Our Story
 

About Our Founder - Jerome Eberharter


Jerome Eberharter, c
o-founder of Moxie Java with more than 80 espresso cafes, has a passion for supporting organizations in need of funding with the LifeFoods Fundraising Program, supporting non-profits ranging from the Boy Scouts to elementary and high school groups around the country.  Eberharter’s fund-raising efforts already have helped approximately 250 non-profits in the inter-western mountain area and beyond to raise thousands of dollars through the sales of coffee, herbal tea, hot chocolate and lemonade. Boy Scout Troop 61 in Boise, for example, raised more than $3,000 this year, according to Fund-raising Chair Dwight Pond. Other groups successfully using the program have included Girls PAL soccer, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball teams and the McCall ski team in Idaho and youth hockey teams in Dallas, Texas.


Eberharter has been involved in both coffee and franchising for more than 15 years. He co-founded Moxie Java, a chain of espresso cafes in Idaho with specialty drinks and nutritious snacks, in 1988 and began franchising its espresso cafes nationally in 1992.  He later sold Moxie Java to concentrate on White Cloud Coffee, which he started in 1987 to serve the grocery, wholesale and private label markets.


As his children began
participating in fund-raising programs for school and extra-curricular groups and he began raising money for literacy through his annual Ride 2 Read motorcycle rally, he began looking for better fund-raising systems for non-profits.

“I found out that many Girl Scout troops keep less than a dollar for every box of cookies sold,” he said. “But there aren’t a lot of healthy alternatives for fund-raisers, even though The Wall Street Journal reported that elementary school programs alone took in $6 billion in 2006.


“Too many groups sell items ranging from candy, which flies in the face of sound nutrition for children, to such gimmicks as Italian cheese dippers and figurines. People may buy one or two items to help out, but they don’t really want them.  “Coffee, tea and other beverages are items that people enjoy using, and the group can keep at least 40 percent of the sales price,” he continued.


A native of Washington state and a graduate of Seattle University with a degree in finance,  he noted that a survey by the National Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals last year found that 94 percent of the schools in the country raise funds to supplement budgets, and 64 percent of the parents polled said a product sale was the most profitable fund-raising activity. 


He named White Cloud Coffee after the mountain range in central Idaho, a favorite vacation spot since he “retired” from his avocation of intensive mountaineering. His successful climbs took him from the snow-covered summit of Mt. Rainier to the 3,000-foot rock face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.


“Between motorcyc
le riding and mountain climbing, I suppose you could say that I set high goals and I want to reach them while having fun,” he said. “I also believe in minimizing risk. That’s why I spent several years as a volunteer motorcycle safety instructor in a program accredited by the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators.  “I can say the same thing about my new venture. I’ve set high goals both for the company and for the community groups that we work with, and I want to achieve them quickly and sensibly.”


Jerome supports his community through various fundraising activities and enjoys time with his children. He especially enjoys walking through the foothills with Chocolate Lab Coco, who keeps him humble!