FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If 42 doesn't do it for you, the answer you're looking for might be here somewhere.
About I Have a Bean
What is I Have a Bean?
I Have a Bean is a coffee roaster in Wheaton, Illinois. We select coffee from the top 1% of Arabica in the world, roast it after you order it, and ship or deliver it the same day. Every bag carries its roast date and the signature of the person who roasted it.
The people who roast it are post-prison people, also known as formerly incarcerated people, which makes us a second chance employer and a social enterprise. More than 60 people have been hired here since 2009 after coming out of prison.
We sell coffee, teas and tisanes, gifts, subscriptions, and wholesale to churches, offices and cafes. We ship to all 50 states and their territories. The founding story is on the Second Chances page.
Do you sell flavored coffee?
No. We have never sold flavored coffee and we do not intend to.
There are no flavorings, syrups, oils or additives of any kind in anything we sell. No hazelnut, no vanilla, no seasonal or dessert flavors. What is in the bag is coffee and nothing else, which is also why it is safe for people avoiding nuts. See Pure Coffee.
Flavoring is usually what happens to coffee that cannot stand up on its own. Ours is chosen from the top 1% of Arabica, so there is nothing to cover up.
SHIPPING
How does Multi-Address Shipping work?
Really well! Multi-Address shipping processes the big order for payment, then splits it into multiple sub-orders so we can ship each as directed. Shipping rates for multiple addresses are calculated for each address as if each portion of the order were a separate order. As you proceed through the checkout process, you will see your initial order broken up into suborders, each with its own associated shipping charge.
Do you ship coffee?
Yup. We ship to all 50 states in the U.S. We roast every business day and every order we get before 11:00 am (Central) is roasted and shipped the same day.
Can I buy I Have a Bean coffee at a retail store?
Nope. Been there. Done that. It's really hard to control freshness at a retail store. That's why we ship every order the same day direct from our roasting plant. Order Today. Roasted Today. Shipped overnight.
What’s the difference between shipping and delivery?
"Shipping" uses a third party carrier such as FedEx, UPS or USPS etc. to get your coffee from our door to yours. "Delivery" uses our own driver to get your coffee from us to you. Get your order in by 11:00 am Central and we'll deliver it to your door today. (Mon-Fri)
Do you ship coffee outside the U.S.?
We ship to the U.S. and all its territories.
Do you ship to APO/FPO addresses?
You bet!
Where is I Have a Bean located, and can I visit?
We are at 655 Childs Street in Wheaton, Illinois, and yes, come on in. We are open weekdays 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturdays 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Closed Sunday.
Anytime we are open there is FREE COFFEE all day for everyone who comes in. No obligation to do anything but smile. If you did not order ahead we usually have a bag or two on the shelf you can take home with you.
Saturday is a pickup day. We do not roast on a Saturday, so it is the day to collect an order you placed earlier in the week.
Holiday hours and all the details are on our Hours / Holidays page.
Do you deliver locally?
We do. If you are local to our roasting plant in Wheaton, our own driver brings your coffee to your door. Get your order in by 11:00 am Central, Monday through Friday, and it reaches you the same day it was roasted.
Everywhere else in the 50 states we ship the same day instead.
Saturday is pickup only. We do not roast, ship or deliver on a Saturday, but we are open 8:00 am to 1:00 pm if you want to collect an order placed earlier in the week.
Catering / Events
Do you supply coffee for large events or catered events?
If your event is local enough to our roasting plant in Wheaton IL, we can brew large quantities of both coffee and tea for your event. You can pick it up from our roasting plant and then bring back the empty containers when the event is over, or the following Monday if the event is on the weekend. Give us a call to discuss the details. 630-384-9657
Speaking Engagements / Interviews
I heard someone from I Have a Bean speak at an event. How can I arrange to get someone to speak at our event?
We love speaking events! We regularly talk with college classes, church groups, and civic organizations. Send and email to info@ihaveabean.com, we'll connect with you for details.
I want to interview the founder. How do I contact him?
It's pretty easy. You can contact Mr. Leonard at his email address: pleonard@ihaveabean.com. Be sure to provide some information about the purpose of the interview, a deadline (if there is one) and your contact information so he can get back to you.
Fundraisers / Donations
We’re having a fund raiser for our event. Can you donate something to it?
You bet! We love supporting local 501(c)3 organizations. Send an email to fundraisers@ihaveabean.com or give us a call directly at 630-384-9657
We’re having a meeting for our NFP. Do you donate coffee?
Sure thing. Give us a call to arrange details: 630-384-9657
Can you donate a gift box to our silent auction?
Absolutely! Give us a call to arrange details: 630-384-9657
I love your business model and want promote your product. Would you donate some for me to write about on my blog?
That is likely! Send an email to info@ihaveabean.com. Provide your contact details as well as a link to your blog or website. We'll get in touch after we're reviewed everything.
Products
How long does your coffee stay fresh?
Freshly roasted coffee is considered “fresh” for the first 21 days after the roast date. It will still taste “good” after that, but definitely not like it was when if first came out of the roaster. If you know you're not going to be using it within that first 21 days, go ahead and put it in the freezer. You can take those beans out 4 months later and they will still be as fresh as the day you put them in. When you’re ready to start brewing them, take ‘em out and keep ‘em out. Don’t put them back in the freezer. Just put them in the cupboard where they would be if you had just put a fresh bag on the shelf.
Does your coffee contain nuts?
NOPE! There are no nuts, (or honey, or chocolate or berries) or anything other than coffee in any of our coffees. No flavorings or additives of any kind whatsoever. It’s just pure coffee. If there were anything other than coffee in the bag, we would disclose all of that on the bag and our website to help protect the lives of our customers. Not to mention remain in compliance with the FDA.
Do you sell coffee in bulk sized packaging?
We do. Due to package labeling restrictions by the FDA we can only sell bulk packages to business entities. That includes churches, restaurants, coffee shops, offices and the like. Bulk packaging is visible to business accounts on our wholesale website. You will need an FEIN to create a business account there. You will need an account there to be able to see and purchase bulk packages.
Do you sell K-Cups?
We do have bulk packaged k-cups for commercial accounts. We do not sell k-cups to consumers.
Do you sell coffee in pouches?
We sell coffee in pouches as well as 1lb bags. Pouched coffee is offered in the Swag and Gifts collection inside the Tri-Pack Gift Box, and the Coffee Taster's Gift Box.
Is your coffee 'certified' ... Fair Trade / Organic / Bird Friendly / Shade Grown / Woman Owned / Equal Exchange / RFA ... etc. etc.?
Sometimes. We select our raw coffee from the top 1% of all the coffee in the world. That high hurdle eliminates 99% of coffees from consideration. If we only chose certified coffees, many top rated coffees produced by very small farms would be eliminated just because they can't afford to pay the certification fees. The highest ideal for us is cup quality. There is a fuller answer on our certifications page.
My favorite coffee is not on your website anymore. What happened to it?
At I Have a Bean we only carry coffees that are freshly harvested, or 'in season.' This means that our selections will change with the harvest season.
Do you sell wholesale coffee to churches, offices and cafes?
We do. Churches, offices, restaurants, coffee shops and community organizations all buy from us.
FDA labeling rules mean we can only sell bulk packaging to business entities, so you will need an FEIN to set up an account. Start at Wholesale Account Registration.
What if I don't like the coffee? Can I return it?
Call us and we will make it right. That is the whole policy.
No RMA numbers. No sending the coffee back. No nonsense about unopened original condition. If you do not love it, for any reason at all, we fix it. We call it the Gonna Love It Guarantee, and nobody in coffee beats it.
Call 630-384-9657 or email customerservice@ihaveabean.com.
Employment Model
Do you really hire people who have a felony?
We do indeed. Simply put, we're committed to one goal: changing public opinion about post-prison people. We are doing that by roasting award winning coffees, that score in the top 1% "How does THAT work?!" Glad you asked! See the "Second Chances" page. Have your mind blown, and your heart touched.
Who founded I Have a Bean, and why?
Pete Leonard founded the company in 2007, incorporated as Second Chance Coffee Company. The goal was a single one: change public opinion of post-prison people, who you may know as formerly incarcerated people, by employing them to roast coffee nobody could dismiss.
That makes us a second chance employer and a social enterprise, though we would rather you judged us on the coffee. The whole story, with dates, is on Our Story, and the mission in the team’s own words is on the Second Chances page.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
What happens if you run out of a coffee that's on my subscription?
If we're out of stock of a coffee that's in your subscription, don't panic. A few days before your subscription is set to be roasted, we send an email to remind you about it. If your coffee is out of stock there will be a big yellow warning banner at the top of the email. Ya' can't miss it. When you see that, click the "Manage Subscription" button in that email and just select a different coffee. Or pause or cancel or...whatever you want. It's your subscription after all! :)
Since we don't charge for your subscription until we ship, your new order price will reflect the new coffee you just added.
Where do I manage my subscription?
First, you need to have an account on the site AND be logged into it. Then click My Account (the little round silhouette just to the right of the ORDER COFFEE ROASTED TODAY button at the top right corner of the page). You get a lot of fun details there but the pill you're interested in says "Manage Subscriptions".
If you're logged in now, click here.
What if I want to cancel my subscription?
Super simple. Go to the Manage My Subscriptions page and cancel it. We're not going to take offense, or grill you with questions, or make you call us first, or ... anything at all. It's your subscription. You are in complete control of it!
How do I change my credit card information for my subscription?
Login to your account
Click your Account silhouette (upper right area of screen) to go to My Account.
Click the "Manage Subscriptions" pill.
Look for the "Manage" button and click that.
Scroll down to Payment Method for the specific subscription you're changing (you can have multiple subscriptions.)
Click “Edit"…
Click "Add new card” and fill in the fields.
Save and you're done.
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