McBee’s Coffee N’ Carwash to open two new locations in Arkansas
March 21-27, 2022
By Chloe McGehee
Upcoming in April, North Little Rock can expect a new business with a unique concept that is rapidly growing in neighboring states – a car wash with a coffee shop inside.
The concept for McBee’s Coffee N’ Carwash came from the idea that in a fast-paced world, a car wash could not only address a quick, high-quality wash, but also provide customers with their morning or afternoon cup of joe during the wash experience. When coming up with the concept, the McBee’s owners and staff wanted to see how they could differentiate themselves from the competition by adding something unique that customers would enjoy and come back to.
“People are looking for conveniences and they’re looking for something new and fresh all the time,” said Galayna Saltkovska, operations manager for McBee’s. “We live in such a busy world and people like to look for new ideas. They like to find something different that is unique. They look for something that will provide excellent customer service, so that is very important to us. The innovation is the future; you have to stay unique and differentiate yourself from the competition.”
McBee’s is based out of Kansas City, Mo., with three local locations in that area, and four more under construction. There are also another 15 locations in the construction phase, with two in Arkansas in North Little Rock and Greenbrier. According to a recent legal filing in The Daily Record, McBee’s just recently took out a $3 million mortgage for the North Little Rock location.
The McBee’s owners said being a part of the community is a pillar of their business, as it is family-owned and they want to maintain a small-business feel. They also want to establish themselves as a company that cares for their customers, team members and local community with the same enthusiasm and effort that they put into physical operations.
“We want to be a member of the local community, and contribute to the local community in any way, shape or form we can,” said Saltskovska. “Knowing our communities are what makes our business successful, we want to showcase who we are, what we do, and how we go about doing it so that we clearly convey just how thankful we are that we have been given the opportunity to enter your community.”
To further their community involvement, McBee’s also offers a charity brew, meaning the proceeds that come from the sales go to Brace for Impact, a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by former MLB pitcher Kyle McClellan dedicated to helping children in Haiti.
The coffee for the charity brew is grown and sourced out of Haiti, so it provides jobs to locals, and the proceeds allow children to attend a public school and provide food and clothing. For every 24 ounces of coffee beans used from this program, a child can attend school for a month. With McBee’s projected coffee sales, they should be able to help over 100 children in Haiti attend school year-round, officials said.
The car wash-coffee club concept is expanding in multiple ways as well. McBee’s is planning new locations that have a truck wash made for larger vehicles that may not fit in a typical tunnel wash. Every location will also be equipped with a dog washing station. The carwash also guarantees a wash in under three minutes.
The North Little Rock location will open April 8, with the Greenbrier site scheduled for mid-summer. The recent harsh weather has impacted ongoing construction, as the original opening date for the North Little Rock location was February. Saltkovska said she hopes that there will be no further weather challenges so that both stores can open on schedule.
The process for starting these stores is a long one that starts with finding new lots in big enough locations, Saltskovska explained. She said they were constantly looking for locations to expand to. After finding a lot, the car wash must receive multiple permits since they also sell drinks at the wash. The entire process can take up to nine months depending on weather, which is why the Arkansas locations opening dates have been pushed back.
As for why McBee’s is coming to Arkansas, there are a lot of reasons.
“[Arkansas] has favorable conditions,” Saltskovska said. “We’re looking at where the competition is, the availability for our business model, the right lots and developing communities. We identified that North Little Rock has great potential and a need. The Arkansas market is definitely a great area.”
The Arkansas market was a driving factor to the move, but McBee’s also wanted to be reasonably close to Kansas City while still expanding and exploring new opportunities.
“We’re always excited about meeting new people, being in new areas,” explained Saltskovska. “We are super excited to bring our unique concept and connect with Arkansas people. We’ve done some [work] in prior years in the Arkansas area, so we know that the people there are super friendly, excited and welcoming. We had such a great reception when we went through the approval process, so we know that the local municipalities and cities are welcoming new businesses. That’s definitely a huge plus for us. We know that an area will grow when the municipalities and the cities are welcoming new businesses, so this area will grow, and we want to grow with it.”
Westrock rebranding
In other coffee news, Westrock Coffee Company LLC and S&D Coffee & Tea, a subsidiary of Westrock Coffee, announced a unified rebrand on March 8 that will introduce a new visual identity as one organization. Moving forward, the fast-growing Arkansas-based coffee grower and seller said it will begin providing service under one name, Westrock Coffee, reinforcing both organizations’ shared commitment to build and efficiently operate the preeminent integrated coffee, tea and extracts supply chain in the world.
“The brand isn’t just about a new logo and its associated colors, our brand is what we live out every day, and this visual shift signals our uncompromising commitment to the people who power us,” said Scott Ford, CEO and co-founder of Westrock Coffee. “As we look to introduce our organization to more and more customers around the world, we realize a greater opportunity to accelerate our mission as one, and the need for brand continuity is paramount to our success.”
Led by former Alltel Corp executives Joe and Scott Ford, Westrock unveiled broad expansion plans on Dec. 16 to make the former Arkansas coffee startup one of the leading global coffee producers. The new plans included revamping an empty Conway factory into a state-of-the-art factory that will add 250 high-paying new jobs to local payrolls and churn out new coffee, tea and associated products. Westrock said the new year plans will expand its operations and beverage capabilities with the purchase of a new 524,000 square-foot facility in Conway that will be the largest such manufacturing site of its kind in the U.S.
In 2020, Westrock trumpeted a $405 million deal to buy North Carolina-based S&D Coffee & Tea from publicly traded Cott Corp. At the time, the company also expanded its extracts manufacturing capacity in Concord, N.C., and launched new operations in Malaysia that served its rapidly growing customer demand across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions.
Under the rebranding, Westrock Coffee’s partners and customers will see a new modernized logo that will appear in all mediums and collateral, including building signage, fleet branding, social media platforms, and traditional and digital communications. To coincide with the rebrand, Westrock Coffee launched a redesigned website, reflective of the combined brand’s offerings, that can be found at WestrockCoffee.com.
“Our unified brand brings new life and opportunity to our growing organization, allowing us to focus on more transparency for the people that power us and streamline our supply chain for the betterment of our farmer partners and our valued customers,” said Ford.
Photo Caption:
2. Gallatin, Mo.-based Coffee N' Carwash recently paid $3 million for property to build a new retail location in North Little Rock, according to a recent Daily Record mortgage notice.
