What's brewing in Somerset: Boutique coffee shop opening second location
Ashley Schuler, The Herald News
7 min read
SOMERSET — Wonder what's brewing at 891 County St.?
A place to get coffee by day and cocktails by night, if all goes according to plan for Keith and Debra Viveiros.
Hot off the success of their Taunton shop, the Westport husband and wife team are bringing their love of lattes and craft coffee to Somerset with the opening of a second Society Coffee Bar location.
It'll soon be a very different vibe at the former St. Michael's Credit Union building, as it's transformed into a boutique coffee shop and lounge.
According to Keith Viveiros, their goal is to provide high-quality java, delicious fast-service breakfast and lunch fare and baked treats, as well as become a hub for locals looking to unwind at the end of a long day.
"I want it to be somewhere that everyone feels comfortable going and they feel part of something, and they feel like they are getting something really good," Viveiros said.
Society Coffee Bar owners Keith and Debra Viveiros with Chino (short for cappuccino) at their new location on County Street in Somerset.
So how did two real estate brokers, both born and raised in Fall River, come to own a coffee shop in Taunton? It was a marriage made in heaven for the Viveiroses.
The owners of Milestone Realty purchased the 260 Broadway building in Taunton in order to open a third real estate office, but saw the potential for more. Viveiros said he had always wanted to open a coffee shop, so they combined their two ventures into one.
"We said what I'll do is connect the real estate brokerage to the coffee shop so it serves a dual purpose — it allows our agents to meet the public, it allows the public to meet the agents and we can also create a really great atmosphere for some really good coffee," Viveiros said.
The Society Coffee Bar, which opened last year in Taunton, will be opening a new location on County Street in Somerset this summer.
Being "totally new to coffee" when he decided to launch Society Coffee Bar, Viveiros said it was important to surround himself with people who knew what they were doing with years of food service experience under their belts.
He hired a coffee consultant for the first year they were open to keep himself and staff accountable and make sure the quality was always No. 1 priority.
"It was really important to me that the quality is super craft," he said. "I want it to be high-quality — bean-to-cup, traditional, old-school style where you're actually weighing out the beans and grinding your beans ... the way that real craft coffee is supposed to be made."
The Taunton shop, located in the front of the Milestone Realty building, opened in January 2022 and since then it's generated quite a buzz, which encouraged the Viveiroses to expand the brand.
"I had no idea the coffee brand was going to take off to the extent that it did," he said.
In a region with a Dunkin' or Starbucks on every corner, it's important to stand out from the rest.
Society Coffee Bar's unique addition of a weekend cocktail lounge does just that.
In Taunton, they have a liquor license and convert the shop into a martini lounge on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 6 to 11 p.m. He noted daytime coffee selections are available all day, and are often incorporated into their lounge offerings.
Interior view of Society Coffee Bar as of Jan. 6, 2022.
The initial concept of Society Coffee Bar was to have a liquor license all day long, Viveiros said, and they are in the process of trying to obtain one for Somerset.
Viveiros anticipates coffee hours would be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. If they are granted a liquor license, they are hoping to extend those hours to midnight or 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
What's on the menu
Society Coffee Bar is going to be "coffee-forward" and "drink-froward," with a variety of breakfast offerings. They just recently launched a small lunch menu at the Taunton location that Viveiros is hoping to build on in Somerset.
Lunch options so far have included Gourmet Grilled Cheese (white cheddar, colby jack on a brioche), Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Bisque and Boujee Grilled Cheese (white cheddar, colby jack, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, and bacon jam on a brioche).
Recently launched lunch options at the Society Coffee Bar's Taunton location include Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Bisque and Boujee Grilled Cheese.
Society Coffee Bar's No. 1 seller is The Quinny, described on the menu as "elevated iced coffee milk with a jolt," which Viveiros said is their own twist on caffeinated coffee milk similar to Mirasol's Chippi.
"The community here has really fallen in love with it," said Viveiros, noting the Kentucky Straight Latte also a big hit on the drink side.
On the food side, Viveiros said their breakfast sandwich — honey hot glazed bacon, white cheddar, egg and spinach tossed in a bourbon vinaigrette grilled on an asiago bagel, bolo, croissant — "smashes it." Another highlight is their linguica and cheese roll.
And if you're looking for something sweet rather than savory, they have a tempting selection of baked goods, sourced from their favorite places in the Greater Fall River area.
The Society Coffee Bar, which opened last year in Taunton, will be opening a new location on County Street in Somerset this summer.
Pasteis de nata, Portuguese custard cups from Barcelos Bakery in Fall River, are a popular pick, as well as their Churro Donut, which is vegan, gluten-free, soy free, dairy free and nut-free.
The shop gets all their cupcakes at From Scratch Cakes, and a lot of their baked goods and cookies from Blondie’s Bakery in Warren, Rhode Island.
According to Viveiros, when creating the menu their focus is on quality products and food they've come to enjoy, rounded up into one location.
Perks of the new Somerset site
With the new location also comes some added benefits.
The Taunton space is smaller, with indoor seating for about 20 people. Somerset will be "a different ballgame," Viveiros said, with room for 46 seats, a better layout, as well as another major perk that isn't offered in Taunton: a drive-thru.
"At fast-service places, 60% of business is through drive-thru so that's a major advantage," said Viveiros, noting the convenience of not having to leave the car to grab your caffeine to go.
For a boutique coffee shop "location is money," Viveiros said. And this County Street spot is "exactly where you want to be. You're in the heart of everything."
The property is located next to the high school, local businesses, and positioned with access to a main roadway. It's also closer to home for the Westport pair.
What's next for Society Coffee Bar
The couple closed on the sale of the Somerset property Jan. 31, got the keys March 1, and just recently a temporary sign went up letting residents in on the exciting news.
He said they are "optimistically" hoping to be up and running by mid-summer. But first the space is undergoing some renovations, including a complete interior makeover and aesthetic upgrades to the former bank's exterior.
"I think people are going to be really pleasantly surprised when they see what this looks like when it's completed," Viveiros said.
The Society Coffee Bar, which opened last year in Taunton, will be opening a new location on County Street in Somerset this summer.
The main floor of the County Street site will house the coffee shop, with a Milestone Realty office located in the finished basement.
Renovations are already underway at the 1,900-square-foot space, and Viveiros, who also owns a digital market company, plans to document the progress of the Somerset project along the way on Facebook and Instagram.
When the Viveiroses first embarked on the Taunton shop, they had no idea how far the coffee endeavor would take them. Now that it has started to take off, they hope to expand to five Society Coffee Bar locations within five years.
For now, the Westport pair is looking forward to starting this new chapter in Somerset.
"I'm excited about being here and I'm excited about making a mark in a place I'm more familiar with... it always makes you feel good to know that you are doing something good for the community," Viveiros said.
