# Bob Fish

> Bob Fish is the co-founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE, which began with a single East Lansing café opened with Mary Roszel in 1995. He later built the franchise business with Michael McFall. In 2018, he and his wife, Michelle, co-founded One BIGG Island in Space, working toward BIGGBY sourcing 100% of its coffee Farm-Direct by 2028 through producer relationships, farm visits and a focus on farming costs.

- **Role:** Co-founder and co-CEO at BIGGBY COFFEE; co-founder at One BIGG Island in Space
- **Organizations:** BIGGBY COFFEE, One BIGG Island in Space, Global Orange Development, LLC, Small Business Association of Michigan, Michigan Restaurant Association, MiQuest
- **Education:** Hospitality Business degree, Michigan State University, The American School in London
- **Known for:** Co-founded the café that became BIGGBY COFFEE in 1995., Helped establish a coffee franchise system whose first franchise opened in 1999., Co-founded One BIGG Island in Space with Michelle Fish in 2018.

## Career timeline

- **1981** — Returned to Michigan to study hospitality at Michigan State University; worked in a breakfast restaurant to support his studies.
- **1993** — Moved from restaurant ownership toward a specialty-coffee venture; investigated the Seattle café market with Mary Roszel.
- **1995** — Opened the first café with Mary Roszel in East Lansing, Michigan, in March.
- **1997** — The company’s current history dates the walking conversation that began Fish’s partnership with Michael McFall to this year.
- **1998** — Fish, Roszel and McFall formed Global Orange Development, LLC in June to franchise the business.
- **1999** — The first franchise opened in Okemos, Michigan, on August 9.
- **2007-2008** — The chain changed its name from Beaner’s to BIGGBY COFFEE.
- **2018** — Co-founded One BIGG Island in Space with Michelle Fish and began the effort toward 100% Farm-Direct coffee by 2028.
- **2020** — OBIIS’s Farm-Direct partnership with El Recreo Estate began.
- **2024** — Three small producers from Chiapas travelled to the BIGGBY NATION SUMMIT through the Full Circle initiative.
- **2025** — Reported passing 50% Farm-Direct sourcing; publicly discussed the end of the Finca Terrerito Farm-Direct partnership.
- **2026** — Continued writing about farm-direct pricing; OBIIS published El Recreo’s account of benefits and changed partnership conditions.

## Achievements

- Co-founded the café that became BIGGBY COFFEE in 1995.
- Helped establish a coffee franchise system whose first franchise opened in 1999.
- Co-founded One BIGG Island in Space with Michelle Fish in 2018.
- Reported an increase from 0% Farm-Direct green coffee in 2018 to 47% in 2024 and above 50% in 2025.
- Previously chaired the Small Business Association of Michigan and the Michigan Restaurant Association and was a founding board member of MiQuest.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — OBIIS lists Fish’s October 8 essay, Five Things You Should Know About Coffee That You Don’t. He describes farm-gate pricing based on examining producer costs and agreeing a price at least 10% above them.
- **2026-07** — On July 27, Hector and Miriam Morales described El Recreo’s relationship with OBIIS from 2020 through 2026, crediting stable prices with community benefits while explaining changed conditions that made continuing under the same structure difficult.
- **2025-08** — In a LinkedIn progress update, Fish reported 47% Farm-Direct sourcing for 2024 and passing 50% in 2025.
- **2025-07** — OBIIS published Finca Terrerito’s account of ending its Farm-Direct partnership after coffee-price and import-cost increases prevented a workable price agreement.

## Links

- Website: https://www.onebiggislandinspace.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biggbybob
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/biggbybob
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiggbyBob

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bob-fish
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21