We recently connected with T.j. Rude and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, T.J. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

After getting my two year degree from a local community college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career. I worked dead end jobs and lacked a sense of purpose. In 2017 I decided to move to Southern California to get some perspective. Being from the Midwest this was shock to the system. The sunny days, the warm weather, the ocean – it was a breath of fresh air.

Towards the end of my time there I picked up a few shifts at a coffee shop. It was at this moment I knew what I was supposed to do. I understood something quickly – the coffee business has little to do with coffee and everything to do with people.

While I loved the coffee aspect, this wasn’t my top priority. I wanted to create a brand known for its hospitality and its aesthetic. I wanted it to be beautiful with the relentless pursuit of excellence and the will to win. I wanted it to have both grit and grace. I wanted us to be competitive yet with a reputation of how well we take care of our customers.

I started by building a coffee cart in the garage – bootstrapping the entire project. I then quit my job and went full time a week before COVID hit in 2020. We closed in 2021 because we were completely depleted of all resources. And now, after a lot of pain and effort, we have a storefront on the corner of a busy intersection in Des Moines, Iowa.

Through the adversity of the shop being hit by a car, twice, we are starting to live out the principles that led me in the first place: The relentless pursuit of excellence and the will to win.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Growing up in a competitive household, I learned very early on the importance of hard work, discipline, and the drive to keep going. Though the athletics world and the creative world are not often linked, I saw a gap in the market for this type of approach. The bar to excel has never been lower especially in the coffee industry. I don’t see much ambition. Bringing my competitive nature to this industry has helped us get to where we are today and will allow us to achieve our goals in the future.

The coffee business is not really about coffee. It’s about people. It’s about hospitality – a lost art in 2024. Our mission is to create an exceptional coffee experience through hospitality. At a high level this means being kind and welcoming to every person who walks in the door. Closer to the ground this means looking at every detail in the customer experience and making it one percent better every day.

I’m most proud of the attitude our culture has embraced. An attitude of grit, determination, and not giving excuses. An attitude of hospitality and excellence. An attitude of every detail being accounted for. An attitude of doing what it takes to be the best.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Over the last 14 months we have had two cars crash into our storefront. Not a challenge we were anticipating. We decided early on that we would not be a victim. We would not tell a sob story. We would instead use it as an opportunity to be resilient, to refocus, and to place our attention on serving our customers despite the inconvenience of having plywood for a storefront. Our determination was to get back on our feet quickly and keep crushing.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the tendency to try new things as a first option.

In our first two years we tried several business ventures. Events, Cold Brew Cans, Keg Service. But what we found is that this was only a distraction. Instead of growing, we only got worse at everything. I’ve learned the art of focus and commitment to do more of what is working instead of jumping ship prematurely. It’s been a painful lesson. But one I’m sure will add much value in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.northernvessel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northernvessel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063727984907

Image Credits

Noah Johnson