Since I launched the site a month ago, I’ve been slowly finishing out my roasting space and adding some improvements to the website, while also getting a few orders to fill. I take feedback very seriously, and shipping costs were a major concern. I could not believe that the auto-calculated shipping was more than the coffee. I’ve tweaked the dimensions, and I’ve added the roasting and shipping information page (which is why there was no post last week), that will be updated as the business grows. I am all about transparency, so this is important to me.
I’ve also worked on trying to add my coffees to Facebook, to help people see the products, though I’m not exactly sure how that works. My ‘Shop’ is currently under review by the FB people to see if I pass their requirements. I’m still not sure how to get my business set up with Google, as I don’t have a physical shop location. This is where it would help to hire a professional, but money is tight, and while it might take me a while to figure out, I figure slow and steady is better.
My next phase is working to start having a presence at the local farmer’s market. I can’t do on site roasting there yet, so I’m looking to see how I can set up samplers for people to get. They would have to be pre-roasted, which I am loath to do, but how else to get people to try the coffees? I’m contemplating posting any weekly leftovers online as a sample set. I did order 4 oz sample pouches for beans, that I will probably roast to a Medium roast. I can also offer samples of brewed coffee at the farmer’s market, but that may or may not be tricky with the current restrictions.
I did another t-shirt sample order, and if I like this one, then I’ll post a picture of myself in the shirt. I also plan on wearing it out and about, especially when I go to the farmer’s market. I’ve met a couple of local business owners that have friends that do t-shirt printing, but I don’t have the storage to order a bunch of t-shirts to sell. I also haven’t finalized my design. I like what I have, but I’m sure it could be better. I would be a lot happier ordering a bunch of t-shirts that 100% of what I envision. I’m not an artist though, so I’m hoping that the artists in my family can help me out (for pay, of course).
I am working to figure out how to add feedback from customers to the coffee beans pages. For some reason, I don’t see an option to give reviews to the different beans. I find this very frustrating, as I like to hear back from everyone to see what they like.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to give a shout out to my vendor. I get all of my coffee beans from Coffee Bean Corral. They have been amazing. And I love their selection. If you visit their site, and see a coffee bean option that you would like to see me offer, let me know. You can email, text, or DM through FB or Instagram.