Jimmy’s Iced Coffee
In conversation with Jim Cregan, co-owner of Jimmy's Iced Coffee.
Hi Jim! Jimmy’s Iced Coffee is one of the biggest success stories to come out of the area. Can you take us back to the beginning and tell us what led you to start up your own business?
Hey! I was doing some real dead end jobs in the local area and was getting frustrated with the monotony of it all. Added to which, the bleak winters were beginning to break me and with no real goal or career prospects, I decided to get out of the UK and head to Oz for some sun and exploration. I discovered the phenomenon of iced coffee while I was out there and decided the UK needed to have an amazing iced coffee offering too. And so it began…
How has Jimmy’s Iced Coffee evolved since you started the business in 2011?
The evolution has been fascinating to watch and be part of. It’s like growing from being a toddler to a young adult. You’re presented with new challenges and opportunities all the time and you have to simply learn new stuff. Some of that stuff takes ages, some comes naturally and Jimmy’s has been through all of these challenges and opportunities. People, products, plans… everything has been a journey and as I write this today, I can say I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved, of the incredible team we have and the products we produce.
Congratulations on becoming a certified B Corp! What steps have you taken to achieve this goal?
Thank you! Well, it’s a bunch of things really but a lot of it is in the product space. As an example, since moving to all aluminium cans and BottleCans, we’ve saved over 99 tonnes of plastic which is fantastic. And with aluminium, it’s not just easy to recycle but it can be recycled forever. With regards to our direct to consumer business, we use fully recyclable and minimal packaging too.
Why did you choose Christchurch to be the home for your business?
Christchurch is our home and we weren’t going to sacrifice it to start a business. It’s such a beautiful place and the beach, forest and harbour allow for such great breathing and thought space which everyone needs on a regular basis. It did mean a great deal more travelling in the early days but it’s always worth it when you get home and have a quick five minutes on the clifftop to take in the view and the sea air. Honestly, it’s incredible.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Yes! Don’t follow in our footsteps! In the words of Fleetwood Mac, you need to go your own way. Cheesy? Correct. But really, I think you’ve got to have a long think about where you want to go with it. Our business is unbelievably scalable and we ‘could’ be in every fridge across the planet. But is that what we want? I don’t know. I don’t think we’ll ever know. The thought of almost infinite scalability is daunting and I think it’s important to understand what the parameters are for your business and what you believe you’d be happy growing it to. Growth brings stress, responsibility and is highly demanding of time and you have to think about those things. Do you want them in your life?
What are you looking forward to?
Summer. I’m always looking forward to summer. But in the near, near future, I’m excited about a new product launch, bringing our movie nights back again and hopefully some storm surfs.
