ATLANTA — PJ's Coffee, founded in New Orleans in 1978, said it is aligning itself with its Big Easy heritage by formally assuming the brand, PJ's Coffee of New Orleans.
According to a news release, the New Orleans reference will begin to make its way into stores this fall starting with a new line of coffee packaging and coinciding with the 28-year anniversary of the concept.
PJ's distinguishes the packaging of the roasts with single colors from its logo — red, purple and yellow-orange and the carefully selected images — Canal Street Trolley, Jackson Square Chapel, Bourbon Street Jazz Band and a Garden District Antebellum.
The company said it wanted a strong tie to the city's resilience and recovery after Hurricane Katrina, which had an impact on 30 percent of PJ's Coffee shops. The company said Hurricane Katrina has galvanized the 28-year-old coffee brand with New Orleans, home to its roasting facility that sits four-feet above street level overlooking the Mississippi River.
"While the name change to PJ's Coffee of New Orleans is subtle in print, it is significant in the minds of our constituents, especially our franchisees," explains Chris Morocco, president of PJ's Coffee of New Orleans. "It reflects our commitment to New Orleans in physical presence and in distinguishing our coffee from the rest of the United States where specialty coffee has become a very competitive and crowded marketplace. New Orleans represents one of the leading coffee ports in the world, and we feel a sense of ownership and responsibility to New Orleans."
