A beloved Pacific Northwest coffee chain whose founders got their start selling pour-over coffees and fresh-baked baklava at the Eugene Saturday Market — eventually growing their first brand into a publicly traded company that aimed to rival Starbucks — is closing for good this month after failing to raise sufficient cash through an online fundraiser and auction.

In the years before a certain Seattle chain was situated on every corner, before Stumptown launched its little cafe on Southeast Division Street, Jim and Patty Roberts were the first names in Portland coffee. Their company, Coffee People, went from a single cafe to a successful public offering in 1995, aiming to become the Burger King to Starbucks’ McDonald’s.

After selling Coffee People then moving to Texas to regroup, Jim and Patty Roberts returned to Portland, re-entering the coffee game with Jim & Patty’s Coffee in 2002. The new cafe brought the Coffee People spirit back to life for the chain’s many fans, with “good coffee” and “no backtalk” — or hardly any backtalk, anyway.

Along the way, the chains sold countless cups of coffee, expanded to Portland International Airport and even launched a spin-off company, Motor Moka, credited as America’s first drive-thru coffee shop.

That era comes to an end Nov. 11, when Patty Roberts plans to close the doors on the Jim & Patty’s cafes at 4130 S.W. 117th Avenue in Beaverton and 4951 N.E. Fremont St. in Portland.

“Friends, we are going to be closing our doors at both Beaverton and Fremont Jim and Patty’s after close of business on November 11,” Roberts wrote on social media. “This will mark our 22nd anniversary. We want to go out celebrating.”

The Roberts first tried good espresso while attending the University of Oregon in the 1960s. After opening and closing cafes in Eugene and on the Oregon coast, they opened the first Coffee People in Portland in 1983, striking a chord with their “post-hippie” vibe and chalkboard signs. It was the place many Portlanders tried their first lattes, mochas and other espresso drinks.

With its successful public offering, Coffee People began an aggressive expansion to other markets in the late 1990s. But the money didn’t last. In 1998, Coffee People merged with Canada’s Second Cup, then sold to Diedrich Coffee Inc., losing Jim and Patty along the way.

After a series of mergers and acquisitions, Coffee People was eventually acquired by Starbucks, the company that prompted their aggressive expansion in the first place. The Coffee People name mostly disappeared.

Jim & Patty’s has had a difficult few years, including the death of co-founder Jim Roberts in July 2023. In September, the cafe acknowledged that it was at a “crossroads,” launching an online fundraiser that eventually raised $40,000 toward a $250,000 goal.

Customers visiting between now and Monday will help the cafe make final payroll.

“We have so many friends, so many memories, a lot of joy and a lot of heartache that you have shared with us over the years,” Roberts wrote, noting that after being “off the job market for 40 years,” she will now have to “find a job.”

— Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com

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