Central Perk Coffeehouse Breaks Into Reality
EDITOR’S NOTE: Try reading this announcement about Central Perk without having the “Friends” theme loop in your brain. We couldn’t!
Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment with CenPer Holdings, composed of industry experts from the coffee, specialty food and beverage, hospitality, and entertainment worlds — including “Top Chef” and multiple James Beard Foundation Award Winner Tom Colicchio — announced Central Perk Coffeehouse, a modern-day coffeehouse inspired by the hit TV series, opening its first location in 2023.
Imbued with the same heart and soul as the iconic setting from the series, Central Perk Coffeehouse will be a place for fans (and friends) to slow down and come together over great coffee and eats.
Fans know Central Perk as the gathering place for Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandle>r, and Ross — the ultimate hang-out spot — not only to get a delicious cup of coffee but also where the gang spent much of their free time conversing and making memories. Fast forward 28 years and a modern-day version will open its real doors in 2023.
“Central Perk is more than just a coffeehouse, it was a home away from home for our six favorite ‘Friends’,” said Peter van Roden, SVP, Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment. “Working closely with the CenPer Holdings team in creating this fresh, yet familiar environment, we’re looking forward to giving fans a coffeehouse of their own — coffeehouses that captures the heart of the show while delivering a first-class coffee experience.”
While the first location and opening date will be announced soon, fans will immediately be able to get their coffee fix now with the launch of Central Perk Coffee, a line of artisanal quality coffees made with the highest quality premium Arabica beans available in three select varietals:
– “How You Doin’?” (medium roast)
– “Pivot Blend” (medium/dark roast)
– “We Were on a Coffee Break” (dark roast)
“Our goal with this partnership and the Central Perk brand,” Colicchio said, “like all of my food and beverage enterprises, is to secure the best ingredients and then deliver superior products and services for a great customer experience. With Central Perk, we can’t wait to offer friends old and new a really enjoyable premium cup of coffee and hope they settle in with us for the next chapter of this beloved story.”
Each blend is available in whole bean and ground formats, as well as BPI Certified compostable single serve coffee pods compatible with Keurig K-Cup brewers. Single Central Perk Coffee products are also available. All coffees are sustainably sourced, produced and packaged using responsible environmental practices.
Central Perk Coffee can be orderedby visiting www.centralperk.com. The first 6,000 subscribers will receive a complimentary collectable can of “How You Doin’?” coffee, a medium roast ground varietal. This individually numbered limited edition tin was created exclusively for true “Friends” fans and coffee lovers.
Fans can watch “Friends: The Reunion” special and binge all 236 episodes of the original beloved series on HBO Max.
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Greene Concepts Donates Truckload of Be Water for Kentucky Flood Relief
Donations for Kentucky flood disaster relief are being accepted through the state at https://secure.kentucky.gov/FormServices/Finance/EKYFloodRelief
North Carolina beverage bottler Greene Concepts Inc. has donated a truckload of Be Water premium artisan bottled water to support rural residents in the surrounding areas affected by the recent Kentucky flood who have yet to receive aid.
Greene Concepts sent 1,540 cases (36,960 bottles) of Be Water to the First Church of God in Jackson for distribution among the area’s residents still in need of supplies. The truckload of Be Water arrived on Aug. 4.
“This is one of the most devastating deadly floods that we have seen in our history. These are proud, hardworking folks that just lost it all, and maybe even lost someone they love. The least we can do as human beings, as people of faith and values, is to give and do what we can to get them back on their feet,” said Gov. Andy Beshear.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to donate Be Water to the people of Breathitt County, so that it may be delivered to the county’s most rural residents who have yet to receive potable water,” said Amy McNally, Greene Concepts’ vice president of sales and marketing. “In addition to the 37 lives lost, and many others unaccounted for, the state also lost approximately 440 homes, which equates to over 31 square miles of families that have had their homes destroyed. While nothing can replace the lives lost in this tragedy, we want to do our small part in helping Kentucky residents that have been tremendously impacted.”
“We understand the urgency to assist those in peril and importance of getting our bottled water into their hands as quickly as possible,” CEO Lenny Greene said. “Many people had no advance warning of the floods, nor had any evacuation routes from the rising floodwaters. The people who reside there are proud patriots; in fact, Breathitt County is historically known as the only County in the United States to 100% volunteer for World War I and World War II.
“Mayor of Jackson, Laura Thomas, is working tirelessly to provide aid to citizens in distress, and her immediate action and resilient spirit is a testament to the Kentuckian strength. It is our hope that our donation is a catalyst for others to also support the eastern Kentucky region whose residents have suffered during this unimaginable calamity. Kentucky, we are here for you.”
Due to the overwhelming in-kind donations still being processed, volunteer organizations are asking for monetary donations to support the work being done in Breathitt County. Proceeds of donations to the Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief will go toward room and board for the volunteer teams and other relief efforts helping those impacted by the deadly flood.
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Zevia Names DeBow Jr. Chief Commercial Officer
Zevia PBC has appointed Greig P. DeBow Jr. as chief commercial officer, effective today.
DeBow brings more than 25 years of experience in the beverage and consumer-packaged goods industries to Zevia’s management team, with a strong track record of leading commercial strategy to fuel revenue growth and profitability. He is responsible for driving market development in support of profitable growth for the Zevia brand through leadership across retail sales, eC\-commerce, business insights/category management and route-to-market and will report to Amy Taylor, president and CEO.
“Greig brings decades of deeply relevant experience, which is essential as we sharpen our go-to-market strategy, strengthen our business partnerships at retail and drive channel and geographic expansion,” Taylor said. “He is a well-respected industry leader and expert who is well-equipped to drive immediate impact and provide critical strategic input on our long-term growth plan. I look forward to partnering with Greig along with the rest of the leadership team as we continue to strengthen the brand, drive profitable growth and realize our mission centered around global health.”
Most recently, DeBow was the senior vice president of aales at Jack Link’s Protein Snacks, the number one meat snack provider worldwide, where he contributed to building a highly profitable category-leading brand. Prior to that, he served as vice president of sales & distribution at Danone North America, where he was responsible for the Convenience, Dollar, Discount, Drug, Export, and Distribution teams across four brand units with a $510 million revenue base.
DeBow also held a variety of roles at Pabst Brewing Company from 2015 to 2019 and gained commercial leadership experience at PepsiCo, Red Bull North America and Standard Beverage Corporation. He received his BBA in marketing and business from Texas A&M University.
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