Red Diamond facts for kids
Red Diamond Inc. is a company based in Birmingham, Alabama that makes coffee and tea products. They sell their products to stores, restaurants, hotels, and schools across the United States. Red Diamond started in 1906 and is one of the oldest coffee and tea companies in the U.S. that has always been owned by the same family.
Contents
The Story of Red Diamond
How It All Began
The company began in 1906 when William Fitz Donovan started the Donovan Provision Company. At first, his horse-drawn wagons delivered things like eggs and meat in Birmingham. Soon, he began roasting coffee. He decided to call his coffee "Red Diamond" because it sounded like a very high-quality gem. The coffee became so popular that he stopped selling other goods and focused only on coffee.
Growing the Business
In the 1920s, William St. Clair Donovan, who was part of the family, created a special blend of tea. This blend is still used today for the company's best tea products. In the 1930s, the company changed its name to Donovan Coffee Company because they were only selling coffee and tea.
In 1956, William A. Bowron became the third generation of the family to work at the company. Around this time, Red Diamond moved its main office. Under his leadership, Red Diamond started a new part of the business. This division supplied food and drinks to places like restaurants, hotels, schools, and hospitals.
Modern Expansion
William A. Bowron Jr. joined the company in 1991. During his time, the company officially changed its name to Red Diamond, Inc. They also added many new products and divisions. One big success was Red Diamond's premium ready-to-drink iced tea. This is tea that is already brewed and ready to drink, often found in the refrigerated section of stores. By the early 2000s, Red Diamond became the top supplier of this type of tea in the country. Today, Red Diamond Tea is distributed by companies like Prairie Farms and Hiland Dairy.
In June 2017, a company called Gordon Food Service bought Red Diamond Foodservice. This was the part of Red Diamond, Inc. that sold dry, refrigerated, and frozen food products to businesses. This change allowed Red Diamond to focus even more on growing its coffee and tea business across North America and the Caribbean.
In 2021, Red Diamond celebrated its 115th anniversary! The fifth generation of the family, William A. Bowron III and Emily Wood Bowron, are now working at the company. They are helping to lead the business into the future.
New Headquarters
In January 2009, Red Diamond built and moved into a new location in Moody, Alabama. This move happened after 100 years in Birmingham. The new campus is very large, covering 85 acres. It includes a lake, the main office building, and a production facility. This facility has modern machines for making coffee and tea. There is also a large warehouse for distributing their products. Company officials said that this expansion would help them hire more people.
