|
 The
Smiths and the Bannings lived a few doors
away from each other on Lake LeAnn near
Jackson, Michigan. After several months of
investigation, Bruce made the decision that
this was what he would do and he would
eventually work his way out of the corporate
world. One morning while sitting on his deck
with a cup of coffee (one of the many he
tried in his relentless search of
consistency and quality) he began thinking
about what to name this new venture. He
thought, “It has to be out-doorsie… kind of
Eddie Bauer-ish, like ‘Hudson Bay’ or
something”. Then there was one of those
moments of inspiration… enlightenment… and
epiphany … a time when one realizes that an
answer lies right before their eyes. In this
case, this was the literal truth for spread
out before him, was “Evelyn Bay”… a bay off
the main south Lake LeAnn body of water.
At about the same time, Tim was having a
moment of enlightenment as well only his was
not so positive. He had come to the
realization that he could not stand being in
the corporate world any longer either. Yes,
you got it… company named and partnership
formed.
Shortly after, the boys were off to New
York where they met up with the people that
would shape their business forever. Dave
Dallas of Dallas Brothers Coffee and Steve
Dietrich of Dietrich Roasters taught Tim and
Bruce the importance of starting with
quality coffees and micro-roasting them for
superior quality and consistency. They
learned that each coffee has its own flavor
characteristics, will roast differently, and
must be hand crafted (developed) in order to
maximize the flavor potential. Together,
Steven and Dave showed what it means to be
“coffee purists”. Steven built the Evelyn
Bay roaster and Bruce and Tim were off and
running.
|
 |
After a few years of preparation and
nearing the opening of the first Evelyn Bay
store, tragedy struck. Bruce and Paula lost
their oldest daughter in a tragic accident.
The world changed in an instant. Theresa had
a passion for Angels and determined to do
something positive in Theresa’s memory;
Paula created Theresa’s Angels and More, an
Angel gift shop in Brooklyn, Michigan. And,
The Evelyn Bay Coffee Company, Ltd was
dedicated to Theresa… thus the Angel in the
logo. |
The loss of Theresa also led to the
company’s mission statement:
“The best response to a
world that is often negative and seemingly
unfair is to create something good and share
it with people.”
Essentially, the Smiths and the Bannings
decided that they would not strive to be the
biggest but would rather strive to be the
best. This obsession with quality led to the
Award Winning “Rooster Crow”, the company's
bold morning blend.
Bruce has remained in the corporate world
and has consulted on many business
development projects. He handles business
development for the company and Tim oversees
the day-to-day operations.
Twelve years have passed. The company has
grown and is positioned for great things in
the near future. The “Evelyn Bay Family”
remains committed to their core principals…
the “beliefs” that define what makes
the company different from the rest. The
beliefs are:
1. The finest
beans… Specialty Grade ONLY
2. Micro-Roasting… we are “artisan” roasters
3. Freshness… we employ “lean” production
and “just-in-time” delivery methods
4. Community… unlike the chains, our coffee
houses are true “3rd places”
5. Price… we are price competitive with the
big guys and in most cases… better!
6. Simplicity… you will not see a lot of
technology in our Roasting facility nor in
our store… we believe in hand-crafted
quality
7. Service… we turn most orders around in 24
hours and train our store owners the “value”
of service
Well, that is the story. The folks at
“The Bay” started from a solid foundation,
have not lost sight of their core beliefs,
and continue to offer true value and the
highest quality. Evelyn Bay purchases
from the top 5% of the world’s production
but offers these coffees at very competitive
prices. They build “true” community-based
coffee houses and offer the opportunity for
free-thinking entrepreneurs to get into the
business at a fraction of the cost of
franchising.
Put it all together and you must
conclude; there simply is no one doing it
better than the “coffee purists” at “The
Bay”.
Thank you for reading our Story… Now,
don’t you think it is time for another cup?
ENJOY!!!
 |
