Dutch Bros. Coffee

Dutch Bros. Coffee

Company logo at a Grants Pass, Oregon location
Type	Privately held
Industry	Drive-thru restaurants Restaurants Retail coffee Retail beverages
Founded	Grants Pass, Oregon (February 12, 1992 (1992-02-12))
Founder	Dane Boersma Travis Boersma
Headquarters	Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S.
Number of locations	233
Area served	Western United States
Products	Whole bean coffee Made-to-order beverages Bottled beverages Merchandise Smoothies
Services	Coffee
Revenue	US$78 million (FY 2010)
Website	www.dutchbros.com

Dutch Bros. Coffee is a privately held drive-through coffee chain headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, United States, with company-owned and franchise locations throughout the western United States. Dutch Bros. is the country's largest privately held, drive-through coffee chain, with 233 stores in 7 western U.S. states.

History

File:Dutch Bros coffee at Minter Bridge - Hillsboro, Oregon.JPG

Company stand in Hillsboro, Oregon

Dutch Bros. was founded on February 4, 1991 by brothers Dane and Travis Boersma, third-generation dairy farmers in Grants Pass, Oregon. They bought an espresso machine and experimented with a hundred pounds of coffee in their empty milk house in Grants Pass. After a month of handing out free samples to friends and family, the duo began serving up mochas and lattes at a pushcart set up in downtown Grants Pass. They named their company Dutch Brother's [sic] Coffee Company, or Dutch Bros. Over the next few years, permanent kiosks opened in other parts of the city, including a coffeehouse a few blocks from the original stand.

Menu

Dutch Bros. roasts all their own coffee, a three-bean blend sourced from direct relationships with Salvadorian, Brazilian, and Colombian coffee plantations. Flavored coffee drinks are made from ingredients such as Torani syrups, a blend of Dutch Chocolate milk, Oregon Chai, Pacific soy milk, and Harney & Sons teas. In October, 2014, the company announced the release of Dutch Bros. Single-Serve Cups compatible with Keurig-style brewers.

Franchising

Dutch Bros. franchising is available to existing franchisees and employees only. An employee or franchisee must meet certain requirements before being able to apply for a franchise.

Media

November 15, 2013's CBS Undercover Boss the cofounder Travis Boersma went undercover in his stores and to one of their El Salvadorian plantation suppliers, El Olvido plantation, which supplies them with roughly 25% of their coffee beans.

Charitable causes

In October 2009, co-founder Dane Boersma died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In his honor, all locations annually donate one designated day's proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 2013, $271,579 was donated to MDA for research and family services funding. The company also participates annually in a "Buck for Kids Day," when part of the proceeds benefits regional nonprofit organizations. In 2011, over $93,000 was raised for this cause. In addition to specific causes, 1% of gross sales is invested into the community by each retail location. Another cause Dutch Bros. raises money for is Breast Cancer Awareness.

See also

• List of coffeehouse chains
• List of companies based in Oregon

External links

• Portland Business Journal Honors 40 Under 40, The Portlander, February 18, 2010
• Dutch Bros.' Sales Increase in 2009; 10 New Stores Projected for 2010, press release via Business Wire
• Dutch Bros. coffee gives back with Buck for Kids Day, Eureka Times-Standard, December 9, 2009
• Dutch Bros. Coffee Injects Some "Dutch Luv" Into the Traditional French Press, a November 10, 2008 press release via marketwire.com
• "Grants Pass, Ore.-Based Coffee Firm Expands at its Own Pace" Medford Mail Tribune, November 30, 2005.
• Notice of Type II Decision Site Development Review (SDR) 2007-00001, from the official website of the City of Tigard, Oregon
• Dutch Bros. from Lane PR, Dutch Bros. public relations firm
• CNBC Article CNBC Article on "America's Fastest Growing Coffee Chains"