Jett and Micah Odle, founders and owners of Rivers Edge Coffee Co. (Photo courtesy Rivers Edge Coffee Co.)
A Mechanicsville coffee shop is branching out in its home county of Hanover ahead of plans to expand more broadly around the region through a franchise model.
Rivers Edge Coffee Co., formerly known as Little Bean Coffee Co., expects to open new outposts in Montpelier and near the county’s airport by early October.
Those will add to its original shop at 7032 Mechanicsville Turnpike, which opened in 2019.
The upcoming Montpelier location will be a coffee trailer stationed at the Edward Jones branch at 16644 Mountain Road. The trailer, which will serve to-go coffee, is a joint venture between Rivers Edge co-founders Jett and Micah Odle and Chris and Regina Zaldivar. The latter pair will run the day-to-day operations of the trailer, and will eventually transition into franchisees.
A traditional sit-down cafe is in the works at 9555 Kings Charter Drive, near the Hanover airport. That location is an independent franchise, and Jett Odle declined to identify the operator. The Kings Charter Drive storefront was formerly occupied by Sugar Sweet Dessert Cafe & Bar, which closed in July.
Rivers Edge Coffee Co. is planning to open a new location at 9555 Kings Charter Drive, Suite L, where Sugar Sweet Dessert Cafe & Bar recently closed. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Odle said the strategy of offering different location styles puts Rivers Edge in a better position to fill whatever coffee gap exists in a given area.
“In some locations the best way to serve a community will be with a convenience-based, quick-serve drive-thru,” he said. “Other communities could be best served by providing a large space that can serve as a gathering place for the surrounding community. The Kings Charter Crossing location is a great example of this. There aren’t any nearby locations that serve as a gathering space, which makes a cafe model ideal for that community.”
Odle said the first phase of the expansion was intentionally limited to Hanover so he could have a hand in the rollouts. He said the company received around 30 applications when it publicly unveiled franchising last August, and that interest came from around the region as well as places like Charlottesville and North Carolina.
Those would-be franchisees will get another chance at joining Rivers Edge, as the company is looking to open more franchised locations in the Richmond region. Odle said they’re aiming for three to six franchised units in the suburbs of Richmond in places like Ashland, the West End and Midlothian.
Rivers Edge also plans to seek franchisees to plant its flag in other parts of Virginia as well as the Carolinas. Odle said the decision was made to stick to a relatively compact geography to make it easier to keep tabs on the brand’s growth.
“A lot of entrepreneurs, especially when they hit the stage we’ve hit, the inclination is, and I get it, is how fast can we grow. My biggest fear is that we grow too big, too fast and the whole thing is unsustainable,” Odle said.
Rivers Edge estimates that the minimum initial investment to get a franchise going is about $148,000 (which includes the $30,000 franchise fee). The company takes a 6 percent cut of franchisees’ gross sales.
Franchisees are required to buy their coffee from Rivers Edge. The company operates its own roasting facility, which was once based at its coffee shop but now operates in a dedicated facility. The franchise agreement also comes with training and marketing support.
The Odle brothers chose franchising to expand because they reasoned that local operators can be better plugged into their markets, and community connection is considered key to the brand.
“We will grow to a degree where we can’t be in the stores multiple times a week,” Odle said. “I wanted a way to have somebody in each store who was as engaged in their community as Micah and I are in our Hanover store. It’s to maintain that core identity. We are first and foremost serving our community.”
Rivers Edge Coffee Co. opened its coffee shop at 7032 Mechanicsville Turnpike in 2019. (Jack Jacobs photo)
The company’s desire to grow also led to its decision to rebrand from its original name, Little Bean. There were other coffee shops with the same name in states targeted for expansion, and the company needed a trademark-able name in order to expand. Odle said his wife suggested Rivers Edge shortly after a family vacation in the Northern Neck.
“(The river’s edge) has this connotation of a gathering place before you go out to do something fun, or a place you come after doing something fun,” Odle said.
The company launched in 2018 as a cart that sold coffee at Bon Secours’ Memorial Regional Medical Center. The following year, the company opened its Mechanicsville Turnpike coffee shop, which is planned to continue to operate as a corporate-owned location.
The Odles also founded and briefly operated Graham’s Ice Cream at 7038 Mechanicsville Turnpike, which they sold and afterward the store closed. Another frozen treat seller, Lazy Cow Ice Cream, currently operates in the space formerly occupied by Graham’s.
Jett and Micah Odle, founders and owners of Rivers Edge Coffee Co. (Photo courtesy Rivers Edge Coffee Co.)
A Mechanicsville coffee shop is branching out in its home county of Hanover ahead of plans to expand more broadly around the region through a franchise model.
Rivers Edge Coffee Co., formerly known as Little Bean Coffee Co., expects to open new outposts in Montpelier and near the county’s airport by early October.
Those will add to its original shop at 7032 Mechanicsville Turnpike, which opened in 2019.
The upcoming Montpelier location will be a coffee trailer stationed at the Edward Jones branch at 16644 Mountain Road. The trailer, which will serve to-go coffee, is a joint venture between Rivers Edge co-founders Jett and Micah Odle and Chris and Regina Zaldivar. The latter pair will run the day-to-day operations of the trailer, and will eventually transition into franchisees.
A traditional sit-down cafe is in the works at 9555 Kings Charter Drive, near the Hanover airport. That location is an independent franchise, and Jett Odle declined to identify the operator. The Kings Charter Drive storefront was formerly occupied by Sugar Sweet Dessert Cafe & Bar, which closed in July.
Rivers Edge Coffee Co. is planning to open a new location at 9555 Kings Charter Drive, Suite L, where Sugar Sweet Dessert Cafe & Bar recently closed. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Odle said the strategy of offering different location styles puts Rivers Edge in a better position to fill whatever coffee gap exists in a given area.
“In some locations the best way to serve a community will be with a convenience-based, quick-serve drive-thru,” he said. “Other communities could be best served by providing a large space that can serve as a gathering place for the surrounding community. The Kings Charter Crossing location is a great example of this. There aren’t any nearby locations that serve as a gathering space, which makes a cafe model ideal for that community.”
Odle said the first phase of the expansion was intentionally limited to Hanover so he could have a hand in the rollouts. He said the company received around 30 applications when it publicly unveiled franchising last August, and that interest came from around the region as well as places like Charlottesville and North Carolina.
Those would-be franchisees will get another chance at joining Rivers Edge, as the company is looking to open more franchised locations in the Richmond region. Odle said they’re aiming for three to six franchised units in the suburbs of Richmond in places like Ashland, the West End and Midlothian.
Rivers Edge also plans to seek franchisees to plant its flag in other parts of Virginia as well as the Carolinas. Odle said the decision was made to stick to a relatively compact geography to make it easier to keep tabs on the brand’s growth.
“A lot of entrepreneurs, especially when they hit the stage we’ve hit, the inclination is, and I get it, is how fast can we grow. My biggest fear is that we grow too big, too fast and the whole thing is unsustainable,” Odle said.
Rivers Edge estimates that the minimum initial investment to get a franchise going is about $148,000 (which includes the $30,000 franchise fee). The company takes a 6 percent cut of franchisees’ gross sales.
Franchisees are required to buy their coffee from Rivers Edge. The company operates its own roasting facility, which was once based at its coffee shop but now operates in a dedicated facility. The franchise agreement also comes with training and marketing support.
The Odle brothers chose franchising to expand because they reasoned that local operators can be better plugged into their markets, and community connection is considered key to the brand.
“We will grow to a degree where we can’t be in the stores multiple times a week,” Odle said. “I wanted a way to have somebody in each store who was as engaged in their community as Micah and I are in our Hanover store. It’s to maintain that core identity. We are first and foremost serving our community.”
Rivers Edge Coffee Co. opened its coffee shop at 7032 Mechanicsville Turnpike in 2019. (Jack Jacobs photo)
The company’s desire to grow also led to its decision to rebrand from its original name, Little Bean. There were other coffee shops with the same name in states targeted for expansion, and the company needed a trademark-able name in order to expand. Odle said his wife suggested Rivers Edge shortly after a family vacation in the Northern Neck.
“(The river’s edge) has this connotation of a gathering place before you go out to do something fun, or a place you come after doing something fun,” Odle said.
The company launched in 2018 as a cart that sold coffee at Bon Secours’ Memorial Regional Medical Center. The following year, the company opened its Mechanicsville Turnpike coffee shop, which is planned to continue to operate as a corporate-owned location.
The Odles also founded and briefly operated Graham’s Ice Cream at 7038 Mechanicsville Turnpike, which they sold and afterward the store closed. Another frozen treat seller, Lazy Cow Ice Cream, currently operates in the space formerly occupied by Graham’s.
Ballers!
Congrats Jett & Micah and best of luck!
I love River’s Bend. I work at C&F right across the street and it’s my go to spot to meet with clients! Good luck guys!