Downtown Sisters is going crazy for wooden shoes, tulips and windmills as a new Dutch Brothers Coffee stand blossoms onto the local business landscape. Story by JEFF SPRY CBN Feature Writer
Owners Bill and Carol Smith are excited to open their eighth Dutch Brothers outlet in Central Oregon, joining the other seven drive-through kiosks in Bend and Redmond. The Smiths are the official area franchisees for the Oregon-based java emporium and started with their first store back in 2004.
Occupying the shack left vacant by Espresso Junction and spruced up with fresh coats of blue, grey and white paint, Dutch Brothers held its grand opening on Friday, April 13th with free coffee beverages all day long.
“Dutch Brothers is about more than just serving a great cup of coffee,” said Bill. “It’s a simple approach but we try to delight the customers with amazing service and superior quality coffee drinks while delivering them at lightning speed. With Sisters we will employ about nine servers for a total of 56 full and part time people in all our stores.
Part of the distinctive Dutch Brothers style and trademark of integrating into the community is by giving back to charities like the Muscular Dystrophy Association, American Cancer Society, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Neighborhood Impact, as well as donating to local schools and school activities in whatever town they operate.
The Smiths got initially involved with Dutch Brothers after a memorable visit to a Southern Oregon location.
“I was in the printing industry previously and our business was founded on the principles of great customer service,” said Bill. “Then I experienced Dutch Brothers’ hospitality and it was obvious to me they had an exceptional understanding of that process and that was very appealing to me and I wanted to be a part of their operations.”
Founded in Grant’s Pass in 1992 by two brothers, Dane and Travis Boersma, Dutch Brothers is the country’s largest privately held drive-through coffee company with over 180 locations in Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and Arizona. Dane passed away in 2009 at the age of 55 after complications arising from Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“I think this new spot on Cascade and Hood Avenue as you enter the town of Sisters has great visibility and great access,” Bill said. “We are sharing the triangular lot with Papandrea’s Pizzeria which has been there since 1977 and is one of the oldest businesses in Sisters. I’ve tracked this particular place and been in talks with the landowners for several years and we’re very fortunate and happy to make the deal work.”
Kimball and Kristie Luff have owned Papandrea’s since 2006 and are excited to have Dutch Brothers as their new neighbors.
“Bill is a great guy and I think a little bit of change is good,” said Kristie. “More out-of-towners will be stopping by when they see their bright blue and white shack. It’s something people are familiar with and it’s locally owned and operated so it fits with Sisters’ hometown feel and friendliness. And they’ve already hired a lot of Sisters locals to be part of their crew.”
“This is all we do and we’re passionate about it and I think Sisters is going to be amazed at the level of our fantastic service and quality,” added Bill. “We’ll be serving our traditional menu of mochas, lattes and a whole variety of specialty coffee drinks made with our premium, private bean blend and roasted fresh daily here in Oregon. We’ve also recently launched our own energy drink called Dutch Blue Rebel. Friday’s opening celebration marked the culmination of our dream and desire to be a vibrant part of the Sisters community for many years to come.”
Dutch Brothers Coffee in Sisters is located at 442 East Hood Avenue. Their regular business hours are: Sunday through Thursday 5am to 10pm and Friday and Saturday 5am to 11pm.
