Diedrich Coffee facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | In 1972 in Irvine, California |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
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Key people
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J. Russell Philips, President and CEO Sean McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer |
| Products | Whole Bean Coffee Food Beverages Merchandise |
| Revenue | $52.5 mill. (FY2004 net) ($14.6 mill) |
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Number of employees
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815 as of February 25, 2005 |
| Parent | Green Mountain Coffee Roasters |
| Subsidiaries | Diedrich Coffee, Inc Coffee People |
Diedrich Coffee was a company that focused on coffee. It was based in Irvine, California. The very first Diedrich coffee house opened its doors in Orange County, California, in 1972.
Contents
The Story of Diedrich Coffee
The story of Diedrich Coffee began in 1916. That's when Charlotte Diedrich received a coffee farm in Costa Rica. Her son, Carl Diedrich, joined the family business in 1946. Later, in 1966, Carl bought another coffee farm in Antigua, Guatemala.
The first Diedrich coffee shop opened in 1972. It was a place where they roasted coffee beans. This shop was located in Newport Beach, California.
Growing the Business
Martin Diedrich, Carl's son, started Diedrich Coffee as a neighborhood coffee shop in 1983. He took over the family's coffee business. This included selling coffee, roasting it, and bringing it in from other countries.
In September 1996, Diedrich Coffee became a public company. This meant that people could buy shares (small parts) of the company.
In July 1999, the company bought a competing coffee chain called Coffee People. Coffee People also had the rights to run Gloria Jean's Coffees shops in the United States.
Martin Diedrich left his job at Diedrich Coffee in June 2004.
Big Changes for Diedrich Coffee
In September 2006, Diedrich Coffee made a big announcement. They planned to close their own coffee shops. This included shops under the Diedrich and Coffee People names. About 40 of these locations were sold to another big coffee company, Starbucks. Starbucks then reopened them under their own brand.
Diedrich Coffee continued to operate in a different way. They became a company that roasted coffee beans and sold them to other businesses. They also continued to be the company that allowed others to open Coffee People and Gloria Jean's shops (this is called franchising). They also kept ownership of the Coffee People shops located inside the Portland International Airport.
In 2009, Diedrich Coffee sold its Gloria Jean's franchises in the U.S. to an Australian company. However, Diedrich kept the right to use the Gloria Jean's name in North America. They used it for selling coffee beans and for Keurig coffee pods.
The Final Sale
On November 3, 2009, a company called Peet's Coffee announced they wanted to buy Diedrich. But on December 8, 2009, another company stepped in. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. offered to buy Diedrich for a much higher price, $290 million. Diedrich Coffee agreed to this deal.
See also
- List of coffeehouse chains
