For years, Viorika Kopets heard her father speak about his desire to visit Lexington, Kentucky, after seeing photos of the city in a travel brochure.
“It reminded him of his homeland … the rolling hills,” she said.
In 1991, when Viorika was 10, her family had moved to Seattle from Moldova, an independent republic located between Romania and Ukraine. Years later, after she met and married Belarus native Nik Kopets and left home, her parents realized their dream and relocated to Lexington, where they’ve lived for more than 13 years.
Viorika, Nik and their three children moved to Lexington about three years ago, and are now preparing to open a high-end coffee and tea shop called Brevedé Coffee Company (brevedecoffee.com), at 1170 Manchester Ave., Suite 110, in the Distillery District. The name Brevedé, Kopets said, is a riff off the phonetic spelling of “brevity,” meaning shortness of time, and referenced in Psalm 90:12 of the Bible, which reads: “Teach us to realize the brevity of life so that we may grow in wisdom.”
As people come and spend part of their day in the café, Kopets wants it to be an enjoyable, elegant respite.
“We hope to encourage people to savor this gift called life one cup at a time,” she said.
The couple started their venture in September 2019 with a mobile, custom-built coffee bar they brought to weddings and other events. Even then, their seriousness about bringing out the intricate flavors of coffee was on full display. Their equipment includes a Japanese Yama cold brew tower, in which coffee is cold-brewed for nearly 12 hours to near freezing temperatures before being poured over ice or infused with nitrogen, as well as Chemex pour-over style, Aeropress and Kalita brewing techniques.
Their brick-and-mortar café will seat about 100 guests between its inside and outside tables. The journey to opening its doors hasn’t been without challenges, as the cafe was originally scheduled to open in spring 2020 but was delayed until July or August by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The way she sees it, Kopets said realizing a shared dream with her husband in less-than-ideal circumstances makes seeing it near completion even sweeter. By using all their talents and encouraging others to do the same, she hopes the café will be an extension of who they are as a couple.
“My husband and I both grew up around a mentality where giving up was not an option and you just persevere no matter the circumstance,” she said. “The coffee shop was a dream born early in our marriage as we lived our lives with an open door into our home that so many were blessed by. We dreamed of expanding that through a place such as this.”
Kopets said they’ve purchased a top-of-the-line Slayer espresso machine to create the finest coffee-based beverages, like her personal favorite, mochas. She’s also been working with roasters such as Portland-based Cova and Honest Coffee in Franklin, Tennessee, to source quality coffee beans to brew until the Kopetses have the ability to roast their own beans in-house. With that goal in mind, coffee industry veteran Matt Martin, one of seven employees thus far, has been hired as the roasting and operational manager.
Manager Matt Martin (left), with Brevedé Coffee Co. owners Viorika and Nik Kopets
With a background not only in catering but also in design and art, Kopets said she’s very passionate about fostering creativity and plans to provide opportunities for others to expand their skills and artistic horizons to the café, as well. Workshops for all ages will be held at Brevedè, in arts and crafts, entrepreneurial topics, flower arranging and baking.
The workshop area has large glass windows so parents can enjoy coffee and baked goods while watching their children busily creating, Kopets added. The space will be available to be rented for business meetings, weddings and other events as well.
Bakery items will include cakes to order, macarons and other European-style sweet treats she said will be new culinary experiences for most Americans. There will also be a small menu of lunch specials featuring sandwiches, crepes, French toast and Belgian waffles.
Kopets will be running the bakery and workshop areas, while her husband and Martin operate the coffee side, she said. All employees will be cross-trained to pitch in wherever there’s a need.
“I have vast experience in European baked goods and specialty gourmet European desserts, so I’d like to bring that into the Lexington scene,” Kopets said.
Though she didn’t know years ago that her father’s Lexington travel brochure would one day begin her own journey to a new home and place of business, Kopets is ready to start this new chapter of her life. She said, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple wants people to know they’re undaunted and ready to open, offering people a place to relax and enjoy the moment.
“People still want to get out and live and experience things together as a community,” she said.
Nik added his thoughts as final preparations continue to welcome the café’s first guests.
“We’ve just been so blessed and want to bless others through all that we do,” he said.