Blue  Bo'le  Coffee;  true  ar.sanal  joe  

 Blue  Bo'le  Coffee  is  ushering  in  a  new  genera.on  of  coffee  

shops,  according  to  an  ar.cle  posted  recently  by  Bloomberg  

Businessweek.  

The  ar.cle,  wri'en  by  Bloomberg  contributor  Joel  Stein,  describes  the  atmosphere,  menu,  and  perhaps  most  notably,  the  owner  of  Blue  

Bo'le  Coffee,  a  13-­‐store  chain  based  in  Oakland,  California.  

 Stein  describes  owner  and  founder  James  Freeman  as,  “the  guy  PBS  producers  would  have  sent  in  to  calm  Mr.  Rogers  down…  Calm.  

Simple.  Exact.”  

He  also  happens  to  be  running  what  Stein  describes  as  one  of  the  most  a'rac.ve  opera.ons  in  the  industry  

in  terms  of  investors;      

Blue  Bo'le  has  received  funding  from  Google  Ventures,  True  

Ventures,  Instagram  co-­‐founder  Kevin  Systrom,  Twi'er  co-­‐founder  Evan  Williams,  Flickr  co-­‐founder  Caterina  Fake,  WordPress  founder  

Ma'  Mullenweg,  and  former  Google  execu.ve  Chris  Sacca.  

 According  to  the  ar.cle,  in  2012  the  company  raised  nearly  $20  million  in  venture  funding,  and  another  $25  million  in  January  of  this  year.  

The  Difference  is  in  the  Details  

So  what  makes  the  company  so  appealing?    The  author  argues  it’s  Freeman’s  me.culous  approach.  

 According  to  Stein,  Freeman  does  only  20%  of  sales  wholesale,  

compared  to  his  compe.tors’  rate  of  nearly  75%,  because  he’s  afraid  

people  in  other  shops  will  brew  his  coffee  incorrectly.  

 He  sells  his  coffee  only  in  one  major  grocery  store,  California  Whole  

Foods,  where  he  is,  “trea.ng  it  like  milk,  puang  it  into  a  box  with  a  

four-­‐day  sell-­‐by  date.”  

His  perfec.onist  aatude  has  led  to  a  rapid  period  of  growth  for  Blue  

Bo'le  Coffee,  which  recently  used  some  of  their  venture  funding  to  

purchase  Handsome  Coffee  Roasters,  design  new  stores  in  Los  Angeles,  and  begin  expansion  plans  

for  a  Japanese  opening.  

It  also,  according  to  Stein,  hasn’t  always  been  so  kind  to  him.  

 Freeman’s  wife  described  the  shop’s  owner  in  his  younger  years  in  

Humboldt  County,  telling  Stein  that,  “Everyone  listened  to  AC/DC…    James  rebelled  by  playing  the  clarinet  and  listening  to  opera.  

He  got  beat  up  and  couldn’t  wait  to  leave…  When  we  started  da.ng  he’d  heard  of  the  Beatles,  but  he  never  

listened  to  the  Beatles.  

James  is  a  nerd.”  

Nerd  or  otherwise,  one  thing  is  for  certain:  James  Freeman  and  Blue  Bo'le  Coffee  are  on  the  rise.