tazza D'Oro also became known as a bicycle-friendly business. In recognition of its cycling customers, it offered a special roast called “Bicycle Love.” Postcards left by customers from their travels were displayed in the café, adding to its informal, personal atmosphere. The company pursued additional Pittsburgh locations and community involvement. It operated for a period from a Penn Avenue site in the Downtown Pittsburgh Central Historic District. In 2009, it opened a café in the Gates and Hillman Centers at Carnegie Mellon University. The university location was enabled by the café's stated commitment to fair-trade and organically grown coffee, which helped distinguish its proposal among businesses seeking space in the building. Also in 2009, Tazza D'Oro celebrated its tenth anniversary with more than 200 customers. East End Brewing Company provided offerings for the event, linking the café's celebration to another Pittsburgh-area independent producer. Amy Enrico also worked with East Liberty Development Inc. to encourage further commercial development near the café, particularly around Bryant Street. The café periodically hosted local public officials for discussions with constituents, extending its function beyond retail service. The available reference material does not document a corporate parent, public listing, acquisition, major financial disclosures, or a change in ownership. Tazza D'Oro is best characterized as an independently owned Pittsburgh specialty café with a Highland Park flagship and a university location, built around high-quality coffee, local supply relationships, and neighborhood participation.

• 2009

  Second location opens at Carnegie Mellon University

  [1]Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org

  Tazza D'Oro opened a location in the Gates and Hillman Centers, supported by its fair-trade and organically grown coffee commitments.

• 2009

  Tenth anniversary celebration

  [1]Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org

  The café celebrated its tenth anniversary with an event attended by more than 200 customers and featuring East End Brewing Company.

• 2000

  The café reaches approximately 12 employees

  [1]Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org

  Within its first year of operation, the business was reported to have grown to about 12 employees.

• 1999

  Tazza D'Oro opens in Highland Park

  [1]Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org

  Amy Enrico opened the café in Pittsburgh's Highland Park neighborhood in June 1999, with assistance from a community development corporation involved in local redevelopment.

An independent, community-oriented Pittsburgh specialty café emphasizing single-origin coffee, European café culture, fair-trade and organic sourcing, local food relationships, and an inclusive neighborhood atmosphere.

• Coffee · 1999

  Single-origin coffee

  Tazza D'Oro's core beverage offer is a rotating or selected range of single-origin coffees. The program reflects the café's specialty-coffee positioning and its emphasis on identifiable sourcing rather than undifferentiated commercial blends. The café's roasting relationships included Batdorf & Bronson in its earlier period and Verve Coffee Roasters in a later period.

• Coffee roast

  Bicycle Love

  Bicycle Love is a special roast associated with Tazza D'Oro's bicycle-friendly reputation. It was created in honor of customers who arrived by bicycle and serves as both a coffee offering and an expression of the café's connection with Pittsburgh's cycling community.

• Food · 1999

  Pastries and locally sourced café food

  The café offers pastries and other food alongside its coffee and espresso service. Approximately 70 percent of its food was described as locally sourced, with pastries supplied by Enrico's Bakery, the family bakery connected to owner Amy Enrico.

• 2009

  Expand into Carnegie Mellon University's Gates and Hillman CentersStrategy

  Background

  Tazza D'Oro sought a second Pittsburgh-area location as businesses competed for space in the Gates and Hillman Centers.

  Action taken

  The café opened a university location and emphasized its commitment to fair-trade and organically grown coffee as part of its proposition.

  Aftermath

  The opening extended the brand beyond its Highland Park neighborhood base into a university and research-campus environment.

  Source

• 2009

  Tazza D'Oro opens at Carnegie Mellon University's Gates and Hillman Centers[1]Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The café opened a second location in the Gates and Hillman Centers at Carnegie Mellon University, supported in part by its commitment to fair-trade and organically grown coffee.

• 2009

  Tazza D'Oro marks its tenth anniversary[1]Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Pittsburgh café celebrated ten years in business with an event attended by more than 200 customers and featuring offerings from East End Brewing Company.

1. 1Tazza d'Oro (Pittsburgh)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tazza D'Oro official websitetazzadoro.net