Today we’d like to introduce you to Shani Hall.
Hi Shani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
One evening my kids came to me to discuss the difficulties they had in finding a job or the challenges they faced on a job; and like most mothers, it pained me to see them struggling. So that evening my fiancée and I begin exploring our options and it was at that moment that we knew that we wanted to be the catalyst of change, that we would start a business that everyone can participate in if they so choose to.
We wanted to use this opportunity to show our kids that they can create something outside of “the normal”, to get off the hamster wheel of uniformity and hopefully create generational wealth along the way. Now, that we had an idea, next came “what are we going to do” and that was the birth of The Coffee Chemist.
We have embarked on a journey of creating an extraordinary minority-run company, where we serve unique blends of coffee and coffee products that through Direct Trade provides a quality cup for the consumer and living wage for the grower; Furthermore, we work with our community to support the less fortunate and to encourage education among all of our consumers.
More close to home, we use this company as a vehicle to teach and train our kids – to get skills and practice that are not taught in the classroom but used in everyday life. Everyone participates. The oldest takes the lead and runs the truck while the youngest helps with inventory and counting money every evening. We try to give the kids the opportunity to participate – from strategy to marketing to distribution.
Today, The Coffee Chemist is a single truck that we envision growing. We are working with our roaster to develop our own signature taste that we project (and hope) to get in stores in 2022.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? Not so much. We were (and still are) faced with the same challenges that many small businesses are faced with – Funding, Locations, Product Pricing, Competition. Sure we drank coffee, supported other coffee shops frequently but we need to truly understand what we were going to offer, what made it different, and who was going to buy it. and how are we going to fund it?
We needed money. But again those obstacles are common. One unique struggle for us is working with family. We are ever-evolving and ever-learning our new interactions. Working with a spouse AND kids???!!! Sometimes, I wonder how any decision is ever made.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Coffee Chemist?
The Coffee Chemist is founded on three primary principles that set us apart from others.
We try to be unexpected. We serve what’s new, unusual, or surprising such as CBD Latte, Beet Lattes, and Golden Milk. We also try to keep the menu fresh and exciting by offering monthly specials such as Red Hot Lattes in February and King Cake Lattes in March.
We try to be emotional. We believe that every bean tells a story and we are the storyteller. One of the beans that we regularly offer is from the women of Kinyovu, where due to Direct trade they were able to get pay significant premiums and therefore able to promote quality of life and help assure sustainability. We are intentional in where we purchase or product from.
We try to be informative. There are several educational programs that we have in mind. The first that we have implemented is a “Sip with” where we use our social platform to raise awareness of minorities in STEM. Some of the people that we have highlighted include Mae C. Jemison, Gertrude Elion, and Patricia Bath.
Another program that we would like to sponsor in the future is a “Conscience Cup” where every month we will dedicate a portion of the proceeds of this special menu item to a charity of choice.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
This is a difficult question. As with life, I think success looks different for every member of The Coffee Chemist. For the company, I think success would be to become a formidable contender in the coffee shop arena.
To become a well-known high-quality brand. I would love for The Coffee Chemist to offer our customers an enjoyable memorable experience, to become a staple within the community, and to be able to support and uplift other successful small businesses.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://thecoffeechemist.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeechmtruck/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCoffeeChemistTruck/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Coffee_CHM
Image Credits
Satara Hall-Murray from Timing Perfection
