Diedrich Coffee is a coffee company based in
Irvine, CA
Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...
. Its first coffee house in
Orange County, California
Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States ...
, was opened in 1972.
History
The history of the company started with Charlotte Diedrich inheriting a coffee plantation in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the ...
in 1916. Her son, Carl Diedrich joined the business in 1946 and purchased a coffee plantation in
Antigua, Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architectu ...
, in 1966. The first coffeehouse, a roastery, opened in
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws v ...
in 1972.
Diedrich Coffee, a neighborhood coffeehouse, was founded by Martin Diedrich in 1983. He took over the retail, roasting and importing facets of the family business from retiring Carl. In September 1996, Diedrich Coffee went public.
The company bought rival chain Coffee People, which also held the franchise rights to
Gloria Jean's Coffees
Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffee Pty Ltd is an American-Australian retail coffeehouse brand headquartered in Castle Hill, Sydney. The chain is owned by the multinational fast casual restaurant conglomerate Retail Food Group and has more than 1,400 ...
in the United States, in July 1999. In June 2004, Martin Diedrich resigned his position at Diedrich Coffee.
In September 2006, Diedrich Coffee announced plans to close its company-owned retail stores under the Diedrich and Coffee People brands, with 40 locations being sold to rival
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 cou ...
and reopened under that brand. The company continued as a roaster and wholesaler of coffee beans and as the franchisor of the Coffee People and Gloria Jean's brands. The company also retained ownership of Coffee People stores inside the
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city l ...
.
In 2009, Diedrich Coffee sold its US Gloria Jean's franchises to the Australian-owned
Gloria Jean’s Coffees International. As part of the deal, Diedrich retained the rights to use the Gloria Jean's brand in North America for wholesaling and
Kuerig coffee pods.
On November 3, 2009, California-based
Peet's Coffee announced that it was buying Diedrich. On December 8, 2009, Vermont-based
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. trumped the offer from Peet's Coffee and agreed to buy Diedrich for $290 million.
See also
*
List of coffeehouse chains
This list of notable coffeehouse chains catalogues the spread and markets share of coffeehouses world-wide. This list excludes the many companies which operate coffeeshops within retail establishments, notably bookstores and department stores, or ...
*
References
External links
Diedrich CoffeeCoffee PeopleGloria Jean's
{{Keurig Dr Pepper brands
Restaurants established in 1972
Coffeehouses and cafés in the United States
Fast-food chains of the United States
Companies based in Irvine, California
Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Coffee brands
1972 establishments in California