Most folks would agree, it’s what’s inside that counts. But ask Florida artist and illustrator Jem Sullivan www.jemsullivan.com what he thinks, and he’ll likely give you a different spin. Jem, you see, is the guy behind the original art on our bean bags. In addition to our labels and branded merchandise, his work appears on Hallmark’s Shoebox Greetings®, as well as in such publications as the  Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, The Progressive, UTNE Reader, Playboy (“just once, but it looks good on a resumé.”), Water’s Edge, Florida Trend, Disney Adventures, Food Arts, and Shape, among others.

THE BOLD BEAN CONNECTION – Bold Bean owner and former magazine editor, Jay Burnett, first worked with Jem when he commissioned the artist to illustrate what would become a long-standing food column he created for Jacksonville-based Water’s Edge magazine.  “That was a great gig for me until Jay left the magazine and started Bold Bean Coffee Roasters," Jem says.
“Even so, everything has worked out OK, because now I don’t have to drink [burned] coffee. Thanks, Jay.”.

In addition to mixing coffee and art, Jem is also known to mix coffee with music. He’s a flatpick guitar player who favors bluegrass (which, Jem says, is “largely fiddle tunes played at warp speed”). He does concede that coffee doesn't seem to make him play faster. “But,” he adds, “I do think I hear faster after a cup or two of Bold Bean coffee.”