A few months ago, Tracey Kreiling, owner and founder of Bells and Whistles Snackery in Glen Ellyn, IL decided that she wanted to ‘raise the bar’ on the gourmet products she offers at her shop. Knowing of her quest, several of her regular customers told her that she needed to visit the I Have a Bean roasting plant that was just a few blocks away in Wheaton. When she continued to hear this same admonition week after week, Tracey hopped in her car and drove over one Wednesday afternoon. Now, to say that Tracey loves coffee is a bit of an understatement. Not only does she love a great cup of coffee, she looks forward to drinking a morning espresso …. straight and is enthused by a well poured latte. She’s so serious about coffee that a few weeks prior to her impromptu visit to I Have a Bean she hired Alex McDaniel, an accomplished barista from California and tasked him with elevating the coffee experience at Bells and Whistles Snackery.

Alex promptly began checking out the local roasting scene and included I Have a Bean in that search. After touring the plant, tasting the coffee and talking with Pete Leonard, one of the owners of I Have a Bean, Alex and Tracey decided to bring in some of their coffee to see what Tracey’s customers thought of it. The next day, Alex served a freshly roasted Uganda Kapchorwa coffee to some of his regular customers. I Have a Bean coffee is roasted and delivered fresh the same day and Alex’s coffee lovers immediately noticed the difference. They liked it. In fact, they loved it.

After a few more days of taste tests, Alex and Tracey decided that I Have a Bean was the company they wanted to work with and the coffee they wanted to serve. Their customers could not be happier with the decision. While I Have a Bean is providing coffee to Bells and Whistles Snackery, Alex is providing something to I Have a Bean. Espresso. As the head barista, Alex has a talent for blending coffee flavors and has a ready palate for the subtle nuances of taste found in different varieties of coffee beans. He’s put that talent to use for I Have a Bean and has created several different blends of espresso.

To get a taste for what Alex is doing, visit Bells and Whistles Snackery on Main St. in Glen Ellyn any  morning Tues – Friday. Just sit at the counter and enjoy the show!

WHEATON – Whole Foods Market and I Have a Bean ® Inspired Coffee are pleased to announce the debut of I Have a Bean coffee in the Wheaton and Naperville Whole Foods stores.  “I Have a Bean” is Specialty Grade 100% Arabica coffee roasted fresh daily in small batches so you can enjoy the subtle flavors and aromas found only in truly fresh-roasted coffee.

“Whole Foods is delighted to offer several varieties of the excellent I Have a Bean coffee to our customers, many of whom are very passionate about their coffee,” said Mark Buchna, coffee specialist for the Wheaton Whole Foods Market. “Also, I Have a Bean’s core values are lined up with Whole Foods’ values. We strive to support local businesses, especially when they support a good cause. I Have a Bean works for us on many levels.”

“We’re excited that such an innovative, responsible organic grocer like Whole Foods wants to carry I Have a Bean coffee. We’re confident their customers will agree with what our current fans say: I Have a Bean coffee is the best I’ve ever tasted,” said Dave Scavotto, Partner at I Have a Bean.

One of our Partners, Pete Leonard spoke at Tyndale’s chapel service last Thursday, Jan. 14 at their headquarters in Carol Stream Il. Roughly 200 people attended the service and several of them were customers of I Have a Bean already. Two of Tyndales employees received awards for Faithful Service, celebrating 20 years with Tyndale! We fielded a number of questions from the audience who seemed quite interested in our coffee and our mission.

Thank you Tyndale and Dr. Taylor for asking us to come and share what I Have a Bean is up to!

You, your family and friends are cordially invited to drop in at the Second Chance Coffee Company Open House this Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Stop by and tour the I Have a Bean coffee roasting facility, sample what freshly roasted coffee tastes like, share some refreshments, get some great Christmas gift ideas and walk away with some freshly roasted coffee beans!

I Have a Bean

657 Childs Street
Wheaton, IL 60187

We were recently featured in the Chicagoland Extra section of the Chicago Tribune. The link below will take you to the article as written by Joan Cary, a writer for the Tribune who did a great job on the article.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-second-chance-coffee-w-zone-oct14,0,6010009.story

Hope to see you on the 7th!

Second Chance Coffee Company and our I Have a Bean brand were recently given prominent coverage in the Chicago Tribune. The article is titled “Grounds for optimism” and can be read directly from the Tribune website.

Thank you Joan Cary for writing the story!

From the start, we knew that we needed a roaster that delivered consistent results over a wide range of coffee beans, operating personnel and roasting conditions.

And now we have it.

Our new roaster is one-of-a-kind—designed, built and programmed just for I Have a Bean coffee. Our roasting software allows for precise control at every second of the roasting process. Our roaster continuously adapts to account for current environmental conditions, so that no matter the type of bean being roasted, it’s size, density or internal humidity level, our roaster produces outstanding results.  Most importantly, it takes the guesswork out of the process, so every bag we deliver is exactly the way we planned it.

After months of planning, our Chicago roasting plant is ready to deliver its first bag of premium coffee.

The plant, located in Wheaton, is convenient for our employees (it’s on a public bus route, steps from the train station, and only blocks away from downtown Wheaton).

This plant, the first of a number of roasting plants across the country, will serve the Chicago area, offering same-day delivery. Chicagoans now have access to the freshest coffee available!

While we’ve been working on our website, we’ve not stopped working on our roasting plant facility. 

On Wednesday June 2nd, we’ll see the installation of the new, one of a kind, Fluid Air Bed roasting machine that we designed, built and programmed ourselves. This machine produces outstanding and consistent results roast after roast and I can’t wait to get it into production!

We are expecting delivery of other miscellaneous items like a sink and tables etc. but those should also arrive and be installed this week.