Press Release
5/26/15
Contact: Todd Allbaugh
[email protected]
608-604-0552
World Barista Champion to Open Concept Coffee Bar in Madison
(Madison, WI) Alejandro Mendez, 2011 World Barista Champion, has chosen Madison
Wisconsin to launch his first venture in the United States. The neighborhood concept
coffee bar, 5th Element Coffee, will be located at 2510 University Avenue and focus on
direct relationship coffee from El Salvador.
“The name comes from the fact it takes the root elements of fire, water, air and earth to
produce, process and roast coffee,” said Mendez. “But it’s the human element – the 5th
element – that makes the difference in brining it to the cup.”
Mendez, of San Salvador, El Salvador, became the first barista from a coffee producing
country to win the World Barista Championship (WBC) in 2011. The WBC is the annual
culmination of a worldwide competition testing a barista’s skill, knowledge, creativity
and presentation behind the bar. The WBC involves approximately 60 competitors
who’ve already won their national competitions.
“People ask me, ‘why Madison?’” said Mendez. “It’s simple – I love Madison, and I
love the people here. So much of coffee is about relationships, and I wanted to do my
first project in the United Sates with someone I enjoy working with and shares my
passion for coffee.”
Joining Mendez as a co-owner is Todd Allbaugh, a native of Richland Center who’s lived
and worked in Madison for the better part of the last twenty years mostly in state
government with stints in the food and coffee industry. However, coffee and El Salvador
are long held passions.
“When I was a student at UW-Richland, I was a mentor in the Central American
Scholarship Program which awarded two year scholarships to students in Central
American countries who would otherwise never have a chance to earn a college degree,”
Allbaugh said. “I ended up meeting my best friend Silas through the program, he invited
me to go home with him over Christmas in 1992 after we’d transferred to UW-Platteville,
and I’ve made over 30 trips since. It’s my second home, and that’s how I learned about
coffee - at origin.”
Silas Valle, now back in El Salvador, and his brother Nelson Valle of Los Angeles, are
also partners in the business.
After meeting through mutual friends, Allbaugh invited Mendez to Madison who fell in
love with city.
“It’s a pretty cool thing for a guy like Alejandro, who’s literally been around the world as
the WBC Champ, to say Madison is one of his favorite cities and pick us,” said Allbaugh.
“It says a lot about the city. Here’s a guy who could do this anywhere, and he picked
Madison.”
Mendez, who also launched his own coffee roastery, 4 Monkeys Coffee Roasters, in San
Salvador late last year, will be in Madison frequently behind the bar and to hold classes
on home brewing and bringing coffee farmers to Madison to educate guests on what
really happens on a coffee farm.
“It’s both really exciting and a little scary because it’s unusual for a coffee bar to focus so
much on a single country,” Mendez said. “But after spending time in Madison, I know
it’s the perfect place for 5th Element because Madison is such a foodie town, and I know
people are going to appreciate a coffee bar that tells the story of the product from
production, to roasting to cup.”
In addition to being a co-owner, Allbaugh will serve as the General Manager.
“We have so many great farm to table restaurants in Madison, but very few people are
doing true farm to cup coffee,” Allbaugh said. “We can’t grow coffee in Wisconsin, so
it’s difficult to develop those direct relationships with farmers. We’re really blessed to
have those, so we can tell the story of all our coffees.”
Allbaugh said making a real life impact in the community here and abroad is a large part
of 5th Element’s mission.
“After the first year or so, we want to go to a village in El Salvador where there’s no
running water and put in a fresh water well. Boom – done,” Allbaugh said. “That’s not a
feel good label. That’s tangible results, so when you come into 5th Element, you look up
at the video or photos of the project and you say, ‘Wow, I did my part to make that
happen by purchasing my coffee here.’ Now that’s exciting.”
5th Element Coffee will focus on espresso-based drinks and pour over coffee using
primarily single origin coffee roasted by 4 Monkeys Coffee Roasters. They’ll carry
bakery products delivered fresh daily by Madison favorite Batch Bakehouse.
“If you want to get a feel on our view of coffee take a look at Bradbury’s and Johnson
Public House in Madison,” Allbaugh said. “They’re doing some great things, and we
hope to earn the right to join their ranks.”
Mendez and Allbaugh chose OPN Architects of Madison to work with them on design
and Ideal Builders of Madison is the general contractor.
“Our build out is gonna be pretty cool. It’s really elemental in terms of wood, concrete,
and metal,” said Mendez. “We want the space to reflect our view of coffee – basic and
open. We don’t want to cover up the hard work already done by the farmers.”
The coffee bar is set to open in June and is currently taking applications via email at:
[email protected]. Allbaugh said the opening is the culmination of a long
journey.
“It’s kind of cool a U.S. program set up to assist Central Americans ends up being the
catalyst for a coffee bar in Madison twenty-five years later,” Allbaugh said. “It just
proves life really is about relationships, and what better way to share those than over a
fine cup of coffee?”