Community Coffee facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | coffee roasting |
| Founded | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States (1919) |
| Founder | Norman "Cap" Saurage |
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Community Coffee is a well-known company that roasts and sells coffee. It started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the United States. As of 2005, it was the biggest family-owned coffee brand in the U.S. It was very popular in Louisiana, especially in Baton Rouge. The company has about 850 employees and sells its coffee across the Southeastern United States.
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The Story of Community Coffee
Community Coffee began in 1919. A man named Norman "Cap" Saurage started it. He owned two grocery stores in downtown Baton Rouge. He loved to try out different ways to mix coffee beans to make new flavors. People really liked his coffee.
Because so many people wanted his coffee, Cap Saurage moved his coffee-making to a converted barn in 1923. By 1924, he decided to leave his grocery stores. He wanted to focus only on making and selling coffee.
Coffee and Puppets!
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a famous puppeteer named Jim Henson made commercials for Community Coffee. Jim Henson is the creator of The Muppets! He used early Muppet characters like Wilkins and Wontkins in these ads. These commercials were actually new versions of ads he first made for another coffee company called Wilkins.
Where Does the Coffee Come From?
Today, Community Coffee brings in coffee beans from countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. These beans arrive at ports in New Orleans and Houston.
Since 1988, the company has had a special program. You can save the UPC labels from their products. When you send them in, Community Coffee makes donations to schools in Louisiana.
In 2002, Community Coffee made an important deal. They started buying Maraba coffee from a farming group in Rwanda called Abahuzamugambi. This was the first time an American coffee company bought coffee directly from an African farming group. This deal was helped by an agricultural program called PEARL.
From Bags to Coffee Shops
In 1995, Community Coffee started opening its own coffee shops. These shops were mostly in Louisiana. They also tried to open stores in Texas and Alabama. However, it was hard for them to compete with big brands like Starbucks and other local coffee shops.
In 2013, Community Coffee decided to create a separate company just for its coffee shops. This new company is called CC's Coffee House. This change was made to help the coffee shops grow more easily outside of Louisiana. The Saurage family, who started Community Coffee, still owns CC's Coffee House.
See also
- Maraba Coffee
- PJ's Coffee
