CHS' Mountain Mudd Expands to Cincinnati

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Drive-thru specialty coffee concept Mountain Mudd Expresso, a CHS Inc. brand, will expand into the Cincinnati, Ohio area through a strategic partnership with MM Coffee Co., CHS announced. The companies plan to open five stores initially, followed by more than 35 franchise locations in the area.

"We're thrilled to be part of the Mountain Mudd franchise family. We specialize in finding convenient locations and serving superior products at reasonable prices from drive-thru buildings," said Mike McMillan, president of MM Coffee Co. "Ninety percent of Americans drink several cups of coffee daily, and over half of them drink it on the go. We are proud to serve this audience in the Cincinnati area."

McMillan added that Ohio is a prime state for business development, having led the nation in new and expanded businesses from 2006 to 2009 and coming in second place in Site Selection magazine's 2010 Governor's Cup Award.

MM Coffee Co. will own and operate multiple Mountain Mudd drive-thru kiosks and cafes in the area, and will actively recruit entrepreneurs and assist them with developing their own Mountain Mudd locations, according to the announcement.

"We are excited about fully developing the Mountain Mudd network in Cincinnati," said Gary Braaten, president of Mountain Mudd operations for CHS. "Mike and Sue McMillan bring a combination of business leadership and store operations expertise, and they share our vision of making Mountain Mudd the premier drive-thru specialty coffee brand worldwide."

CHS, a Fortune 100 company, is a diversified energy, grains and foods company that also operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes the Cenex brand of refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products.

Mountain Mudd ranked no. 470 on Entrepreneur's 2011 Franchise 500 list, as CSNews Online previously reported. Braaten stated that the company is expected to show substantial growth this year.

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