Randy Pederson, the co-founder of JavaMoose Coffee Roaster, has passed away.

Pederson’s family shared news of his death on JavaMoose’s social media feeds on March 24. They remembered him as a “kind, thoughtful, and effervescent soul.”

“Those that knew him appreciated his gift of the gab as he told stories and embellished the world around him to exaggerated heights,” they said.

“He loved his morning coffee and that elixir resulted in the co-creation of JavaMoose Coffee feeding everyone’s need for fellowship and caffeine. His love of cooking with friends and family left waistlines and belts bulging.  His love for animals saw him parenting a rambunctious group of canines and felines… Most of all he loved his family. All that big, diverse, accepting, wonderful group of people that loved him back.”

According to the post, Pederson passed away on March 21. His family has not made his cause of death public.

Pederson co-founded JavaMoose in 1995 with Glen McLean. The pair bought a small kiosk in Saint John’s McAllister Place after a trip to Kenya inspired them to offer a better coffee experience back home.

“We just didn’t want to sell someone else’s coffee, we actually wanted to manufacture and roast our own, because we knew what the potential could be because we had tasted it in Kenya,” McLean told Huddle in an August 2018 interview.

JavaMoose has since grown, opening multiple locations across Saint John, including a 2,500-square-foot factory “world headquarters,” where they make products for hundreds of wholesale clients.

The coffee chain, and Pederson specifically, have had a significant effect on the city. More than 100 people have already taken to social media to share fond memories of him.

“I still regularly tell everyone that Java Moose was my all-time favourite job, and at the end of the day that’s down to the amazing people that made it so. I’ll never forget the sarcasm and laughs of the food safety training course with Randy. I don’t have any Java Moose where I am at right now, but I’ll raise my cup of coffee this morning in his memory,” one person wrote.

“Randy brought a wonderful energy to every room he walked into. And I will always remember the clever, subtle sarcasm that you’d only realize after you walked away and thought about it for a minute! He gave so much, and I am glad to have known him,” another said.

Pederson’s family will hold a visitation and celebration of life on April 5 at Reid’s Funeral Home. They ask that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Saint John Animal Rescue SPCA, an organization Randy felt strongly about.

This story was originally published in Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.