Gus Dean Coffee, Gus Dean
Gus Dean Coffee is a black-owned, artisanal coffee roastery just south of the Twin Cities in Eagan, MN.
我们开始在我的厨房里用一个非常小的烘焙机烘焙咖啡豆，目的是不断做出朋友和家人喜欢的可饮用的东西. 我们开始在农贸市场品尝和销售，从而创造了我们的招牌咖啡混合系列以及季节性产品. The business has gotten bigger and grown a lot faster than I thought. 我们仍然喜欢在双子城附近的市场和活动上临时品尝，寻找我们的“咖啡朋友”，现在我们在几家商店和一家咖啡店. 我们85%的客户是在线的，客户来自全国各地.
我们的增长包括增加冷冲泡产品，这已经成为我们业务的20%. This year we're going to start canning cold brew. We are also in the process of moving into a larger commercial space. 我们正在发展壮大，未来12到18个月可能会有更多的门店.
Gus Dean Coffee is a black-owned, artisanal coffee roastery just south of the Twin Cities in Eagan, MN. 我们是一家咖啡和冷萃咖啡制造商，我们的目标是制作出口感顺滑、喝起来有趣的咖啡. 许多咖啡烘焙师专注于咖啡的细节, which has made a lot of coffee drinkers think they need a Ph.D. to understand coffee, and that it’s too complicated. 我们所有的咖啡都是喝起来很有趣的，无论他们在哪里喝，都能有最好的体验.
I started the company for two reasons. I love coffee and I have a strong entrepreneurial spirit. 我的职业生涯是一名混合动物兽医，但我一直想拥有自己的事业. I felt that a lot of coffee out there was over-roasted. In my mind, 我认为烘焙师试图创造一种代表他们品牌的味道，而不是让咖啡豆有自己的味道，让那种味道透出来. 认为我的咖啡应该是某种味道，而不是让咖啡豆说话，和让咖啡豆自然地品尝咖啡是有区别的.
Our coffee is fun to drink. 格斯迪恩咖啡与许多其他小型独立咖啡店的区别在于，他们经常提供过度烘焙的咖啡, which is coffee that has more of a darker, bitter, burnt taste. We don’t do this. 我们也不会进入咖啡的细节或“上流社会”心态, like we don't need to get into, you know, the altitude and the latitude in which it's made, similar to what you may see in the wine world. We keep it simple.
We focus on being personal. 我们的目标是创造咖啡时刻，让你可以自己喝咖啡，也可以和特别的人一起喝咖啡, and we want it to be a relaxing, fun experience that stays with you throughout the day. We want to reach people and say we are about having fun, enjoying coffee and we’re into you and we want to get to know you. That’s our brand; that’s our message. It’s all about fun and connection. On every coffee order that goes out, I still have a handwritten note that I send to each person who orders.
A constant challenge is getting access to capital. The hurdles are so high and they make things so difficult. Even as a successful small business that is profitable, 获得资金仍然很困难，这是一个巨大的挑战.
I enjoy being with people, that comes naturally. 对我来说，最具挑战性的部分是我最终要一个人做几个小时的事情，很少与人或客户互动.
The high point is getting to meet and interact with my customers. That’s what it’s all about for me. 我喜欢在外面，见到人们，与人们交谈，分享咖啡故事. I just like interacting with people. 如果有人告诉我他们不喜欢咖啡，我们通常会聊宠物.
I was referred by my bookkeeper.
They have helped with the challenge of getting capital. SCORE的设立是为了帮助那些有好主意或有想法想要探索的人，他们不一定带着很多钱, but they're willing to put sweat equity into making it work. They don't sit there and tell you, ‘Well if you don't have a hundred thousand dollars, you can't make it.’ That's something that I feel that's unique about SCORE. It's truly set up for that small, almost micro-business.
Ron Seipp从第一天起就是我的导师，他给了我很大的帮助. He always takes my calls and responds to all my emails and questions, and he’s been one of my biggest supporters. 虽然我一开始很小，但罗恩从不让我觉得自己很渺小. He was always optimistic about the potential. 你会发现很多时候，当你有一个小企业，并开始, 人们总有办法提醒你，你很渺小，或者你太渺小，不值得别人打扰. 我觉得罗恩和SCORE非常关注小型的个人创业公司，而不是那些继承了遗产、有四五个投资者、有一百万美元可玩的人. SCORE是为那些有好主意或有想要探索的想法的人设立的.
你必须能够把你的个性和你的爱注入到产品中. Find some way to do that. Whatever you do, 它需要有你的一部分，不能被复制，这使它独一无二. You know there are hundreds or thousands of coffees out there. 让我的咖啡与众不同的是我的视角，以及我对待我所谓的“咖啡朋友”——我的顾客的方式.
The biggest thing is to have a mentor and lean on that mentor. 我认为这种人际关系比你在网上查到的任何东西都重要. 这就是SCORE与我能在网上找到的任何东西的区别. 有一个现实世界里做生意的人会让世界变得完全不同.
在我们继续发展的同时，我们一直尽最大努力支持其他当地的小企业. 就供应商关系而言，这是业务成功的关键之一. 当我与其他小企业合作时，他们理解我的出发点.
我们真的很想参与到社区中来，回馈和支持很多当地的组织和团体. 我们的回馈咖啡计划是一个机会，让我们与社区团体和社会组织合作，帮助他们提高对事业的认识，并帮助他们筹款. As a minority myself, 我们想要在这部分业务中发言，帮助其他少数族裔小企业, and give some encouragement and some insight.
9年设计工程经验，5项专利，4年全球营销管理经验...
