Biggby Coffee’s McHenry opening this week was a long time coming

While living in Michigan during college and for a few years after that, Lisa Smith was a big fan of Biggby Coffee – so much so that when she saw an opportunity to buy a Biggby Coffee franchise and open one in her hometown of McHenry, Smith and her spouse signed the documents in January 2023.

Her dream was fulfilled this week when her store opened at 3523 Diamond Drive in McHenry in a former Dunkin' Donuts location.

Getting to opening day, however, has been a journey.

Smith said the company’s corporate ethos was important to her: “It is a farm-direct coffee company and has the best coffee with the best people and a warm community environment that I wanted to bring to the area.“

The salesperson assigned to her was Will Hartford. He said he’d worked at the company for three years “and got to see the back end, how great the founders were, and the culture inside the organization.”

As Smith’s corporate contact, Hartford connected her to other Biggby owners and was a sounding board as she moved through the process.

But then life happened, and Smith faced a divorce.

“I called Will when my ex and I decided that our life was no longer working out” but they needed to figure out what could happen with the contracts they’d signed. The team at Biggby said to give it a year to work out what would come next, Smith said.

“Then, last summer, Will reached out” asking if she’d be willing to partner with him to own and run the McHenry store, Smith said.

Hartford, an East Lansing, Michigan, native, moved to the area this year to be closer to the business and his new business partner.

Being nearby was important because Biggby leaves decisions in the hands of its franchisees, Hartford said.

“What makes it cool is every store is locally owned and operated,” he said, while also having a diverse food menu.

He also appreciates the corporate vision. The company’s goal is that by 2028, the coffee beans will be “beyond fair trade and organic,” with beans coming from farmers the company has direct relationships with.

The two already have joined the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce and plan to support youth sports and offer up space for community meetings and events, Smith said.

“That is the community-driven atmosphere that Biggby likes to promote for their franchise owners,” Smith said. “It is the personal touch of a hometown coffee place.”