Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christiaan Jonker, Head of Operations and Roaster of Brown Bag Coffee Roasters, located in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Brown Bag Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster that utilizes fluid bed roasting technology for a clean and healthy roast. Fluid bed roasting utilizes convection as opposed to conductive heat transference as with a drum roaster. The benefits are that we have more control over our batch sizes, and I can easily clean my roast chamber on a weekly basis to avoid any carcinogens baking into the roasted coffee.
Our aim is to introduce the 2nd wave coffee community to specialty coffee in an approachable and comprehensible way while at the same time appealing to third-wave coffee drinkers by introducing some amazing coffees that we come across. Coffee can be intimidating for those who want to get into the nuance of brewing and drinking, but we pride ourselves on knowledge and patience.
Tell us about yourself
Shann Bosnell started BBCR around four years ago, and I have been a part of this amazing company for two years and moving into an ownership role. My coffee journey started in a small cafe roastery in RSA (my place of birth), where I started as a waiter and worked my way into shop manager and head barista.
When I moved to Canada and met Shann (founder of BBCR), it felt like the perfect fit, and I quickly became head of roasting and operations. It's been a great adventure for me, and I have learned so many things along the way. In order to do what I love (roasting coffee and making drinks), the business needs to function. We are a small team, and each of us has our fingers in all the slices that make up the whole "business pie," so we can learn from one another and keep the motivation going.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Winning the Th3rdwave Coffee Roasters of the year 2020 for the Gatineau and Ottawa region. It was a competition that ran for a few months, and we won! We were very happy about his seeing how young we are AND the fact that it was in the middle of a pandemic. We're just so thankful and in awe.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Many things! Finding a balance is one of them. We are all amazing people and get along famously, so we try and help each other by reminding one another what that balance is. Work can be stressful, and life can be hard, and we all know this, so we assist and encourage team members where and when we can.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Don't hesitate. If there is an idea, jump at it and commit. Chase your dreams! Each one of us left our day jobs and made coffee our new day jobs, and we are loving it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://bbcr.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brownbagcoffeeroasters
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brownbagcoffeeroasters/
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.