Learn how to open a coffee shop in Virginia from Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea! The award-winning coffee roaster, which has helped start over 300 independent coffee shops in 30 states, recently published an online coffee shop startup guide for The Old Dominion.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Want to learn how to open a coffee shop in Virginia? Get insider secrets on starting a profitable business in The Old Dominion from the coffee shop startup experts at Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.
Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year has taught over 300 entrepreneurs in 30 states how to open a coffee shop. The company supports five independent coffee shops in Virginia.
Now, the company's 7 Steps coffee shop startup consulting team has added to its series of state-level coffee shop startup guides with, "How to Start a Coffee Shop in Virginia."
"Virginia is a terrific place to start a coffee shop!," said Crimson Cup Founder and President Greg Ubert.
"In fact, Virginia ranks 34th among the states in the number of coffee shops per capita, with fewer than one coffee shop for every 6,593 residents. That leaves a lot of Virginians without a local coffee shop."
He noted Crimson Cup supports two independent coffee shops in Virginia. These entrepreneurs learned how to open their shops through the company's 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program.
The program is based on Ubert's book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-sense Guide to Succeed to Specialty Coffee, which he wrote to help coffee shop customers 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 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.
Crimson Cup's coffee consultants helped start a new Virginia coffee shop earlier this year.
The opening of Vita Nova Creatives & Coffee in Nokesville, Virginia. fulfilled years of planning by owners Paula and Tom Millar and their family of shareholders.
Their team includes daughters Becca Ferguson and Danielle Lynch and daughter-in-law Jessica Miller. Son Jared Millar works behind the counter as a barista.
Paula and Tom Millar have been together since they were in high school. After Tom retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2005, they both worked in ministry and real estate.
While homeschooling their four children and leading the children's ministry at her local church, Paula dreamed about creating a space that would combine her artistic interests and passions and allow her to share them with others.
Tom, a private pilot, often flew the couple to explore new scenes.
"As we traveled, we loved to stop in the cute little independent coffee shops in the area," Paula recalled. "Each shop has its own personality and style, and we often talked about how much we would like to put our hearts into a shop of our own."
A rapid series of open doors brought Paula's dream to life. In October 2020, she and daughter-in-law Jessica Millar attended a retreat for creatives in Waco, Texas. There, they received the encouragement and business coaching they needed to pursue the possibilities.
Similar serendipities led the Millars to Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea. "We saw a presentation at Coffee Fest in Baltimore, and decided to buy the 7 Steps book," Paula recalled. "We had that for several years and got more serious and finished reading it."
Finishing Ubert's showed the couple their own coffee shop was within reach.
Then, someone pointed Paula to Village Chic, a coffee shop boutique in South Charleston, Ohio. Soon, she ran across Rare Bird Emporium, a coffee-and-gift shop in Murphy, North Carolina. Both shops opened through Crimson Cup's 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program.
"We had also been going to The Grounds coffeehouse in Fredericksburg, Virginia and realized that they also started through Crimson Cup and serve your coffee," Paula said.
"We were coming in blind on the coffee side of things," Paula said. "We needed someone who knows the business to tell us what to do. The 7 Steps team from Crimson Cup has been there to answer questions we didn't even know we had!"
7 Steps Trainer and Project Manager Steve Bayless visited the shop the week before the soft opening to train Paula and her team in drink preparation and all aspects of coffee shop management.
Paula found two of the steps especially valuable. "Step 3, the layout, was really, really important from the get-go," she said. "Step 5, training, amazed even my daughters who have worked in a coffee shop before. The level of detail and the way Steve taught us how to do it just amazed us."
"I think a person would be crazy to do this without the hand-holding Crimson Cup provides," she added. "You want to start with the 'wow' factor, and we've been able to do that with their help."
Besides the Virginia guide, Crimson Cup recently published guides on How to Start a Coffee Shop in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky and Massachusetts.
About once a week for the next year, the roaster will post a state-level coffee shop startup guides on its website. Next up: a guide on how to start a coffee shop in Missouri.
"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 who is thinking of 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 national recognitions, the company has earned 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. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into coffee shop startup costs.
Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact
Cheryl Claypoole, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, 614-361-5023, [email protected]
SOURCE Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
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