Gavina Coffee Helps Put the Accent on McDonald's(R) New McCafe(R) Brand |
NEW YORK, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 130 years ago, two brothers
left their homeland in the Basque region of Spain in pursuit of a dream: to
grow the best quality coffee beans that would produce the perfect cup of
coffee with every serving.
Today, the dream of Jose Maria and Ramon Gavina lives on with every cup
of coffee served in more than 3,000 McDonald's restaurants throughout most
of the West division. Family-owned Gavina Gourmet Coffee of Los Angeles has
served as one of the major coffee suppliers to the global restaurant chain
since 1983 and helped formulate the company's successful line of McCafe
specialty coffee drinks recently launched on a national level.
With Gavina's help, McDonald's share of the beverage segment has jumped
to more than 10%, fueled largely by the introduction of Premium Roast
Coffee in 2005. In May, the company expanded its lineup of coffee offerings
with espresso-based hot beverages and iced coffee drinks.
"When you look at how McDonald's has grown its coffee business over the
last three years, it's truly an amazing success story that wouldn't have
been possible without the support of our partners at Gavina," said Mary
Munoz, New Products Supply Chain Manager for McDonald's.
In the 1860s, the Gavina brothers left their homeland in Spain for the
coffee-bearing soil of the southern Cuban mountains. The Gavina's
plantation in Cuba, Hacienda Buenos Aires, produced the finest coffee on
the island and established the region's coffee community.
Company patriarch Don Francisco was born on the plantation and learned
the intricacies of growing and roasting the highest quality coffee beans.
He worked the fields, learning how to pick and dry the beans slowly and how
to judge which ones were the best quality. That commitment to quality
continues to this day in coffee produced under the company's own brands and
for McDonald's.
When the Castro regime took control of the island in 1959, Don
Francisco moved the family to Southern California. He found work as a
restaurant busboy, but the lure of the coffee business pulled hard, and in
1967 he purchased used roasting equipment and launched the Gavina brand.
Don Francisco's commitment to quality lives on today under the
leadership of his four children, Leonor, Pedro, Jose, and Francisco "Paco",
who oversee all aspects of the operation from a gleaming new 240,000
square-foot plant in Vernon, CA that houses 250 employees.
Today, Gavina is the largest privately owned coffee roaster in the
country. The company's three primary brands, Don Francisco's Gourmet
Coffee, Cafe La Llave Espresso, and Gavina Gourmet Coffee, are available in
markets across the country and account for more than $100 million in sales
annually.
Gavina's relationship with McDonald's began in 1983 when it became the
supplier for 10 local restaurants. The account soon grew to include all of
Southern California, and eventually almost the entire West division.
When McDonald's decided to pursue the beverage business and reformulate
its coffee, Gavina was ready for the task. The Gavina and McDonald's teams
worked closely together to devise the perfect blend of beans that became
Premium Roast Coffee. The result has been a dramatic surge in coffee sales
that quenched the country's thirst for convenient, quality, affordably
priced coffee. The introduction of McDonald's McCafe beverages includes
espresso- based coffees such as cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, iced lattes
and iced mochas, as well as hot and iced Premium Roast brewed coffees and
hot chocolate. All McCafe Coffees can be customized with flavored syrups,
including Caramel, Hazelnut, Vanilla and sugar-free Vanilla, and can be
topped with rich, decadent chocolate, frothy milk and whipped cream.
Gavina's commitment to its community is as strong as its commitment to
quality. "Giving back to the community is just the way we were brought up,"
Leonor explains. The company supports organizations that assist small
coffee growers in Latin America, provides funding for local education and
cancer organizations, and supplies coffee to Ronald McDonald Houses and
supports RMHC(R)/HACER(R) and other McDonald's causes.
"McDonald's has given us the opportunity to prove ourselves," Leonor
says. "We can't just sit back and start fanning ourselves; we've got to
keep growing with McDonald's and our own brands."
And with an assortment of nieces and nephews spending time at the
plant, the Gavina family tradition is sure to continue for many generations
to come.
SOURCE Gavina
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