Black Gold Coffee Roasters

Coffee shop owner Gary Lauters has established a lovely coffee house with an in-house roasting service in the heart of Venice, FL. The products are unique and of surpassing quality: smoothies, iced and hot coffees of varieties you'll likely find nowhere else, pastries, mixed coffee treats, French press made to order, truly fresh-roasted beans from around the world, sandwiches, bagels, croissants, paninis, shakes, Rishi teas, house truffles, apparel, and works from local artists. They offer gluten-free and vegan All of the goods are made on site, so one can certainly be assured of freshness. Everybody is quite fastidious about the quality of the product and the service was particularly friendly and swift. Our serveuse, Savannah, was particularly bright, quick, and friendly. The products all seemed amazing. I certainly enjoyed my "Bullfrog" (chocolate/mint/espresso served iced or hot). My friends raved about the cold brew. However, I found that above even the superb quality of the products they craft, the knowledge and passion brought by the proprietor was remarkable. He was kind enough to take my whole party back to the roasting area and gave us an interesting tour and discussion about coffee production from seed to cup. When one learns of his professional credentials, it's not a big surprise that his considerable knowledge is heavily bent toward coffee. He could easily be among any number of executives in corporate coffee, but from discussion, it is plain that he has a bone or two to pick with some of the titans of the industry, primarily for what they are doing to biodiversity. In chatting with him, you'll find that personal relationships have a great deal to do with the varieties of coffee he offers. Many of these varieties are of sorts from small harvesters that don't receive much exposure from larger businesses. You owe it to yourself to make a stop, have a chat, and maybe learn a little something in the bargain.

Black Gold is more like a Diamond in the rough and an absolute gem. The staff is so courteous, friendly, kind, hard working, and attentive to detail. Such a nice and comfortable place to grab coffee, fresh made baked goods (including gluten free and vegan), artisan chocolate, and assorted truffles. This is no doubt one of my favorite places to go in Venice and one of my favorite coffee shops in Florida!