Coffee wars

By Richard Slawsky Reporter

15 May 2007

When the Specialty Coffee Association of America recognized a retailer this year with its latest Golden Cup Award for excellence in brewing coffee, the honor didn’t go to a coffeehouse chain like Starbucks or Caribou Coffee. Instead, the award went to a gas station/convenience store located in Oklahoma City.

Star Fuel’s 53-unit All Star Stores received the award after submitting a sample of the company’s brewed coffee for laboratory analysis by the SCAA. The association analyzed the samples to ascertain the amount of minerals in the water, as well as the ratio of water to coffee.

“There are some convenience store operators who believe that all customers want is a ‘good cup of coffee’ at a cheap price,” said Alan Wilkerson, Star Fuel’s chief operating officer. “We'll let them have that piece of the market, and we’ll continue on our course of capturing the discriminating customer that wants that really good coffee.”

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