National Network for Equitable Library Service

Want to know the secrets behind Canada's most popular coffee-and-donuts chain? Read all about them in a new book chronicling the rise of Tim Hortons, from its humble beginnings to the national institution it is today. Written by former Tim Hortons marketing director Ron Buist, Tales from Under the Rim: The Marketing of Tim Hortons is an engrossing, fast-paced business memoir. According to Buist, it took "one hockey player, one favourite barber shop, one former drummer, and one police officer," plus "the luck hard work brings" to make Tim Hortons a second home for millions of Canadians. The original founders — Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tim Horton, donut entrepreneur Jim Charade, and Nova Scotia born franchise wizard Ron Joyce — are all profiled in the book, along with many of the store owners in whom the success of the chain resides. If you have ever wondered about the invention of the apple fritter or the raisin dutchie, how timbits are made, or the origins of "Roll Up the Rim to Win," Tales from Under the Rim will answer your questions. Detailing the company's creative marketing strategies of the past 24 years, with loads of fascinating anecdotes, Tales from Under the Rim provides hitherto unknown glimpses into the transformation of a modest chain into Canada's most successful franchise operation. Tim Hortons is Canada's most successful coffee chain, with over 2,300 stores in Canada and US, and a Canadian market share of 70%, the highest of any franchise operation in the country. Each day, Tim Hortons franchises sell more than three million cups of coffee and more than a million donuts.