E.W.’s chosen as seller of new coffee

Posted: Friday, June 4, 2010 1:35 pm

E.W. James and Sons has been chosen as the first location in the United States to offer Cops Coffee.
Greg Rynearson, president of Cops and Doughnuts of Claire, Mich., announced the association recently at a press conference and tasting event at the E.W. James and Sons Supermarket in Ripley.
According to Steve Hilton, director of marketing and public relations, E.W. James and Sons will become an exclusive distributor for the coffee in West Tennessee and will offer it soon at all store locations in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi.
“What really caught my attention was the story behind their business adventure,” Hilton said. “These guys got together to save a bakery in their hometown and it grew into an enterprise beyond their dreams, and now we’re proud to offer the coffee to our customers.”
Rynearson said he and eight fellow officers found out that their local favorite bakery was closing and it was going to just become another empty building in their hometown of Claire. They drew a business model on a pizza box, convinced their fellow officers to join in and they all purchased the bakery. The bakery, Cops and Doughnuts, has been a phenominal success and they launched the coffee line April 10 after Paramount Coffee perfected the blend. The coffee was a distribution success in Michigan.
More information about the company is available at their website, www.copsdoughnuts.com.
Hilton said he and Rynearson first made acquaintance on Facebook. After a meeting was set up with Rynearson, his wife and officials with Ripley Downtown Development and Lauderdale County Chamber of Commerce, they decided to sell the product first in Ripley.
Rynearson’s wife, Tammy, has a family connection in Obion County and she said she has fond memories of shopping at E.W. James and Sons in Hickman, Ky., and Union City. They both said after seeing the development under way in downtown Ripley, it reminded them of their hometown of Claire and they decided it would be the perfect place to launch the coffee nationwide.
All of the officers involved with Cops Coffee like small-town America and that’s where they want their coffee to stay, according to Hilton’s announcement.
“There’s just something about how small towns feel, how they get together over a cup of coffee and do things,” Rynearson said. “E.W. James and Sons was just a natural fit with that feeling, along with the Old Southern Downtown Renovation that’s going on in downtown Ripley.”
Cops Coffee is currently available in regular blend and decaffeinated and will soon offer a dark roast blend.
Published in The Messenger 5.31.10