In Business: 7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee Makes Its Minnesota Debut in Bemidji

7 Brew Drive Thru coffee held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month in Bemidji to celebrate the opening of its first stand in Minnesota. With a number of coffee shops already in Bemidji, the new business says they plan to bring something new to the city.

7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee originated in Rogers, Arkansas in 2017, where its seven original flavors being the only options on the menu. Several years later, 7 Brew has more than 300 stands across the country and is now making its grand debut in the state of Minnesota.

“When we got news that we would get to take on Minnesota, North Dakota, we were really excited,” says Max Wilson, 7 Brew Bemidji Owner and Operator. “Bemidji happened to be the first, which worked out in our favor in a lot of ways. It has been such a welcoming community, just a lot of positivity, a lot of kindness, which is the motto of 7 Brew, that ‘cultivate kindness’ mentality. It may not seem like a big town, but it’s got a big heart. It’s a great spot for us to spread out. ”

Bemidji is known as the first city on the Mississippi, but 7 Brew Coffee isn’t exactly the first coffee shop to come to town. With so many options available, how exactly does 7 Brew Coffee plan to stand out amongst the competition?

“We have a double-lane drive thru so we can serve twice as many customers at the same time,” says John Theroux, 7 Brew Bemidji Stand Manager. “The format in which we have out baristas come out, they will come to your vehicle to take your orders directly, which allows us to take multiple orders down the line as we go through, and that sends all the orders inside so we can be working on drinks ten spots back.”

“We are more of an experience,” stated Wilson. “We’re going to have a genuine conversation with ya. It’s our wait times and our personality that I think sets us apart from the rest – I think [it] compliments the Minnesota Nice mentality quite a bit.

7 Brew says it doesn’t just want to be yet another coffee shop in the city, but a genuine part of the community. That is why they decided to present a $2,000 check to the Great River Rescue animal shelter after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

‘It is coffee with a cause,” added Wilson. “Giving back is a huge part of what we do, which is why we give away 10,000 free drinks when we come to town. Great River Rescue is just our first, but we’re really excited to get more involved in the community as well.”

The mural on the side of the building with Paul and Babe drinking some 7 Brew Coffee was done by local Bemidji artist Nicholas Jackson. The stand also plans to add 50 new jobs to the Bemidji area.