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Cuppy's Coffee is coming to town

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By TONY HOLT, Hernando Today

Published: December 3, 2007

SPRING HILL - Another coffee franchise is making its way to the area, but not only with a store here and a store there.

Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies and More has plans to open 30 locations in Hernando County during the next five years.

The first will be a duel drive-thru at 15250 Cortez Blvd, a half-mile east of the Suncoast Parkway. A ground-breaking ceremony was held last week by the owners - Joseph and Carol Roberts.

Cuppy's can afford to have so many locations because of the variety of business models it uses. The franchise has a drive-thru, cafe, mobile, kiosk and cart model and most of them are expected to make their way here.

The new presence of Starbucks, the biggest name in coffee sales, does not deter the smaller upstart.

"That seems to be the case everywhere we go," said Cuppy's spokeswoman Andi Davidson, in response to Starbucks' new stores in Brooksville and Spring Hill. "They're all over the map."

The drive-thru location is scheduled to open in four months. It measures 10 feet by 26 feet and has a window on each side. The model is designed for "speed and efficiency" and can serve up to 120 customers per hour, Davidson said.

The store claims to use the "best coffee beans in the industry." It also sells smoothies, espressos, bagels, pastries and other breakfast food.

Each owner chooses his or her own hours, which often can be subject to change soon after a store opens.

"They kind of do a trial and error and see what hours do best for them," Davidson said.

Thirty locations in one county may seem like a questionable arrangement. Some fast food and sandwich chains have had difficulty with stores being located so close to each other.

Davidson said the franchise is not worried because coffee sales is a different industry altogether. Java drinkers are not willing to drive long and far, so the closer they can get their hands on a warm cup of joe the better.

"When it comes to coffee, people aren't willing to drive more than 10 minutes to get it," she said.

Even still, one Cuppy's location cannot be less than two miles from another.

Some local residents may have already seen a Cuppy's sign in Hernando County. Currently, the company has three mobile units assigned to events throughout the area.

Additionally, more cafes, drive-thru windows and mobile units are making their way to the region in the next year.

One cafe is coming to Wesley Chapel and another to Riverview. Two locations are expected to open in Apollo Beach and at least one more mobile unit should be available for Hernando County, Davidson said.

For more information, visit www.cuppyscoffee.com.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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