If there is one beverage that symbolizes academia and post-secondary life, it’s coffee.
And now the Memorial University community is being asked to choose a Jumping Bean Coffee blend — will it be the medium or the dark roast? — to be the official coffee of the university’s 100th anniversary year.
The Defend Your Blend coffee contest launched in the Queen Elizabeth II Library lobby at the Countdown to the Centennial event on Sept. 17.
The event also included prizes, performances, some exciting news about Memorial’s upcoming 100th anniversary (check out the 100th-anniversary website for more information on that), and, of course, coffee.
You can Defend Your Blend now until Dec. 1 online.
When the winning blend is chosen, coffee beans will be available wherever Jumping Bean Coffee is sold on campus, at the Memorial University bookstore in the University Centre and on the bookstore’s website.
“I couldn’t say yes fast enough.”
“When I was approached with this idea by the 100th-anniversary committee, I couldn’t say yes fast enough,” said Jeff LeDrew (B.Eng’97), founder and CEO of Jumping Bean Coffee. “I loved the idea of getting involved with the centenary celebrations and strengthening Jumping Bean Coffee’s longstanding relationship with Memorial.”
Birth of Jumping Bean Coffee
Mr. LeDrew says his Memorial University education is an important part of how Jumping Bean came to be.
He was working as an electrical engineer and volunteering in his spare time for the Rotary Club of St. John’s when he decided to turn his love of coffee into a fundraising opportunity.
He says his engineering background is fundamental to his success, as he developed a unique way of roasting coffee beans with a low carbon footprint. The result is a product that tastes great and helps people feel good about their purchase.
Mr. LeDrew’s Eco2Roast process uses only organic and fair-trade certified beans from single-origin farmers, shipped directly to Newfoundland and Labrador before roasting.
This approach saves approximately one pound of carbon per pound of beans, eliminating 85 per cent of the overall emissions from Jumping Bean Coffee products.
“Jumping Bean was founded on the idea that we could do better: better socially, better environmentally and better in terms of taste,” Mr. LeDrew said. “We like to say Jumping Bean was formed to engineer the perfect cup.”
As a business owner, Mr. LeDrew has contributed to the provincial economy by creating 50 jobs in manufacturing and food service since Jumping Bean Coffee launched in 2005.
He has developed multiple products, including Screech Coffee and Mummers Blend, supporting the unique culture of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2015, he received the P.J. Gardiner NL Entrepreneur of the Year from the Faculty of Business Administration.
Jumping Bean Coffee has nine retail locations across province. Learn more on the website.
