Page 16 - Volume 15 Number 3

14 • ­TWIN & TURBINE MARCH 2011If you happened to be at Oshkosh last year, your nose may have taken note of the delicious smell of fresh coffee near the exhibition hangars. Each day of the airshow, Rob Riggen, founder of Flying High Coffee, served up more than 1,000 free cups of coffee to air show attendees, EAA volunteers and exhibitors.“I did it (Oshkosh) as sort of a market test to see if aviation was ready to break away from the crappy, burned coffee we’ve all been choking down for too many years,” said Rob, who is a Web technical consultant and an active flight instructor in Burlington, Vt. “The response was overwhelmingly positive as people seemed to find joy in our freshly roasted coffee at the show.”Flying High Coffee combines two of Rob’s greatest passions: flying and great coffee. After too many bad cups at airport FBOs, he came up with the idea of creating a new coffee brand targeted at the aviation community. But he wanted it to have a greater purpose than just selling coffee. He is committing 15 percent of his profit to fund youth and general aviation programs.“I am a flight instructor and a dad to three young kids. I got to thinking that I’d like to find a way to get more involved with youth in aviation and education. Then it struck me that my business model should revolve around raising money for youth in aviation scholarships,” said Rob, who soloed Cessna 152 shortly after his 16th birthday.Before launching his company, he did his homework: More than 54 percent of Americans are considered habitual coffee drinkers (consuming more than 3 cups per day). The per capita annual expenditure is about $200 on coffee. Based on his own experience and anecdotal research, he estimates about 75 percent of aviation people are habitual coffee drinkers.“To try to put a price tag on it, let’s look at AOPA’s 400,000 members. If half of them spend $200 per year, that is $40 million being spent annually on coffee. With a high quality product and an exciting aviation brand, I know a portion of this market can be captured,” he said. “Now imagine if each time someone in aviation drank a cup of coffee we could direct a few centsinto scholarships. That’s what I’ve set out to do with Flying High Coffee.All of the company’s coffees are exceptionally fresh (the key to great taste) and are the highest-grade bean available. To ensure freshness, Flying High Coffee uses a small batch roasting process, giving the raw, green beans their familiar brown color just days before it is shipped. The company offers a line of organic coffees, as well as Guatemalan, Sumatra, Hawaiian Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain, and many others. However, the most popular coffee continues to be OSH Blend that was served at last summer’s air show.Looking ahead, Rob hopes the success of his new venture will eventually fund youth scholarships, and he is actively investigating partnerships. But for now, “I’m want to elevate the coffee experience in hangars and FBOs across the co•untry.”(You can find the company at www.flyinghighcoffee.com) T&TRob RiggenFounder, Flying High Coffee