Tom Weigand and Annette Zapolis Introduce True Coffee at Cool Beanz
Rock Island, Ill. (April, 27 2011) - Rock Island native, Augustana College graduate (1985) and Trustee Tom Weigand has again brought one of his entrepreneurial ventures to the Quad Cities. Three years ago the Noodles & Company co-founder opened a restaurant in Davenport, Iowa and this time Weigand is working with fellow Augustana graduate Annette Zapolis (2009), owner and manager of Rock Island's Cool Beanz, to sell True Coffee, from his premium artisan coffee company launched in Madison, Wis. in 2010. Weigand and four partners founded True Coffee Roasters with a commitment to roasting coffees from the great coffee-producing regions of the world using a small-batch roasting process that ensures premium flavor. According to Weigand "Once we got up and running, I wanted to make our coffees available in the Quad Cities and preferably near Augustana because of all the requests from family and friends!" He continued, "I learned about Annette's wonderful coffeehouse near Augustana and it was the perfect fit."
As a student at Augustana, Zapolis also began to study coffee, espresso, restaurant management and the needs of the community. After finding the right location, applying a year of research and fixing up a 100-year-old building, Zapolis opened Cool Beanz in August 2009. The goal of Cool Beanz coffeehouse is to provide a comfortable environment for the Quad Cities community, as well as a place for Augustana and Blackhawk College students to study, relax, interact and enjoy high quality products in a warm atmosphere. On any day, guests include families spending time together by the three sided fireplace, students diligently working in books and laptops and couples and friends enjoying gourmet sandwiches, salads and beverages. On weekends, local talent graces the Cool Beanz stage for toe-tapping entertainment. Entertainment schedule, events and more can be found at www.coolbeanzcoffeehouse.com.
In addition to small batch roasting, True Coffee practices many sustainable initiatives such as purchasing predominantly Fair Trade and Organic coffees. According to Weigand, "These coffees come at a higher cost, but we know we are making a difference in coffee-producing communities throughout the world and in return our customers get a really well-grown coffee." To take sustainability one step further, True Coffee has launched a unique Can Refill program for customers who purchase coffee beans to use at home or office. Rather than selling the coffees solely using the industry-standard disposable bag, which is likely to end up in a landfill, True Coffee offers a 12-ounce, refillable can made from tin, which is the most recycled material in U.S. When guests return to refill their can, they receive 20% discount on their coffee purchase, each and every refill. "We wanted a program that allowed customers the ability to purchase the freshest coffee, promote sustainability by using a refillable can and reward them with a 20% discount for doing so," said Weigand. The program is rapidly expanding in coffee shops where True Coffee is sold throughout the Midwest, and the same program is now available at Cool Beanz. Find out more about True Coffee Roasters at www.truecoffeeroasters.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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