We recently connected with Annastasia Shufford and have shared our conversation below.

Annastasia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Twisted Coffee is a mission driven company. Our mission is to utilize coffee to create conversations that brew connection and community. I started Twisted Coffee because I saw that sometimes the only way, we as people communicate in this new day and age is through consuming food, drinks or social media.

One day, as I stepped into the coffee line to retrieve my London fog, I overheard two strangers exchanging information to do doggy dates as they shared images like they were best friends from junior high. I then heard others celebrating a birthday nearby and others started to join in as if we were at choir rehearsal. The smell of coffee beans wasn’t the only thing in the air, but love, connection and community.

We use coffee to bridge the gap between inclusivity and exclusivity in different spaces or places. We travel far and wide to make moments happen through amazing experiences and hand-crafted coffee, tea, lemonade and cocoa.

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

Many people start their career conversations with “oh! you know, I just sort of fell into it…” I was actually Twisted out of Corporate America and into Coffee. Believe it or not, I never truly liked coffee until I had a great experience with tasting a blue berry cappuccino at a mobile coffee cart. I took my experience and ran with it; I went from coffee shop to coffee shop exploring different flavors and observing the culture.

Then there came the bright idea, I should start my own Mobile Coffee Cart. I pondered for a few weeks on what name I would give it once I left my 9-5 job. As I walked in the local grocery store, I held my phone on one cheek and held the cart in the other. Suddenly, a small still voice came and said, “Twisted Coffee.” I was in awe and knew I could never come up with a name so awesome!

Finally, the day came where I sat down and had everything published and legalized. I sent all of my paperwork over to the Secretary of State and received my documents back with a quickness.

Our debut was October 21st of 2023, we sold iced and hot coffee with a variety of flavors like salted caramel, cheesecake, smores etc., lemonade, mouthwatering cinnamon rolls and more.

The problem we solve is pushing an atmosphere to be more friendly and inviting for guests and hosts combined. Which will create synchronization for a successful event of all sizes.

I am most proud of the journey as a whole, many people laughed at the idea of starting a coffee cart, they were not on board with it. Now, those people believe more in Twisted coffee than ever. I had to first dare to dream and believe in myself. We were mentioned in the news and featured at the Dallas Holiday Parade!

At Twisted Coffee we’ve donated $2500 over the span of 3 months, served more than 300 guests, and we’ve done 20+ events in such a short time.

When people have you Twisted just remember Twisted Coffee was once in your shoes. Dream on!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Sourcing new clients for Twisted Coffee came through word of mouth. We’ve joined groups in person as well as online to increase visibility. Most of our event deals come from our Instagram.

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

I remember taking all of my savings and betting on Twisted Coffee. At this point, I left my only source of income and decided to pick up other gigs and side hustles. I even decided to start a GoFundMe discretely, to handle the funds that it will take to keep the business going. I prayed and prayed for breakthrough to happen for what others call a little ole dream. Then one day, I went and purchased the machine, then I created the logo and started marketing for my first event!

I took all of the courage I had left to say, “you know what, I can do this. Others have done it. Why not me?” I had my first event and that was the 2nd time that I’ve ever used an expresso machine before. Strangers lined up and gravitated towards my booth to grab a cup of coffee and instantly fell in love with our coffee. It gave me the motivation to keep on pushing forward!

The hardest part was starting the business, now I get to enjoy the journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Twistedcoffeeofficial
• Facebook: Twisted Coffee LLC
• Linkedin: Twisted Coffee Official
• Twitter: TwistedCFE
• Youtube: TwistedCoffeeOfficial
• Tiktok: Twisted Coffee Official (Twisted CFE)