Learn how to start a coffee shop in Iowa from Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea! The award-winning coffee roaster, which has helped open over 300 independent coffee shops in more than 30 states, recently updated its online coffee shop startup guide with more tips and success stories for The Hawkeye State.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Want to learn how to open a coffee shop in Iowa? Get tips on starting a profitable business in The Hawkeye State from coffee shop startup experts at Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.
Through its 7 Steps to Success consulting program, Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year has taught over 300 entrepreneurs across the country how to open their own independent coffee shops.
In 2022, Crimson Cup published a series of startup guides to help entrepreneurs in each state achieve their dreams of opening their own coffee shops.
For 2023, the company's 7 Steps coffee shop startup consulting team has updated its "How to Start a Coffee Shop in Iowa" guide with even more tips and resources.
"Iowa offers fertile ground for many types of small businesses, and coffee shops are no exception," said Crimson Cup Founder and President Greg Ubert. "The Hawkeye State ranks 30th in the number of coffee shops per capita, with fewer than one coffee shop for every 6,371 residents. That leaves a lot of Iowans without a local coffee shop!"
Crimson Cup supports independent coffee shops in Eldora, Eldridge and Iowa Falls. Their owners learned how to open the shops through the company's 7 Steps program.
The program is based on Ubert's book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee, which he wrote to help coffee shop owners master all aspects of successful coffee shop operations.
"We help entrepreneurs with little or no coffee experience become owners of thriving coffee shops serving their local communities," he said.
"From choosing a terrific location and writing a strong coffee shop business plan to calculating coffee shop startup costs, buying and laying out equipment, hiring and training staff and more, our team is here to guide you."
To hear about the book in Ubert's own words, download a free recorded introduction on Soundcloud.
For over 20 years, The Coffee Attic & Book Cellar has provided a cultural hub in Iowa Falls, Iowa - a place where people can come to socialize, appreciate local art, have a bite to eat, enjoy a great cup of coffee, and relax.
This award-winning coffee shop features a coffee shop in the upper level (Coffee Attic) and a bookstore on the lower level (Book Cellar).
Original owners Bob and Jan Morton opened The Coffee Attic through Crimson Cup's 7 Steps to Success program.
After joining The Coffee Attic in 2006, Kat Bissell spent the next decade learning about coffee from the Mortons and Crimson Cup, working her way up to manager. She and husband Pat Bissell bought the shop in 2016.
Under Kat's management, the business has grown through new coffee innovations and by opening a second location called the Coffee Attic Corner inside Hansen Family Hospital.
"We take great pride in continuing the dream Bob and Jan Morton made 20 years ago," she said.
Bissell credits the coffee shop's success to relationships with customers, baristas and Crimson Cup.
"We are a small community that supports one another. Our regulars say it feels like home. We have even played a part in two engagements!"
With a large loft, the shop has space to host study groups, meetings and parties for many local groups and charities.
"As a few examples, we present a poetry night for a local school, hold food pantry fundraisers and host local artists and wineries for our town's Art/Wine Walk," she said.
The shop also collaborates with home-based businesses. "We give them a space to sell their products, and they give us quality products from local vendors."
Bissell says building her barista team into a family has promoted the shop's success. "Many of my former employees come back to see me whenever they are in the area, and I have traveled lots of miles to see them as well."
Asked to advise other prospective coffee shop owners, Bissell said to look at Crimson Cup.
"Crimson Cup has a great reputation and stands by their products," she said. "I can count on the 7 Steps team for advice and guidance. I trust the research that goes into the supplies we get from them and know they will be there whenever I need them."
Apart from vital connections in the local community, Bissell says travel – to Crimson Cup's Innovation Lab for education, to other coffee shops and to coffee-growing countries – is one of her favorite aspects of owning a coffee shop.
The couple has visited some of the coffee farms and coffee processing plants in Siguatepeque, Honduras, that produce coffee for Crimson Cup. They have funded a scholarship for student education and have done fundraising for and traveled to build a home for a coffee worker and his family.
"Traveling to coffee-growing countries and meeting other coffee-shop owners has taught me that community does not end with our town," Bissell said. "We have made connections all over the world!"
Kat and Pat Bissell invite everyone in Iowa Falls and Hardin County to stop by their coffee shop.
The Coffee Attic is open six days a week at 604 Washington Circle in Iowa Falls. For the latest news and updates, follow their social media profiles.
"As a coffee roaster and coffee business consultant, Crimson Cup believes our company only succeeds when our customers do," Ubert said. "As a result, we support coffee shop owners at every step, from concept through opening day and beyond."
"Although the fundamentals of coffee shop operation remain the same from state to state, the economic opportunities, business formation and licensing requirements vary widely," Ubert said. "We're excited to share information and resources to help entrepreneurs expedite their startup journey."
He invited anyone considering opening a coffee shop in any state to call Crimson Cup for guidance.
"If you run into any roadblocks or just want to discuss your vision with a coffee expert, you can reach our startup team by calling 1-888-800-9224."
About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other significant recognitions, the company has earned 2023 Double Gold awards at the Aurora International Taste Challenge, 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.
Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup – driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.
Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities.
Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 300 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across more than 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and the CRIMSON coffeehouse and retail store in Easton Town Center. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com,.
Media Contact
Cheryl Claypoole, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, 614-361-5023, [email protected], https://www.crimsoncup.com
SOURCE Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
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