We recently connected with Amanda Pumphrey and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

My story starts at Whole foods. That is where i fell ass backwards into my passion for coffee. It started as I needed a job/any job to get out of the department I was in. So i applied to become the Coffee and Tea buyer for the store. It soon turned into so much more. I was able to learn about coffee and also learned to roast while running a cafe inside the store for the department i was in. It was then i knew i eventually wanted to leave whole foods and start my own business but was a ways from doing that. We moved from Fl to TN and i took on a new position in my department that took me away from my passion. I then started to plot my escape. We decided to Tiny home and live off one paycheck to save for my future venture. When whole foods was bought by Amazon it was the perfect timing to leave because my values were no longer aligned with the company that had purchased them. I first started out as a food truck doing farmers markets. I mobily roasted and barista. My truck was forever breaking down and i was burning through my start up capital. I was picking up shifts at a local brewery LHB in east nash to pay for repairs. They offered me to move in and i would help with the bar and could run my operation there. That was going very slowly until the tornado that hit east nash happened. Then Covid! So we went back to farmers markets with whole bean and cold brew. I was doing 7 markets a week and having much success. I then was asked if i would be interested in renting a small space in a town where i lived. We accepted and opened at the height of covid and found much success. Within six months we had made a pretty decent amount of money. We then expanded into our current location right down the street. Opening a restaurant serving brunch while still sticking to our routes and doing farmers markets. We have been in our current location for three years and are about to open our second location at the end of march. I think what allowed me to launch my business was being really realistic with our personal finances and making a lot of sacrifices with lifestyle. Some of my first purchases were the roaster and the espresso machine. I’ve found the key to success is what is called the pivot. I never intended to have a full restaurant of multiple locations but when i surrendered the truck and trusted the process I found success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into coffee via whole foods. They offered at the time an awesome program teaching about coffee 101 and they taught me to roast and barista. It was through working for them in management that i learned about how things should run and operate.
I then struck out on my own to learn more reading everything i could get my hands on. I also made friends with a local roaster and they were very helpful in furthering my education.

Services we offer are in store food and drink service.
Farmers markets- whole bean coffee , cold brew and bottled lattes
We offer delivery or pick up in store.
We also private label roast for clients whole would like their own coffee.

I think what sets us apart is that we really care about where we source our coffee from and strive to provide affordable pricing taking a hit on gross profits to ensure that artisan coffee is affordable. We also don’t dark roast anything preserving the tasting notes our coffees have. Lastly I own 100% of my business which allows me to really pivot and stay true to the vision.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When i first started i really had a set idea of what i thought i should be doing. I found that when i let go of that idea that i found much success. The pivot has happened three times now for me. The first pivot was when the food truck kept breaking down. I was encouraged to sell the truck and pull all the assets out of it. I bartered skill sets i had for rent and found that it was the right thing for my business at the time.
The second pivot came after a natural disaster and pandemic. Everything was shut down except farmers markets. So we hit them hard and did every one we could humanly do. This allowed me to bank some much needed cash so when i was offered to open a little spot locally where i live i had the funds to do so.
The next pivot came after six months of being in that location and completely outgrowing it. I never wanted to own a restaurant but food service seemed to be what was next in the business journey. So we did it and it’s been one the hardest things I’ve ever done. It’s had many ups and downs but has led to the next pivot.
The last one is we are now opening a second location! We had a neighboring city ask us to open a spot in their town based on how much they like our current location. Again i never expected to have multiple spots but again the business goes where it goes. I joke I’m just the person that writes checks and pays bills.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Many people start a business and think they are going to wake up every day loving what they do. I’ve come to realize that most think that they are turning their hobby into a living. That is something i always encourage people who are looking at starting their own businesses to really look at. Its been frustrating as a owner to encounter people who aren’t willing to put in the hours pounding the pavement. That look at me and say you have no work life balance. I don’t think when you are building something you can afford to have a mindset like that unless you have unlimited resources. its something i strive for in the future but realize that isn’t possible right now. I think something that demonstrates resilience is i will always do what it needs and give myself to it. That means long days, late nights, early mornings. Most people aren’t willing. Another is my husband, three kids and myself got really real with our personal money. We knew if I wanted to do this we would have to save and sacrifice personal comfort. We tiny homed, with no electricity, running water or central plumbing for about six years. This allowed us to sling shot to where we wanted to be. Most aren’t willing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pumphreyandbeardcoffeecompany.com
• Instagram: @pumphreyandbeard
• Facebook: pumphrey and beard

Image Credits
Lena Mayberry