A global brand of hand-crafted gourmet pastries, coffee and tea has acquired a 30,000-square-foot industrial property in a sale arranged by NAI DiLeo-Bram & Co. of Woodbridge for an undisclosed price.
The property, which is located at 8 York Ave. in West Caldwell, will serve as a warehousing/storage facility for 85°C Bakery Café, which will debut two new retail locations in Cherry Hill and East Hanover this fall.
NAIDB Chief Operating Officer David Simon and Associate Vice President Kyle Gerace represented the food occupier in the acquisition.
Simon noted the buyer will utilize the single-story light industrial/flex property as its primary hub for servicing retail-store openings that are part of its East Coast expansion. Since 2008, the Taiwanese-based bakery has opened 70-plus cafés across the U.S., including Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Hawaii, Arizona and California.
“Situated in a corporate park-caliber setting, 8 York Ave. is well positioned in the heart of northern New Jersey, just about 25 miles west from New York City,” Gerace said. “The property posed a rare opportunity for a user/investor like 85°C Bakery Café to acquire an industrial asset within one of the area’s most sought-after commercial corridors.”
“Our client will be able to use the property as a commercial kitchen for baking fresh and storing finished product. Within minutes from Interstates 80 and 280, U.S. 46 and Route 23, the property offers excellent transportation capabilities,” Simon said. “This buyer’s in-house real estate and due diligence professionals, along with its third-party legal and consulting advisers, worked persistently to help conclude this transaction. We are fortunate to have partnered with everyone involved, and it was a true collaborative effort.”
Additional building features include a new roof, new LED office and warehouse lighting, ceiling heights above 23 feet and five tailgate loading doors. The single-tenant building was formerly occupied by an electronic parts and accessories distributor.
Established on the premise that 85°C (185°F) is the optimal temperature to serve coffee, 85°C Bakery Café’s first U.S. store opened in 2008 and its first central kitchen began operating in 2013. In addition to selling coffee, tea and cakes, each 85°C Bakery Café offers desserts, smoothies and an extensive menu of bakery products.
John Kuhn and Jeffrey Rosenberg of Commercial Property Agents LLC represented the seller in the transaction.
