Diedrich Coffee: four generations, three brands.(CupService)

Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, September, 2004 by Pendergrast, Mark

Diedrich Coffee Company, headquartered in Irvine, California, may be poised to leap into a firm runner-up position in the coffeehouse world, according to c.e.o. Rocky Laverty. "I intend to make Diedrich a credible Number Two behind Starbucks. We want to be Pepsi to their Coke, Avis to their Hertz." Certainly the potential is there. Laverty oversees three brands--Diedrich, Gloria Jean's, and Coffee People--with 375 retail stores worldwide. "Our total annual sales are in the $250 million range," Laverty says. With Starbucks topping $4 billion annually, it seems that Diedrich might never catch the leader. "But we have the opportunity to take the education of consumers about the attributes of great coffee to another level."

Time will tell. By his own admission,...

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