PJ's Coffee of New Orleans continues with expansion push

PJ's Coffee of New Orleans continues with expansion push
Tags: Coffee / Specialty Beverages, Operations Management
November 3, 2009

PJ's Coffee of New Orleans has announced its continued expansion efforts in the year since it was acquired by Scott, Steve and Paul Ballard along with Thomas Richards, Brett Pearson and Mark Higdon. There were 44 corporate and franchised stores at that time of the June 2008 acquisition from Raving Brands. Today there are 63 locations with 12 more scheduled to open over the next six months. The new stores are a combination of franchisee- and corporate-owned operations.

"While we continue to expand across the country, we are committed to remaining a New Orleans company," PJ's CEO Scott Ballard said. "When we acquired the business last year, corporate operations consisted of fewer than 10 employees. Today we have a growing corporate staff of 28 focusing on roasting, franchising, quality control, and retail products. Together we are building and expanding the PJ's Coffee brand."

Furthering their commitment to building the brand, the owners of PJ's Coffee have negotiated a two-year partnership with the New Orleans Saints, which includes PJ's designation as "the preferred coffee of the New Orleans Saints." PJ's also secured the rights to brand two of the Superdome's outside air handling units to mimic giant coffee cups, complete with steam rising out of them. The New Orleans Saints and PJ's Coffee also are working on developing a line of co-branded retail coffees that will be released this November.

Retail Products

In addition to growing its franchise operations, PJ's Coffee of New Orleans is expanding its retail business. The company is currently finalizing plans for a ready-to-drink beverage and already offers its own PJ's branded bottled spring water.

"We have increased our retail and food offerings within our stores and we are developing other products which should be available soon," Ballard said.

PJ's Coffee offers coffee service to offices, restaurants, hospitals and other industries through its subsidiary, New Orleans Roast. The company has expanded this business segment to more than double what it was a year ago. The company is working on distribution channels to expand coffee service beyond its current service area.

New Orleans Roast gourmet coffees are now available in grocery stores, including medium roast, dark roast, coffee & chickory, and decaf flavors. One pound bags of New Orleans Roast are currently available for $4.99. The coffees are all roasted in the company's French Quarter facility in the small-batch tradition of the company.