Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Luke McPherson, Founder and Owner of Karon Farm Coffee, located in Gordon, VIC, Australia.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is freshly roasted coffee. We supply wholesale customers, independent grocers, supermarkets, as well as cafes, and coffee carts. We also home deliver to home-based customers twice weekly.
Tell us about yourself
It all began with a passion, an idea, and a willingness to learn. I started roasting coffee beans in 2003 using a repurposed bread maker, a heat gun, and instructions from an online forum. With a lot of trialling and testing, learning every step of the way, I discovered the perfect flavour for my own morning cup of coffee.
Happy to share my coffee creation, I gave bags of my home-roasted blend to family and friends, and steadily, demand for the product grew. In 2016, I took the leap and established Karon Farm Coffee. Naturally, the bread maker and heat gun were replaced with a proper roaster, and within three years, I, a self-taught coffee enthusiast, had turned my part-time hobby into a full-time, award-winning business.
Today, Karon Farm Coffee is an online retail store that is open 24/7. We have created five custom blends, each with its own distinct characteristics, and we welcome anyone to collaborate with us to custom design their own signature blend.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Turning the business into a full-time job, and one that employs myself and two other family members.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The 24/7 nature of business now. People expect replies to emails asap, customer service is key, but it's hard to take a break and stop thinking about the business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- It will be hard, be prepared to work 6-7 days a week initially.
- Don't employ someone to do something you "don't" want to do - employ someone to help grow instead (e.g., something you "can't do")
- Enjoy the ride, it's challenging and sometimes frustrating, but it's also the best thing I've ever done!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://karonfarmcoffee.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karonfarmcoffee/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karonfarmcoffee/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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