Meet Bobby Kaufmann of Black Rock Coffee Bar in Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Scottsdale and Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Kaufmann.

Bobby, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Black Rock started as a single drive-thru in Portland, Oregon in 2008. It was founded by a family, and they built the store, ran the store and worked 70+ hour weeks in the store. From there it grew by 19 more stores in the Pacific Northwest and didn’t show signs of stopping.

My best friend, Jeff, is one of the founders of the company, and when we could see it was growing, he and I started talking about getting the stores into different markets. At this time my family and I lived in Southern Oregon, and we knew the company wouldn’t grow there, so I started looking in other states. My extended family lived in Scottsdale, so I approached Jeff about taking the market to Arizona.

That’s when my wife and I decided to pack up the family and move here to start opening stores! We were here for about two years before the first store opened in South Chandler, in the Ocotillo area.

In that time I was spending 70+ hours a week looking at locations, helping with the construction of the first store, working with brokers and trying to figure out how we could get all of the things necessary to run and operate a store on a day-to-day basis. We ended up moving current employees from stores in Oregon down here to help bring the Black Rock culture we are known for to Arizona, and to do it well.

I put a lot of blood and sweat into getting the first store opened. I was digging ditches for plumbing, putting up counters, and running point on all the tech and designing. My wife helped paint and buy supplies. Finally, in 2016 the first Black Rock Coffee Bar opened in Ocotillo! It was a huge success and we are beyond proud of that first store!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Once the first store opened it was a lot better, but getting that first store open wasn’t smooth sailing. The first three years of moving here were incredibly stressful. My wife and I both quit our jobs and moved 1,500 miles on the gamble that we were even going to get a store open!

When we first got here, and while I was working trying to get the first store up and going, I was also working remotely for the tech company I had worked for in Oregon, and my wife got a job driving the snack cart at a golf course while she waited to get her cosmetology license transferred. We had bills to pay and a son to take care of, so we had to do what we had to do while we waited.

We went through three different brokers, 10-15 sites that fell through because we were an unknown entity in Arizona and no one wanted to work with us, we had to go head-to-head with big-name tenants like Starbucks, Dairy Queen, and Burger King to fight for properties we were looking at, and honestly no one really took the company seriously.

The store location on Power and Ray we initially lost out to another company, but at the last minute that company pulled out of the lease, so the landlord came back to us and we got the deal. Now that location is our number one store in AZ.

We also wanted to bring our culture to the Arizona market, and to do it right. That’s a huge part of the Black Rock company, and a crucial piece we couldn’t screw up. So we needed to bring current teammates down here with us that was the catalyst for that part of the company. It was no easy task moving a group of people down here, but we made it work!

Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Black Rock is known for our locally roasted coffee, and genuine customer service. The word “genuine” is huge for us. Our company motto is Fuel Your Story, and we honestly want to know who our customers are, and what their stories are. Each person that comes into our lobby, or through our drive through is important to us, and coffee is the byproduct of the experience that we give our customers. People can go anywhere for a cup of coffee, but choose to bypass other coffee shops to come see, and spend time with our Black Rock baristas because we make them feel important, and that we genuinely care about them.

What sets us apart from other coffee shops is our customer service, speed and efficiency in getting you what you ordered, and a consistent product that you know will be the same at any of our stores that you go to. We want our customers to know and to have confidence, that no matter what Black Rock location they go to, they will always get the same experience from our staff, and their favorite drink will be made the same way that it’s made by their favorite barista, at their regular location.

We are also known for supporting the local communities where our stores are. We give back to schools, charities, local events, and we do a huge toy drive for Arizona foster kids at Christmas every year. My wife and I did foster care for over 10 years, so the toy drive every year is an important one for us and the communities always come through hugely! Last year we were able to donate over 400 toys to foster care agencies in Arizona, and we hope to do even more this year!

Another organization that we are super passionate about is the Sparrows Club, USA. We are very involved in the Sparrows Club in Oregon, and we knew we had to help bring it to Arizona as well. Sparrows Club is an organization that takes children that have high medical needs that are either life-threatening or severely life-altering, and we partner with local schools to raise money through acts of service that are then donated to the family. The kids in the schools do community service, and for every hour of community service they do, money is donated from Black Rock to go towards the family. We started with Perry High School, who’s students raised over $5,000! What’s also incredible is that their hard work and compassion to help this family, encouraged someone locally to personally donate $13,000, raising over $18,000 for this local family in need! We are now working with three schools, and are always looking for more!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Oh man, that’s a long list! To sum it up in a few people. First, my wife. She trusted me and my crazy idea of moving our family 1,500 miles away, with neither of us having jobs or a guarantee that any store would even open! We’ve always been big dreamers, so I appreciate that she was willing to stand by me and that she had faith in my vision.

Next would be Jeff and Daniel, the founders of the company and the ones who started it all! They trusted me to come down here and to grow their passion and to open Black Rock in their image and how they started all those years ago. Without their support and encouragement, I couldn’t have done it and the stores here wouldn’t be the same.

Finally, the group of team members that moved here from the PNW to help us open the first store! Their enthusiasm, work ethic and love for the company was a driving force in the success in the stores here in Arizona. Their passion for what they do help to grow the culture here, and continues to teach new teammates what Black Rock is all about, so we can continue to reach new markets and spread the Black Rock love and culture through Arizona.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.br.coffee
• Email: hello@br.coffee
• Instagram: @blackrockaz
• Facebook: Black Rock AZ

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