Gloria Jean's Coffees is an Australian owned global specialty coffee company that has opened more than 1,000 coffee houses across 39 markets worldwide, including over 460 in Australia.Gloria Jean's Coffees was founded by Gloria Jean Kvetko in 1979 in Chicago, USA. Gloria Jean's Coffees began as a small coffee and gift shop in Chicago USA which now has over 110 locations throughout the U.S. In 1995, Nabi Saleh and Peter Irvine,former Managing Director of advertising agency DDB Needham, visited the United States to sample the Gloria Jean's Coffees brand. Saleh and Irvine identified the opportunity for this brand in Australia, purchasing the international licensing rights from Diedrich Coffee, Inc.Saleh and Irvine established Jireh International Pty Ltd (trading as Gloria Jeans Coffees), the company that holds the right to franchise Gloria Jean's Coffees in Australia, and purchased the rights to the Gloria Jean's Coffees brand for all other countries from Diedrich Coffee, Inc, with the exceptions of the USA and Puerto Rico. In late 1996, Jireh International Pty Ltd opened the first Gloria Jean's coffee house in Miranda, Sydney, and two weeks later another in Eastgardens, also in Sydney. These coffee house were set up to test the concept in the Australian market.In early 1998, Gloria Jean's Coffees Australia franchised its first store and within six years had opened 185 stores owned and operated by more than 100 franchisees. In 2003, a franchise opened in Darwin; this meant that the brand was now established in every Australian state, the ACT and NT.Jireh International Pty Ltd formed a North American Affiliate, Praise International North America, Inc.and as of June 14, 2009, which also operates It's A Grind Coffee House in 13 states.the North American rights were sold by Diedrich Coffee to the American Affiliate of the Australian holding company.Coffee houses serve and sell a range of espresso coffee drinks, cold drinks, blended and estate whole bean coffees and speciality teas along with pastries and coffee accessories.Gloria Jean’s Coffees recently purchased through auction an allocation of the whole coffee bean that came fifth in Brazil’s Cup of Excellence awards, the Lot#5 Norival Favaro – Sao Marcos, which will be available at all Gloria Jean’s coffee houses in Australia in August 2011.