We were lucky to catch up with Lauren White Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Entrepreneurship is a risk by definition. Being an individual constantly brimming with new and exciting ideas, I am not a stranger to taking risks. The lesson learned over the years is how to focus those ideas into action to make calculated risks, worthy of positive payoffs.
When we were approached by our business partner to assist him in expanding Chivo Coffee Co, we were already running our own small business, Lemonseed Botany Bodega. The previous year, we took the kids out to a farm and test drove a 1980’s county school bus. We bought it on the spot with plans of turning it into our mobile plant shop: our botany bodega.
We became pseudo bus mechanics and builders. I spent all my free time learning about our houseplants that we’d inherited from my late mother-in-law. I took a painting course with Parks and Recreation and taught myself how to make gemstone jewelry. I applied to farmers markets and festivals all over the greater Raleigh area. All actions were geared towards creating our mobile shop, full of beautiful things that would make our customers smile.
As we thought about incorporating Chivo Coffee Co into our business model, it only made sense. We’d tack on a coffee bar setup, making pour-overs for customers as they shopped the bus. Immediately the coffee was a hit. We loved being able to connect with the Salvadoran communities from where the coffee was sourced. We roasted at origin to keep funds in the local communities and paid above average cost for green coffee from small farms.
This transition was such a success, we started to envision a brick-and-mortar where we would blend both businesses into one entity. At every market, customers asked where we were located and how they could purchase more Chivo Coffee. The encouragement was overwhelming and with this, we decided to take the largest risk yet to open our shop!
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.
Chivo Coffee Co is specialty coffee sourced from El Salvador. Our business partner, Adam Keough, lives and works permanently in San Salvador, where he sources green coffee, roasts at origin, and ships to us in North Carolina. My husband, Jake, and I work to connect with the local community to spread the Chivo love.
Our mission is to cultivate meaningful relationships throughout the coffee value chain. We support regenerative practices and conservation efforts in coffee-growing regions while delivering exceptional Salvadoran coffee to our customers. We envision a future where every step of our coffee journey fosters sustainable relationships, promotes regenerative practices, and preserves the natural beauty of coffee growing regions.
We are proud of sharing such a lovely product and feel grateful to be able to share a small piece of El Salvador with the rest of the world. We’ve grown Chivo Coffee Co from the ground up. Every cup makes a difference.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
With entrepreneurship, we have to unlearn the traditional. Our generation and generations before us were taught that we work the 9-5 schedule, bring home the paycheck, and pay the bills.
But these ideas are changing for the better. The notion of creating your own way is becoming more of the norm and slightly more welcomed in society. I’ve fought the traditional lifestyle for years as it just didn’t feel like the right track. The lack of independence has felt daunting.
The truth is, it’s okay to break away from the mold. It’s okay to take the risk and try something no one else in your family has ever considered. You may even find that you’re inspiring others along the way!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Chivo Coffee Co started as a side hustle for two families: Adam and Teresa in El Salvador and Jake and Lauren in North Carolina. Adam created the business by designing a logo, starting the branding, and sourcing the best products. He blended green coffee beans to find our custom varieties and worked with roasters to find the best flavor profiles. Adam and Teresa took day dates to coffee farms and spent late nights bagging coffee from their kitchen table all while working their full time jobs.
Jake and I ran Lemonseed Botany Bodega as a side hustle on top of regular jobs, then incorporated Chivo Coffee Co into the mix. We participated in weekend markets, bringing the kids along to run around and meet all the vendors. We filled our evenings with website creating, social media, and shipping coffee.
Once we had monthly coffee subscriptions coming in and consistent sales from markets, we realized Chivo Coffee Co could be a business worthy of more of our time. With customers asking again and again about our brick and mortar, we decided it was time to make the leap.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chivo.coffee
- Instagram: @chivocoffeeco
