In October of 1991, Friedrichs Coffee opened its doors at 1821 22nd Street in West Des Moines, Iowa, thus becoming Des Moines' first true coffeehouse with a real, live espresso machine. Our passion has been to bring to the marketplace the finest coffees the world has to offer. And by doing so, our coffee, on a daily basis, reaches the palates of an ever-growing coffee crowd.

My love for finer coffees comes from my family's heritage. My great grandfather, Friedrich, was in the hotel, restaurant and coffeehouse business in Charlottenburg, Germany, at the historic corner of Spandauer Damm and Kaiser Friedrich Strasse. This historic intersection is also the home to the Charlottenburger Castle, which has housed the lineage of King Friedrich and their families. Along with my wife, I have had the opportunity to travel to this unique place in history on several occasions. It's truly a wonderful historical setting. The name of my great grandfather's establishment was Kaiser Friedrich Zelt, which translated to King Friedrich's Pavilion. His coffeehouse sat just across from the King's castle! This was in the early 1900s, while King Friedrich was in power. During World War II, this area was heavily bombed to the extent that there was nothing left of my great grandfather's establishment.

My personal interest in fine coffees began to mature in early 1991, while vacationing in Costa Rica. My wife and I met a family in the little mountain village of Sarchi, which is located northwest of San Jose. We stayed with this family for several days while working with them on a coffee estate on the slopes of the Poas Volcano. It was in this environment that I truly realized I was having a romance with coffee. Upon our return to the United States, we decided to explore the possibilities of entering the coffee industry. In October of that same year, we opened our first coffeehouse. It was only natural to dedicate it to my great grandfather, Friedrich, by naming our enterprise Friedrichs Coffee.

Gary Meyer
President and Founder