Press

Pronto, Elevate Gourmet Brands’ community-driven airport marketplace, has launched its new purveyor-focused online presence and social media campaign this week.

The new Pronto website is key to Elevate Gourmet Brands’ growth strategy for the brand. “Our new online presence is helping us build relationships with local purveyors in several different regional markets,” said CEO Brian Laliberte. “Purveyors are excited to be able to share their products with airport travelers, and there is more demand than ever for new meal choices at the gate. We’re poised to expand Pronto to airports in Southern California, Texas, and the Southeast in the coming year.”

Pronto’s fun, whimsical new social media campaign launched at instagram.com/pronto_provisions/ and focuses on telling the stories of Pronto’s local purveyors, and showcasing their unique, ready-to-eat provisions available at Pronto’s SFO location in Terminal 3-E.

“Pronto’s new website and social media campaign really highlight our purveyors Burma Love, Esposto’s Meals, Epicurean, Panini Time, Voila Juice, Green Beans Coffee, and Ladle & Leaf,” explained Creative Director Greg Rabbitt. “These brands all have rich histories and unique provisions we’re thrilled to share with our audience online, and bring their products to SFO travelers.”

Pronto celebrated the launch of their first location in the fall, opening at SFO Terminal 3-E in time for the 2022 holiday travel season. The bright, fun location was a hit with airport employees and travelers from day one, and Elevate Gourmet Brands will open a second Pronto location at SFO with joint venture partner Skyview Concessions in summer of 2023.

“Pronto is changing the way travelers “grab and go” at the airport,” said Elevate Gourmet Brands Director of Non-Traditional Development, George Kennedy. “We’re on a mission to offer airport travelers a curated selection of unique, diverse ready-to-eat meal choices from exciting local neighborhood purveyors. Fresh-made, delicious meals they would otherwise not be able to find at the airport.”

Elevate Gourmet Brands will be presenting Pronto at this year’s AXN Conference in Denver, as well as their other brands: Green Beans Coffee, Whisk & Bowl, and the forthcoming Mac + Cheese Kitchen.

Visit prontoprovisions.com and instagram.com/pronto_provisions to learn more about Pronto’s featured purveyors.

Elevate Gourmet Brands hosts grand opening of Pronto! its eye-catching grab n’ go marketplace concept, in SFO Terminal 3. Pronto takes a unique approach to the airport grab n’ go marketplace: partnering exclusively with purveyors from the San Francisco Bay Area’s many distinct neighborhoods and communities to offer airport travelers “curated provisions, sourced locally”, packaged and ready for departure– Pronto!

Pronto launches with featured purveyors Burma Love, Esposto’s Meals, Epicurean, Panini Time (The Box Lunch Company), Voila Juice, Green Beans Coffee Co. and Ladle & Leaf. A curated selection of hot and cold grab n’ go products and pre-packaged meals from these purveyors will be available, with additional purveyors being added on a rolling basis. In addition to sandwiches, wraps, salads, and bottled drinks, Pronto features a selection of snacks, treats, and healthy sundries to round out your meal making it a one-stop-shop before your flight- like local purveyor Urban Remedy’s “fresh, organic, ready-to-eat meals, juices and snacks.”

“We’re proud to open the first Pronto Marketplace location at SFO. Elevate Gourmet Brands is a Bay Area business, we’ve been headquartered in Marin for over 25 years, so we’re particularly excited to collaborate with other local purveyors to bring airport travelers, employees and flight crews this diverse and delicious menu of curated provisions,” Elevate Gourmet Brands CEO Brian Laliberte said, adding, “SFO airport has been an incredible partner for almost a decade. We’re grateful to open our first Pronto brick & mortar location here.”

Burma Love, with locations in the Mission and Downtown San Francisco, has been bringing the flavors of Burma to the Bay Area for two decades. Esposto’s Meals, headquartered in South San Francisco, has been serving food in the Bay Area for over 50 years. Epicurean boasts “Fresh, Honest, Local” foods and takes pride in being a “values-based company that operates on the principles of high quality, integrity, and sustainability.” Voila Juices was established in Berkeley, California during the summer of 1978 and began its life in the form of a small and colorful juice cart set up in front of the Downtown Bart Station by partners Gary Boland and Dale Allen. Ladle & Leaf, with locations from San Francisco to Oakland to Palo Alto, believes in “keeping your friends close, and your farmers closer” and offers gourmet soups, mac & cheese, and hand-tossed salads.

The Terminal 3-E marketplace is the first of two Pronto locations Elevate Gourmet Brands will open at SFO; another Terminal 3 location is planned to open in late spring 2023.

Mac + Cheese Kitchen^®, the new comfort food concept from Elevate Gourmet Brands^®, has begun the build out of their flagship restaurant and bar at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport Terminal B.

Mac + Cheese Kitchen elevates the great American comfort food to an airport indulgence. At Mac + Cheese Kitchen, guests are encouraged to “fill their skillet”, building their own custom cheesy creations starting with a choice of white or cheddar bechamel cheese sauces, then adding premium proteins like grilled chicken, smoked bacon, or BBQ pulled pork. From there, guests can choose from a menu of unique and delicious add-ons, and top if off with toasted breadcrumbs. Their skillet is then crisped in the oven, and is ready to eat in only 4 minutes!

“We’re excited to launch Mac + Cheese Kitchen in San Jose. We had a lot of fun in the test kitchen developing this concept- we ate a lot of mac and cheese dishes,“ joked Brian Laliberte, CEO of Elevate Gourmet Brands. ”There are so many possibilities with a comfort food like mac and cheese, we really wanted to tweak the menu for each restaurant location based on regional tastes and the availability of high-quality ingredients”

Boasting an inclusive kids’ menu, grilled Mac + Cheese Sandwiches, a unique breakfast menu, fresh salad options, and dessert favorites, Mac + Cheese Kitchen has something for everyone. The San Jose Airport Mac + Cheese Kitchen will also also feature a full bar showcasing local craft beer, craft cocktails, and wine selections from one of the best growing regions in the country. Mac + Cheese Kitchen encourages you to feast before you fly!

Mac + Cheese Kitchen was designed in collaboration with Silhouette Architecture Design in Chicago, and Altitude is the construction partner. Elevate Gourmet Brands will follow up the SJC Mac + Cheese Kitchen with a second location, in SFO’s terminal 3 in the summer of 2023.

Elevate Gourmet Brands^® eye-catching grab n’ go marketplace concept Pronto!^® is in the final stages of build-out on its first brick-and-mortar location in SFO’s Terminal 3E. Boasting “curated provisions, sourced locally”, Pronto takes a unique approach to the airport grab n’ go marketplace: partnering exclusively with purveyors from the San Francisco Bay Area’s many distinct neighborhoods and communities to offer airport travelers, employees and flight crews a curated menu of provisions they would otherwise not be able to find at the airport, packaged and ready for departure– Pronto!

Pronto’s SFO T3-E location will open in early October with featured purveyors Burma Love, Esposto’s Meals, Epicurean, Panini Time (The Box Lunch Company), Voila Juice, Green Beans Coffee Co. and Ladle & Leaf. A curated selection of hot and cold grab n’ go products and pre-packaged meals from these purveyors will be available, with additional purveyors being added on a rolling basis.

Burma Love, with locations in the Mission and Downtown San Francisco, has been bringing the flavors of Burma to the Bay Area for two decades. Esposto’s Meals, headquartered in South San Francisco, has been serving food in the Bay Area for over 50 years. Epicurean boasts “Fresh, Honest, Local” foods and takes pride in being a “values-based company that operates on the principles of high quality, integrity, and sustainability.” Voila Juices was established in Berkeley, California during the summer of 1978 and began its life in the form of a small and colorful juice cart set up in front of the Downtown Bart Station by partners Gary Boland and Dale Allen. Ladle & Leaf, with locations from San Francisco to Oakland to Palo Alto, believes in “keeping your friends close, and your farmers closer” and offers gourmet soups, mac & cheese, and hand-tossed salads.

“We’re thrilled to partner with these diverse San Francisco-area vendors and offer their amazing products to SFO travelers,” Elevate Gourmet Brands Director of Non-Traditional Development George Kennedy said. “We’re looking forward to adding more local Bay Area vendors’ unique products and pre-packaged meals to this location in the weeks and months ahead.”

The Terminal 3-E marketplace is the first of two Pronto locations Elevate Gourmet Brands will open at SFO; a Terminal 3 location is planned to open in late spring 2023.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Elevate Gourmet Brands^® eye-catching grab n’ go marketplace concept Pronto!^® has begun build-out on its first brick-and-mortar location in SFO’s Terminal 3E. Offering “curated provisions, sourced locally”, Pronto takes a unique approach to the airport grab n’ go marketplace delivery model.

Pronto is EGB’s community-driven Grab n’ Go Market. Pronto partners with featured purveyors from each airport city’s many distinct neighborhoods to offer airport travelers, employees and flight crews a curated menu of provisions they would otherwise not be able to find at the airport packaged and ready for departure, Pronto!

“With each of our concepts, we want to bring something new to the airport space, offering new dining experiences while maintaining speed of service. With Pronto! we’re partnering with small, local purveyors from San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods, and showcasing their prepared meals to the millions of travelers, employees and flight crews who pass through SFO every year. It’s a win for airport diners, but it’s also a win for local businesses. As a Bay Area company ourselves, we’re excited to bring the neighborhood to the airport!” beamed Elevate Gourmet Brands CEO Brian Laliberte.

During the build-out with construction partner Altitude, Pronto will have a temporary grab and go mini-market to serve airport travelers at this location.

Ahead of it’s opening later this year, Pronto is actively working with Bay Area purveyors like San Francisco favorites Burma Superstar and Epicurean to curate an inclusive list of meal choices including: vegan, gluten-free, halal, and keto dietary preferences.

Terminal 3E is the first of two locations Pronto will open at SFO in the next 12 months.

SAN RAFAEL, CA – Elevate Gourmet Brands is proud to promote Angelita Velasco to Regional Manager, SFO.

Ms Velasco has distinguished herself over the last 6 years with EGB as Area Manager of SFO airport’s high volume properties including Green Beans Coffee locations at Terminals 1, 3, and International G, as well as Pronto! kiosk locations. In her new role, Ms Velasco will coordinate the  Green Beans Coffee locations at SFO, and emerging Pronto! brand.

Ms Velasco came to Elevate Gourmet Brands with an extensive background in operations and management, having served at Cinemark Theatres in Marin, CA as a General Manager with a focus on launching new Century locations, onboarding, and staff mentorship.

“My life’s calling has always been about serving people, whether its making a latte or helping a lost family find their way around the airport.” Angelita said. “That philosophy also translates to my passion for building our teams, and developing baristas into perhaps future business managers. I’m proud to work alongside a great group of people at Elevate Gourmet Brands who share the same spirit of fortitude and diligence- especially considering the challenges of the pandemic. I am grateful for the opportunity to steward our EGB team as our company gains ground at SFO!”

SAN RAFAEL, CA – Elevate Gourmet Brands^® is pleased to announce Benedikt Reifler has joined EGB as its new Chief Financial Officer. Benedikt, formerly CFO at Philz Coffee, brings 22 years of financial executive experience in the hospitality industry to Elevate Gourmet Brands, with a proven track record of value creation.

Originally from Switzerland, Benedikt started his career in banking and after completing business school, he moved to the Bay Area for its mild weather, cultural diversity, and forward-thinking mindset. He’s an incisive and focused leader with experience with several US brands including Philz Coffee and Tavistock Restaurants, where he built strong financial and administrative foundations, allowing them to successfully expand their footprint. He was a key player in growing Philz Coffee from 14 to 55 coffee shops and Tavistock Restaurants from 17 to 115 restaurants (with a mix of fine dining, casual and quick service concepts all across the US). Benedikt brings a talent for problem solving in operations, systems, and process optimizations in addition to his financial expertise.

“I’m excited to join the Elevate Gourmet Brands team,” Benedikt said. “One of my highest priorities right out of the gate is to leverage technology to transform the accounting and finance department to a fully digital environment, enhance the analysis and planning functions, and help build the strategy for successful growth of Elevate Gourmet Brands’ existing and new concepts in the US airport space.”

Benedikt holds a business degree from the school of economics and business administration (SEBA) in Zurich-Winterthur and is a Certified Public Accountant in California.

SAN RAFAEL, CA – After 25 years of leadership, Elevate Gourmet Brands’ founders Jason and Jon Araghi have named Brian Laliberte as new CEO. Laliberte, EGB’s Chief Operating Officer since 2008, will assume his new role May 1st as US air travel ramps up for summer 2022. The Araghis will continue to serve on EGB’s Board of Directors.

For more than a decade Brian has directed Elevate Gourmet Brands’ growth and diversification within the airport industry, and was instrumental in navigating EGB through the unprecedented challenges brought on by the Pandemic of 2020. Now as US air travel climbs, Laliberte is ready to lead EGB upward as well.

“We’ve developed an aggressive roadmap for growth that we’re very excited to begin implementing. We have two new brands launching in the next 12 months, as well as  four build-outs in two airports to complete by the end of the year. Our entire US team is ready to serve airport employees, flight crews and travelers at pre-pandemic volume,” said Brian Laliberte. “We’re committed to continue elevating our customers’ airport dining experience at all our established and emerging brands!”

Elevate Gourmet Brands include Green Beans Coffee, Pronto! and Whisk & Bowl locations in six US airports, with four awarded leases moving to build-out phase in Q2 and Q3 of 2022. Most recently, EGB opened a new 3,000 square foot Green Beans Coffee serving Nashville International Airport. A Pronto! marketplace opened in BNA’s B Concourse in August of 2020.

“Jon, Negissa and I started Elevate Gourmet Brands as a family business, and over the last 14 years, Brian has become part of our family,” said Co-Founder Jason Araghi. “I know that I speak for all of us in thanking Brian for his tireless dedication to the company, our mission and our customers.”

DALLAS, TX – Elevate Gourmet Brands^® Green Beans Coffee^® will sponsor this year’s Forum on Leadership at the George W Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, TX.

Green Beans Coffee, a supporter of America’s Service Members since opening their first café serving Troops in Saudi Arabia in 1997, will serve speakers and attendees of the forum with an espresso bar and fresh brewed coffee. Green Beans Coffee will also present a Cup of Joe For a Joe exhibit at the forum, showcasing the program’s 15 year impact on American Service Members deployed overseas, and their supporters stateside.

The 2022 Forum on Leadership features speakers including the 26th Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, 24th Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, and the 61st Secretary of State, James A Baker III, bringing together leaders in domestic and foreign policy, global health, and economics.

“Green Beans Coffee’s mission is to support American Service Members from deployment to discharge and beyond, and we’re proud to share that with attendees at this year’s Bush Center Forum on Leadership,” said C.O.O. Brian Laliberte. “We launched Cup Of Joe For A Joe in 2008 so Americans stateside could connect with Service Members deployed overseas by buying their next cup of coffee at one of our cafes there, and exchange messages with them. With Cup of Joe For a Vet civilians can say thank you and help support veterans here at home every time they buy Green Beans Coffee products online. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase Green Beans Coffee’s 25 year history with the US military, and present the Cup of Joe For a Joe and Cup of Joe For a Vet programs’ impact in the military community, at home and abroad.”

KANSAS CITY, MO – Whisk & Bowl ACDBE Partner and Co-Owner Elliott Threatt sent some holiday cheer to all the Whisk & Bowl team members at DFW airport in a new video.  

“Through all this adversity you’ve gotten through all those DFW lines of stressed customers and sent them on their way with what they need- with a smile on your face through the mask!” Threatt said. Holding up his Christmas lights, he continued, “I think you’re our points of light, and I want to thank you!”

Threatt, a Grammy^® Award nominated comedian and entrepreneur has been a moving force behind several Elevate Gourmet Brands partnerships, including the Cup of Joe For a Vet Program, a partnership with Kansas City-based veteran nonprofit Veterans Community Project.

Whisk & Bowl, Elevate Gourmet Brands’ premiere bakery concept, launched in Summer 2019 with two locations at DFW airport. Offering airport travelers, employees and flight crews an elevated selection of modern twists on local Dallas favorites and indulgent pastries and treats, baked fresh daily. In 2020 Green Beans Coffee rebranded their breakfast and bakery sections with Whisk & Bowl at all locations.