We recently connected with Douglas Stanley Kuehn III and have shared our conversation below.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My journey for the coffee industry started when I was growing up in El Salvador. My father pioneered the first certified organic coffee in the country, and it took me into the farms for many years. After graduating high school I left central America to start college and take my next step into the coffee world. I teamed up with a Turkish man named Erdal where I learned to be a barista and roast coffee. Then in 2002 I ventured off to Austin to start my food & beverage distribution called WGB. We just celebrated 20 years of business and business is strong, Our offerings help coffee shops increase their bottom-line and keep customers up to speed with the beverage trends in the country. The most recent and exciting thing that happened last year was that we were acquired by a company called https://odeko.com Odeko is on a mission to champion your neighborhood cafes, local coffee shops, and bakeries through technology. Whether we’re saving small business owners 10 hours a week with our AI-backed supply platform, reducing CO2 emissions with overnight deliveries, or developing a user experience that makes every new customer feel like a regular, Odeko supports our small business partners from open to close. Your local coffee shops and cafes are the backbone of any given community, and we’re here to help manage the day-to-day tasks with a platform so intuitive, it’s kind of like magic. It is a super charged company that has pulled together some of the best distribution companies in the country, and at the same time open organic warehouse around the country. We are excited to help small businesses around the country and keep them growing.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

When I was living in Corpus Christi Texas my uncle John Thompson was working for Procter and Gamble. He introduced me to a gentleman name Bob Hrobak who had just retired in Austin Texas. As a true businessman he wanted to venture into a small business to help with all the time on his hands. We put the plan together to launch WGB and the rest his history. We grew and grew every year and now we are this new adventure with Odeko.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Fair pricing, good products and consistent great customer service. The first two are pretty easy to make up, but the 3rd will always be a challenge. We focused on really listening to our customers needs, and training our staff to watch out of the details. The little details that make a customer remember you. Flowers at their grand openings, gift baskets for the staff members, and many more special touches that leaves a memorable experience from us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://odeko.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialodeko/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialodeko