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56 C ompetition in the coffee business is stiff. To survive, a coffee shop might be able to offer just good coffee and passable service. But to thrive and expand in this tough segment, a concept has to deliver supe- rior coffee with top-notch service. That's ex- actly the recipe for success that the Black Rock Coffee Bar follows — with the help of Rancilio's Xcelsius espresso machines. "We opened in February 2008," says Daniel Brand, one of the chain's owners. "We're a family- based business." The six owners of Black Rock include two of Daniel's brothers-in-law and vari- ous members of their families. "All of our dads are entrepreneurs, so we all wanted to start a new cof- fee company. We've grown from 19 stores in 2014 to 29 in 2015. And we expect the same growth pattern or greater in 2016," Brand says. The chain operates stores in Washington, Oregon and California. Most of the Black Rock locations offer drive-through only service or a combination of sit-down with drive-through lanes; the chain's first strictly sit-down location opened in October 2015. Having a drive-through window can provide some unique problems for coffee stores. "In the drive-through situation," Brand says, "there are a lot more variables than with a café per se. With temperature and humidity coming in, there are all sorts of changes. You can go from a stable environment of 72 degrees [Fahrenheit] or 73 degrees and as soon as soon as you open the window in winter, you can drop to 40 degrees. Or the opposite in summer — you can go from warm to hot." Add in the human factor, with different employees operating machines in different ways, and coffee consistency can be hard to manage. In deciding which unit to buy for Black Rock, Brand says the chain tested "a huge variety of espresso machines." The Rancilio Classe 9 Group Xcelsius machines won out, due to their dependable performance under the toughest testing. Consistency is key, Brand says, since "we're a small business growing so Driving Coffee Sales with Rancilio For an up-and-coming coffee chain, the Rancilio Xcelsius models brew cup after cup of delicious espresso. Rancilio Xcelsius espresso machines provide delicious espresso for the Black Rock Coffee Bar chain. SUCCESS STORIES