Roasted coffee beans spilling from a copper scoop

Our story

“Life’s too damn short for boring coffee.”

The Mean Bean story

Great coffee. Bad attitude. Absolutely no apologies.

Let’s get one thing straight.

The world didn’t need another coffee company. Especially one with a fancy name, overpriced beans, and some coffee snob describing delicate notes of Himalayan moonlight.

Oh, give me a damn break.

We had a better idea.

Great coffee. Fair prices. Your rules.

Back in 1999, Mean Bean started with a dream, a coffee roaster, and a slightly unhealthy obsession with great coffee. We roasted small batches, experimented with flavors, and gave coffee away.

Then people started coming back for more.

HELL YEAH! We were onto something.

Then this little smart-ass showed up.

Meet Mr. Mean Bean. Self-appointed Head Bully, Chief Troublemaker, and quite possibly the most obnoxious coffee bean ever to escape a burlap sack.

According to him, he was born a poor Colombian bean, trapped with a bunch of boring beans who were perfectly happy being ordinary.

Not him.

One day, BAM! Arms, legs, eyes, and that famous goofy grin.

He looked around, announced “SCREW THIS BAG. I’M GOING PLACES!” and took off.

He eventually landed at Mean Bean Coffee Roasters, declared himself Head Bully, and started taking credit for everything.

We haven’t been able to shut him up since.

Galena, Illinois. Where the fun began.

In 2010, we opened our retail store and roastery in historic Galena, Illinois.

We built a wall with over 60 coffee flavors, where customers could mix, match, and create their own blends.

Then came our famous A-Cup wall, over 100 flavors where you could build your own box, one cup at a time.

No boring preselected assortments.

YOU PICK ’EM. WE PACK ’EM. YOU DRINK ’EM.

Mr. Mean Bean takes the credit.

Typical.

Then life happened.

Family came first. We sold the Galena store to care for our parents and moved the roaster to the family farm in Sheffield, Illinois.

We converted an old corn crib into a working coffee roastery.

No corporate headquarters. No boardroom full of suits.

Just fresh-roasted coffee, real people, and one loudmouthed bean who thinks he’s the CEO.

We let him believe it.

Over five million flavor combinations.

At Mean Bean, you don’t just buy coffee.

YOU CREATE YOUR OWN DAMN MASTERPIECE.

Choose your coffee. Pick up to five flavors. Name your creation. Design your label.

Want Chocolate, Bourbon Pecan, Caramel, and Toasted Marshmallow?

HELL YEAH!

Want to call it My Ex Was a Bitter Bean?

Mr. Mean Bean would probably buy a case.

YOU CREATE IT. YOU NAME IT. YOU LABEL IT. WE ROAST IT.

And we’re not stopping at coffee. We’ve got Tea with ATTITUDE!, A-Cups, signature blends, gifts, and a whole lot more.

So here’s the deal.

We’re not here to tell you how your coffee should taste.

We’re here to give you the freedom to create something that’s yours.

So have some fun. Make something ridiculous. Give it a name that makes people laugh.

Because around here...

Life’s too damn short for boring coffee.

HELL YEAH!

Mr. Mean Bean

Head Bully • Chief Troublemaker • Director of Questionable Decisions

Coffee with attitude! Your coffee. Your rules.

5 Million+

Blend combinations

Roast to order

Never shelf-stale

Sheffield, IL

Where it happens

Shop the roasts

Meet Mr. Mean Bean

Think Mr. Potato Head, only caffeinated. He is a dress-up character, not a logo, so he changes outfit for every season, campaign and audience.

Mr. Mean Bean, a Mr. Mean Bean mascot variant — Mr. Mean Bean
The original. Arms, legs and a painted-on grin.

Diva Blend, a Mr. Mean Bean mascot variant — Diva Blend
Tiara, boa, star shades. She orders the whole flavor wall.

Holiday Bean, a Mr. Mean Bean mascot variant — Holiday Bean
Santa hat on, candy canes out, December only.

Corporate Bean, a Mr. Mean Bean mascot variant — Corporate Bean
Suit, tie, briefcase full of private label samples.