Biggby Coffee

Biggby Coffee (pronounced Big-Bee) is a privately owned coffee franchise business based in East Lansing, Michigan. Founded March 1995 as Beaner's by Bob Fish and Mary Roszel, the company changed its name to Biggby Coffee in late 2007. Biggby began franchising in 1999. The company headquarters is located at 2501 Coolidge Road, East Lansing, Michigan. History- Beaner's: The first Beaner's Coffee opened in March 1995 in a converted Arby's restaurant on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing, Michigan. Fish, Roszel and Michael McFall (who was originally hired by Roszel as a barista in the first store) decided to franchise the company and founded Global Orange Development, LLC in June 1998. In August 1999 the first franchise location was opened in Okemos, Michigan and in October of the same year, another location was opened in East Lansing. In the following four years, nine more locations were opened throughout Michigan and Ohio. Biggby: Originally unaware that "beaner" is an ethnic slur for Mexicans, in late 2007, the chain decided to change its name from Beaner's to Biggby Coffee. Biggby was chosen as it was a vocalization of the logo, a "big B", which was a "fun" name. The first store opened under the name Biggby Coffee on October 29, 2007, in Westland, Michigan. The change in name was completed in all stores by January 31, 2008. In December 2007, BIGGBY was awarded MBC Global’s 3rd Quarter Multicultural Achievement Award for completing the name change on a completely voluntary basis. In that same year, the company was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Annual Franchise 500(R) list, ranked 289 out of the 500 companies profiled. In 2008, Biggby moved up 34 spots to number 255, the second among coffee retailers on the list. Awards and recognition: In September 2011, the company was named the fastest growing coffee chain in America by CNBC, which ranked the chain number one, based on their growth percentage from the previous year. Biggby was ranked above other popular brands such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Caribou Coffee. Biggby was also named a top 30 food franchise in the United States by Franchise Business Review in both 2011 and 2012. The report compiled results based on surveys from franchisees in the food sector, representing more than 75 brands and 20,500 franchised businesses. For the year of 2012, Biggby was ranked as number 268 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Annual Franchise 500(R) list, and as a top 500 franchise by Franchise Times Magazine. In 2013, Biggby moved up 67 spots on Entrepreneur Magazine's Annual Franchise list to number 201. In August 2012, Mary Roszel announced her retirement from the company after 17 years. “Words cannot express the gratitude that I, along with the rest of the company, hold for Mary,” Bob Fish said. “She has spent countless hours getting us where we are today, and is one of the most driven and talented people I have ever had the pleasure to work with." In November 2012, Mary was inducted by her Alma mater into Michigan State University's School of Hospitality Business Hall of Fame for her success with Biggby and the inspiration she brings to students at the university today. Expansion: Biggby Coffee had planned to have more than 250 stores by 2010. “We’re aggressively expanding in the Midwest and the Southeast, and we do have a growth plan to continue to double our units every two years,” Biggby President Michael McFall said in July 2008. In March 2011, Biggby listed 122 franchise locations on its website, which had grown to 172 by November 2013. It had stores in at least 8 states: Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. In July 2011, the company officially released a "new store footprint" that reduced the cost of opening a franchise location by approximately 40 percent. McFall said that despite the economic slow down that limited growth in Michigan and beyond, the new store footprint allows potential franchisees the opportunity to experience both a faster and higher return on capital and can expand current franchisees’ ability to open additional stores. “By streamlining our utilization of resources, including simplifying the contractor process, material sourcing and delivery, we were able to reduce overall costs by $70,000-$80,000 per location. The overall look and feel of the new stores remains the same as stores open prior to the redesign,” McFall said in July 2011. Advertising: Biggby Coffee uses the statement: "B Happy, Have Fun, Make Friends, Love People and Drink Great Coffee" and the slogan: "Biggby Coffee is my happy place" in their advertising. Michigan artist, Wally Pleasant is the voice behind the jingle in the company's radio and television commercials, which he won an Emmy for in 2011.