Homaro Cantu Announces New Berrista Coffee Shop Location

By Lisa White in Food on Dec 19, 2013 7:00PM

Berrista Coffee jelly donut with "scant calories and zero sugar"/ Photo credit: Amy Stallard

Homaro Cantu is continuing his mash-up of food and science with the opening of Berrista Coffee. The concept came to light last week when Facebook and Twitter accounts were started for the shop. Today Cantu announced the first location will open at 4219 W. Irving Park Road this spring.

Berrista Coffee will center around the “miracle berries” Cantu has brought to the attention of the public that have the ability to make sour foods taste sweet. Cantu says he wants to franchise Berrista Coffee and told Crain’s Chicago Business “the best way for me to put a stake in the ground is to take on the big guys.” Crain’s points out that he’ll have some competition, since there is a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Starbucks about a block away from the location.

Berrista Coffee will offer food made with sugar but Cantu hopes to eventually move customers away from sugar and instead substitute lemon and water enhanced with the miracle berry for their sweet fix.

We’re interested to see how this concept pans out on numerous fronts. First, we’re wondering how business will be given the location. Cantu’s other restaurants, Moto and iNG, are located in Fulton Market. We would have assumed his Berrista Coffee would be located close by or perhaps downtown in the heart of the Loop to attract the many offices in the area. Second, we’re interested to see what the price point will be on items at the shop. Cantu usually deals more in the realm of tasting menus so we’re wondering what a Homaro Cantu doughnut will cost you.

Lastly we’re interested to see if people really take a liking to Cantu’s crusade to minimize sugar and opt for the miracle berry instead. Will some find it novelty only and end up throwing nutrition to the wind when they crave a sugary pastry or will the promise of less calories and sugar free with all the same taste keep consumers coming back for more? It will be an interesting concept to keep an eye on this spring.