Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Carabello. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

We started 12 years ago as a way to donate money to an orphanage in Nicaragua. We were both part time teachers and didn’t make enough to have anything extra to give. So, my husband borrowed $300 from his dad, bought a one pound coffee roaster, and started roasting at home. He emailed the teachers at school and told them if they bought our coffee we would donate the funds back. This started what is a now a 100,000 pounds a year coffee roasting company. We have created lifelong friendships with our farmers throughout Central America, and now give to three different organizations that help children with education, food, and special needs services.

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

What sets us apart is our commitment to hospitality, getting to know our customers, and innovation in the coffee beverage space. We created a 2nd coffee bar inside of our retail space called Analog Coffee Bar. Analog Incorporates craft cocktail techniques to make new, unusual, and beautiful coffee drinks. We change the menu every 6 weeks, using themes like music (served with headphones, inspired by a song!), art, pop culture, decades, seasons, and even weather forecasts!

We strive to be a fun, friendly, upbeat cafe where people who have very little coffee knowledge can feel comfortable asking questions. But, we also have Analog for the customer that is ready for coffee to be pushed into new frontiers.

Carabello Coffee started in a garage in the fall of 2009 with a philanthropic vision, a hot air popcorn popper and a few pounds of green coffee beans. From there the Carabellos have steadily grown their small business as a way to help fund sustainable change in underdeveloped coffee producing nations.

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

When 2020 hit, we were told no one could come into our building. We are in the heart of a city and do not have a drive thru or a parking lot. We realized there were two small windows that opened on the side of the building. All other windows had been updated and replaced and could not open. Overnight we moved furniture, had signs desiged/printed, ran POS systems, and created a walk up window to serve the guests out of. We literally thrived as a cafe that year because of that while our wholesale business practically dried up over night. It was so hard. The bugs could fly in and out, the windows were not a comfortable height for the staff, we had to walk really far to the espresso machines, and reshape our entire work flow. But, it kept us a float and people loved it!

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

Yes, I owned a gourmet popsicle business for 9 years. I sold it and it still exists. Treating your business as a business and not just a job. Creating systems, tracking numbers, creating protocols. If you want to sell it, you can’t just run on a hope and prayer. You have to show them that they are buying something that has years of success, data, and a brand that they can be successful with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carabellocoffee.com
• Instagram: @carabellocoffee @carabelloanalog
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carabellocoffee