We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Peck Wheir a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

I would tell myself that growth can look like so many different things. When we first started, we had VERY little money- just enough to purchase our first roaster, a small order of green coffee, and the bags to put it in. It forced us to slow down and be more thoughtful about what we were investing in, because there wasn’t much to work with. As our small cafe in Ventura grew, our customers were asking when we would ‘expand.’ It was a compliment as they wanted more places to enjoy Beacon. We entertained so many spaces and opportunities, saying no to a lot. Knowing what works for you, and what your goals are is SO important when making these big decisions. It can be muddied by generous offers from folks that want to see you grow, but keep in mind no one knows your business and mission better than you. We opened our second cafe almost ten years ago, and have since closed it. At first it was exactly what we had hoped, we were able to do everything in house (syrups, alternative milks, pastry all made from scratch.) As the business evolved, it became less about the coffee and where it comes from, and more about all the options that customers were requesting. We were trying to cater to our community and the visiting tourists, and as we navigated both the Thomas Fire and Covid, we were pivoting a lot to make it work. We did everything we could to keep going and to keep our team employed during the pandemic, but doing so required more loans, and more debt. When we finally slowed down enough to look at the business and its profitability, it became obvious how far we had moved away from our original mission. The market had changed so much, we had to be realistic about what we were willing to do to make the space of that size continue to work. It was tough to walk away, but we are now able to focus on what we truly love about the Coffee Industry and focus again on our passion of sourcing, roasting and education.
Its tough not to allow ego to get in the way of the biggest and toughest decisions that you will make. Stay focused on what your goals are, and do what is best for you, your team and business health.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have worked in restaurants since I was 14 years old and was drawn to the fast pace, and social aspect of interacting with lots of different people. Serving and bartending paid my way through school, and when I returned home for the winter, the restaurant I worked at would be closing in November for the season. I applied at the local coffee shop where I met my husband John who had been in specialty coffee already for a decade. We later moved to California when he took a job roasting for one of the bigger So Cal coffee companies. He often spoke of the disconnect between what was happening on the coffee farms and how the coffee was treated once in the roasting plant. We dreamed of doing it ourselves in a smaller way, highlighting all of the work that goes into the growing and processing of coffee. My first visit to a coffee farm was romantic and emotional. The place, the people and all of the love and passion that went into the whole process was incredibly inspiring. Years later, it is by far my favorite part of my ‘job.’ Several times a year we have the privilege of visiting our friends in coffee all over the word. We are warmly welcomed into their homes where we share stories of business and life over home cooked meals. They share their struggles and successes, and as much as we support them in buying their coffee, we rely on and invest in them each year as Beacon would not exist without them.
Shortly after we opened in 2010, we started to host public coffee cuppings (tastings) at the roasting plant, to share the stories of the families who had been growing coffee for generations out of love and tradition.
We saw the similarities in how wine was grown, finished and labeled to how coffee was intended but sometimes not sold that way to the consumer. Our customers were genuinely interested in the process, effort and risk that went into producing these amazing coffees.
We started our Coffee Collective in 2014, 4 years after we opened Beacon. This was a Coffee ‘CSA’ of sorts, mad up of customers who were interested in supporting small producers and their experiments along with us. We could source specific lots for our customers, mostly small unique offerings, and buy just one bag or two (150#’s of raw product per bag) to share with our members. Our Collective has grown exponentially in the last 9 years, and we are proud to source 24 separate lots of coffee just for our members every year.
Covid made it impossible to visit the farms during that time, but we stayed in touch with the help of Zoom and social media. Relationships are so important to us as a company both with our customers and the families responsible for growing all the coffees we are honored to share. Making specialty coffee accessible to all is a big part too. Through education, we are trying to take the pretension out of coffee and the sometimes misconceptions of standards that must be met. Coffee is constantly evolving which makes it so exciting. We will never know everything, and if you think you do- you’re already behind.

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

I think most businesses that were here before and during Covid can relate to having to pivot. We had just returned from Costa Rica and Guatemala on a sourcing trip, and a week later the world closed down. Navigating Covid in the restaurant/food service industry was tricky. We had a lot of conversations with our team about how we should move forward. The majority wanted to continue to be open and serve the community. We had a few folks that took some time as there were so many unknowns and big health risks serving the public. We decided to close the inside of the cafe to customers and serve everyone outside. Seeing our customers and having that connection during this time was so important for a lot of us. It allowed us to keep going and keep our whole team employed.

In order to service folks better, we built an online ordering system from scratch in under a week. That was a compromise for us (BIGTIME) because we have a high standard for quality. But we found a happy medium of allowing folks to pre-order, and when they check in, we would start their drinks so they were the right temperature and tasting their best. We also starting offering eggs, milk and other products from our dairy since they were so hard to find. We sold loaves of bread, avocados, and citrus, all sourced from local farmers and makers. It wasn’t just about coffee during that time, we knew that we could be that one place folks could connect with their community, and grab some essentials to get them through.

We eventually stopped the online pre-order and we no longer sell those items, but at the time it made sense. We were grateful for the business and our community was grateful to have a spot to gather, even if it was the parking lot in the back of their trucks or folding chairs outside.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Our transparency in the whole process, being open and excited about our sourcing. Especially here in Ventura County where we grow so much of our country’s food, folks are genuinely interested in where their food comes from. We are so incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many beautiful farms, enjoying fresh, seasonal produce everywhere we turn. Having a connection to the folks responsible for your food, whether it is avocados, strawberries or your coffee, feels good. You know you are supporting a small business/family and we get to enjoy the labor and passion that went into it. Sharing stories from our trips to the farms, and being able to speak specifically about how the coffee was grown because we have visited and spent time on the farms. Spending time with the farmers, learning about the process, struggles and successes. We share these stories with our customers in the cafe and with each release in our Collective. We have an incredibly loyal customer base who continue to invest in us and our producing partners year after year.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beaconcoffee.com
• Instagram: @beaconcoffee
• Youtube: @beaconcoffeecompanyinc.5065

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Beacon Coffee, The Silva Family, and Hacienda La Minita