John Melancon

River Road Coffees

11569 Investor Ave

Baton Rouge, LA 70809

225-751-2633

Website: www.riverroadcoffees.com

"Fresh coffee and great service, always."
-River Road Coffees' company slogan

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up."
-Vince Lombardi

River Road Coffee is owned and operated by John Melancon. Sometimes called "The Coffee Man," he's a veteran in the coffee industry with more than 30 years of experience. "We produce the best coffee and coffee service in the Baton Rouge area." The company uses only high-quality green coffee beans in their custom blends. They roast the beans by hand-and-eye, personally supervising the grinding and packaging, and provide customer service which always exceeds expectations. Consequently, RiverRoad's coffees and teas are quickly becoming the favorite of many folks in the Baton Rouge area.

The shortest time between roasting and brewing is the secret behind every savory cup of RiverRoad Coffee. "We roast only the right amount of beans each time to assure the freshest aroma and flavor of each cup." To further assure the freshest and finest taste, River Road Coffees offers a Coffee Service which provides and maintains all your brewing equipment and supplies. During each delivery, all equipment is inspected and cleaned to assure consistent flavor and freshness quality with each and every cup. "Our customers have become our best salespeople. For information on how to get the best tasting coffee on the planet, call us today."

Melancon graduated from Brusly High School before enlisting in the navy. He earned a degree in education from LSU after he retuned to Baton Rouge and taught for several months. Then he went to work for Stuart Sandwiches where his career in Coffee began. He had been with them for two years when they bought a coffee company in North Carolina, where he was sent to act as regional manager. After 15 years with that company, he returned to Louisiana to work for Morning Treat Coffee and later Community Coffee.

In 1998 he went into business for himself by opening RiverRoad Coffees. For the first two years he operated out of his house. They would roast, blend and package the coffee at night and call on customers during the day. He developed his blends by experimentation, having his neighbors "taste and rate" the blends. When they told him "this one is it," the group named it Baton Rouge Blend. He says today his most popular blend is medium roast Creole. All of his blends have Louisiana names such as Brusly blend, Donaldsonville blend and Acadian.

In the beginning, the business set up coffee service in businesses. He would provide the equipment to brew coffee and deliver coffee, cups etc. on a weekly basis or more often as needed. He soon branched out to setting up coffee service in restaurants. The need for retail sales arose as people who drank his coffee in restaurants called asking where they could buy it for home brewing.

Melancon credits two people for helping him to get into the market. Deborah Sowers who co- founded Perks, the first coffee shop chain in Baton Rouge, taught him how to roast and blend coffee on his own instead of getting it from a factory. Calvin Lindsly of Calvin's Bocage Market was the first to stock his retail packages. The whole bean display at the Calvin's features Melancon's 16 different coffee choices. The company currently has seven employees. His son Ian is co-owner and his daughter is in charge of marketing and maintaining the website.

According to Melancon, the small business industry is a driving force of the economy. Cloverland district, the area where his business is located, is full of small businesses, which he considers valuable resources for the community. Small businesses face many challenges. In the beginning, the biggest one is attracting customers. He also had problems finding a supplier to take a chance on him. It's hard to compete with the big coffee companies. To succeed in a small business, Melancon warns that you need to know what it's all about and have experience in that area. "You must be durable, able to work long hours because it's all up to you. Your attitude will determine where you are going." His favorite business book is Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Melancon views Baton Rouge as a viable, growing, evolving city. "It's a city with a lot of history, diverse ethnic groups, and home to many hard working people." He is involved locally in the YMCA and donates a portion of the proceeds from every bag of coffee purchased to them. He's also a member of the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and volunteers at his church, St. Jean Vianney.

Brewing great coffee is a tradition in Melancon's family dating back to the small country store along the River Road leading toward Baton Rouge that Stanislaus and Marie Melancon owned in the late 1800's. Proud to follow the example of Mr. "Laus" and "Mam Laus" by offering the authentic flavors people in South Louisiana have come to expect and enjoy, Melancon operates/sells in a seven parish area. "I want to be the best in a 50 mile area instead of just 'okay' all over the state." His coffees can be purchased locally at a number of stores including Calandro's, Albertsons, and Whole Foods. Check the River Road website for a complete listing of stores featuring their coffees as well as to purchase online.

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