GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Dutch Bros. Coffee, the country's largest privately held, drive-thru coffee company, plans to move its headquarters to downtown Grants Pass.
To make it happen, the company just bought the downtown branch of Washington Federal bank, the Daily Courier reported. Terms of the deal announced Monday were not disclosed.
The bank is across the street from the Town Center Plaza, which Dutch Bros. also recently purchased. It is where Travis Boersma and his late brother, Dane, started the company with a single cart 25 years ago.
"We have been looking for the opportunity to relocate the Dutch Bros. headquarters back into the downtown area of Grants Pass," Boersma said. "I'm ecstatic that we're finally seeing our dream of moving into Grants Pass a reality."
Boersma has said the plaza will remain in some form of public use and will not be used for company operations.
Dutch Bros. Coffee has more than 280 locations and over 7,000 employees in seven states.
Company headquarters are now in the North Valley Industrial Park near Merlin. The number of employees slated to make the short move to downtown Grants Pass has yet to be determined. The company's roasting operation and online store will likely remain in Merlin, said Jennifer Wheatley, a Dutch Bros. spokeswoman.
Peggy Hobin, regional president of Washington Federal, said the bank plans to move to a different downtown location this summer. She said the bank was not looking to move the branch until after it was approached by Dutch Bros.
"We realized that we could facilitate this transaction so that Washington Federal doesn't leave downtown either," she said. "This is one of those deals that has mutual benefit, and feels right, for both businesses."
