Blending Coffee & Business with Jim & Crystal Whitmarsh

The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

A few months before Jim & Crystal Whitmarsh were expecting their first child, they started roasting coffee beans at home with a $20 popcorn popper. At that time, little did they know what their new hobby would grow into!

Jim & Crystal live in Kasson, MN and sell small-batch roasted specialty coffee with their business, Trail Creek Coffee Roasters.

They initially leveraged Minnesota’s cottage food law to start and grow their business from home, and after a couple of years, they moved into a brick-and-mortar storefront to expand their business.

Although their loyal customers rave about their coffee, it’s likely their continued marketing efforts that have had a greater impact on their business. They are constantly finding new and creative ways to collaborate with other businesses and organizations, and then they showcase those collaborations through social media.

A far cry from their initial popcorn popper roaster, they now own a commercial-grade roaster that costs tens-of-thousands of dollars! Their path to success hasn’t necessarily been the quickest or easiest, but through a double shot of passion and persistence, their small business continues to grow!

What You’ll Learn

• How to start micro-batch coffee roasting with a popcorn popper
• The different equipment options for roasting coffee beans at home
• Why educating customers is especially important when selling small-batch roasted specialty coffee
• When Jim & Crystal knew they were ready to transition from cottage food into a commercial space
• What to do if you don’t feel ready to take the next step in your business journey
• How to promote your business to your local area
• How to build your business through collaborations with other businesses and organizations
• How to leverage Facebook lives while you’re selling at a market
• The upsides of starting a business while raising a young family
• How to work with your spouse as a business partner
• How they have changed their pricing and packaging of coffee beans over time
• Where to source green coffee beans in bulk

Resources

Trail Creek Coffee Roasters Website (Facebook | Instagram)

Sweet Maria’s Coffee Library (learn about home coffee roasting)

Mill City Roasters (commercial-grade roasters & supplies)

Minnesota Cottage Food Law

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/37