Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Josué Duff, owner of Brickbean Coffee Roaster, located in Lawrencetown, NS, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Brickbean is a nano coffee roastery in the rural community of Brickton, Nova Scotia. Bringing high-end ethical coffees to a local atmosphere. People often have many questions about coffee how it's grown or roasted, and they get turned away from bigger roasteries only concerned with protecting profit. At Brickbean, they can experience much more of the process and get to brew coffee that satisfies the soul as much as the palate.
Tell us about yourself
I started drinking coffee as an athlete in my youth. It only took a couple of cups to realize that it made all my workouts much better! I started buying generic pre-ground coffee and pouring hot water out of a bulky pyrex measuring cup, but as a curious individual, it wasn't long before I experimented with other coffees and eventually got a pour-over set and a manual burr grinder.
On an unrelated trip to the coffee region of Chiapas, Mexico, in early 2020, I stayed with a family that are coffee producers. The gentleman prepared me a cup of their medium-light roasted specialty grade coffee that was incredible. I couldn't believe all the unexpected flavours in the cup. It was so juicy and vibrant with notes of grapefruit, lime, and delicate flowers.
Upon my return to Canada, I began a quest to find a coffee that could match that. By the time I saw a comparable coffee, I was already a year into the search and down the rabbit hole. The world of coffee roasting. From the producers to the machines, the chemistry, and the art, it had all captured me, and I knew I wanted to be part of this for a very long time. After setting up a small shop, I've become quite fond of talking with the people that buy coffee from me. I love hearing the stories of their travels and the unique preparation methods that they've tried. Learning from them and sharing some of my own knowledge with other people passionate about coffee is by far my favourite part of being a business owner and what I look forward to most every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The coffee I roasted has made it all the way across Canada and enjoyed on the Pacific coast!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Dealing with supply shortages, especially when I could have avoided them by planning better. It's terribly embarrassing to tell customers there is no coffee because of my own silly goof. Then their patronage is lost for half a year or longer. Coffee is essential to the wellbeing of countless people, including me, and I struggle with guilt when I don't fulfill it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start tiny and make ways to run everything at 300%. It'll teach you a lot of the important things that are easy to ignore with bigger machines and supplies.
- Own your mistakes. Don't just sweep them under the rug and hope no one notices. They will. And you're the one that will pay.
- There is nothing wrong if your goals change mid-way. Give your business some freedom to adapt.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://brickbean.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brickbeancoffee/
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.
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