Starting a Bird Friendly Coffee Company from the ground up

We have embarked on a unique adventure. This blog will narrate the story of a couple in Northern Wisconsin (Azael and Lisa) as we craft a sustainable Coffee Company from the ground up. We have dreamed hundreds of business ideas over the years. This time is different, because we are moving beyond dreams and into action.

A few months ago we started thinking of business ideas for the thousandth time in the last decade. We have considered many things in the past, from dog training, Alpaca Farming, to eco-tourism, but always found a reason or ten to hold back (or just plain lack of courage).

Why Coffee?
We both love to drink it, have personal associations to it, and are fascinated by the possibilities. Think about it; this is a product that can change the world through fair trade, habitat conservation, promoting organic agricultural practices, and has the potential to impact the social stability and sustainable development of entire nations.

When I was a young boy growing up in Guadalajara (Mexico), I remember being fascinated while listening to my Grandfather Jose's grand stories about his experience growing up in his family hacienda in the mountains of Veracruz (where coffee was one many crops), the revolutionary war in which he had to fight (age 15) to defend the Landowners interests, and how after their side's defeat, he left to set up a Coffee Roaster Shop in Mexico City.
My Granfather's early enterprise was succesful, and the stories stuck with me. He would describe the wonderful aromas of fresh mountain coffee roasted in the morning, that would drive the crowds into his shop -"El Cafe es Chismoso" (Gossipy), he would say- as well as other great stories such as the time when two German empresarios (circa 1925) sat outside of his shop for two days and then asked him "how much for the business?", he replied that it was not for sale and they left. Next day same question, same answer. The same scenario played out for a few days until my Grandpa, tired of this, quoted the Germans a price he estimated to be about three times the real value of the business, and how they came back a couple hours later with the full amount in Silver and Gold coins.

Moral of the story: I always have associated Coffee with fabulous mountain plantations, exquisite aroma, tremendous value, and endless possibilities.

We have decided to start a specialty coffee roasting operation. We have read books, sampled great coffee's, talked to people, made connections to producers, importers, became members of the SCAA and attended this year's conference. We have a name Sierra Madre Coffee Company, and we are currently setting up our infrastructure (roaster, shed, webpage, etc).

Our business model is based on sustainability, and therefore we are very concerned with the social and environmental costs and impacts of coffee in the totality of it's production cycle (from seed to cup).

Day 1
We have a name, potential logo and we are now a registered LLC in the state of WI