Beans. Service. Experiences. Knowledge.

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Shawn Steiman, owner of Grok Coffee, located in Honolulu, HI, USA.

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

I distribute specialty coffee from local roasters. I change the coffees each week, but there's always 1 Hawaii-grown coffee and one world coffee. I buy in bulk and repackage in plastic-free, nearly-zero waste, reusable jars. My customers pay by the ounce (the price changes with the coffee) and can order as often or as infrequently as they want. There is a subscription setting, but it is for convenience rather than to lock customers in.

While I do offer delivery to a decent percentage of the island, a lot of folks opt for some of the pickup depots, all of which are a bit lower in cost. The company also provides brewing service at events, private coffee education, and tours. Well, it will do these things, as Covid restrictions fully ease!

My customers are folks who love coffee and want to explore the variety of tastes specialty coffee can deliver. They are folks who believe in "buy local" and minimal waste and plastic usage. This company is about providing opportunities for discovering great locally sourced coffee while minimizing environmentally poor practices.

Tell us about yourself

I moved to Hawaii to study coffee in grad school. I have an MS and Ph.D. in Horticulture and Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, but I really just studied coffee science. I've written three books about coffee, and I own a consulting company that operates throughout the coffee industry production chain.

Grok Coffee was born out of a failed restaurant/roastery/cafe business I had. I kept the farmers' booth that I ran for the company and began Grok Coffee to give the booth a name. I then built the company around supporting the local coffee industry in as many ways as possible. Coffee is what I do, and it is a part of my identity. At the core of things, I just love the taste of coffee and the emotional/intellectual/psychological experience of interacting with it.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Finding a niche in a pretty crowded field. That's the business owner answer, I guess. But, I'm much more proud of developing a customer base that is increasingly excited about coffee and is willing to trust me to provide them something they'll drink, even if it isn't something they'd necessarily pick for themselves. Taken together, my biggest accomplishment is growing a coffee community out of ordinary coffee drinkers.

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

For me, it is marketing. I understand the why and how, but I have a very hard time motivating myself to do it properly.

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

Build real, meaningful relationships with your customers. I make mistakes, but customers feel connected to me and see me as a real person. They are very forgiving. Likewise, when they make mistakes or make my life harder, I'm more forgiving of them. It is all because of relationships.
Do something you love. There will be hard times, mundane chores, and unexpected costs. If you don't find a lot of joy in the business or have a strong belief in the business idea, you'll be miserable and, probably, unsuccessful.
Relay on others to do things you won't do or can't do well. As I said, I can't get into marketing. So, I've hired a firm to help me. I've hired firms for other things, too, that I probably could do, but there is value in me not taking the time to do it and them having greater expertise in it.

People always ask what "Grok" means. It is from Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Since there's no official definition (even in the book), I use this definition that I wrote: To know something in every possible way, in fullness to understand something emotionally, empathically, intellectually, logically, and completely, as if you were to merge with that something.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.grokcoffee.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grokkingcoffee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grokkingcoffee/

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.