It's a Grind Coffee House
Encyclopedia
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
which sells a variety of coffees, teas, blended drinks, and bakery items. The name "It's a Grind Coffee House" is a registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
of Praise International North America, Inc, which is the North America affiliate of Gloria Jean's Coffees International. It's A Grind Coffee House was founded in 1994, the first store opening in July 1995 at 5933 East Spring Street in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. It's A Grind Coffee House was purchased by Praise International North America, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California, in July 2009.
Currently, stores are under development with 105 locations in 14 states, with over 100 more in development. The company was ranked in the top 500 franchises in the USA by Entrepreneur.com for 2008.
In popular culture
Although unknown to a large segment of the U.S. population, It's A Grind has received exposure on the Showtime television series WeedsWeeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
through product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
deals. It is featured in the show's opening credits, and characters on the show often are seen drinking from the store's cups.
A song written and performed by Chris Arbisi and Frank Simms (the voice of "Kool-Aid Man") called, "Its a Grind", plays in all of the stores nationwide along with other jazz and blues tunes typically played at most coffee shops. The pair originally wrote the song for an appearance at an "Its a Grind" grand opening in Robbinsville, NJ in January 2008.