Barron Canyon Coffee & Tea Co. - Alyssa & Spencer Pearce

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alyssa & Spencer Pearce, owners of Barron Canyon Coffee & Tea Co., located in Petawawa, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a small, veteran-owned coffee roastery & loose leaf tea online shop located in Petawawa, ON. We really try to appeal to coffee & tea lovers who appreciate freshly roasted small-batch coffee and luxury loose leaf tea. We do all of our roasting and packaging in our home. With doing small batch roasting, we can customize the roast level and grind for every single person.

We have a health unit & fire hall-approved room dedicated to our business. We currently carry seven different origins of coffee and 19 varieties of tea (plus some seasonal rotations!).

Tell us about yourself

Like many others, our business was an idea we talked about for a while, but with being off work at the beginning of the pandemic, we were able to dive into our project fully. Spencer has been a long-time coffee lover and really was the driver for our business. We know the difference freshly roasted coffee makes, and we wanted to share our love of it with the community. We know there are a lot of tea lovers out there, and we saw a huge demand to incorporate loose leaf tea as well. We love hearing from our customers how much they love our coffee and tea, and it always confirms we are on the right path.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

One of our most proud moments was getting ourselves out of all debt. We didn’t take home a paycheque for 1.5 years due to our initial costs bring more than anticipated, so we were proud of ourselves for breaking even.

Another accomplishment has been to have our products in a handful of local stores and cafes. This has really helped us grow and opened more opportunities for us. We have been fortunate to be included in some cool projects as well, such as holiday and wedding favours, giveaways, prizes, DIY bubble tea kits, and beauty products.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Finding a balance. We both have full-time jobs and a busy one-year-old at home. Trying to find a balance between work, business, and family time can be difficult. We are just thankful to be able to work from home so we can get work done during naps and after bedtime!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Start small; growth is always possible and endless.
2. Be passionate about your products and brand.
3. Take the time to keep your finances organized, so tax time is easier.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.barroncanyoncoffeetea.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barroncoffeetea
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barroncoffeetea/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.