14 | February 2014 • www.specialty-coffee.com
D
an Dewey never worked in the coee industry. He grew
up in the small town of Gingellville, Michigan, a remote
town located 35 miles north of Detroit. He has lived there all
his life. In 2006 when his father was battling cancer, Dan went
along to his dad's chemotherapy treatments at Pontiac's St.
Joseph's Mercy Hospital. While waiting, he decided to go out
to Starbucks for a coee and asked the other patients in the
room if they wanted anything.
at tradition of buying coee for strangers has continued
for seven years and has taken Dan to places he never imagined,
including Howard Schultz's oce and the residence of Vice
President Joe Biden. Dan spoke with CoeeBreak about his
weekly coee runs, and how his random act of kindness has
inspired the generous support of many others.
SCR: What were you doing prior to starting these
coee runs?
Dewey: I graduated from high school back in 1964. I decided
then that I didn't want to be a farmer, which is traditional in
my family, and I didn't want to be like everyone else. I chose
to travel a little bit each year, and go to school a little bit each
year. I graduated college in 1994: it only took me 30 years! I've
also had more than 60 full-time jobs in my life, and I've run
70 marathons.
e one thing that's been consistent in my life is that I've
never had any money! I live a very simple lifestyle. I'll be 68
years old next summer, and these days I get by with my Social
Security checks, which amount to almost as much money as I
made when I was working. So it worked out for me in the end.
SCR: What inspired you to start and continue
these amazing coee runs for cancer patients?
Dewey: Twelve years ago, my father was diagnosed with cancer
when he was 80 years old. He did the chemo, and it cured him.
en ve years later, he got a dierent kind of cancer. I was
with him at the hospital on a Wednesday morning, and I asked
him if he needed anything. In typical dad fashion, he said, "No,
I've got everything I need." And I said, "Well, I need a coee!"
I stood up to go to the nearby Starbucks.
en I saw all the other people who were sitting in the room,
D C M
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BY M E L I SSA N I K SI C
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14-16 coffee break SCR0214.indd 14 2/6/2014 12:14:28 PM