""I've been surprised how sales have gone up," founder Steve Sando told SFGATE, adding that since early April, sales have increased by 12% year over year. "I think they've introduced us to a whole bunch of people who didn't know about us.""
""I think if you weren't there, you don't realize the revolution that happened and how we were at the forefront of it," he told SFGATE of the companies that have received the letters. "Like the reason you're even doing a bean club is because of us.""
""I just don't feel like I'm obligated to help someone copy us," Sando said, referring to a competitor's use of the term 'bean club'."
Rancho Gordo, known for heirloom beans, began enforcing its trademark on 'bean club' in 2022, leading to controversy among smaller brands. Despite the backlash, sales increased by 12% year over year, introducing the brand to new customers. Founded in 2001, Rancho Gordo's bean club, launched in 2013, has 30,000 members and a 35,000-person waitlist. Founder Steve Sando emphasized the brand's pioneering role in the bean club concept and expressed no obligation to assist competitors who mimic their model.
Read at SFGATE
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