Silicon Valley Coffee Shops

MoonBean's Coffee At Stanford University Continues To Thrive

Feb 4, 2009

Jennie Reynolds, founder of MoonBean's Coffee and owner of the MoonBean's cafe at Stanford University, says "it's great to be busy" and still in business.

MoonBean's coffee shop, located next to the Green and Meyer Libraries on the campus of Stanford University, serves as many as 1,000 patrons on a given day, owner Jennie Reynolds claims. She likes to think people keep coming back more for the quality of the drinks than for the convenience, because when all is said and done, it’s still about the coffee.

“We’re similar to Starbucks and Peet’s in that everything else we do plays second fiddle to our coffee,” Reynolds says. “The thing that makes us a little different is our quality – it totally outpaces theirs.”

Good coffee, good people

MoonBean’s atmosphere also is a nice change of pace from the chain coffee shops that must conform to corporate guidelines, deal with frequent employee turnover and ultimately offer customers a less personable experience. So, when a new patron enters MoonBean’s for the first time, quality – of both product and service – is a key selling point.

“More often than not, if (a customer) goes to an independent coffee company, they’re not expecting quality – they’re probably thinking to themselves ‘Where’s the Starbucks? Give me my Starbucks,’ ” Reynolds says. “When they come in here, hopefully they’re pleasantly surprised.”

Signature drinks, service

Reynolds insists MoonBean’s best drink is its straight-up cappuccino with “perfectly steamed milk.” Its most popular drink? The mint-mocha freeze made with mint ice cream, fresh shots of espresso, Ghirardelli’s chocolate syrup – “it has to be Ghirardelli’s,” Reynolds says – and whip cream.

And don’t fret if you’re short on cash or forgot your wallet – just bring the money the next time you visit. Reynolds and her crew certainly won’t turn you away.

“We’re not going to refuse someone their coffee; that would be cruel,” Reynolds says.

History: Growth then change

In the mid-1990s, when a fledgling Seattle coffee company by the name of Starbucks was beginning to root itself in Silicon Valley (among many other locales), a young, coffee-crazy couple decided they would try to capture some of the espresso-bar buzz, and with the help of friends, the MoonBean’s concept was born.

Reynolds, who along with her husband received her coffee education as an employee of the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, rolled out the first MoonBean’s coffee cart at an event for a local private school in 1994. By the end of the year, MoonBean’s Café had a logo, and Reynolds was booking weddings, concerts, trade shows and corporate events for her coffee catering venture.

The catering aspect soon began to take its toll on Reynolds – “it was fun, and it was also a lot of hard work,” she says – so she decided to put up a shingle in 1996, opening the first MoonBean’s shop at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. Soon thereafter, Reynolds secured a location for MoonBean’s’ second store at Stanford University, which essentially put an end to the catering part of the business.

Four years later, Reynolds decided to take the next step and brand MoonBean’s as a coffee roaster, opening a third shop in south San Jose and an online store where MoonBean’s beans and blends would be sold. Fate, however, would provide an unexpected turn.

“The San Jose store did not take off as fast as we thought it could, so we had to sell it,” Reynolds explains. “It’s an unfortunate experience to have to sell a business you don’t want to sell.”

Future on hold

With the Good Sam location also in the hands of different owners, Reynolds again is down to a single MoonBean’s location. She’s proud to say the Stanford shop, during these uncertain times, has been able to retain all its employees and has shown no decline in revenue. And while the current economy certainly isn’t prime for growth, she isn’t completely ruling out another try at expansion.

“Hopefully things will change,” Reynolds says. “We’re just going to ride this (recession) out, and when we get to the other side, I would love to eventually open more stores.”

At a glance

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