The Breakfast Club - JON KINNARD - Garnachas

Episode Date: November 2, 2023

This week on Eating While Broke, our guest entrepreneur Jon Kinnard has an incredible story of hustling to build his coffee business Coffee Del Mundo. We go all the way back to his upbringing in Tennessee where he experienced racism that lit a fire in him to want to make change someday, especially in education policy. Jon is all about being strategic and seeking knowledge, which led him to find corporate management training programs early in his career to gain skills, even though he knew he eventually wanted to work for himself. His love of travel brought him to El Salvador where he was inspired to help coffee farmers and learned firsthand the unfair practices of the industry. This experience motivated him to start his own coffee company that could showcase the stories of farmers and cultures behind the beans. What's amazing is the creative ways Jon bootstrapped his business on a tiny budget, like exchanging helping a company sell equipment for the chance to learn from them. Jon's hustle is real! When COVID hit and funds were beyond tight, he actually lived out of an RV in the back of his coffee shop. His passion for bringing healthy drinks to his community kept him going. I love how Jon focuses on honoring the origins of coffee and aims to shift the narrative to be more authentic. He believes coffee culture in the U.S. has been wrongly colonized by Europe. Even the names of drinks and equipment used are Italian, which ignores the real roots of coffee. Coffee Del Mundo has an intentionally curated menu designed with people of color in mind. Jon's mission runs deep. Make sure to tune into this whole conversation to hear more of his incredible journey firsthand!   Connect: @wittcoline  @hustletocreate Share your recipes with us: @EATINGWHILEBROKE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey y'all, Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida.

And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home, and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Justin Richmond, host of the Broken Record podcast. Every week, I or my co-host, Leah Rose, sit down with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight. Our new series is looking at one of the most influential jazz labels ever, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like legendary bassist Ron Carter, singer-songwriter Noah Jones, and guitarist Julian Lodge.

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers.

Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight-up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Rufus Griscom, host of The Next Big Idea. The future is coming faster than you think.

AI is reshaping society, scientists are cracking the code of longevity, and new tools are helping us live better and work smarter. Each week, I sit down with big thinkers like Bill Gates and Malcolm Gladwell to separate hype from hope. Listen to The Next Big Idea on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, guys. Welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. I'm your host, Coleen Witt. And today we have a very special guest, entrepreneur, founder of Coffee Del Mondo. Did I say it right? Coffee Del Mondo. John Kinnard's in the building.

And this is all the way in South LA. So we have a black-owned coffee business. so this is very unique i don't actually drink coffee but today i'm gonna drink coffee that's right i'm gonna test a cold brew before i even pass him over to the dish he's about to cook us let's just do a test this This is the Coco Blanco. Cacao Blanco, my favorite one. Cacao Blanco. So fun fact, I actually don't drink coffee. And if I do, I usually mix it with hot chocolate. And then usually I get the jitters and I start to think I'm going to have a panic attack. It's weird. I don't know why I react to coffee like that so let's test it and i'm not a coffee fan so if if i make a certain face it's because i'm genuinely not a coffee fan so it

doesn't mean you should be taking my advice on coffee you should not take my advice on coffee at all you know hot chocolate yes i've even mixed i mixed vanilla well this is a white chocolate coffee, so maybe you'll enjoy. Yes. And I'm only going to drink a little bit because we don't need me bouncing off the walls. I could mess with this. Okay. It has a little bit of a coffee taste. It definitely has a coffee taste, which is good for coffee drinkers, right?

Absolutely. I hang on front. I could probably kill this whole thing. I could probably drink this whole thing, But will I get the jitters? You will. This is like two servings in one. And for you, that may be like three servings. So that means, what is coffee made of?

Caffeine, right? Caffeine content. Yeah. Cold brew is three times stronger than espresso. So a third of that is like one cup of coffee. Okay. You need to have, this is delicious. I ain't going to front.

This is actually delicious. I would drink this whole thing and probably end up in hospital, right? Yeah, if you're caffeine sensitive, you're baked. I'm not going to lie, this is so easy to drink. Yeah, it's made with oat milk,

white chocolate, and coconut condensed milk with our Nicaraguan cold brew. This is actually, this is really delicious. I'm low-key surprised how delicious this is. And it's plant-based, 100%. So it's good for you now and later.

Yeah, this is, so you should probably take this from me because, how much can I drink without getting the jitters? You know, probably to like right there. Yeah, probably to like right there. Guys, I'm not going to lie. I'm probably going to drink this. And then the other flavor is. It's our Cafe de Olla.

Cafe de Olla. A traditional flavor in the Latino community made with brown sugar, cinnamon, and our Mexican cold brew. And you make this from scratch, right? Yeah, all at the shop. Wow. Okay. And where's your shop located? On 7414 South Vermont Avenue.

Okay. And when I was on the call with you, I don't know if you noticed, it's very discriminatory, but I had to ask, how old are you? I'm 33. 33. I was like, you're 33? What did I say? I said, oh, I got to have you on the show. So young, black, Latino man, cute ladies. I had to say it. I had to say it to help you all out. And you own your own coffee business and it's award winning. It's award winning. The only black owned award winning shop in the city.

Yes. And what is your broke dish? Oh, that's a good one. So my broke dish is a spin on a traditional plate called a granachas. And I've been eating that since I was little because most families make it because it's just so easy. It's so cheap. It's so affordable and versatile. So that's my dish of the day. Yeah. So this dish, I want to say costs, I think it was like maybe under $10. But I mean, the corn tortillas, there's so many.

So I would guess you can get at least a lot out of it. So this is definitely a cheap dish, really affordable. Why don't you walk us through the ingredients? Yeah, sure. So it's made with a corn tortilla. And that's the benefit, like you said, is it comes in a pack. So you can make this dish the whole week. And what you do is you fry it in the oil for a little bit to let it get crispy like a tostada.

And then we have some traditional black beans that we'll be spreading on it kind of like a Mexican pizza. And then your choice of toppings. So I like to add avocado. I'm dairy-free, so we got some vegan cheese along with some diced tomato, cilantro. And then at the very end, we'll add our lime and our traditional Marie Sharp Belizean habanero pepper sauce. And then you made sure to make a note that the beans had to be, what was it, refried or mashed? Mashed. So just in case y'all go out there and buy a can of beans, you may buy the wrong ones. That's probably what I would do. So just make sure you look for refried or mashed.

All right, go ahead, feed me. All right. All right. So what we're going to do is we're going to start off making sure our oil is hot. We turned it down a little bit and then we'll get our beans warmed. So I like to put a little bit of coconut oil. But, you know, we're not in Belize today, so we're going to have to make do and warm up our beans here. So you put the coconut oil before you put the beans? Before, yeah. And it gives it a little more flavor because this dish comes from Belize. And that's what my mom is.

And so the coconut oil is a really signature taste in a Belizean dish. I like coconut flavoring. And like when I make stoopies and rice. Oh, yeah. Like do you use coconut milk in your rice? I use coconut as many times. Look, I put it in the coffee. I try to put as much coconut everywhere. There's coconut milk in it? Coconut condensed milk. I thought that was oat milk. And oat milk. So the coconut condensed milk gives it that creamy texture that you experience like it. And then the oat milk just gives it that, you know, additional, lowers that pH and gives it that creamy texture too.

I'm not going to lie. Like I could see me easily drinking this whole thing, but I'm just scared about how like jittery I would get. Oh, yeah. I mean, we convert people all the time, non-coffee drinkers, into coffee because most people are not used to good coffee. They're used to burnt coffee. They smell good. Yeah. And it's roasted super fresh at our site in South Central. So literally, you're not going to get a fresher cup of cold brew coffee.

I mean, this thing is delicious. I'm not going to lie, but this is dangerous for someone like me because deliciousness, I suck it down fast. Then it creeps up later. And so for those of you who are scared of frying or maybe have never fried something, this may be your first time checking out this broke dish. A good way to test your oil is just to put a little bit of the tortilla in there. And if it bubbles up and floats immediately, then the oil is hot enough. But if not, then you wanna wait because that's really the key to a good garnachas

and get that good crispiness. And it's not too oily and too unhealthy for you. Cause like I said, I would make this for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I would just fry up a whole bunch of tortillas at the beginning of the week and then just pop them out. But how do you keep them fresh? It's like a tortilla chip, just in a Ziploc bag on the counter.

Oh, but sometimes they sell it like that. Yeah, but it ain't nothing like the thick, the fresh. Okay, okay. And it's also more expensive. Just like the beans, I wouldn't even do the can. Like I said, I would do a pot of wheat, a big old pot of black beans. You make it yourself? Yeah, that's how you save money.

The canned beans are expensive. Wait a minute. So, okay. I don't really deal with a lot of beans. So tell me, how do you make beans? Oh, okay. So like, oh, I haven't said it. I come from a lineage of, on my mom's side from Belize, of restaurant owners and chefs. Okay. So with the black beans, first you got to soak the beans. How long do you have to soak them for? I like to do it overnight. And then in the next morning, I start my process to cook the beans how long do you have to soak them for I like to do it overnight and then in the next morning I start my process to cook the beans so then you turn it on let it cook a little bit then once the beans have cooked then you chop up some diced onion you put up a whole habanero in it along with the secret ingredient which is really hard to find around here the only place I find it is at the Asian markets, which is called culantro.

Culantro. We grow it in Belize and in all the Central American countries and see the tortilla starting to flow. So it's almost ready. But it's like a stronger tasting cilantro. But you put that in there with a little bit of sasongoya, a little bit of all-purpose seasoning.

You sound like you can really cook. Oh, I don't know. I don't know if I'm buying it, but you sound like you're really a chef in the kitchen. And then you let that simmer once it's done. Oh my gosh. Really? Amazing. But you didn't add any coconut milk to your beans? No, coconut oil. Oh, it's coconut oil. So when you put the beans in the pot, you use coconut oil. Right. Put a little bit of coconut oil and that just sits on the counter. I use coconut oil for everything. Eggs. So, but when you do your tortillas, are you using coconut oil or vegetable oil?

No, no, no. You can't fry in coconut oil because the temperature to burn is too high. Okay. Oh my God. You sound like a chef. You're like legit. I love it. I almost didn't go to college and went to culinary art school.

Like that's, that's why my business is around cooking coffee all day because I had to do something with cooking. Yeah, yeah. I always say that if I went to school again, I would love to go to culinary school. Me too. I would love to. Me too. All right. Okay, so I think our first tortilla is ready.

I'm going to do this one. We'll just put that in there. And then how many do you usually eat to get full? Like three. Okay. Depending on how many do you usually eat to get full? Like three. Okay. Depending on how much I stack it up. So see how that started to cook real quick. And then how do we know when the tortilla is done?

It's brown, golden brown, and it's crispy. Do you have to flip it? Yep. We'll flip it eventually. Okay. It's bubbling up. Okay. Okay.

Got a little cooking action. So take me back to what was going on at the time when you were making this while you were broke or struggling or when your family was broke or struggling. You know, when I first came out here, the only family, because I graduated from grad school and packed up my car with whatever could fit. And I just drove out here. And the only person that had space in our family out here was my aunt that lived in Paris, California. Okay. Where did you graduate from? Wake Forest in North Carolina. Okay. So you came from North Carolina. You move out here to live with the auntie. Yep. And my job was in LA LA so I was driving 83 miles oh you got a job of you got a job before you were right yeah and

what were you doing I was doing this management program for this marketing company called vantage and so my aunt she would make a big old pot of black beans because she had her kids you know I was there her sons her daughters and then you know she just enjoyed cooking, her sons, her daughters, and then, you know, she just enjoyed cooking. So there would always be, no matter when you got there, there was always a good big old pot of black beans. And so with garnachas, it really is, you know, it doesn't take much. It's just tortilla, black beans, and whatever toppings. So even if you have picky eaters, you can, you know, make it up yourself, however you like it. But that's when I really started just making them all the time after living there

because it was just so easy. So I just made my pot of black beans. If it's breakfast time, I'll make some scrambled eggs, put that on, add that on there. If it's dinner time, I'll boil some chicken, mince it up, add that on there, same toppings, but, you know, change up the protein depending on the time of day. And because I was hustling, working 16 there same toppings but you know change up the protein depending on the time of day and because I was hustling working 16 hours trying to you know make it um and this is for that company right yeah for that company okay and then so shout outs to your auntie for for really pouring the bean meals into you right oh yeah oh yeah okay so you you you're working tell me the next step of what's going on in your life.

So then I ended up only doing that company for a year and started doing an insurance for this union company. And that was another management program. And so I did that for four years. Why do you keep saying management program like it's school? Because I saw it at school because I felt like I needed, I had just education. And so what I looked for initially for my first jobs were, you know, programs that had a pathway to promotion. And so that's what this company had. And so within those four years, I ended up becoming the regional manager and seeing how much money I was making for the company. I was like, if I can make them this much money, imagine what I could go out there and do for myself.

I think it's interesting, though, which I've never actually heard someone say before, the way you look at a job as like a learning experience or you're not just looking at it as a check. You're looking at it for much more than that. That's also why I did the insurance business specifically for that union company, because I mean, ultimately, the reason I moved out here is to get into government. But I'm not from here. I don't know anything. I don't know how the people think. I don't know what people need. hundreds of homes of teachers, firefighters, police, average citizens, steel workers, and learn what their true needs are and learn how they think, learn how much money they're making, learn what they actually have in savings, putting things aside. So really getting that understanding of what the landscape is. So ultimately, one day I could really feel confident about representing

them. Because that's what I look out for for. Your long-term goal was government. When you say government, what do you mean government? Ultimately, I want to change education across the U.S. federally. So potentially holding a seat in Senate to sit on that committee. Wow. But that's like why I moved here and wanted to start my own business because I don't believe that if you want to be in charge of this city's budget, but yet you independently haven't ever managed a budget like that, how can we trust you? There's no proven history. This is a lot of money that you get to decide in an instant. So I want to, when I get into office, I want people to know that I've built my own wealth.

I've managed money. And I can also do that if you trust me with this fund. Wow. And those are big goals. Where did you get that goal from? Seeing all the injustices growing up. I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. And if you know anything about Nashville, it's mostly white, black. There's not many Latinos, definitely no Belizeans. And so just going through the education system, seeing the unfairness, experiencing it, witnessing it, and then going to college for my bachelor's at the University of Tennessee, where down the street, that's where the KKK was founded. And they would still have rallies downtown in Knoxville while I was there. Wow. And what year is that? This was 2010. And they're still having rallies downtown in Knoxville while I was there. Wow. And what year is that? This was 2010.

And they're still having rallies. Still rallies. When Obama won in 2008, they put cotton balls around the Black Cultural Center. Not them specifically, but students on our campus. So it was just blatant racism. And when I was there, the most thing that struck me the most was the fact that we were only celebrating 50 years of allowing black people to attend. I said, so you're telling me you've only allowed two generations of black folks to get educated here, but yet you're charging us all of this money and debt to just study? Freak. And so that really, really upset me. And so I was going to

dedicate, go to law school and, you know, thought gonna be my pathway but then you know right at the last minute God tapped me on the shoulder and said hey I know you've been practicing for the LSAT and think you're gonna be an attorney but you need to go to business school I hadn't taken math since high school because I wasn't gonna do nothing with math I was gonna be an attorney that's that was my path to get into government but ended up, by the grace of God, getting into Wake Forest, their business management program. Some of my classmates were from Princeton, MIT. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, never studied business in my life, but I made it through thanks to some amazing teachers and office hours and

peers and made it through that program. But it gave me it really changed my life and gave me that confidence to navigate the world because I witnessed my parents who had the desire, this talent, but they didn't know necessarily, oh, that was a little dark, how to navigate the world. And that's where the education came in, coupled with what I learned from seeing them. And because they were both entrepreneurs and my mom had a daycare. My dad had a landscaping company, but they were never able to really scale the business and take it to a point where they could retire from it. Do you feel like they built the business to be like self-employed versus like building

an actual organization? One thousand percent. Even to this day. I mean, my dad still has his business and it's still basically the same same way. Like he's working for himself versus he has a team. Absolutely. OK, perfect. And that's actually I want to say that, like, kudos to your dad.

I think scaling and delegating work in a business is very it's a very hard thing to do. But kudos to him to stay in business as long as he has. Yeah, it is a blessing because, you know, I grew up, my mom came here, you know, immigrated here from Belize illegally for a better opportunity. And they were able to do that together. And they're still married to this day, blessed with that as well. But they taught me a lot of those things. And we had a, we were able to have all our needs taken care of growing up. And so I knew myself watching them that I knew one day I had to have my own business to get that same freedom.

But I also knew that I needed the education if it was ever going to be sustainable. Nice. And that's where that business school came in and really, really changed my life, honestly. All right. And then just so you know, unless you're cooking for everybody in the studio. Oh, yeah. We can be done. He's over here cooking for

a family of 10 guys that's what i'm used to look i'm gonna eat some later somebody's uh you know i'm trying to judge him hard because he looks a little too clean cut guys so one of his tortillas from here look like it could be a crispy burnt it's a little dark it's a little dark you just put extra beans on those ones you know yeah so you know just so you know guys we judging i mean right now i see one brown tortilla it looked like it could be an african american tortilla i'm just saying um but all right so so you're in la you're you're you're moving up in this in this organization what's going on what's the next step what is your what's your next chess move because you're definitely playing. I see why you are where you're at, because you

you're not playing checkers. You're playing chess right now. I like it. I'm very, very impressed. Thank you. Thank you. Not that my opinion matters, but my opinion does matter a little bit. But yeah, no, I'm very impressed. So continue. So then with the insurance gig again, I was doing very well financially. And so I was like, I can't do this no more. It's either I do something for myself, but I didn't know what it was going to be because I knew it had to be around my passions. And I love to cook. As you can see, I'm really enjoying this. Thank you for the opportunity again. I love to travel. So I've traveled to so many different countries and that's how I learned about my first opportunity.

Well, with coffee. So one of my friends, I always go back in December to visit my family in Belize. And so I had a friend who was from El Salvador and he goes back to visit his family. So I said, hey, next time you go, let me, we're neighbors, let me know and I'll just hop on plane over there and visit El Salvador, tour me around. And I didn't know his family were coffee farmers, a lineage of coffee farmers. No way. And so when I get there, you know, he's giving me a tour of his place and everything. And then, you know, start talking to his parents and learning about their coffee farm and then that it was struggling and how the whole industry was struggling and just in general how the wealth was being extracted through coffee because of all the bullying like these huge conglomerates like starbucks and and they would and nestle who would come in there and just tell

them hey either you pay this rate or we're not buying from you good luck and then restrict them from all the access and so i said, well, what can I do to help that? And so I packed up my suitcase with some raw coffee beans, whatever could fit. And I said, I know there's some roasters or something in LA I could, you know, take it to. Now you were able to take that across the, first of all, rewind, educate us on the bullying. Like, I heard certain companies do this, but it's interesting to hear. So can you restate that? Whether you're starting or scaling your company's security program, demonstrating top-notch security practices and establishing trust is more important than ever. Vanta automates

compliance for ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, and more, saving you time and money while helping you build customer trust. Plus, you can streamline security reviews by automating questionnaires and demonstrating your security posture with a customer-facing trust center all powered by Vanta Thank you. of $1,000 off Vanta at vanta.com slash special. That's V-A-N-T-A dot com slash special for $1,000 off. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories,

their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all.

It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast

for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know?

I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Colvin. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba.

He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian.

Elian Gonzalez. At the heart Elian. Elian. Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well.

Listen to Chess Piece, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. to musicians and creators sharing This is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators, sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme laughs and all the vibes that you love.

Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. yeah so basically as you know in america when you think of coffee you think of what i think of starbucks espresso latte cappuccino at star right? And so coffee was here long before it was colonized by the Europeans and that espresso machine was ever even invented.

And so a lot of the money that in the industry, when they go there, they pay them pennies on the dollar. And these folks, it takes a coffee plant four years to grow. They have to literally climb up the sides of mountains because it only grows in remote places that have a microclimate. And then they pick it by hand and have to carry it back up and down the mountain. And I've done the exact same trick. I go to the farms and work with these farmers. And then they get paid like pennies on the dollar for it. And the workers are in poverty.

The farmers aren't doing as well. And I was like, so coffee industry is billions and billions of dollars. Yeah, that's crazy. Where's the wealth being extracted? It's all here because they pay them pennies and then they go and make all the money. So I told them, I said, well, I'll pay you more. I'll pay you what you're worth. And I'll I'll create a stage for your story to be showcased.

And for people to know, coffee is not a European thing. It's a Nicaraguan thing. It's an Ethiopian thing. It's a thing of the culture that has been efforts and the hard work that goes into these things. Because I've felt it. I've done it. I've done the exact same things as them. And there's no way they should be living like this when all of this money is being made in this industry.

Do you have any video or footage of what it's like when you like? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I got tons of footage, tons of footage. I had my Apple watch on. It was four miles down, four miles back up. I barely made it. And they're carrying 100 bag pounds of coffee. And these guys are making, they're living in poverty. Past me, past. Yep. And it's young, young. How young? 16, 14. But this is where the work is. They go where, and they're mig in poverty. Past me. Past. Yep. And it's young. Young. How young? 16, 14. But this is where the work is. They go where.

And they're migratory. So they go where the work is. So they don't have no rights. They don't have no benefits. And so. And then what about the education? They're not able to go to school. They're not going to school.

They're picking coffee. And you got to pay for school. So it's. And that's still going on in 2023. It's still going on. I literally left Nicaragua in January, December, and same situation. But the good thing, again, is the farmers that I work with have a little more infrastructure, and we're paying them more so that way we can help. Because I know my dollar helps the farmer, the land, the workers, and my consumers here.

But like the Nestle's and Starbucks, they're paying bully rates. Yeah. Yeah. They're paying bully rates and the quality is a lot lower. Yeah. It's just terrible. So now there's a lot of more emphasis on knowing where your coffee comes from. But this is a recent shift. It's still a lot of shifting that needs to occur for this wealth to be properly distributed to those who really deserve it. It's crazy to think that you're right. I do. I would think of coffee as more of a European thing. I wouldn't even think.

I mean, but then again, I mean, I don't know that much about coffee, but. OK, so school me some more. So what was the next step in your story? Once you went to Salvador and you heard the story, obviously you have a lot of empathy and compassion for people. It's very clear. So it moves you to what? So then I came back with the beans, right? And so I went around to different roasters.

None of them look like me. And importers, none of them look like me. What do you mean? What would they look like? White people? White, all white, all white. The whole industry, even at Coffee Fest, it was all white when I went the first year. And so I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. The only people that can grow this thing look like me. But then you get to America and it's a white dominated

industry. And I said, this don't make sense. I said, so really, how complicated is it to roast these beans? I love to cook. I'm pretty good at it. And you don't judge my dark one over here. Before you went to El Salvador and saw the coffee beans, you liked coffee. I loved coffee. I needed I told you I was 16 hours. I was made. Coffee was your best friend. So when you went there, were you when you went there and saw the farms, were you like, oh, my gosh, I was. I was in awe. But also also i just love exploration and learning so to be able to learn before i went to el salvador i didn't really i didn't know coffee was a cherry it was a fruit you're gonna have to take this coffee from me because it is highly addictive i'm telling you

so good isn't it and it's dairy free yo i'm not even saying this to uh promote his business but like it's it's so good you're gonna have to really take this from me because i will drink it all and be really sick later oh you'll be all right you just won't go to sleep you'll get a lot of work done just plan some work really yeah plan your next episode i won't get jitters not if you stay up like the shakes don't drink more than half then but i do get a little shaky feeling in me when I drink coffee. Will I get that? If you drink more than half. Okay.

If you drink more than half. Take it from me. All right. This coffee is really good. I'm not going to lie, guys. You're going to have to go check it out for yourself. And I'm not a coffee drinker, but I know for sure I like this. You should get.

All right. So go on with your story. Sorry. Yeah. So then I was like, okay, so what does it take to roast this thing? I love to cook so then I'm a I'm a very I'm a person who loves to physically touch things and manifest things so I know these machines are expensive so I started googling who sells them and I was like let me go see what they are even if I know I can't buy when they're like a buying a

car what do you mean buying a car they're like twenty thousand yeah yeah these things are expensive because they come from Turkey it costs costs like $3,000 just to get it shipped. Like these things are huge and expensive. And so I went to this one manufacturer from Turkey. I mean, they ended up being from Turkey. And so talking to the guy, he had a very thick Turkish accent and come to find out he had just got here and he's responsible to sell these machines for the entire U.S. Doesn't have much experience, doesn't know much about the culture. And that's what I specialize in. So I told him, I said, hey, why don't I help you sell these things, create a sales pitch for you, help you sell these machines, and then I could earn a roster, get a discount. He was like, you are the most gangster person. My goodness. So he's like, yeah. So then you literally did that. Yeah. I was like, look, I can't afford it, but I know you need some help and I'm skilled at what I do and I can sell these things. So then, um, ended up. Yo entrepreneurs, are you paying attention? You just got it. You basically said, okay, I don't have the money, but I got this skillset and you know, we could work

out a deal. Okay. I like where you had it. got this skill set and we could work out a deal. Okay. I like where you headed. So, okay. So then you work out the deal. You start- Work out the deal. The owner of the company had come to the US to visit, loved it. And he took me back. That's how I went and studied roasting. Cause they was like, we'll pay for you to learn roasting. All I had to do was get my flight. They paid for everything else. Like I got to tour Turkey. And you sold them on hiring you. Right.

And you had zero experience, but you had a sales background. I had. That's what I did. I taught and trained people how to do sales. Yep. And I always tell people in entrepreneurship, the number one skill you have to have in entrepreneurship is sales. That's it. And that's why I did insurance, too, because I needed to learn that skill.

And I was a no salesman, especially not in these waters. You got some deep, big old sharks up in here. And people, it's funny because there's a stigma around salespeople. But the truth is, I tell people one of the skills that I want to teach my daughter is essential skill is sales. Yeah, you're going to you're going to have to sell. So that was one of the skills that I wanted to master first. I read, studied, and executed those, demonstrated those skills with building a sales team and selling roasters successfully for them. And that's when I learned to study in roasting and turkey. So I got that taken care of.

Then I came back. And how long were you doing that for? For like a year. Okay, okay, cool. And so I would go to coffee fest with them and then we'd help sell. And that's actually how I met my Nicaraguan farmers, because they bought a machine from me when I was selling. I think we met in Portland when they came to the Coffee Fest or maybe it was L.A., one of these cities. And so that's how I ended up meeting that farmer to work with.

And so. Fast forward, I was I got my baby roaster, earned my first little baby roaster. And how much was it worth? I'm just curious. Eighty five hundred. And you earned you earned it. Basically, they let me use it as a showroom to teach people because they had a lot of interest. But people didn't know how to use the roaster. So I was basically the kind of US showroom to help teach and train. And so I had the little baby roaster. And so I found a space that was a live workspace. So I had my studio in the back and I had my little warehouse in the front with my baby roaster. And for that year, I just practiced roasted, roasted. And then I ended up leaving the insurance game. Oh, you were still in insurance while you were doing all of that?

Yeah. Yeah. Because that was just off time, you know, follow up easy things on the side. And so I ended up leaving the insurance game. And because I did well, I had residuals. So I let my residuals come in. And then if it didn't make what I needed to take, I just go Uber for a day or two and make my balance. And then the rest of the time, I just focus on building the business, like the business plan, studying, roasting, labels, marketing, all of those things. And are you a spicy eater? No. Okay. So this is more of a flavor, but I got to warn you, this is, it could get really hot, but we're just going to put a little dab on it because it goes good on the avocado. He's talking about this, what do you call it? This is our pepper sauce, the Belizean habanero pepper sauce.

Okay. And then it looks like a pizza almost, guys. Yeah, kind of like a tostada, but it's like my souped up granaches. It's very light. It's more for taste. You'll be all right. You got your water, right? So can I invite you to sit down with me and uh Katie to come in?

We're gonna throw the commercial Okay, and we're back and let's just sample your dish. All right. All right. All right. Here we go before you go I gotta get the lime, you know The lime on it a little drizzle on there whoever cut these lines. They didn't cut them, right, huh? It's supposed to be chunkier, huh? It's okay. You just lose a little drizzle on there. Whoever cut these limes, they didn't cut them right, huh? It's supposed to be chunkier, huh? It's okay. You just use a little more muscle. That's all.

Oh, but I don't get it in my eyes. Okay. There we go. Lime. Looks like a little pizza. I'm glad you made it all pretty. Is this the brown one? You didn't give me the brown, brown one.

I'm just playing. He's the same. He's the same. I'm just trying to make fun of him. All right. It's got the beans, the avocado, tomato, cilantro, and cheese. Here we go. So this is technically vegan.

A lot of times I don't eat, you know, like meat. By the way, I have a question. I got to answer. Country Wayne was on our show. Shout out to Country Wayne. Okay. We be getting little spats off camera. But the truth is I bought baked beans.

It says vegetarian on the can okay it doesn't say vegan wouldn't it technically be vegan no why because of sugar vegetarian just means there's no I guess meat in it but vegan means it wasn't made with any animal products but all there such thing as vegan baked beans yes yes we're gonna cut that we ain't gonna share that yeah there is we're not gonna share that with if you find it let me know but country was swearing that there's a such thing and I was like no there isn't that Whole Foods it ain't another regular grocery store that's

what he said yeah yeah I'm glad I didn't wager that. All right. Cheers. We going to cut that clip and just send it to his DMs. All right. Cheers. Let's try this. Cheers.

All right. All right. Let's click. All right. Okay. You know what? Eating broke ain't that bad. If you creative look like you said it's under ten dollars and I'm eating this more than

one day. I would eat this when I'm rich or not. I still do. Yo I was not gonna way you fried these tortillas but you did it these are amazing I love the way you fried them I'm gonna fry them just like that mm-hmm okay yo that is simply wonderful easy to I'm gonna be making these at home mm-hmm anybody got the tortillas fried, all you do is warm up the bean in the microwave

because everything else is in the fridge. Easy, quick from home. You be cooking at home for real? Oh, yeah. I throw down. You know what?

I actually like the sauce, too. Right. It's not too hot. It's just a good type of sauce, you know? It's literally perfect. Like, someone could be broke with you they could live in

a hut with you and be fine trust me all my roommates loved me because they never ate so good they'd be like oh he's in the kitchen we chilling okay and we're back i annihilated mine i i'm gonna have to go back to interview mode and then i'm gonna have you cook the rest of the tortillas before you leave they're so good good. Okay. Fantastic dish. 10 out of 10. One of my favorites. Really delicious. Now back to your amazing story.

One of the things I noticed about you in this whole story is you're not looking at the clock. Or are you? When I say the clock, like you're not like, I have to be this successful by this date. It seems like you're taking life on as a journey, not as a destination. Yeah, absolutely. When I first moved out here, it wasn't the case. I was like, I want to be a millionaire 10 years out of college. And so just experiencing life, the pandemic, and it really allowed me to understand that really, if you are just present and operate in your purpose every day, then ultimately you will get to where you want to be. And so, you know, to come out here to LA, I believe God gave me that vision to say,

hey, you need to be in LA. And that's why I came here. And so I came here with an open mind, with the understanding that this is my desire. But if I'm diligent and using my gifts to serve what I believe is my purpose, then, you know, God says he'll give you the desires of your heart. And so I believe there my heart is filled. Okay. So then after you acquired the Baby Roaster, I like the name of the Baby Roaster. All right. You're in this loft workspace.

What are you doing? What's a day in the life of you? Pretty much I would wake up, plan out my day on what research needed to be done. Because, again, I wanted I wasn't just building a coffee shop, which it wasn't even in. I wasn't even building a coffee shop. I was building an e-commerce brand. And so being, as I had never done this before, I'm a super researcher and a deep analyzer. So I'd spend about my first three hours of the day doing research. And then the middle part of my day is when I would do the roasting.

And so I would test out different roasts. And then the next day, if I'm not roasting, then I'm testing all of the roasts, brewing it and cupping it, which is how we determine what kind of specialty, what kind of aromas, what kind of flavors, if it's acidic, if it's not acidic, if it has a lot of body. So I would study to get my palate up kind of like a sommelier for coffee. So if I walked in your place, would it look like a science lab? Because that's what it sounds like. It was. And it would be many cups labeled and many bags labeled, dates with dates, the type of roast. And then I have scientific tools called an Actron reader, which tells me the color of

the roast and gives me a score so that I can roast specifically to that. And a density measurer to measure the density of the beans. So you're not just buying beans. When you say roasting, you mean like when they turn into powder or something? That's grinding. So roasting is the coffee is actually a green seed, kind of like a dried white bean. So it doesn't look like a brown bean. No, that's the roasting so once i put it into the machine and cook it

depending on if i want a light medium or dark roast then that's where i roast the bean okay so when you get it the bean looks like what it looks like a seed uh like a um i would say like a green bean a pea oh my gosh it's so funny because when you're talking about getting the um the bean the green the coffee beans i thought of, what's that fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk? Oh, Jack and the Beanstalk, yeah. I was like, are they doing what? Are they climbing up? Are they coming down?

Yeah, the mountains, because it grows on the side of mountains. So you get them as green beans, and then you're sitting there like a science, mad scientist, roasting in your place. Exactly. And that's where the skill comes in, is figuring out what's the ideal temperature, what's in is figuring out what's the ideal temperature, what's the ideal time, what's the ideal airflow, what's the ideal drop temperature, all of those elements. How long were you doing that part of your business? For like eight months, just studying and practicing.

And then at this point, you're not making money off this. No. You're just, are you giving it out to friends to test? Yeah. So I started my e-commerce site and then I would try to sell the coffee, but everyone would say, well, I need to know what it tastes like. I don't know what this tastes like. And so I started to have tastings at my place on the weekends. And that's where people started saying, oh, you know, this is a dope experience.

You should turn this into a coffee shop. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's going to take so much more work, so much more money. And so just listening to the needs of the community, there's, you know, South Central, there's a food desert. And this is in South L.A. They're saying this. Yeah, this is in South L.A. There's a food desert. There's no healthy options.

There's no non, you know, good coffee outside of they had 7-Eleven, you know. So I was like, OK, I think I could do this. So I moved out, did a friends and family round, raised twenty five thousand. When you say friends and family, like you went over there with a business plan and did a whole presentation. I told you I spent eight months building this business plan. So then I shared it and I did eight months doing a business plan, eight, eight months practicing roasting and getting the research to get my business plan. OK, I mean, your family at this point definitely believed that you were passionate about this business and it was worth investing in. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But they didn't have, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My parents didn't have no money to invest, but

friends and family. So you did around and they, and you raised the money in trade of equity? In trade of equity. Okay. So I gave up some equity of the company and raised 25,000. Now how long, what was that 25,000 supposed to cover? Because that doesn't sound like a lot of money. Right. So again, because traditional coffee shops are European style. So the reason why my business model didn't cost as much is because we were non-European. The largest expense is typically your espresso machine, which is like $18,000.

We don't have that machine. We don't even serve any espresso drinks. So that took away a big chunk. And then the plumbing and the equipment needed to sustain that equipment is also expensive. So for us, we just need a drip brewer and a roaster and that's it. So how much time did that 25K buy you? Well, the unfortunate thing is literally two months after we opened, COVID hit. And so I was sick. I was sick. We all was sick, apparently. And so I couldn't afford the place plus my studio downtown.

But I was like, if one thing got to go, it's not going to be my dream. Did you move into a store? plus my studio downtown. But I was like, if one thing got to go, it's not going to be my dream. I'll sleep. Did you move into a store? So I rented out my studio, so I leased my studio to a student, rented an RV, parked it in the back of the shop. And from there, for the next three months, I slept in an RV in the back of my shop. And I showered at the gyms until eventually COVID, after that three months got real bad where they like shut the whole world down.

And then I was like, OK, I need my studio back because I can't do this no more. I need I need it. You didn't like the RV life anymore? I was fine with it, but because I could go shower at the gyms. I go to the gym all the time. So it's my routine. Oh, but then they shut down the gyms. Right.

When COVID got real bad, they like shut the whole world down. And it was like two years. Yeah. So what was your mental state? Were you depressed at all? No, I wasn't depressed. I was. Focused?

Yeah, I was focused. It happened. I believe everything happened for a reason. So it like gave me time to, again, continue working on my brand, the development of it. And how are you surviving the checks from the government? So unemployment. So I had unemployment. And then that's when I also do my own life coaching and business coaching.

Okay. And that's what led me to get a contract with the city to do coaching for them. And then eventually that's what I still have a contract with them now where I do business coaching. Holy cow. So when I'm not working on my business, I'm helping people in my community who can't access that education to help them build their businesses. Wow. And that's for South L.A.? South L.A., yeah.

Wow. You're a gangster. I use gangster as a term of endearment, just so you know. Okay. So then throughout COVID, you survived COVID. Now you're doing the coaching during COVID. Yeah, virtually. Virtually.

And then how'd you know to apply for that job? What happened is before COVID, I went to this event, this KJLH awards dinner that they have. And wherever location they have it, I can't remember. But the elevator was taking forever. And there was a line to elevator. So I ended up taking the stairs. And nobody else was taking forever and there was a line to elevator. So I ended up taking the stairs and nobody else was taking the stairs. But once I walked up to the top of the stairs, there was this guy standing there. He was like, oh, you were one of the only people that took the stairs.

And he ended up being the CEO of Vermont's Lawson Economic Development Corporation. Is that Joe Ruzan? Joe. Yeah. Joe is a mentor of mine. Shout out to Joe Ruzan. Shout out to Joe. Shout out to Joe. Shout out to Joe.

So Joe was there. I'm smiling just so you know. Yeah. He dresses like a pimp with the... Sharp as a tat. He has the... What do you call those? Cuff links and everything?

He dresses to the nines. Regal. That's my definition of Joe. Yes. Regal. Yes. Okay. So he was like, yeah.

Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Joe. You know. And he said, what do you do? I said, oh, I have a coffee business that I just opened up on Vermont. He's like, oh, you need to come on and see what resources we have for you over here. And so I ended up going there. I brought my business plan. I brought some coffee. And then when the business coach met with me, they were like, who helped you do this? I said, I did it. I said, you know, I went to school for this. He said, and he was flipping through. He's like, no, no, you need to work here.

We need your help to teach people to do this. And so he's like, send me your resume. And then they didn't have any openings at that time. But a year later, when the openings came, they was like, yes, we'd love you to be one of our coaches. And so that's how I kind of started being a coach for them. Okay, okay, okay. Yeah. I had a contract with Joe before the pandemic and then I got annihilated during the pandemic.

But that's amazing. Okay, okay. Okay, okay. Shout outs to Joe because he mentors a lot of people. He does. He does. Hey, guys. I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show,

where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun.

Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called

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On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, you look so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian. Elian.

Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami.

Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story,

as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hola, mi gente. It's Honey German, and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game.

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and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. I'm Madison Packer, a pro hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York.

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Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Okay, so now you're doing the coaching. You make it through the pandemic. What happens next? During the pandemic, to survive with all the COVID regulations, we had to start bottling our coffee. I'd never had this in the business plan, never thought of it. But because the regulations, you couldn't serve open containers, I had to figure out, oh, I got to bottle this. And at the time, were you doing hot brew or? Hot and cold coffee.

Oh, you were doing both. Yes, but no bottling. Never thought of it. And so I had to, the regulation said you had to be, you know, sealed container in a way that was tamper proof so the customers would know. And so I was like, oh, I guess I have to go to bottles. And that, the bottles took off. And it literally saved my business. And today, where it's now the reason people know about us and like how we're growing even to this day.

Everybody, when I heard about you was talking about these bottles. Oh, you got to get a bottle. You got to slide the bottles into the budget. When I say that was an actual conversation, like order the hot brew, but we got to make a way to get at least 25 bottles 24 bottles into that budget i'm like okay okay so we can't feed everybody this cold brew but it's a necessity you want to make sure the special ones get a bottle yeah and uh i could see why it's highly addictive i mean this tastes great and it works too if you got a long day you want a healthy energy like this has way less calories and sugar content than a Red Bull. Like and it's natural.

It's healthy. It's designed for our bodies. And that's what my shop is. It's 100 percent plant based. Our menu literally is designed for people of color. But are you vegan? I am not vegan, but I'm dairy free. Yeah.

So our whole menu is dairy free and our pastries are vegan. OK. Yeah, I did see that. You didn't bring any pastries. I didn't. Do you actually make the pastries or you outsource them? I don't. We outsource them. Okay. Okay. So then the bottles take off and what happens next? Then the world opens back up. We open back up and that's how, you know, what really took off for us. But how did people know about the bottled coffee though? Because you could only do deliveries during COVID. But how did you promote that you had it? Oh, eventually, yeah, through advertisements online, our postings on social

media. Social media, we started running promotions, did some good content, made a video that advertised it. And then we had DoorDash and then we made a website just for the bottles. Okay. Yeah. And okay. Okay. So then what happens next? So then, um, yeah, we start getting bigger contracts. We get our first, we get our first big deal, not a deal, but our, one of our first big clients, the LA marathon, and they buy the bottles for their VIP booths for some of the runners. And so, um, we just started getting bigger clientele, universities, serving at Kaiser. Now at this point, are you selling it out? More wholesale rates? Because these bottles go for what, $6 a bottle?

Retail. That's retail rates. But we do have wholesale rates for retail partners. And then catering orders, depending on how many bottles you get, we give discounts. Okay. And then what's the farthest you ship this product out? We don't ship the bottles out. But as far as deliveries, the farthest we've gone. That's a great question. We're pretty much local. Local, local. We're pretty much local. Yeah. Okay. That's pretty awesome, man. Thank you. So what's the next milestone man next

milestone is to move we're a part of this development over by usc so we'll be moving to a bigger space uh no you moving or you're gonna add another location we're gonna move um no so where we're at now is just too small and also it's it's just not the ideal situation for how we want to continue moving forward. So in the meantime, there's this place called Baba's Vegan Cafe, which is down the street from us, not too far. So we've already been in talk with them. So we'll do a partnership and a pop-up. So we'll still have a presence right where our customers are. And then the USC would just be a little further away for us. Now, do you see yourself expanding franchise-wise or do you see yourself just brick and mortar one store at a time? Definitely franchise.

When I built the business, I wanted it to be built in a way that I could align with many other people to, one, impact their communities because our menu, again, is a very healthy, conscious menu, but also impact people who have the same values. And so with this business model, it's low overhead. We've already got the supply chain down. So it's really just you serving our recipes because it's no high skill. You don't need a barista. But do you still need a baby roaster? No, we'll do all the roasting. Oh, so you do all the roasting. Yeah. So we also roast for other coffee shops too.

Really? Like who? Yeah. So we have wholesale that we roast for, but we're not expanding that line of business just because that's our niche is we have these rare coffees that no one else has. Wait, so you said you're not wholesaling that? We have wholesale. We roast for four shops right now. Okay. Are they, hate to sound racist, but are they European? No, they're European style. Yeah. Every coffee shop in America besides us is European style. Okay. So you're the only one that's not. World's first. And the thing that separates you from a European style is what?

We do not serve any European style drinks. So the European model is based on the espresso machine. So everything comes from is based on the espresso machine. So everything comes from there. Even names of the drinks are Italian. But for us, we don't even have that machine. So you'll get a variety of single origin coffees. You'll know who's the farmer, where it comes from, the unique flavors. Is that what the QR code is for?

Exactly. You scan it and it tells you all about it. So it's your boarding pass. That's our thing. Wow. And that's why it says LAX to NIC. To Nicaragua. Dang.

You're amazing. I love that you honor the history. Absolutely. And you remind our people. Yeah. You know, you really respect the culture. That's what it's about because, you know, experiencing, you know, my life growing up in Tennessee and it's like I see so many elements where our stories and

narratives are erased. And I want to be the one to help bring that back. Yeah, it's important. And how did you know how to price the drinks? Well, one, how much it cost me. And then two, just looking at the market. And with our drinks, they really should be about $8, $7 to $8 a bottle. But because I know in our community they can't afford that, they're at $6. And of course, they can also get a discount if they're part of our membership. Okay, okay. Yeah, I noticed that in the Black community when it comes to businesses, I noticed that the prices are a little bit higher. And I can't figure out why.

I was thinking it's because maybe they're not ordering in a bulk enough capacity. Yeah. I mean, that's also the case. But, you know, when I built this business and decided it was going to be in South Central, I knew I was building. I wanted to build something in my community for my community and show my community that we can do something for us and it'd be profitable. So I knew that initially in order for us to become profitable and to grow, that my revenue could not just be dependent on that location. We don't even have good parking.

We're right beside a hotel. Emphasis on the hotel. Does the hotel do business with you? Do they do business with you? No, not at all. This is one of them sketchy hotels that you... Okay, okay, got it, got it. That hasy hotels that you. Okay, okay, got it. It has other types of customers.

Okay, okay, gotcha. And so most of our business comes from the wholesale and the bottles and the catering. Yo, it's an honor to have you on the show, straight up. Like, it's such an honor. It's an honor to be here. So what advice would you give to someone trying to be in your shoes? I would say to really seek out a relationship with God. Throughout my life, that's the consistent thing that's been the driving factor. People always ask me, you know, why are you in South Central? Why'd you pick there? I say,

the short answer is God. Some people consider themselves missionaries and have to go across the world to go serve all these other places. But I'm like, you know, God sent me right here to help my community, people who look like me, people where I could go outside and see Belizean flags in people's cars, you know? And so you have to believe in something. And that's really the answer is to believe in something. For me, it's God. And that's my beliefs. But for you and the listeners, you have to pick something. Going out there in the world and not believing in anything, then what happens is you eventually get anchored to things that you shouldn't. Like distractions, right?

Yeah. Yeah. And those are usually based on your emotions. What feels good right now may not feel good tomorrow. But if I know ultimately that this is my purpose and this is why I'm here and what I'm built to do as a creative born in the image of my creator, then I have a little more peace through those highs and lows. Wow. I feel like every time I do an interview, that is the most consistent message around on everyone on my show. Everyone that's successful. God is literally the number one ingredient on everyone's list. They're not crazy.

You know, yes, it's the common denominator when you're cut from a different cloth and you're not you're doing things that are typically trailblazing or, you you know, you're literally deciding, I'm going to take a more difficult path every day. That's what you decide. You're deciding, I'm going to go do something that's specifically catered for me. And that's tough. And so through experience, whether you believe in God in the beginnings of your journey or later on, you develop a relationship with God, it's going to happen. And even with these successful folks, eventually you start to see them honoring and giving glory to God. Because at the end of the day, once you make money and you feel like you checked off the things on your list, it's always that question of, well, what really is next? Why am I here then?

I already did the things I thought I was here for. What's beyond that? And that's where that relationship really becomes transparent. All right. And then my next question is, what does a relationship with God look like for people that have never or don't have a relationship with God? I would say vulnerability. A lot of times we as human beings put up a lot of walls because we have to meet all these other human beings and we don't want to be judged.

We don't want to be misinterpreted. And so we oftentimes that's how we treat God, too, because we're talking about him as if he's a person. So it's just a natural response to treat him as I've been treating all these other people. But ultimately, you have to realize that God is nothing like humans and anyone you've experienced. And so you really have to seek him for what you really want and need. And sometimes initially you may not know what that is. And then a situation occurs and it just makes it very clear. Like I said, I didn't think I was going to get in a coffee. If you would have asked me 10 years ago what I was doing, I would have said I was going to be the best litigator out there, you know, helping everybody. But look where I'm at now.

And it's because I was able to really lean into what God, when God told me to turn left. I didn't turn right. I said, OK, guys, even though I think I'm supposed to be turning right, you said left. I don't see no path. It's not lit, but we're going to turn. And you just got to keep going. And then how much self-doubt did you have on this journey? Like how much, like if you had to be completely real, like how much self-doubt?

I mean, I've met some people that say they didn't have any self-doubt, but I'm curious for you, like was there self-doubt? Was there moments where you questioned or you were shaking? All the time. All the time. Every day. Because it's not like my life is consistent with comfort. It's consistent with change. And so I'm constantly having to face decisions that are typically a lot bigger impact than I've had to do in the past. Now that my business is more successful, we're getting more exposure. And so even, you know, this past week, working on this project to move in, it's going to be three times the space, three times the rent, three times the employees, like all of these factors that I've never done before. It produces that doubt because I haven't done it before. But the good thing is, you know, that doubt is looked at

and then it's set up on the shelf. And then I pull out that faith and move forward with that. All right, guys, that wraps up our interview with John. John, how can people keep up with you? You can. You can talk straight to the camera. OK, people can follow me on Instagram, hustle to create. That's my tag. I believe we were all born to create. So we should be hustling to create, not to consume.

And also that's where you'll find, if you go to hustletocreate.com, you can find my life coaching and business coaching services as well. Okay. And then one last thing. I always, I have this discussion with my cousin a lot, Trevor. I always say, you don't want to get too comfortable. You don't want to get, fall in love with complacency. And I'm a firm believer, like, you know, my company's called Famous Failure. Like I'm a firm believer that you just really got comfortable. You have to kind of almost be comfortable with failure and challenges and being uncomfortable. Has there ever been a position amongst this journey where you chose comfort over or complacency over the latter?

And what was that thing that said, uh-uh, bounce back? I would say when I was doing the insurance game, I got real good at what I was doing. I got real comfortable with the money I was making and really, if I didn't leave that company, I would have probably just been doing the same thing over and over. And so that was a real big moment for me where I said, I gotta get out of this.

If I don't make a decision now, the trajectory of my life is not going to be how I want it to be. Yeah. I feel like sometimes Uber, some of these, what do you call it, gig economy jobs, for some people, they can get very caught up in the complacency of that. I think it's like a gift and a curse. It can save you, but then you can get comfortable and lazy in that. Oh, yeah. And absolutely. Like I said, my ultimate goal, I moved out here to get into government.

But you can't be a broke politician. So for me, I can't get comfortable until I have a position where I can effectively make change that I want to do, which is why I came here. So, you know, there's no option for me. Okay. Yeah, I like that. We won't have to be homies, man. And I'm now a coffee drinker. Only this drink, though.

That's right. You know what? Can I test this one? It sucks. Yeah. It's great. Because I don't know whose this is. But I'm going to just test.

This is the white chocolate. Yeah. I feel like I'm going to be spinning off the walls, but I have to test it. I just want to test. I hope this isn't Katie's. I feel bad. I'm drinking your coffee. Hold on.

What flavor is this one? That's our Cafe de Oya. Okay. My favorite one is this one. It's the... Cacao Blanco. Cacao... Cacao Blanco.

Cacao... I look Puerto Rican. You know what I'm saying? Cacao. Cacao. Cacao. Yeah. Cacao Blanco. Yeah. Blanco.

Yeah. See? This is my favorite. So if you guys want to check out my favorite. And my favorite too. And your favorite. See, you know, I mean, this one's good. If you're like an avid coffee drinker, you probably love this.

But if you're the beginner, this is the one. All right. Thank you for taking time out your busy schedule to come kick it with us Um, if you guys want to check out more content check us out at eating while broke or wherever you listen to your podcast Peace out You For more Eating While Broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand-new history podcast

for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. ever, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like legendary bassist Ron Carter, singer-songwriter Noah Jones, and guitarist Julian Lodge. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral.

We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight-up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle.

Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Rufus Griscom, host of The Next Big Idea. The future is coming faster than you think. AI is reshaping society, scientists are cracking the code of longevity, and new tools are helping us live better and work smarter. Each week, I sit down with big thinkers like Bill Gates and Malcolm Gladwell to separate hype from hope. Listen to The Next Big Idea on

the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.