BEANER'S COFFEE to Rebrand as BIGGBY COFFEE
Posted on September 15, 2007
Lansing, Mich., September 15, 2007 — BEANER’S COFFEE, the third-largest retail coffee chain in the Midwest, today announces its plan to re-brand the company to BIGGBY COFFEE. The change will be inclusive of all 79 of BEANER’S current stores, in addition to those currently under construction. The storewide conversion is expected to be complete by January 31, 2008.
BEANER’S COFFEE is the largest 100 percent operator-owned retail coffee franchise in the U.S. and is among the fastest-growing franchises in the nation. Entrepreneur Magazine included BEANER’s among its 2007 list of top franchises opportunities. As the company has grown from a single store to a regional chain, the need for a new name became evident amidst growing concerns over the use of the word “beaner” as a disparaging term against Hispanic Americans.
“As we’ve continued to expand into new markets, we’ve heard more and more comments about our name, to the point that we had to take a hard look at changing it,” said Bob Fish, BEANER’S CEO and co-founder. “We ultimately felt we would be condoning the use of a disparaging term if we chose to do nothing.”
“I understand that BEANER’s loyalists might have a hard time with the name change, but at the end of the day, we believe our customers will be supportive of our choice to do the right thing,” said Fish. “What matters most is that the store experience will be exactly the same, only our name will be different.”
BEANER’S plans to utilize an “inside-out” approach to the conversion. BIGGBY COFFEE will appear first on its cups, shirts and in-store materials before exterior signage will be converted. The franchise will allow its stores to exhaust current supplies of paper cups and other printed materials in the interest of conservation.
BEANER’S believed the most critical aspect to the success of the transition was to retain as much of its popular identity as possible. An outside consultant was retained to help with the naming process and BIGGBY was identified as a top choice. The new name is a clear reflection of the large orange letter “B,” that adorns its signs, cups and other merchandise.
BEANER’S said it expects to invest nearly a million dollars in its re-branding effort.
About BEANER’S COFFEE/BIGGBY COFFEE:
BEANER’S is the nation’s largest 100 percent operator-owned retail coffee franchise. The East Lansing, Mich.-based company began as a single location in 1995, and has since become one of the fastest growing franchises in the industry. BEANER’S currently has 77 retail locations throughout nine Midwest and Southeastern states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin. More information can be found at www.beaners.com or biggby.com.