We recently connected with Kyle Boyce and have shared our conversation below.

Kyle, appreciate you joining us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

When I started Barkin’ Bean Roasters I wanted to find my “why”. That “why” is giving back to no-kill animal shelters and adoption organizations. At the end of the year Barkin’ Bean Roasters picks an organization and gives a portion of sales to that organization. The more coffee sold the more we are able to give.

Kyle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Barkin’ Bean Roasters is a small coffee roasting company that is run out of my home in Blue Springs, MO. I got started like most entrepreneurs, solving a problem. The problem? The amount of money I was spending every month on coffee that really didn’t taste that great. I was sitting ironically, in a coffee shop, having my coffee and watching YouTube videos. I cam across a video on show to save money by roasting your own coffee beans. Well, that video led my down a rabbit hole and the rest is history.

I started roasting coffee for myself on an air popcorn popper. It took a while to roast a small amount of beans, but the taste was incredible. I spent the next year researching how to roast coffee, the different methods, and what it would cost to start my own roasting company. I purchased my roaster in January 2020. I decided to go with an air roaster as it had a smaller footprint, was electric, and allowed me to have better control over the roasts. I also like the taste of air-roasted coffee. Air roasting produces a cleaner coffee taste that is less acidic. I’ve had people tell me that they cannot drink any other coffee because it gives them “tummy issues”.

Starting a business in 2020 came with some surprises. Had I know that we would be entering the largest pandemic we’ve seen in a long time, I might have pumped the brakes a bit. However, I am glad I didn’t. This allowed me the time to practice and perfect my roasts. I was able to roast beans from several origins. Some I still carry such as Brazilian, and Papua New Guinea. When Spring 2021 came around I was ready to sell to the public.

I started and still sell my coffee by the bag at the Blue Springs, MO Farmer’s Market. Every Saturday from May-October I set up and provide samples to those that want to taste what I roasted up for the week. 2022 has been a very successful year. So far, Barkin’ Bean Roasters sales increased by 48%. This excites me as the more we sell, the more we are able to give back to an animal shelter. This year we going with a local shelter. I have let that shelter know, but have not publicly announced it yet. This is what really excites me about my company. I enjoy the roasting process, but I really enjoy meeting new people, their fur babies, and those who come back to see me week after week because they love the coffee.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Starting a business does not come easy. With that being said we have all the resources available to us. I started with a $12 air popcorn popper from WalMart. I learned how to roast beans out of it from a YouTube video. This allowed me to practice at a very low cost. I made very small batches for friends and family. From there I put together a financial plan on how much capital I would need to get started. I really wanted to start without taking a bank loan. So instead I took out a credit card loan to buy my roaster. I was able to get approved for a business credit card with enough credit to buy my roaster. From there I kind of hacked the system. I then transferred the debt from that credit card to a zero interest card and was able to pay that off during the 0% interest term. To this day I have never needed to get a loan. Since this is a side hustle for me I am able to reinvest profits back in to the business to grow it.

This option may not work for everyone but having excellent credit helps. There are other ways. You can literally run that air popcorn popper and sell small batches of coffee from that. It’s going to be a slow process, but there will be a market. I had friends buy bags of coffee that I roasted on that machine. There are other ways to roast coffee too, be creative and don’t be afraid to try different methods.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Growing a customer base in the beginning was a challenge for Barkin’ Bean Roasters. At this time we are on Instagram, but not Facebook. We made a decision to grow organically. Being a side hustle the goal is to grow this into a full time business but growing by word of mouth. So far this has worked. Time after time customers will come to the farmers market or to a vendor every because someone told them that they had to try our coffee. Having samples is important too. Most people have tried coffee, but seeing the look on their face and hearing them say “wow” never gets old. Fresh roasted coffee makes a huge difference. That is another thing that sets Barkin’ Bean Roasters apart from others. The coffee sold is roasted no more than 2-days before an event. We don’t want to sell coffee that is 3 months old.

The way you treat your customers will help drive sales too. Every time someone comes up to sample or talk to me no question is stupid and everyone is a potential friend. I know my customers enjoy good coffee and enjoy giving back. Alway be friendly, smile and if they tell you they don’t like coffee, that’s ok. They might have friends and family that do. Offer cards with contact info and your website. You don’t have to have a large marketing team. If your product is good the work will get out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BarkinBean.com
• Instagram: @BarkinBeanRoasters