I spent my morning at Heine Bros Douglass Loop. Little did I know that by this afternoon a pretty momentous announcement about the local string of coffee shops would be announced.
As you may have heard, there is change in the air at Heine Brothers’ Coffee. Gary Heine recently sold his half of the business to me, and now we are merging with VINT Coffee. For now, there will not be any changes to either HBC or VINT stores. We remain 100% locally owned and operated, and our commitment to the Louisville community and the many non-profits we support will be stronger than ever. Our focus will continue to be on treating people and the planet with respect and dignity, and on giving back where ever we can. We truly appreciate the support we get from Louisville – we’re grateful to be in the coffee house business in such a wonderful town.
Mike Mays, Co-founder, Heine Brothers’ Coffee
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I like the different vibe that the two different local shops have and I’m having a hard time imagining a merged culture.
Update: It looks like maybe the two are going to stay separate entities indefinitely:
Over on Facebook the Heine Bros. account responded to a question about the separate identities of the shops:
“we are keeping our separate identities and personalities – both brands are committed to keeping Louisville a great coffee town, and working together we will be able to do even more!”
November 15th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
My first reaction is not positive. I thought they had two distinct identities that were each appealing. Homogenization, even of a local indie, may not be a good thing.
November 15th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
If they are keeping individual identities then it will at least help them with a better buying power , overhead and to have a larger voice. On the flip side it makes a monopoly that will be hard to crack. Im not sure either.
November 15th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
I think this is a time will tell situation. I am not a coffee drinker, but I do visit both for meetings and the every-now-and-then tea, and I like them both a lot. If it gives them stronger power against the Starbucks of the world, I’m all for it. Just great to have a local alternative to the big chains, and the stronger the local brands get economically, the better chance they’ll have of surviving long term.
November 16th, 2011 at 8:29 am
They’re not keeping individual identities permanently:
http://www.heinebros-vint.com/
What’s this mean for my coffee house experience? For now, nothing. We will not make any immediate changes to our names or how we run our Heine Brothers’ and VINT coffee houses. During the next 6-12 months, we will roll up our sleeves and determine what our employees and customers love best about each of our cultures, values, and business practices. We plan to combine the best of what each company does and to continue providing a great coffee experience.
November 16th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Hey, everyone. Thanks for your comments. I work with the VINT team and am really excited about this merger. Rest assured, there are no plans in the works for changes. Jake, you are correct that perhaps some changes will occur in time. But those changes will be fully evaluated with the best interest of the patrons at heart. Both teams recognize that each brand has a different personality, and each offers different experiences. The four owners of this new company are committed to keeping the overall feel of each brand as you’ve enjoyed them.
November 17th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Please forgive me for not taking a paid public relations consultant at her word, Shane. Particularly when what she says directly contradicts what the business itself says. Whoops?
That said – I merely copied & pasted directly from the linked URL above. It’s not that I’m correct, it’s that both businesses released the statement contained in that text.
Luckily for Louisville, we’ve got a lot of great coffee and a lot of great, local coffee shops that serve terrific products while providing great service. So no matter what happens with this particular business, we’re lucking out with tons of other options.