Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Juan Sarmiento, owner of Vereda Central Coffee Roasters, located in Oakville, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a Colombian specialty coffee roasting company that works directly with small coffee growers all over the country. We look for the best specialty coffee beans and negotiate directly with farmers who usually are in remote and very often in vulnerable conditions and pay them based on the quality of their beans and not the market price, paying quality bonuses directly to them, no middlemen to take the profits away from them. Then we bring the green beans to roast them, trying to achieve the best possible profile for every single origin.
Tell us about yourself
LEGACY, when I started the company, I wanted to do things. Differently, there may be thousands of coffee brands in Colombia, but we wanted to do something different. The difference comes from working directly with the coffee grower, not coffee federations co-ops. brokers, retailers, or anyone else except the growers themselves. This way, we can get the first pick for the best beans and be sure that the money is staying with those who really deserve it. This is the kind of company I want to leave my kids and kids-kids, something with a purpose and the capacity to help those in need.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
To start the company in Colombia and several years later being able to bring it into Canada.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
That you wish everyone (employees, customers, influencers, and critics) knew or maybe had a remote idea of how difficult it is to try to make a living and provide for your family while starting your own business. Many people take for granted the sacrifices business owners more than they would like to have to sacrifice in order to make a successful company.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Perseverance, Resilience, and hard, hard work.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
We are very passionate about what we do; my day-to-day job is trying to improve each day with the only goal to serve happiness in a cup.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.veredacentral.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeredaCentral.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veredacentral.ca/
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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