Wight Operations: Pouring Love into Every Cup
For Brian and Libby Wight, love and lattes have always been like coffee and cream—a perfect pairing. The couple met in 2003 when both worked as baristas at a Dutch Bros Coffee in Bend, Oregon. The beloved West Coast coffee chain wasn’t yet a household name, and Brian and Libby had no idea that someday they’d own multiple locations in the Boise, Idaho area.
Today, the husband-and-wife team operates 14 Dutch Bros locations in Boise, Meridian and Mountain Home as part of their Wight Operations franchise company. Brian says they learned early on that Dutch Bros was about more than coffee. Founded by brothers Dane and Travis Boersma in Grants Pass, Ore., the business set itself apart by pouring love and care into every customer experience.
“Every time a customer drives up to the window, we have an opportunity to make them smile—to take their mind off of whatever’s happening at work or in their personal life,” said Brian.
Success didn’t happen overnight. “When we opened our doors in 2007, it was crickets,” said Brian. Dutch Bros was already established in Oregon but not yet on Idahoans’ radar. “We had some sleepless nights worrying that we’d be the first franchise to fail, and that motivated us even more.”
In those early days, he and Libby went into hustle mode, handing out stickers, putting free drink tickets on people’s windshields and giving samples to passing drivers who were stopped in traffic. “That was against the rules, but we did it anyway—and it worked,” he laughed, recalling the moment.
Eventually, word of mouth grew and so did the business, from one double drive-thru to multiple locations and 350-plus employees.
But grit and grind aren’t everything. Sometimes serendipity lends a hand at just the right moment. In 2013, Dutch Bros was featured on an episode of “Undercover Boss” and as a result of the national spotlight, business boomed. “Ever since then we’ve been trying to keep up,” said Brian.
Brian’s parents, Rick and Kathi Wight, invested in getting the business off the ground and the fear of letting them down was real. “My dad was a very successful entrepreneur, and he could have told me what to do, but he didn’t—he trusted me,” he said. “He gave me grace and I take that same approach with our team today. Our culture isn’t, ‘You screwed up, now you’re gone,’ it’s ‘Mistakes happen, how do we fix it?’”
“It’s been so gratifying to watch Wight Operations grow since 2014,” said James Brennan, Banner’s VP and Senior Relationship Manager who works with the Wight family. “Brian and his dad, Rick, saw an opportunity and jumped on it. They’re a great example of business owners who are creating a dynamic new era for Boise and the Treasure Valley.”
