History
“Coffee News® is food for thought, as our readers dine. It’s like a breath of fresh air for those who are tired of hearing only the bad news.” —Jean Daum, Founder, Coffee News®
In 1988, Jean Daum of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, placed a lunch order at her favorite café. As she waited for her food, she found herself reading the nutritional information on a sugar packet. She thought, “Restaurants should give patrons something quick to read while they wait”. At the same time, local businesses were struggling to find affordable options to advertise and market their goods and services. Jean’s background in advertising and passion to help her community led her to design a restaurant publication as fun and addictive as sugar, but much more nourishing for both readers and local business owners. After many months of research, Coffee News® was born!
The success of Coffee News® exceeded her wildest dreams. Its rapid popularity and success inspired Jean to franchise her business model, providing opportunities for others to become part of this exciting publication.
In the mid-90s, Coffee News® expanded internationally with Bill Buckley, its first U.S.
franchisee. Bill quickly saw the incredible potential of this business idea and knew it
would spread throughout the U.S. and around the world. Bill ran the U.S. franchise
headquarters from Bangor, Maine, while helping Jean to build out a robust training and
support system for its franchisees. When Jean passed away in 2007, Bill acquired the
international operations while Jean’s daughter, Candice Daum, assumed the leadership
of Coffee News® Canada.
