Conversations with Randi Pond

Today we’d like to introduce you to Randi Pond.

Hi Randi, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Let’s see; I am a busy Mom of two, a Surgical Technician, a Photographer, and the Fire Wife Cold Brew owner. I am just a firefighter wife who runs on chaos and cold brew. After working 15 years in Health Care, so many things changed, and with how crazy this world has been over the last few years, I decided to walk away from full-time Health Care to follow one of my many dreams, which was to own and operate a little Cold Brew Coffee business. We started small with home deliveries. With the COVID world, we delivered our delicious Cold Brew, Teas, and Creamers to people’s doorstep contactless while everyone was stuck at home and working from home. As things started to open back up, we were able to grow like wildfire. We started at farmers’ markets, school functions, and fundraisers all over Arizona. We love meeting new people and other small business owners at farmers’ markets and being able to chat while they enjoy a cup of cold brew. And we still make home and office deliveries all over the Valley and even up in Flagstaff, where my husband’s fire station is located. We are incredibly thankful for all the continued support and love our customers give us. This past July, Fire Wife Cold Brew turned two years old, and we couldn’t be happier with how our small business has grown and blossomed.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a small business from scratch is NEVER easy. It takes hard work, dedication, sleepless nights, and ultimately faith. There are days when you feel you are on top of the world and the orders are rolling in like crazy, and there are days when sales are down and you are filled with doubt, but you have to push through the hard days and never give up. We have had people copy our business idea, even our menus. We have had people not pay for the product we delivered, which is a small business hits hard, and yes, I have spilled gallons of freshly made cold brew as I am loading up to head to a market. I have to roll with the punches. I think the biggest struggle is keeping it rolling while my husband is fighting wildland fires all over the country. I have to run the company alone with two kids in tow, run the household, be Mom/Dad for weeks, and run my other small business. Did I mention I am also a full-time photographer? I never stop moving and shaking running these businesses while chasing kids and dreams. PS we do not have employees; Chris and I do everything.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Here at Fire Wife Cold Brew, we are just a small business serving the Surprise area. You can find us at some local farmers’ markets like our favorite neighborhood one, Loma Verde Market. We have fun setting up our booth and serving cold brews, teas, and handcrafted creamers at events all over Surprise, Desert Oasis, North Copper Canyon, and different schools around the valley. And we are still offering free delivery to the Surprise area, and with a small delivery fee, we can deliver outside of Surprise.

We make cold brew coffee different; Our cold brew is roasted with flavor. We do not flavor our cold brew with artificial flavoring/sweetener or syrup. Our cold brews are smooth and bold, and our creamers are made with real ingredients! For example, in our Toasted Marshmallow creamer, I sit and actually toast big fat marshmallows to the perfect golden color and then melt them down to add to the creamer. How fun is that?

One thing we love about our company is that we offer Pumpkin Cold Brew and Creamer year around!!! It’s a shame that you can only find pumpkin flavor cold brew a few months out of the year, so being the HUGE pumpkin fan I am, we had to make it available all year long. We are always changing our menu and adding new and awesome flavors! I can tell you that our very popular Elf’s Brew (peppermint) and Peppermint Mocha creamer will be back this year!!! We also offer a few cold brew flavors in Decaf. Watch out for our Fall Menu to drop and then our Christmas Menu.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My wonderful hero of a husband, Chris, like he isn’t busy enough being a Captain at his fire station, a paramedic, chasing wildland fires all over the country, and an IV infusion medic, he is my unpaid assistant. When he is home from fires, he is my right hand! He runs deliveries, helps with invoicing, carries all the heavy stuff for me at markets, and so much more. He has believed in me from day one and pushed me never to give up. I love you to no end, Chris! My Crazy kids, my Grandparents, Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, and my Sister in Law, Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And the BIGGEST Thank You goes to all my friends, family, and amazingly supportive customers who could buy cold brew from any big-name coffee shop but choose to support us instead. THANK YOU! If it weren’t for all your love, support, and loyalty, we would not be where we are today. I owe it all to you guys. I love you all.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @firewife_coldbrew_coffee
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/FireWifeColdBrew