This year we at the Coffee Hound are proud to announce that we have been named “Emerging Business of the Year ($1 million plus category)” by the local financial and capital services firm, Emerging Business Services. Each year, as part of their mission to cultivate dynamic, high-growth businesses based in Bloomington-Normal, Emerging Business Services highlights several local companies in different categories.
The Coffee Hound started as a single store in downtown Bloomington in 2002. Over the years the Coffee Hound has expanded with a second location in Uptown Normal, its own off-site roasting facility, an online store, and a third brick-and-mortar café coming soon. This past year the Coffee Hound saw the addition of a wholesale distribution business. We at the Coffee Hound are humbled by this success and honored to even be eligible for this designation.
We believe we owe this success to our customers and the Bloomington-Normal community. We have the best customers and cannot imagine a better community in which to start and have a business.
As we look to the future, the Coffee Hound will continue to roast and serve the highest quality coffee and share our passion for coffee with Bloomington-Normal and nationally through the online store and wholesale distribution business. Likewise, we will continue to source the highest quality beans for our customers from around the globe. The Coffee Hound will continue to develop relationships with local farmers such as Alfonso “Poncho” Granados in Costa Rica and work with organizations like The Long Miles Coffee Project and Gold Mountain Coffee Growers that help improve the quality of life in the communities that grow our beans. Locally, we will continue our involvement with initiatives such as our Coffee Hound Featured Artist program and special GLTree Blend to celebrate WGLT’s 50th anniversary and help plant trees at the local community cancer center.
Yet, in addition to this commitment to quality and community, we must also acknowledge we could have not achieved any of this alone. We must acknowledge that we owe a lot to our highly talented and dedicated baristas, managers, roasters, and bakers, in addition to supporters from outside organizations such as Emerging Business Services.
To help us celebrate these achievements and our Emerging Business of the Year Award, we wish to invite all our friends and well-wishers to join us at our Bloomington location on Saturday, July 30 from 10:00am-12:00 noon. Free 12oz cups of coffee will be provided courtesy of Emerging Business Services and a brief reception will be held at the end of the event as owners April and Steve are presented with the award.
We hope to see you there!