Bicycling, charity and Jittery Joe’s Coffee
by Joe Fox (updated October 2012)
So often in the hustle and bustle of our lives, we forget that many small businesses are the backbone of charitable giving. Few people realize that in addition to selling wonderful coffee, Jittery Joe’s Coffee helps to raise money for many charitable causes. Looking on their website (www.jitteryjoes.com) shows the many different charities, who have partnered with Jittery Joe’s to raise money.
In addition, from 2002 to 2008, Jittery Joe’s was the primary sponsor for the Jittery Joe’s cycling team. The team competed in events throughout the nation and the world. Many people would say that the sponsorship was in exchange for advertising, but for people with more in-depth knowledge of pro bicycling, they know that the primary purpose was to simply help the team exist. Pro-bicycling is not a money maker for companies unless the team has Lance Armstrong on the roster. The normal strategy is to simply break even.
So Jittery Joe’s helped many athletes live their dream of becoming a professional bicycle rider. Jittery Joe’s continues to support pro cycling through their sponsorship of the Team Mountain Khakis cycling team to help the next generation of riders.
With the failing economy, many charities are struggling. Quite simply people have in many cases stopped giving. Jittery Joe’s allows people to buy something that they routinely purchase and a portion of that money goes not just to supporting the local economy, but directly to charity as well. If you drink coffee, what better way to help a charity than just to buy coffee from Jittery Joe’s?