Royal Cup Inc., dba Royal Cup Coffee and Tea, celebrated 125 years of coffee and tea excellence this year. The Birmingham, AL-based company is a manufacturer and distributor of coffees and teas to restaurants, hotels, resorts, office, and convenience stores across the county.
Founded in 1896 as the Batterton Coffee Co., the company's coffee was said to be "fit for royalty." So, after the organization was purchased by William E. Smith in 1950, it was soon renamed Royal Cup Coffee. The company grew from a local Alabama coffee and tea supplier in the southeast to a nationwide distributor after it was purchased by the Smith family, which still owns and operates it.
"Quality was just as important then, as it is now. It is part of everything we do and if we ever lose sight of that, we will lose sight of our competitive advantage," said Royal Cup chairman of the board Bill Smith Jr. "We focused on determining the best way for all consumers to enjoy a consistent quality cup of coffee from their favorite restaurant no matter where they were [in] the country."
Royal Cup earned a reputation for sourcing its coffee and tea from well-known origins around the world. Its world-class roasting and manufacturing facility can produce more than 80 million pounds of coffee annually. It operates almost 70 distribution centers across the country. The company's office coffee service division has been operating for 50 years.
"Celebrating such an elite milestone anniversary is testament to all Royal Cup team members, both past and present," said president and chief executive Chip Wann. "Our company values are rooted in five key areas: quality, service, people, integrity, and value. These values are the housed at the core of what we do, which have helped our organization thrive, and they will continue to carry us through our next 125 years."
