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Life and Work with Bethany Priebe

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Priebe.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bethany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was in high school, I was part of a youth group that ran a Christian concert venue and coffee shop called the Fire Escape. We opened twice a month and had teens from all over the valley come out to the shows. The venue was completely youth-led with mentoring from a few amazing adults. We, the youth, chose the name, we planned the shows, scheduled the workers… we did it all. I was in charge of running the coffee bar. It was really a pathetic coffee bar as we were self-taught and used home-based espresso machines. Yet, it stayed busy selling iced mochas, smoothies, goodies, sliced pizza, and even some actual coffee. It’s hard to explain, but there was something so magical about that venue and my experience helping run it. There was an amazing amount of community and camaraderie among the youth who ran it and those who came. I always felt so proud of what we built as a team and by the time I graduated, I had learned leadership and work ethic in a way I never could have in a classroom.

My husband, Chris, was also part of the group and he felt that same magic I had. Ever since then, we’ve had a desire to create a space for the community, a really good cup of coffee, and an amazing customer experience. We didn’t want it to be just any regular shop/venue. We wanted to provide youth the same opportunities we received to learn and grow while getting to be part of a loving and thriving community. We especially wanted to work with the youth in our community who are often overlooked and pushed aside. We had written a business plan and spent months and months of dreaming and scheming on how to do this. When we had about $20,000 seed money saved up, we were surprised to get pregnant with twin boys. That pregnancy landed me in the hospital for about 6 weeks and then my premature babies in for an additional 6 weeks. Our savings and our plans quickly dwindled down as we paid off medical debt and I stayed home with our little ones.

It was harder and harder to see how we were ever going to be able to fulfill our dream now. Yet, every empty storefront we passed by had us imagining our own space and what we would do with it. “One day,” we kept saying. “One day, we will open our shop.”

Well, 10 years later, through a series of some kicks in the butt we finally said to each other, “What are we waiting for?” We knew we didn’t have the means to open the space we wanted but we had to start somewhere. So, through some research and some fundraising, we found ourselves with about $3500 to get going. We decided to start with roasting as that took up a small amount of space and had less overhead, especially since my very talented husband was able to build the roaster. I set out to build our client-base as well as develop our plan and means to use our business as a vehicle to develop and mentor some of the most vulnerable youth in our community: those aging out of the foster care system and refugee youth. On August 10th, 2017, we had our first sale and we have been running hard ever since. We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary!

Great, 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?
Although I have experienced some amazing opportunities and favor along the way, this has been far from easy. In order to really pursue this company’s success, I quit my job. I went from a nice steady paycheck where I was needed and respected, to be a co-owner of a new startup with very little security or reputation in the community. It has been a huge leap of faith and makes everything that happens from here on out that much more important, especially since Chris only makes a modest salary as a co-pastor of a small church. I think one of the biggest personal struggles I often have is how to best balance the world of business and the world of people. People are why we got into a coffee business. I love how coffee can bring people together, make you feel cozy, and provide the perfect atmosphere to share stories and connect with each other’s lives. It’s also a great avenue to provide continual job and mentoring for the population of youth we seek to help. I can talk to you about that all day, but a business doesn’t just run on fuzzy thoughts and warm ideas. It takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and pushing yourself in areas that are not comfortable. For me, the uncomfortable is the world of sales. One of the most important aspects to our growth is obtaining wholesale accounts. This kind of sales is far out of my bounds of comfort. I wish I could say I have learned to conquer this challenge, but it is still a work in progress. Two things I have learned from doing sales are:
1) My value cannot come from someones’ yes or no. Getting rejected is going to be part of the game. I need to know who I am and where my value comes from outside of my ability to close a deal.
2) More than knowing all the tricks of the trade, you just have to get out there and start doing what you got to do. You have to get through being awkward before you ever get to be smooth and successful.

The other challenge of this journey for me is balancing being a mom and a business owner. It’s every stretching on my soul to know when to say no to an opportunity or when to say no to my kids. I don’t want to miss out on being a mom for the sake of growing this dream, so for me, it is okay that we may not be moving as fast as some other companies. With that being said, I do know there will have to be some sacrifices my kids make for the fact my husband and I are entrepreneurs. So, it is really important for us to take some days of rest for our family. We often take day trips up north or just have a day of saying no to the rest of the world. It is for our kids and it also is to be able to say the weight of the world does not rest on our shoulders. Things will still be there waiting for us tomorrow.

Please tell us about Cultivate Coffee.
Cultivate Coffee is a not-for-profit company run under the umbrella of the 501c3 organization, Crowd to Community. To Cultivate means to foster the growth of… Cultivate Coffee is in the business of cultivating the full potential of all we are a part of, from the coffee beans themselves to the people who harvest the beans, to those who prepare and serve it. We roast specialty grade coffee from farms around the world. We use Direct Trade beans, which means there is an on the ground relationship with the farmers we use. We love hearing the stories from our importer of how the farming communities are being cultivated and invested in.

Our roasted beans have been brewed by customers in Germany, Mexico, Alaska and all over the country, although our main client base is here in Phoenix. I love what we do and it makes it so much easier to go out and sell our brand to others when you believe in what you are doing and the quality of the product you sell. Chris, our roaster, is an artist at what he does and produces an amazing quality bean for our customers. I am very proud of him.

As far as my contribution, I am most proud of the cohort I organized this summer. It was our first opportunity to truly work with some amazing teens in the foster care system and a handful of refugee youth. What I loved was getting to be a part of cultivating who these kids are made to be. These two populations are often the most removed from the community and have the least resources. Not one of them was created to be a part of such brokenness, nor did they have any choice in the matter. To be a small part of helping them discover their full potential is beyond exciting! One family that came to join us were three siblings from Afghanistan. They are the oldest of 7 kids. Their mom is a single mom. Her husband passed away before they made it to America. You cannot imagine the burden these teens feel at such young ages. Due to some medical issues and lack of childcare, the mom is unable to work, so all the income is brought in through the work of these teens. When they came to meet with us, not only did they get some training to help them obtain work, but they received actual paid work experience every week. They were earning money for their family while building experience for applications and a resume. I know they have a long road to go and we are only a small part of their journey, but I am so grateful to be whatever part of that we can be.

We continue to meet with these teens and the others in our summer cohort. It has been so much fun and we are excited to provide more opportunities for work and mentoring for them. Our latest project is converting a trailer to a mobile coffee cart. We plan on having these kids help us build it and help us work it.

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
If I could emphasize one thought for young women getting started, it is to pay attention to where you are privileged to be now, even if it is far from where you want to be. Don’t be in such a rush to be somewhere else, as every relationship, every experience, has the potential to propel you to where you do want to go. Lean into where you are now and learn from all you are doing and experiencing.

Pricing:

  • We sell 1lb coffee bags of whole beans for $14-$16
  • Our Burboun soaked bean (the Kentucky Joe) is $20
  • Single Serve Pourovers $10/pack

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Chris and Bethany Priebe

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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