April 2013
| Business World Magazine | 141
Another Dunn Bros initiative is known
as Project Elevation. In this program, Dunn
Bros partners with a variety of non-profit
organizations striving to create healthier
and stronger communities in the countries
where coffee is produced. Dunn Bros cus-
tomers in America may already know that
each month, Dunn Bros features a unique
origin of coffee, say, something originat-
ing from Uganda, El Salvador or Rwanda.
Through Project Elevation, a portion of the
proceeds from sale of designated coffees is
directed back to non-profit organizations
serving the communities in coffee pro-
ducing countries. In addition to bringing
greater awareness to the organizations, the
contributions help make improvements to
schools, homes and lives of people who of-
ten have desperate needs.
Through such interactions, Plahn says
travels will often lead to company represen-
tatives being greeted by hundreds of cheer-
ing (or dancing) people for an experience
she describes as “amazing” and very atypical
from that most consider as an ordinary day
at work. These encounters are not solely rel-
egated to corporate leadership either. Fran-
chisees are provided opportunity to gain
firsthand experience of the same. Plahn says
this not only helps educate franchisees about
coffee procurement and the principles that
guide the company, but it also helps acquire
greater appreciation of how their respective
work is also helping to make a beneficial dif-
ference in the world.
FLAVOR IN FRANCHISING
Dunn Bros’ follows an owner/operator
franchising model. As opposed to selling
developing agreements that encompass, say,
a whole state, the company enters into an
agreement with a principal in a particular
market. Depending on location, construc-
tion and real estate costs, a typical unit of
1800 to 2000 square feet costs in the range
of approximately $230,000 to $460,000
for a traditional store in 2012. Though it is
a chain, Dunn Bros prides itself as being a
“non-chain” chain. Plahn says each location
can be customized to reflect the nuances of
the respective market in which it operates,
therefore, no two are exactly the same. In
any case, however, Dunn Bros provides the
full range of site selection, architectural de-
sign, building and supply services on which
a franchisee can depend.
