ON CAMPUS AT VANGUARD: Double shot of O.C. service

Martin Diedrich founded Diedrich Coffee in 1984 in Orange County and is considered a pioneer of the coffeehouse phenomenon. In 2005, Martin received the Specialty Coffee Assn. of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which has been bestowed on only a handful of other individuals, including Alfred Peet, founder of Peet’s Coffee, and Jerry Baldwin, co-founder of Starbucks.

In 2004, Martin left Diedrich Coffee to launch Kean Coffee with wife Karen in Newport Beach, returning to the coffee connoisseurship and cultural atmosphere of the early Diedrich coffeehouses. Diedrich serves as a member of Vanguard University’s Foundation board. He spoke with Joel Kilpatrick about his involvement with Vanguard and his career in coffee.

Q: How did you become a supporter and partner of Vanguard University?

A: It came about in a roundabout way through my son, who is now 9. When he was born I was anticipating where he might go to school. I’ve always been a great believer in the value of education and the priority it should have in our society. I got involved with the Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa and was chairman of their advisory council for four years. During that time I got to meet leaders in the educational community, and that’s how I got to know the good people at Vanguard University. We had a lot of common values. President Murray Dempster asked me to join the Vanguard Foundation, and I thought it was a wonderful place to continue my service to the community in a capacity that I value so highly.

Q: What specifically inspired you to become closely involved with Vanguard?

A: There are so many reasons. One is the values of the school overall and how that affects the students who go there. The students go all over the world and bring important and worthy values to other people. Vanguard reinforces that with the students. The careers they pursue aren’t just about the pursuit of material and monetary goods. Students are really encouraged to go out and apply themselves in their own way and make positive change in the world. That is something that I felt like getting behind and helping to nurture and cultivate.

Vanguard also has so many wonderful community outreach programs and projects with students and faculty. I value education tremendously and the reason I have an association with Vanguard and feel it’s such a wonderful way to serve is because an education is so important, especially with the values and ethics with which they do it at Vanguard. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment to be able to serve the community in that way.

Q: Why is an education like the one offered at Vanguard important to business leaders like you?

A: I’ve been in business in Orange County for almost 30 years. One of the things that I treasure about Vanguard is their ethical culture and values. There are a lot of not-so-ethical dealings going on in business and society that can negatively affect us all. Vanguard provides a contrast that’s very timely right now.

Q: How did you get started in the coffee business?

A: My family has been in the coffee trade for multiple generations. We had a coffee farm in Guatemala, where I largely grew up. I took an interest in archaeology and anthropology and did that academically and professionally, living the life of an Indiana Jones until 1983 when I decided to put aside my career in academia to help my parents with their small coffee roastery here in Orange County. I created Diedrich Coffee and opened my first full-blown coffee house in Tustin in 1986. I was doing everything — importing coffees, making coffee drinks, espressos and cappuccinos. This was back in the early ’80s, when people didn’t even know what an espresso was.

After Diedrich Coffee went public and grew to over 500 outlets worldwide, it was time for me to move on. Karen and I created Kean Coffee, named after our son, and opened a coffee house in December 2005 in Newport Beach, on the corner of Irvine Avenue and 17th Street.

Also, we’re a family operation, and we live here in Costa Mesa. We have a personal interest in this community. We’re invested in it. Thus my involvement with Vanguard University, too.

Q: Any other thoughts about your relationship with Vanguard?

A: Vanguard has become a very important part of our community. Since my folks first moved here in 1972, Orange County has come into its own, and Vanguard’s growth mirrors the county’s growth. It has become a mature, solid institution here in our local community. It’s a real asset and is growing as people recognize the value of the contribution Vanguard makes.