Category: Cooking/Food/Health

Dutch Bros Coffee: A Pacific Northwest Treasure Worth Discovering

How a small pushcart business became one of America’s most beloved coffee chains

Dutch Brothers Coffee

If you ever get the chance to visit Dutch Bros Coffee, don’t pass it up. What began as a humble pushcart operation in 1992 has evolved into one of America’s most beloved drive-through coffee chains with a fiercely loyal following. My personal favorite is “The Kicker” – a delicious breve (espresso with half-and-half) infused with Irish cream syrup that delivers exactly the kick its name promises. Trust me, it’s some seriously good stuff that will have you coming back for more.

From Dairy Farm to Coffee Empire

Dutch Bros’ story begins with brothers Travis and Dane Boersma, who were looking for a new direction after three generations in the dairy business. In 1992, with an initial investment of $12,000, they purchased an espresso machine, 100 pounds of coffee beans, and set up a pushcart in downtown Grants Pass, Oregon. Within six months, they were making $200 a day – quite the improvement over their 2 a.m. dairy farm milking schedule!

What started as a single coffee cart has grown to more than 1,000 locations across 18 states as of early 2025. The company plans to reach 2,000 locations by 2029 and as many as 4,000 by 2040. In 2024 alone, Dutch Bros generated an impressive $1.3 billion in revenue.

The Boersma brothers built their business on three core values: speed, quality, and service – with an emphasis on creating genuine connections with customers. This commitment to community and quality has helped Dutch Bros stand out in the competitive coffee market.

The Kicker: My Go-To Dutch Bros Drink

“The Kicker” is my personal favorite on the Dutch Bros menu. This classic drink features a bold espresso combined with half-and-half (creating what’s known as a breve) and Irish cream syrup. The result is a smooth, creamy coffee experience with just the right amount of sweetness and that signature Irish cream flavor.

Available hot, iced, or blended, The Kicker gives you the perfect energy boost to power through your day. While it might not be the chain’s most popular drink (that honor goes to the caramel and vanilla-infused Golden Eagle), it certainly deserves a spot in the Dutch Bros hall of fame.

Dutch Bros describes The Kicker as “a delightful breve with a blend of bold espresso, half and half and Irish cream syrup” that gives you “the kick you need to have an awesome day!” With a description like that, how could you resist trying one?

What Makes Dutch Bros Special

Dutch Bros stands out from other coffee chains in several meaningful ways:

  • They roast their own beans – Dutch Bros imports green arabica coffee beans from Central and South America and roasts them at their own facilities in Oregon and Texas, ensuring quality control from bean to cup.
  • Ethical sourcing – The company partners with Enveritas to verify their coffee is ethically and sustainably grown, and they provide health and educational services to coffee-growing communities through the Dutch Bros Foundation.
  • No high fructose corn syrup – Dutch Bros uses only real cane sugar in their non-sugar-free flavorings, avoiding artificial sweeteners made from corn syrup.
  • Employee culture – Employees (called “broistas”) receive excellent training, benefits, and growth opportunities. With educational stipends and clear advancement paths, it’s no wonder Dutch Bros enjoys strong employee loyalty.
  • Community involvement – The company has a strong tradition of giving back, including their annual “Drink One for Dane” fundraiser supporting ALS research in honor of co-founder Dane Boersma, who passed away from the disease in 2009.

Dutch Bros currently operates on a unique business model. Since 2017, they no longer offer franchising opportunities to outside investors. Instead, only employees who’ve risen through the ranks to become regional operators can open and run new locations – ensuring the Dutch Bros culture remains intact as they expand.

Beyond The Menu: Secret Drinks to Try

Like many popular chains, Dutch Bros has an unofficial “secret menu” with creative concoctions you won’t find on their standard menu. These drinks occasionally appear on their social media accounts or in newsletters.

Some fan favorites include “The Bob” (a coconut, banana, and chocolate mocha) and the “Snickerdoodle Breve” (a breve with chocolate macadamia nut syrup, white chocolate sauce, and cinnamon syrup topped with cinnamon sprinkles).

Don’t worry if your barista isn’t familiar with these secret creations – thanks to Dutch Bros’ highly customizable menu and ordering app, you can easily recreate these specialty drinks by selecting the specific ingredients yourself.

Worth the Detour

Dutch Bros has grown from humble beginnings to become a coffee chain that inspires genuine passion in its customers. With their focus on quality ingredients, friendly service, and community involvement, it’s easy to see why they’ve been so successful.

If you spot a Dutch Bros drive-through on your travels, do yourself a favor and stop by. Whether you try my recommendation of The Kicker or opt for their most popular Golden Eagle, you’re in for a treat that goes beyond just good coffee – you’re experiencing a piece of Pacific Northwest coffee culture that’s spreading its positive energy across America, one cup at a time.

Join the Conversation

Have you tried Dutch Bros Coffee? What’s your favorite drink on their menu? Share your recommendations in the comments below!

Kona Joe’s Coffee Plantation Tour

What I Learned About Coffee in Hawaii’s Famous Region

If you know me, you know I love coffee. Yesterday we went to Kona Joe’s in the 20-mile Kona Coffee Belt of Hawaii. We went on the tour, which ended up being private, so I got the chance to ask all my coffee questions. As you can see, their plantation overlooks the ocean in Kona, and it is some seriously prime real estate.

Here is what I learned on the tour:

The Trellis Method

Dr. Joe and his wife decided to buy some acreage on Kona. They built a house and some coffee trees for personal use and used the trellis method which is used in wine making but had never been used for growing coffee. They found the trellis method allowed the sunlight to be evenly distributed amongst the leaves of the plant, giving the cherries more sugar. The trellis method also increases the yield by about 30%.

Coffee Cherries

The fruit of the coffee tree is called a cherry, which turns red when ripe. Cherries do not ripen all at once, so they must be hand-picked.

Most ripening happens around October, so until the 1960s the Kona summer vacation went from September to November.

It takes 7 pounds of coffee cherries to equal one pound of roasted coffee.

Each coffee cherry has two coffee beans.

From Cherry to Cup: The Process

Harvesting

  • When the beans are ripe, a chemist determines if it is a good time to harvest, based on the sugars in the cherry.
  • Beans are ripe for about a week to a week and a half, and then they turn black and fall off the tree.
  • Unripe coffee cherries are green and when they are ripe they turn a dark red.

Processing

  • When the cherry is harvested, it is brought to a wet mill to be stripped of its skin and washed of the saccharine/sugars covering the bean.
  • When coffee beans are drying they can take on odors, so they are usually dried outside unless it is a rainy or high humid environment, which Kona has, so in Kona they mostly dry their beans in non-painted 10% humidity rooms for 2 weeks.

Sorting

  • Machine sorters sort the beans mechanically by grade via screens with different sized holes.
  • In addition to sorting by size, you also have to sort by density because the extra fancy and mother beans are roughly the same size.

Kona Coffee Grades

Peaberry

~5% of Kona beans

Round, highly prized beans with one cherry instead of two, giving more sugar content

Extra Fancy

~20% of Kona beans

Highest quality standard beans

Fancy

~20% of Kona beans

High quality standard beans

Prime

~20% of Kona beans

Good quality standard beans

Mother Beans

Lowest quality

Usually machine damaged or deformed beans

Estate coffee is not a grade, but just means the beans all come from one farm. Estate coffee is harvested, dried, roasted, and hand packaged on site.

Bean Types

Robusta and arabica are the two types of beans:

  • Robusta has 40-50% more caffeine and more bitter taste
  • Arabica tends to have less caffeine and less of a bitter taste, partly due to the sugar content of the cherry

Roasting Process

  • Most roasting takes place from between 380 and 450 degrees
  • The longer and higher temperature, the darker the roast
  • The more you roast the bean, the less oil and sugar
  • The darker the roast, the less caffeine and less oils the bean has left in it
  • Darker roasts look more oily because the longer and higher roasting brings the oils to the surface of the bean

The Kona Coffee Belt

Kona coffee belt is about 20 miles (32.19 km) long. Coffee has to be grown within the 20-mile Kona Belt to be called Kona coffee.

Packaging for Freshness

They put a little nitrogen into the package, which forces the oxygen out of the one way valve to keep the coffee fresh for up to 2 years.

I know there are lots of coffee experts out there, so if you find the information above inaccurate, or if you know of other details let me know, so I can be sure and add it.

Your Thoughts?

Have you visited a coffee plantation, or do you have any interesting coffee facts to share? What’s your preferred roast level and why?