Need a Cup of Joe? New Coffee Shop Offers Carrollwood Residents a Different Brew

Coffee has long been the go-to way most people start their days. Now, Carrollwood residents have a new place to get their morning fix.

Open since early May, Alba Coffee at 15000 N. Dale Mabry Highway brings a new option to the area.

There’s one driving force behind the family-run shop.

“It’s my dad’s passion for coffee,” said Adam Craig, son of Alba’s owner Ian Craig. “It’s an unbelievable marketplace where people believe and stand by their roast and protect it at all costs,” he said.

As Craig and his family – originally from Edinborough, Scotland – decided on the Alba business model, having their own blend was key.

“The American palate want smooth coffee but strong,” Ian Craig said. “So I wanted to create an Italian coffee house in Florida.”

In addition to their own coffee, Alba – which incidentally means “Scotland” in Gaelic – serves tea, smoothies and freshly prepared food items, including Irish and Scottish dishes.

So far, business has been strong, and the talk of the coffee shop has already begun among north Tampa residents.

Following her travels in China and Australia, Carrollwood resident Kai Proctor is delighted with the way Alba captures the spirit of the independent coffee houses she encountered abroad.

“One of my favorite things was the coffee shops in the country," Proctor said. "It’s not Starbucks, not Dunkin’ Donuts. Alba brings that to the U.S. with the same style and uniqueness.”

And it’s that distinct friendly atmosphere that Ian Craig looks to protect with the Alba brand, even as he plans to open a second location in south Tampa in about year.

“What’s happening now is that people are coming for coffee and a meal,” Craig said. “There’s nowhere else near us where you can get that.”