The Green Beans Coffee Shop got its start by offering some of the comforts of home to the men and women of the U.S. Military deployed at bases overseas and in areas of conflict. The Omaha location is the first independently-owned café to open in the U.S.
About the company
John Sievers
Born in Springfield, Illinois, and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska, John Sievers entered the Air Force in June of 1988. He was introduced to Green Beans Coffee while deployed to Afghanistan in 2007.
After 26 years of active duty service, John retired in July 2014. His love for country, his passion for leading small teams of people, and his love of coffee inspired the opening of Green Beans Coffee Omaha on 12 October 2014.
His wife
Angela is the co-owner. She grew up on the east coast of Canada and is an elementary school teacher. John’s two older daughters, Kirstyn and Kelsey, are great helpers around the cafe. John and Angela have a daughter, Johanna, who is the “manager” of L’il Beans. View the videos below for a better look at this fast-growing business.
Founder of the company
Green Beans Coffee Company was founded in 1996 by Jason and Jon Araghi, two Americans living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who saw an opportunity to introduce gourmet coffee in the country, and to fill the void in an underserved market.
Jason would frequently return to the Kingdom after holidays with a suitcase half full of coffee beans since there were no gourmet coffee outlets in the market. He soon learned that most ex-pats were doing the same thing.
Through a network of contacts in the US, Jason and his brother, Jon, started to import, package, and sell coffee beans at local bazaars and supermarkets under the Green Beans brand.