Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with David Anderson, Owner of Roastery of Cave Creek, located in Cave Creek, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We’re a wholesale coffee roaster.
Tell us about yourself
I came from the Satellite Communications industry. When I entered the coffee business in 1997, I opened a coffee bar. Researching the quality of coffee, I purchased a roaster to control the quality and freshness of our product. A couple of years later, I leased additional/adjoining space and added a wine bar. We saw customers in the mornings for coffee and at the wine bar in the evenings.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being in business for 25 years. We were well out in front of the Third Wave. My wholesale business evolved from restauranteurs frequenting my business, and we began selling to restaurants, hotels & resorts. We now roast approximately 225 thousand pounds per year.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the bigger challenges is finding and retaining good employees. I pay very competitive salaries and provide profit-sharing, full health & vision care. Employees work a four-day workweek and a month of paid vacation. I have not had any turnover in the past seven years. I would never ask any of my employees to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. Even though business was severely impacted by COVID, I continued full salaries and left their healthcare intact.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Hire good people and treat them the way you would want to be treated.
- When you open your doors, you have a year’s worth of cash flow in the bank. Most businesses fail during the first year because of not have the income to sustain the business until it is profitable.
- “Work Hard and be Nice." I have a wooden sign in the roastery that says that.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.roc2.coffee/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theRoc2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roc2coffee/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Roc2Coffee
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-anderson-911b3514/
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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