By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

Lifelong Proctorville residents Jimmy and Kathy Lundy love coffee. They also love their village.
As the owners of the new Biggby Coffee in Proctorville, the Lundys are “trying to make our little village have more options for people.”
“It’s our hometown,” Kathy said.
The history of Biggby Coffee, based in East Lansing, Mich., began with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept.
The brand’s cultural values of “Make Friends, Have Fun, ‘B Yourself’ and Share Great Coffee help coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm,” according to Biggby spokesperson Cassidy Small.

Jimmy said there was nothing like Biggby in the Proctorville area.
“We were looking at that market,” he said. “We started researching different avenues for coffee. Biggby was by far the friendliest. They have a high level of respect for the military. They’re very community-oriented. The products are a step way above.”
The new business, located at 126 State St. in Proctorville, opens Nov. 5
“Election day,” Kathy said with a laugh.
Besides “connoisseur-worthy drinks with names like Teddy Bear and Caramel Marvel, Biggby Coffee baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customers’ day and supporting them in building a life they love,” Small said. “The big ‘B’ on the orange background caught on, and today Biggby Coffee has more than 400 cafes across many states, including Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida.”
Jimmy said the Caramel Marvel is the flagship drink.
“The Teddy Bear is also a wonderful drink, and the Creme Freeze is a simulated milkshake,” he said. “They’re very good.”
In addition to coffee, Biggby serves non-coffee products—such as energy drinks, bagel sandwiches, muffins, donut holes and cookies.
“Right now, there’s a big push on a waffle sandwich, which is really good,” Jimmy said.
While the coffee flavors are “great,” according to Jimmy, everything Biggby sells is hot, iced or frozen. They also have teas.
Biggby products are hand-crafted. Their baristas go through 28 hours of training before they can make a drink, and their managers have more than 100 hours of training.
“When you pull up to the drive-thru and you order your drink, your espresso is ground at that point,” Jimmy said.
There’s a 19 to 23-second window in which it must brew.
“If not, it’s dumped and rebrewed,” Jimmy said. “You have 30 seconds to put it in the drink or it’s thrown away and brewed again.”
“They want consistency,” Kathy said. “They want it to be exactly the same at every Biggby location.”
Jimmy and Kathy went to Michigan for 40 hours of training at the home office, sitting for a test on the final day.
Hours of operation for the new Biggby are 6 a.m. – 8 p.m., seven days a week. Patrons can drive thru or walk up to get fresh coffee and other products. The business will start out with 22-24 employees.
Kathy said Biggby is community-oriented, meaning the business will engage in promotions that benefit the Proctorville area. For example, opening day is charity donation day.
“We picked the local food pantry,” Jimmy said. “One dollar a cup for the entire opening shift will go into the food pantry.”
The Lundys also own Specialty Systems Electric and Katimalis, an Italian bistro restaurant featuring wood-oven pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads and desserts. They also serve beer, wine and mixed drinks with the food.
“We have a lot of loyal customers,” Kathy said.
Jimmy said adding Biggby as an option for Proctorville is an investment in the community.
“We want to make our town better,” he said. “It’s a long-term investment.”
“We’re trying to build our little village up,” Kathy said.
If someone goes to Biggby once they will become a Biggby fan, according to Kathy.
“It’s definitely a cut above the others,” Jimmy said.