We recently connected with Stephen Collins and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

While it seems so long ago now, our family entered the food industry in 2015 & in the meantime, has reinvented the business on five occasions. In each instance we had to assess & mitigate different risks.

First, we established a food truck, serving authentic Australian cuisine in the east valley of Phoenix, AZ. Along that journey, as we better understood our new market, we undertook a refit of our food truck to incorporate a gourmet coffee & drink aspects to its operations. Then, COVID descended & we commenced home deliveries via our SUV, to customers who already supported our food & coffee truck. During that period, we were asked to establish a permanent stop inside a residential community in NE Mesa & one day a week became two days & then finally six days a week. Our current operations now include a brick & mortar cafe.

Through these various phases of operations we were delighted to establish a “sticky” customer base that has grown with our business. It is now expanding in interesting ways.

Stephen, 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?

My father & I are Australians & I was raised by an American step-mother. I was in college in Sydney when they made a decision to relocate to the US. After graduating as an anthropologist, I followed them & we decided to establish our food business.

From the get-go our focus was providing authentic Australian food, coffee & drinks that mirrored what visitors to our homeland would experience. That has proven to be a major driver of our business growth. While there are many competitors in our market, we have carved out a niche & there are so many people willing to support small business.

Focal to our growth has been a deliberate effort to create a community feel about what we do & how we operate. It has been wonderful witness how much this has resonated with our customer base. Ours is a simple philosophy; the purchase of a coffee is not a transaction, it is the start of a relationship.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As alluded to earlier, in our short existence, we have reinvented our business numerous times.

Mostly, that was because we saw opportunity & we were able to build upon earlier successes. When COVID hit, that was new territory for all business owners but the foundational efforts that drove our earlier business proved we had something that was resilient & that could adapt in simple ways.

Effectively, the crisis of COVID was pivotal in our decision to establish our brick & mortar store. As stress tests go, having negotiated that journey successfully prepared us for just about anything.

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

Our focus on authenticity & the development of community has defined us in ways we had hoped. Testimony to that success, we do not spend money on advertising as our social media has developed a significant following & we benefit greatly from word-of-mouth referrals. It is fascinating & thrilling when a new customer arrives & tells us who referred them. Most times we can tell them something about the referrer & the impact that has on the new customer is priceless. If that methodology sounds elusive or difficult, it was made easier by being committed to it & learning along the way. Effectively, we have lived & breathed courtesy & commitment to customers from the very first day we were open for business. The multiplier effect has been wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cupofjoeyaz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cupofjoeyaz/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cupofjoeyAZ/events/?ref=page_internal&_rdr
• Other: Our first children’s book – Joey Goes to Arizona: https://www.amazon.com/Joey-Goes-Arizona-Amy-Collins/dp/B0DCH9F8LC

  Google Reviews: https://www.google.com/search?q=cup+of+joey&rlz=1C1JSBI_enUS1059US1059&oq=cup+of+joey&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDwgAECMYJxjjAhiABBiKBTIPCAAQIxgnGOMCGIAEGIoFMhUIARAuGCcYrwEYxwEYgAQYigUYjgUyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBggFEEUYPDIGCAYQRRg8MgYIBxBFGEHSAQg4NDYwajBqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Image Credits

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