Jeff Rhoden, Human Bean Coffee franchisee in Reno,
dies of COVID-19 at age 49
August 19 - 2021 Coffee Geography Magazine
Jeff
Rhoden, 49, from southern Oregon, a successful franchisee at Human Bean Coffee who ran four cafes in Reno has died of COVID-19 less than two
weeks after falling ill with the virus.
Rhoden
became sick shortly after his 49th birthday, according to his brother Ryan. He
went to the hospital after several days of serious symptoms. Then his oxygen
levels rapidly decreased, after he was put on a ventilator. His
brother expresses his sorrow of his brother’s untimely death on how Jeff lost
his strength and oxygen levels before his heart stopped and died that
night.
Jeff
was also an IT entrepreneur who ventured with a business partner in
Oregon-based internet-service provider infoStructure, building it into a
cloud-based data and communications company in 2003 before heading to Reno
where he franchised with The Human Bean Coffee, opening three in Reno
and one in Sparks.
"The
draw to Reno came from his entrepreneurial passion for starting something in a
new area by finding a thriving and growing community that wasn’t already
saturated with coffee stands," Ryan Rhoden said. "Jeff was right in
believing that Reno would be a perfect fit for the Human Bean franchises he
hoped to build."
Jeff
is remembered by his family and friend as a man of faith, youth baseball
fan and car enthusiast who rebuilt older model Ford Broncos and
always drive all the way to Reno
"I
think that's one of the reasons he loved having Human Bean locations in Reno
was driving over there," Ryan Rhoden said. "He loved that route
and always made good time and had a good time on that drive."
His
wife, DeAnna remember him having fever only one other time in their 26 years.
Rhoden is survived by his wife DeAnna and their four children.