SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA—The story of the business owner is as much about location as it is about seizing opportunity. For Mike Perry, owner and roastmaster of Klatch Coffee, finding the location that allowed him to expand and develop his award-winning coffee retail and wholesale operations proved to be easy: the County of San Bernardino.

We met up with Perry leading up to ICSC's RECon event to talk coffee, how Klatch Coffee has grown up and why the county is a great place for his business.

GlobeSt.com: What was the idea behind Klatch Coffee?

Mike Perry: In 1991 at 30 years of age I sold my interest in a construction company. I decided to go back to school and earn a degree. During that time my wife and I, with two young daughters, used to spend our weekly date night going out to various coffee houses that were starting to pop up. It was on one of those date nights we decided to open a coffee house that focused on flavor and a great experience. During the planning stages my wife remembered how her grandmother and her friends would meet for Coffee Klatch, a casual gathering for coffee and conversation, so in 1993 we opened our first Coffee Klatch in the Thomas Winery historical building in Rancho Cucamonga. In 1996 I finished my degree in Bio Chemical Engineering from UC Riverside, and despite many job offers I fell in love with coffee so I decided to make that my career. It was later in 2007 that we rebranded as Klatch Coffee, where Coffee is the Conversation.

GlobeSt.com: You've earned a number of impressive titles – what is the key to your success in competition?

Mike Perry: We have been fortunate to be the Roaster of the Year in the U.S., winner of America's Best Coffeehouse, World's Best Espresso, and home to Two-Time US Barista Champion among other awards. The common thread in all those is Quality. Quality from seed to cup including the beans, roasting, education, training, and preparation. Our desire is fueled by a passion for what we do and desire to exceed customer expectations.

GlobeSt.com: How is Klatch Coffee evolving – what changes are on the horizon?

Mike Perry: The biggest evolution is our change from primarily a retail business to more of a wholesale business. This is not because we are reducing or abandoning our retail operations – quite the contrary with recent store openings at LAX and in Korea. But wholesale sales are growing rapidly and have overtaken retail as our main operations. What we have learned is by selling our beans to others we can help them discover their dreams and passions. For that reason we just closed on an 8,000-square-foot building in Rancho Cucamonga that will be home to a new Roastery and Training Center.

GlobeSt.com: What do you look for in a location for your coffee shops?

Mike Perry: Many factors, but access to customers is paramount. For that reason we look for locations on the morning side of traffic, easy in and out for customers, plenty of parking or ample foot traffic. Because we also serve food items a location with daytime traffic is desired, and because of our 'Date Night' roots a location where people feel comfortable at night is important. Often end caps with visibility helps. We like the size of around 1,600 SF with an outdoor patio or seating. We look for spaces at a fair value so we can provide the same to our customers.

GlobeSt.com: What makes the County of San Bernardino a strong choice Klatch Coffee?

Mike Perry: For our wholesale operations we choose the County of San Bernardino because they treat businesses fairly. It is affordable with freeway and airport access to anywhere.

For our retail stores we appreciate the balance of population and affordable commercial rates. Because coffee, even high-end coffee like ours, is affordable to everyone and can be consumed any time of day, we get a diverse customer base from students, to moms, to business people to those who are retired. San Bernardino County has all that and our great Southern California weather is icing on the cake.

GlobeSt.com: Do you have any current expansion plans? How are you growing Klatch Coffee?

Mike Perry: We are building out our new 8,000 SF Roastery and Training Center that will allow us to better meet current and future customer needs. In addition, our coffee is available at many coffeehouses, markets and locations throughout the Inland Empire. Locally we are looking for additional locations and internationally we are looking at partnerships in China, Europe and more in Korea.

GlobeSt.com: What role does sustainability play in your coffee bean choices and offerings?

Mike Perry: Quality without sustainability is short lived and not the relationships we look for. Most of our coffee is via a Direct-Trade model that starts with Quality but is followed by our criteria of what the producers do environmentally, economically, and socially. While we are certified as an Organic and Fair Trade roaster, we do not limit our offerings to that and Organic Certification itself is sometimes not a sustainable model for small farmers who cannot afford this. But sustainable environmental practices plus sustainable fair prices of a Quality coffee mean a long-term relationship for the farmer and Klatch.

Join the County of San Bernardino at ICSC RECon 2014 in Las Vegas May 18–20 at booth number C183H.