Owner Michael McConnell has managed to grow an upstart coffee shop that catered to musicians into one of the largest coffee companies still under independent ownership more than two decades later. Caffe Vita has locations in Los Angeles, New York, and a presence in airports across the country, yet Caffe Vita remains indelibly local. Coffee skews towards darker, Italian-style roasts, much like most Vita cafes: The lights are generally low—more like a bar where you might make some dubious decisions shortly after midnight than a destination for reading the Sunday Times.