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Time For A Change At Heritage

Kevin Daw In other news, and of far greater personal import, I recently closed on the sale of Heritage Coffee Co. to a wonderful gentleman by the name of Nathan Higgs. It has been nine years since I took over the executive office duties of Heritage from my father, Stuart Daw and although the decision was a tough and saddening one in some respects, I know it was right for the company, and right for myself. Both my father and I have run Heritage, based in London, ON, from offices in T...

November 13, 2018 | Kevin Daw

	Kevin Daw

In other news, and of far greater personal import, I recently closed on the sale of Heritage Coffee Co. to a wonderful gentleman by the name of Nathan Higgs. It has been nine years since I took over the executive office duties of Heritage from my father, Stuart Daw and although the decision was a tough and saddening one in some respects, I know it was right for the company, and right for myself.

Both my father and I have run Heritage, based in London, ON, from offices in Tampa Bay, FL. We have done so for a combined 35 years. During much of that time, it was quite easy to do so, as we enjoyed the benefit of having one or another shareholder in the company located locally who was able to represent ownership and help guide our corporate vision directly at the plant level. In recent years, that changed somewhat, and although I've always felt the management and staff are top-notch at Heritage, I always felt guilty heading back to Florida after my monthly trips to the plant knowing that living in Florida, though wonderful personally, did not permit me to give Heritage 100%; and as it has matured and grown, it deserves and requires that hands-on ownership to guide it to greater heights.

I remain onboard, as does the entire team, and I get to continue to do what I love, which is to remain as the coffee consultant/buyer. This I can easily do from Florida, and Heritage gains a leader in Nathan who can bring strengths and energy that will surely benefit both employees and clients alike.

One of the biggest issues I found with the distance I lived from the plant is the unfortunate but ever-growing red tape that businesses find themselves buried in these days. I'll never forget the day I was informed by my plant manager that I could no longer carry a cup of coffee through my own coffee plant. I could almost feel my father's spirit raging at the very thought that one could not enjoy a fine cup of our coffee however one might choose, and especially while with the very people making that cup of coffee possible.

If you have taken any food plant tours lately, you likely know full well of the hairnets, safety eyewear and foot protection required to do so. Keeping up with the latest regulations and deciding how best to abide by them from afar became tougher, and I realized local ownership would have a much easier time with that, as well as all president/chief executive officer duties.

Nathan is an entrepreneurial spirit with a love of coffee and a desire to take on a fun company he can make his lifelong passion – and he just happens to live in London! I hope you get to meet and welcome him into our coffee family as he grows into our wonderful industry.

As always, may your cup runneth over, and the brew be exquisite.