The Brew to Be No. 2

By Justin Doebele

It's raining. I have to open the roof!" blurts Victor Sassoon, jumping up from his seat at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Singapore's popular Orchard Road. In seconds an electric awning unfurls over the patio in the afternoon sprinkle. Sassoon, always fussing, stops to rearrange chairs before sitting back down to finish his iced mocha latte, the house favorite.

Details count in the hypercompetitive world of specialty coffee. If customers aren't happy at this Coffee Bean, there's a Starbucks across the street. These days there's a Starbucks across just about every street. Against this imposing foe, Sassoon and his partners are working up a head of steam for the chain they bought five years ago from the couple who'd made it a Los Angeles cult favorite. Today, with 222 outlets, $110 million in annual revenues and an estimated $9 million in net profits, it has a place in the cafe world's top ten.

More...