BEANER'S COFFEE, the third- largest retail coffee chain in the Midwest, today announces its plan to re- brand the company to BIGGBY COFFEE. The change will be inclusive of all 79 of BEANER'S current stores, in addition to those currently under construction. The storewide conversion is expected to be complete by January 31, 2008.

BEANER'S COFFEE is the largest 100 percent operator-owned retail coffee franchise in the U.S. and is among the fastest-growing franchises in the nation. Entrepreneur Magazine included BEANER'S among its 2007 list of top franchise opportunities. As the company has grown from a single store to a regional chain, the need for a new name became evident amidst growing concerns over the use of the word "beaner" as a disparaging term against Hispanic Americans.

"As we've continued to expand into new markets, we've heard more and more comments about our name, to the point that we had to take a hard look at changing it," said Bob Fish, BEANER'S CEO and co-founder. "We ultimately felt we would be condoning the use of a disparaging term if we chose to do nothing.

"I understand that BEANER'S loyalists may have a hard time with the name change, but at the end of the day, we believe our customers will be supportive of our choice to do the right thing," said Fish. "What matters most is that the store experience will be exactly the same, only our name will be different."

BEANER'S said it plans to utilize an "inside-out" approach to the name conversion with BIGGBY COFFEE appearing first on its cups, shirts and in-store materials followed by changes in exterior signage and marketing. The franchise will allow its stores to exhaust current supplies of paper cups and other printed materials in the interest of conservation.

In pursuing a new name, BEANER'S believed the most critical aspect to the success of the transition was to retain as much of its popular identity as possible. An outside consultant was retained to help with the year-long naming process and BIGGBY was identified as a top choice based on its fit, simplicity and uniqueness in the coffee and specialty retail category. The new name is a literal interpretation and a phonetic spelling of the large orange letter "B" that has become the icon for BEANER'S and adorns all its signs, cups and other merchandise.

BEANER'S said it expects to invest nearly $1 million in its re-branding effort.

About BEANER'S COFFEE/BIGGBY COFFEE

BEANER'S is the nation's largest 100 percent operator-owned retail coffee franchise. The East Lansing, Mich.-based company began as a single location in 1995, and has since become one of the fastest-growing franchises in the industry. BEANER'S currently has 77 retail locations throughout nine Midwest and Southeastern states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin. More information can be found at or .