MORGAN HILL
– Over the past few months, a black Volkswagen has been seen
around Morgan Hill sporting a new company logo: Jumpin’ Juice
&
amp; Java.
MORGAN HILL – Over the past few months, a black Volkswagen has been seen around Morgan Hill sporting a new company logo: Jumpin’ Juice & Java.
Purchased by store owner Ron Humphrey’s girlfriend, the car has proved to be an excellent way to promote the new coffee house.
Jumpin’ Juice & Java is located on the outskirts of downtown Morgan Hill next to the Citi Bank on Monterey Road and West 5th Street. It will offer 25 different coffee options, as well as juice, smoothies and sandwiches. The grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 9.
There are some traditional choices such as espressos, lattes and mochas. But there are a few odd creations on the coffee menu. Drinks like Peppermint Patty, Snickers and Almond Joy, all mocha drinks with additives that resemble their candy names.
For the cooler days, cool drinks are available. The smoothies are just as eccentric as the coffees.
Creations such as sweet dream, applishous and sour blast will cool a person down.
To round out the menu, different sandwich selections are offered with three different types of bread to encase different meats and cheeses.
Humphrey is confident his store will do well in the coffee-rich downtown area.
“We are going to have a better product,” Humphrey said. “Once people try it, they will find they like it better. Our prices are competitive and our friendly staff is going to look after them.”
Along with the food, free wireless Internet will be offered to customers.
Looking to take a piece of the growing coffee market in Morgan Hill, Humphrey has been making changes to the bank that once occupied the building. New chairs, new tables and a new counter have all been added. The floor has been redone and the walls were painted.
The building was originally the Monterey Savings bank. The vault is still intact and will be used as the office. The vault door is still in place, though there is no danger of accidentally getting locked in.
“The door is just too heavy to move,” Humphrey said. “The pins were taken out, so it won’t lock any more.”
While the store is open, the vault will be closed off by a separate door. To camouflage the door, it was painted to resemble a storage room for the coffee.
Humphrey, a former Gilroy resident, previously worked in Gilroy for 27 years at Mike Conratto Trucking Company.
The company was sold and Humphrey had to look for a new job. He began to search the Internet and came across Jumpin’ Juice and Java.
“I was at a point in my life where I can make a change like this,” Humphrey said.
While his knowledge of coffee and juice is limited, Humphrey said he is willing to try.
“I don’t know much about it, but I will give it a shot,” Humphrey.
Jumpin’ Juice & Java is an Idaho-based company that is branching out all over the country. There are 10 open across the country, including New York, Pennsylvania and two in California. An additional 15 are planned, including Morgan Hill as well as one in Malaysia and St. Lucia.
When Humphrey decided to take a chance and open his own store, the question was where.
He looked in Gilroy and Morgan Hill, and came across the old downtown bank building, which had a drive-through that attracted Humphrey the most and he bought it in February.
Since then, he has renovated the building, getting it ready for the August opening.
Staffing for the store is nearly complete, though Humphrey is still looking for a few more employees.
Details: Call 779-8828 or www.jumpinjuiceandjava.com.
