About "It's A Grind"

About
The Original
It's A Grind
No fakes, copycats or business name HIJACKERS here!!

Updated 1-28-10 Background

    Shortly after graduating West Linn High School In 1974, I became employed at Keystone Co., a bay area, CA restaurant wholesaler, coffee roaster and coffee service company. A family owned company with a history of roasting coffee dating back to the 1860's. By the mid 1970's Keystone's territory included several daily truck routes throughout the Bay area, and 15 or 20 coffee service routes, duplicating the same territory.
    During the 7 years I was with Keystone Co I became familiar with many aspects of the coffee business including:
reconditioning many types of beverage equipment from tiny office coffee brewers to the big twin 9 gallon coffee and tea urns, post mix carbonated drink dispensers, powder mix hot water machines, iced tea dispensers

roasting coffee

servicing the roasting equipment, coffee handling equipment including both packet and bulk packing machines

Maintaining a parts and equipment inventory

Merchandising coffee and related products to the restaurant and office coffee marketplace

    But most of the time I spent working on a stack of broken coffee brewers the size of my house, with 3 or 4 other guys.
    After returning to the Portland area in 1985, I became the Service Manager for Coffee Bean International, a Portland area specialty coffee roaster. As a distributor for La San Marco and La Pavoni espresso machines, it was my responsibility to install and maintain these and many other brands of coffee/espresso equipment that belonged to our customers.
    At this time I was also introduced to the high end bulk coffee grinders of Ditting and Mahlkonig.

The original It's A Grind was officially launched in February of 1992.

How did you come up with the name "Its A Grind"?

Irritating people who kept asking the same question.

How can there be two It's A Grind's?

I'm coded for appliance sales and service and they are restaurants.

How did they "take" the name It's A Grind?

I'll save that story for a different arena.
The bottom line is, they caused whatever problems or confusion that exists. This was no mere coincidence. It was done with the intent to harm an existing mark, and I'm prepared to prove it in court.
But why pay for something you can get for free? After all, I'll be out of business soon....
On the other hand, this could also be an opportunity for good publicity and to magnify the momentum you've already built.
Tough choice?
See how ya are?

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