Beverages

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Corporate Office

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee was founded in 2005 by current CEO Jonathan Golden. After a trip to Rwanda, Golden realized that the people there had incredibly good coffee, but were forced to accept very little money for their product due to infighting and a lack of distribution.

The company operates coffee shops, as well as selling coffee online, from the coffee farmers of Rwanda. Farmers are paid a living wage for their product and the Rwandan community benefits from Community Trade. The company sells genuine Arabic coffee and other items, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, and coffee makers via their eCommerce site, as well as at their coffee houses.

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee currently has 12 locations in 5 states. The company offers also offers franchising. Company headquarters are in Roswell, Georgia.

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee currently has 12 locations in 5 states. The company offers also offers franchising. Company headquarters are in Roswell, Georgia.

History

The WingHouse Bar and Grill Corporate Office

The WingHouse Bar and Grill was founded in 1994 in Largo, Florida, by Ex NFL player Crawford Ker. The original name of the company was Ker’s Winghouse.

Ker originally owned another restaurant called The Frat House. He was an absentee owner and the business failed, taking Ker’s entire investment with it. This lesson taught Ker quite a bit, however, and his next restaurant, The Winghouse, which resembles a Hooter’s restaurant, is performing much better.

The company has more than 27 locations, all in Florida, and annual revenue in 2008 of $600 million. Ker won a $1.2 million dollar lawsuit against Hooters, who claimed that his restaurants “stole” their business plan. The judge ruled in favor of Ker.

The Winghouse Bar and Grill

The WingHouse Bar and Grill was founded in 1994 in Largo, Florida, by Ex NFL player Crawford Ker. The original name of the company was Ker’s Winghouse.

History

Costa Vida Corporate Office

Costa Vida was founded in Layton, Utah, in 2003 by husband and wife team JD and Sarah Gardner. After a trip to the coast of Baja Mexico, the pair wanted to keep both the feeling, as well as the flavor, of warm beaches and Mexican cuisine. The couple opened their first restaurant in Leyton, Utah.

Today, the company operates a chain of franchises across the US. There are currently 50 locations, but a company spokesperson has stated that there are 217 scheduled to be opened in the next 5 years. Two franchisees, Sean Collins and Dave Rutter, liked the restaurant so much that they purchased the company in 2004. The company opened their first international location, in Alberta, Canada, in 2016. The company currently offers only multi-franchise operations, meaning that a person needs to be willing to take on 3 franchise locations, or more.

Each location makes tortillas from scratch, as well as their seasoned pork and beef dishes, which are slow cooked for several hours before serving.

Costa Vida

Each location makes tortillas from scratch, as well as their seasoned pork and beef dishes, which are slow cooked for several hours before serving.

History

Thrive Farmers Corporate Office

Thrive Farmers, sometimes called Thrive Farmers Coffee, was founded in 2010 by current CEO Michael Jones and co-founder Kenneth Lander. The company supplies farmer direct coffee beans to wholesalers, consumers, and specialty stores.

The company provides coffee farmers with direct access to processing and distribution logistics, as well as to the marketplace in general, so coffee farmers retain control of their crops up until sale, rather than relying on middle sales agents.

Thrive Farmers distributes coffee to consumers through online channels, roasters, coffee houses, restaurants, and retail grocers. The company seeks out sustainable coffee farmers who can enter into long term partnerships with companies around the globe, benefiting farmers.

Thrive Farmers

History

Peet’s Coffee and Tea Corporate Office

Peet’s Coffee and Tea was founded in 1966 in Berkely, California, by Alfred Peet. The original location, close to the University of California at Berkley, is still standing, with much of it being used as a museum displaying memorabilia.

The company operates a chain of coffee and tea shops, which feature specialty or hard to find coffees, coffee flavors, and tea. The company went public on the NASDAQ in 2001 and can be found under the ticker symbol PEET. JAB Holding Company acquired the company in 2012 for an undisclosed amount.

Peet’s Coffee and Tea has approximately 5,000 employees, more than 200 locations, as well as annual revenue in 2015 of $700 million. In 2014, the company acquired Mighty Leaf Tea of San Francisco, then in late 2015, a majority stake in Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea.