YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Since its opening in 2007, The Coffee Ethic has offered house-roasted single-origin coffee sourced around the world. Owner Michelle Billionis and her team travel to find the best farmers to source their coffee beans and complete multiple trial runs testing the best ways to roast them. The single-origin coffee is sold wholesale and locally, locally, and through customizable monthly subscriptions.
SBJ: Why did you decide to roast your single-origin coffee?
Michelle Billionis: The profit is better because we’re taking that green coffee from its origin and there is nobody in between. The single origin makes it exciting for coffee lovers because you get unique flavors and tastes.
SBJ: What is your goal with distributing this product?
Billionis: To create more online awareness, so we can send it all over the United States and expand our online presence. We also want to get these coffees into higher-end boutique hotels, specialty independent businesses, chocolate companies and partnering with people who like the finer things.
SBJ: How does production and distribution work?
Billionis: We have a roasting facility in Springfield. We order the coffee – usually we know the farm and have visited them – so we know where it’s coming from and how it’s made. We sign a contract, we agree to buy a certain number of bags from the farmer, work with an importer to get it to us, and take the green coffee to sample roast. We try different variations of a roast to allow that bean to shine as best we can. Then, we get the roasted bean, and it goes into a big bucket. We roast twice a week, so everything is very fresh.
SBJ: Sustainability is a company value; how did you approach that when designing the packaging of this product?
Billionis: We discovered there are no bags we could recycle here in Springfield. We talked with the bag company we use, TricorBraun Flex. They used a different coating than is normally used that allows the bag to be thrown away and completely compostable. We knew it was a little pricey, but we bought a large amount, and we were one of the first companies in the U.S. to use a fully compostable bag. We used WestRock packaging as well, and they were able to sell us a box that could be recycled. We went with this option because of the idea that there would be the nice capsule feel of opening a box and the ability to recycle the box and throw away the bags to dispose of it properly.
SBJ: How do you decide what farmers to use?
Billionis: We get samples sent to us through our importers, and they’ll ask if we want to visit a farmer. We’ve had several farmers reach out to us through social media, word-of-mouth or someone we know.
SBJ: How has this product helped the company grow financially and has it helped you expand your clientele?
Billionis: With the new packaging, it reflects more of what we’re trying to do with higher-end specialty coffee. Single origin has given us the credibility of high-end coffee and quality is part of our mission, and basically, it’s given us the opportunity to serve a wide range of coffee lovers. We take a lot of care from the farm all the way to the customer. We like to highlight the work of the farmer, so it tastes like it was meant to taste. In 2024, I hope to see some progress and traction with a bigger online presence. We sell in Hy-Vee, we sell wholesale, and we’ve been making custom-branded blends for different companies like Rise, Cherry Picker and Hotel Vandivort.
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