• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Coffee Firm Buzzing: Java Dave's Brews Up Expansion

Posted on: Saturday, 28 January 2006, 15:00 CST

By Debbie Blossom, Tulsa World, Okla.

Jan. 28--Here's the scoop -- one of Tulsa's oldest coffeehouses is brewing up something new. The Java Dave's Coffee shop at 6239 E. 15th St., which opened in 1988 under the Neighbors Quality House Coffees name, has undergone a $150,000 renovation that includes an outdoor patio with seating, and an interior redesign with bright yellow and orange colors, leather sofas and chairs, flat-screen television and free wireless Internet access. The shop's menu has expanded with a selection of freshly baked muffins, cookies and coffee cakes prepared daily on site. It also offers catering services for coffee and baked goods. "When we sat down to redesign and update the store, we wanted it to be a comfortable place for our customers," said Mike Tiernan, licensing director for the company, which also includes an Executive Coffee Service division. The flagship shop's new face is part of Tulsa-based Java Dave's push this year into new markets, its introduction of five new coffee flavors and a warehouse expansion that will boost roasting capabilities to 1 million ponds a month. Construction will begin by midsummer on an 11,000-square-foot addition to warehouse space at the 15th Street headquarters, Tiernan said. Locally, three new shops will be open as of Monday, including a location in the London Square shop ping center at 58th Street and Lewis Avenue; one paired with a Paradise Donuts shop at 8720 E. 21st St.; and a third at 14275 S. Elm in Glenpool. Those locations are among the first of about 30 coffee shops the company will open nationwide in 2006, Tiernan said. Java Dave's has 64 locations in 11 states and two international stores. But Tiernan said the market is not saturated, despite the increasing competition between bigger, brand-name chains and independent shops. "What we're finding is there is so much growth in the coffee business we think there's room for more coffee shops," Tiernan said. "We have five in Oklahoma City, and we'd like to have four more." And growing areas of metropolitan Tulsa are ripe for coffee houses, he said. "We think there's room in Bixby, in south Broken Arrow and along 71st Street; we would love to add one there." Java Dave's shops are individually owned but enter into a licensing agreement with the company. Owners find their own space and buy the equipment and signs, and Java Dave's provides its recipes and drink instructions for a $499 licensing fee. Stores purchase the coffees as well as other food and nonfood products. "We don't do well if they don't do well," Tiernan said. The rapid growth of large coffee chains has brought well-known companies such as Starbucks to Tulsa in recent years, but rather than hurt business, they seem to have encouraged more people to enjoy gourmet coffee and specialty concoctions such as lattes and mochas, Tiernan said. And this has occurred despite a jump in the price of coffee beans. Java Dave's appeals to consumers who tend to support local small businesses and who like to taste regional offerings, he said. The shops use 100 percent Arabica beans in five different roasts, and currently offer 51 different coffees from around the world. For customers who love flavored coffees, the first new selection this year is Valentine Creme, a chocolate cherry blend, followed by a mocha and mint blend for Mother's Day, a coconut creme flavor before Easter, Red, White and Blueberry for July 4 and another selection for Father's Day. ------------ Debbie Blossom 581-8387 debbie.blossom@tulsaworld.com

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Tulsa World, Okla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

NASDAQ-NMS:SBUX,

Source: Tulsa World

More News in this Category