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In the world of coffee, many franchises stand out for their distinctive offerings and unique atmospheres — and all have garnered a loyal following. Interested in comparing some options? Dive in and explore the differences between The Human Bean and Scooter’s Coffee.
Origin and Mission:
The Human Bean: Our northwest-based company was born in Ashland, Oregon, in 1998. The Human Bean’s mission is to inspire authentic human connections with a bean on top.
Scooter's Coffee: Born in Bellevue, Nebraska, (also in 1998) Scooter's Coffee’s mission is to create an amazing experience for each life they touch.
Core Values:
The Human Bean:
The four core values are Integrity, Quality, Community and Experience.
Scooter’s Coffee
The four core values are Integrity, Love, Humility and Courage.
Coffee Bean Quality:
The Human Bean: Known for its premium, hand-selected 100% Specialty Arabica beans that score well above the specialty minimum standard, The Human Bean promises a rich and robust coffee experience. Through the Farm Friendly Direct program, not only are beans sourced thoughtfully and seasonally, but the program pays a premium to ensure that coffee farmers are paid fairly.
Scooter's Coffee: Scooter's takes pride in its directly sourced coffee beans, ensuring a smooth and flavorful cup with every sip. Theirs is a smooth, medium-roast coffee with 100% Arabica beans.
Menu Variety:
The Human Bean: Menus feature a wide range of offerings from Coffee, Espresso, and Tea to Frozen Favorites, Chilled, and Energy Drinks. Customers with kids will also find fun drinks for Little Beans (kids drinks). A diverse menu caters to all tastes, offering crowd favorites such as the Signature Snowy™, Caramel Granita and Bright Energy®, plus a wide variety of flavors (including sugar-free options) and dairy alternatives that make customizing endless — especially if you’re adventurous.
Scooter's Coffee: The signature drink is the Caramelicious®, and the menu features an array of specialty espresso beverages, SCOOOT! Energy™ Infusions, hot and cold brewed coffee, fruit smoothies, baked-from-scratch pastries, savory breakfast options, kids drinks and more.
Atmosphere:
The Human Bean: With its emphasis on drive-thru service, The Human Bean offers multiple building designs including single-sided stand-alone drive-thru, double-sided drive-thru, and optional café or end cap drive-thru.
Scooter's Coffee: Provides both drive-thru kiosks and full-service cafes.
Awards:
The Human Bean: In addition to local awards that our franchise partners are being recognized with in their communities, The Human Bean was named a 2023 Inc. 5000 company, and made the list on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 for the 11th year in a row (top 100 for 2023). Franchise Times also ranked The Human Bean on the year’s nation-wide Top 400 list.
Scooter's Coffee: Scooter’s Coffee made the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list from 2021-2023, and was also ranked as a “Fast & Serious” company by Franchise Times in 2022. Franchise Gator recognized the company as a top emerging franchise in 2021.
Community Engagement:
The Human Bean: Giving back is a part of The Human Bean’s DNA. There are four company-wide givebacks per year on top of supporting local causes and events. These one-day events include:
- planting a tree in our coffee growing communities for every drink sold on Earth Day
- donating $1 for every drink sold to help St. Jude find cures for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases
- donating $1 for each drink sold to local food pantries and programs that work to end hunger
- donating 100% of food and beverage sales to local hospital foundations to support patients with breast cancer during Coffee for a Cure
Scooter's Coffee: The company is actively involved in the Pink Agenda, an organization that provides valuable resources such as funding for life-saving breast cancer research and awareness. They also partner with Wounded Warriors, an organization that provides valuable resources and programs to combat-wounded veterans and families of veterans wounded, injured or killed in action.
Ongoing Franchise Fees:
The Human Bean: There is a one-time $30,000 franchise fee and 0% royalty fee on sales. Revenues are earned from bulk sales of coffee beans, cups, lids, and other supplies to our franchise partners. All locations do contribute 1% of gross sales revenue to a Brand Fund for marketing and promotion.
Scooter’s Coffee: $40,000 Franchise Fee, 6% Royalty Fee and 2% Advertising Fee, plus an Initial Support Fee of $15,000.
Steps to Coffee Shop Ownership
If you’re interested in opening a coffee shop and tapping into the resources that an established franchise can provide, we invite you to get in touch and learn more. The Human Bean franchise team is available to answer your questions, or you can get started by reviewing our process and FAQs on our website.