The Human Bean: An Espresso Dream

“The name of our company is about personal service. It’s about being part of a larger community all the way from our suppliers and farmers, all the way down to our customers,” says Dan Hawkins, one of the founders of The Human Bean, a Medford, Oregon based drive thru coffee franchisor.

Dan and his wife, Rhonda Hawkins, teamed up with his high school buddy, Tom Casey, and his wife, Tami, in pursuit of their fast & friendly gourmet espresso dream.  Their first location was built in Ashland, Oregon, in 1998. Their brand became successful within the first few years, leading them to start franchising in 2002.  

Dan and his wife, Rhonda Hawkins, teamed up with his high school buddy, Tom Casey, and his wife, Tami, in pursuit of their fast & friendly gourmet espresso dream.  Their first location was built in Ashland, Oregon, in 1998. Their brand became successful within the first few years, leading them to start franchising in 2002.  

The Human Bean believes that giving back to their local and global communities is important.  They host an annual fundraising event for local breast cancer patient care called Coffee for a Cure and to-date have donated $1,283,577 within their local communities to the cause.  Their coffee beans are also a part of a Farm Friendly Direct program that involves paying growers a premium for their coffee, with 100% of that premium going to farm and community projects, such as clean water treatment plants, in the coffee growing communities.  

They now have 70 locations in 11 states with 57 of those being franchised locations and 13 being corporate locations.  They are continuing to grow rapidly with the estimated # of locations to be at 100 by the end of 2018.  With exceptional products, attractive and efficient facilities and an exceptionally trained and qualified team, they have the tools needed to be the consumers' brand of choice. Entrepreneur magazine ranked Human Bean No. 157 in its Top 500 franchiser list in 2017, and it ranked No. 2 in the specialty coffee world behind Dunkin’ Donuts. 

If you are interested in learning more about The Human Bean coffee franchise opportunities in areas that remain open for development, visit our Franchise Directory and search under the Beverages category.