YSU first to have Keurig University Program

By Kalea Hall

khall@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University is known for having a national college champion football coach as its president, but now it will be known for its coffee.

Well, its coffee program.

YSU is the first university to have the Keurig University Program.

This means about 200 Keurigs will be distributed throughout the campus for on-the-spot coffee.

“[Keurig] wanted to see how this would work in other universities,” said Jason Gartland, coffee specialist at Marlowe’s Coffee Service in Canfield. “[Keurig] wanted to put one in every office where there would be faculty and staff.”

Marlowe’s, a coffee distributor with five private-label coffees, Keurig K-Cups and other products, has sold to staff in various YSU departments for years.

Marlowe’s coffee specialists then thought it could offer the university even more: the chance to be the university pilot program for Keurig.

“We were proactive and went to them and told them what we are going to do,” said Dick Marlowe, owner of the company that started more than 40 years ago.

K-150 Keurig Brewers are in the process of being installed in every office/department at YSU for no charge, and staff are able to purchase K-Cups at a discount through Marlowe’s. There is no cost to the university. Marlowe’s sells directly to employees.

Marlowe’s has offered Keurig options in addition to its coffees for about seven years.

In 2010, the company became a Keurig authorized distributor, which allowed them to sell Keurig products competitively.

“[Customers] love it,” said Rich Cancio, a coffee guy for Marlowe’s. “It is a good cup of coffee. You can buy whatever you want and drink what you want.”

Keurig products make up about 30 percent of the sales at Marlowe’s, but the distributorship has really exploded in the past few years.

In 2012, during what is supposed to be the period of most growth, Marlowe’s had more than 400 percent growth.

“That’s why they give us some latitude and some leeway to see if it will work out in other areas,” Gartland said.

Marlowe’s has a 60-mile radius of business and extends into Pennsylvania to serve thousands of institutional customers.

Walk-in customers also are served at the Canfield warehouse.

“At Marlowe’s premier coffee, we are coffee people, and we are good neighbors,” Cancio said.