Sentinel staff report–
Construction fencing went up last week on a grassy pad along Sunrise Boulevard, soon to be home to a new coffee drive-thru near Old Auburn Road.
Amie Wallace, franchise owner of The Human Bean, told The Sentinel in an email on Tuesday that her new 450-square-feet coffee drive-thru will take up a vacant pad in front of Master Donuts, in the Safe Credit Union shopping plaza. Wallace owns another franchise location in Rocklin, which has earned an average rating of 4.5-out-of-5 stars from over 180 Yelp reviews since opening in 2015.
Popular drinks at The Human Bean in Rocklin include “The Mexi,” a cinnamon spiced chocolate mocha, and the “snowy,” a white mocha. Each drink also features an edible chocolate-covered espresso bean on top.
Wallace said her Citrus Heights location will be similarly sized, although it will only feature a single drive-thru with a speaker box and walk-up window, rather than a double drive-thru. An opening date is targeted for mid-April.
“We absolutely loved the location, because of its visibility and its ease of ingress and egress,” Wallace previously told The Sentinel. “We also felt we could bring something just a bit different to the area and we’re hopeful it will become a regular stop for people who travel through that area.”
The project was unanimously approved by the Citrus Heights Planning Commission in 2017, but Wallace said the project hit some unspecified delays since then.
According to Planning Commission documents, the drive-thru is proposed to be open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m, with an average crew of 3-5 people being employed. A small outdoor seating area is also shown in plans.
The Oregon-based Human Bean company has 83 locations in 10 states, most of which are franchise-owned. The company emphasizes its “Farm Friendly Direct” program, which seeks to ensure socially responsible sourcing of coffee beans that mutually benefits the grower as well as the buyer.
According to its website, The Human Bean says farm-direct funds have helped humanitarian efforts in other countries, including the construction of a new schoolhouse in the Papua New Guinea community.
To learn more, visit www.TheHumanBean.com
