Dunn Bros. Coffee is opening a new skyway location at the site of a former Caribou Coffee in Gaviidae Commons.
The corporate-owned store is opening this fall at 651 Nicollet Mall, near the skyway link to City Center. The space had been a Caribou until March of last year, when the Brooklyn Center-based company significantly shrunk its downtown Minneapolis presence.
The location is about a block away from a former Dunn Bros. cafe — the chain once had a space in the Six Quebec building but closed in 2019. It was replaced by Vitality Roasters in 2021.
Dunn Bros. is also opening another coffee shop near the University of Minnesota, at 808 Washington Ave. SE. The Stadium Village Dunn Bros., near the University of Minnesota, will open just about a block from a Dunkin’ set to open around the same time.The new locations come after the Dunn Bros. announced that it’s also planning a major franchise expansion, with a goal of reaching 250 stores in the next five years.
Costa Mesa, California-based private equity firm Gala Capital Partners bought Dunn Bros. about two years ago and is now embarking on a concerted effort to grow the brand by expanding its cafe presence and beef up its visibility on the shelves of grocery stores.
“Adding two new shops at exceptional addresses in our home market is at the top of the list for our accomplishments this year,” Dunn Bros. president Scott Harvey said in an announcement.
The announcement calls the expansion a “real estate approach” that reflects the company’s commitment to growing and adapting in a variety of settings.
Other former downtown Caribou spots in the skyway have been filled by St. Paul-based SK Coffee in the 50 South Sixth building and Maple Plain-based Blackwater Coffee & Café at Fifth Street Towers. The former Baker Center location still hasn’t been filled.
