Janie B.

I am going on my 13th year with Crimson Cup and thought I would share with all of you how my journey began.

I am from Newark, OH aka “Nerk Ahia”, and it has been almost thirteen years since I was the restaurant/bar manager for Cherry Valley Lodge. ( Nice getaway by the way if you are looking for something not too far from the city!) Anyway, if you have ever been in the restaurant business or even dined at your favorite restaurant during lunch, you know the hustle and bustle the wait staff goes through to get you in and out in a timely manner. Well, every Thursday when I would frantically pass the Chef’s office during this crazy time, I would notice this very blonde man visiting the Chef. This guy never seemed to be in a hurry like the rest of us, it seemed he had all the time in the world. More often than not, I would see this stranger kicked back, feet up on the Chef’s desk enjoying the lunch special we were serving that day or with his face buried in a bowl of soup.

One particular Thursday I got up enough nerve to say something. I casually stopped, looked at the stranger all stretched out and said “I do not know who you are or what you do, but I want your job”. Little did I know at the time this person was Greg Ubert, President & Founder of Crimson Cup. To hear Chef tell it, Cherry Valley was Crimson Cup’s first “big” account. They supplied coffee and equipment to the restaurant and all of the banquet facilities. The really cool thing about Greg was, even though he was President of a company in Columbus he would make  time to deliver coffee weekly to Newark. Apparently this was the deal maker for Chef. He said he would put his faith into a small company only if the President would make his delivery. Again, this is Chef’s version of the story. But it must have been true because I remember Greg showing up after having ACL surgery hobbling through the kitchen, leg brace and all, still delivering the coffee.

About three years passed and I left Cherry Valley Lodge in search of a company that wasn’t too corporate. Plus I did not want to have to spend every holiday and weekend working double shifts. I wanted to go someplace where I had the freedom to be myself, be creative, and discover new challenges while having fun and allowing time for family and friends. The Chef knew Crimson Cup was a growing company and made a phone call to Greg to set up an interview for me. Chef called back and said Greg would be in touch. A week went by and I had not heard anything from Greg. I made a call to Chef wanting to know what was going on and later that day Greg finally called. And in July 1996 I formed the beginning of a beautiful friendship, I officially became a Cupper!

” You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…. “

~Dr Seuss- Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

Although the Chef at Cherry Valley Lodge has agreed to let another Cupper by the name of Big B deliver his coffee, they are still a customer of Crimson Cup today. But to this day Greg still makes special visits to Newark to see his good buddy Chef.