Heine Brothers' is a coffee roaster and coffee shop chain founded in 1994 by Gary Heine and Mike Mays in Louisville, Kentucky.[1][2] Mays is President of the company.[3][4]
 Heine Brothers' location in Louisville's Crescent Hill neighborhood | |
| Industry | Coffee shop |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Products | Coffee, tea |
| Website | heinebroscoffee |
The company has 200-300 employees.[5]
History
editThe first Heine Brothers' shop was opened in the Highlands neighborhood in Louisville in 1994.[6]
The company became "100% Fair-Trade & Organic" in 2002.[7]
In 2011, co-founder Mays bought out Heine's interests in the company and merged it with Vint, a local coffee shop chain.[8] Today, the company operates 16 Heine Brothers' coffee shops within Kentucky and Southern Indiana.[9][10][11]
In 1999, Heine Brothers' became a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, Inc.,[12][13] an importer of fairly traded and organically grown green coffee operating in the United States and Canada.[7]
In early 2015, in a partnership with Forecastle Foundation and Whole Foods Market, Heine Brothers' created "Kentucky Dream", a fair trade coffee blend benefiting conservation efforts.[14]
In November 2016, the company relocated its roasting facilities and headquarters to Louisville's Portland neighborhood.[15][16]
In August 2017, Heine Brothers' partnered with WDRB, a local, Fox-affiliated television station, to distribute eclipse glasses for the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. Funds raised from the promotion, totaling $50,702, were donated to the Louisville Science Center.[17][18]
In 2021, the company expanded with one more shop in Valley Station.[19]
On May 10, 2022, several Heine Brothers workers announced their intention to form a union.[20] On March 17, 2023, the workers' union ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with the company.[21]
Production
editCurrently, the company's coffee offerings are grown and exported by farmer-owned cooperatives in Central America (Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua), South America (Colombia, Peru, Bolivia), Africa (Ethiopia), Indonesia (Sumatra, East Timor).
References
edit- ^ Green, Marcus (April 18, 2016). "Heine Brothers' Coffee to move HQ to Louisville's Portland neighborhood". WDRB. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Stevens, Ashlie (2017-04-28). "More Behind The Pour: What Heine Brothers' Success Tells Us About Brand Identity". 89.3 WFPL News Louisville. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ "Mike Mays". Educational Justice. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ "Heine Brothers Case Study". Qu. 2018-09-05. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ "Heine Brothers' Coffee Customer Success Story | NetSuite". www.netsuite.com. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ "Heine Brothers' locations".
- ^ a b "About | Heine Brothers' Coffee". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Clouser, Stephanie (November 15, 2011). "Heine Brothers' and Vint coffee chains to merge". Louisville Business First. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Bowling, Caitlin (October 28, 2014). "Heine Brothers' Coffee announces first Southern Indiana location". Louisville Business First. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ "We Drank So Much Caffeine to Find the Best Coffee Shops In Louisville". Thrillist. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ "Heine Brothers' Locations". Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ "Coop coffees". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ "Heine Brothers' – Louisville, KY, USA | Coop coffees". Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ "Heine Brothers' breaks 'grounds' on new partnership with Forecastle Foundation" (Press release). WHAS-TV. June 24, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Weaver, Bridgett. "Here's where the next Heine Brothers' location will be". BizJournals.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ Bailey, Phillip M. (April 19, 2016). "Heine Brothers moving HQ to West End". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Carter, Darla. "Get your eclipse glasses here ... if you're lucky". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ Kircher, Travis. "WDRB and Heine Brothers raise $50,000 for the Kentucky Science Center with eclipse glasses". WDRB. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ Kobin, Billy. "Heine Brothers' Coffee to open a new location in Valley Station". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ @HBWorkersUnion (10 May 2022). "Love our coffee? So do we! Love our workers? So do we! Love respect on the job? Support the #HeineBroUnion" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Harbsmeier, Deborah (March 17, 2023). "Heine Brothers' Coffee and employees approve new contract". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved September 30, 2023.