July 1 was our one year anniversary as coffee shop owners. Cafe Tesfa started as a pipe dream. We always loved the charm of local coffee shops and frequented many as college students. A couple years ago, Patrick paired our pipe dream with a vision of helping local foster youth. We put some time, effort, and money into researching what it would take to have the best coffee shop in the area. Then life happened—namely adopting 3 adolescents from Ethiopia.
Fast forward 2 years. Last spring, in a twist of providence, Patrick met a coffee shop owner looking to sell and excited about our mission. He offered us a deal we couldn’t refuse, then, BAM, we were coffee shop owners.
Here are some things we’ve learned along the way:
- Starting a business in the food industry is complicated. We have a whole new appreciation for people who are clearly not native English speakers who run restaurants/stores. We felt like complete novices and imbeciles multiple times.
- Inventory—even for a gig as small as ours—is no joke. I am embarrassed to admit the number of times we’ve run out of imperative supplies like lids, cups, sugar, napkins, and milk.
- Running a full-time business in your “spare” time is CRAZY! Yeah, ‘bout that.
- There is a lot to know about coffee and tea. There are 4 hour classes just on pulling shots of espresso or just on milk steaming and art.
- Mayberry still exists. It’s just under a new name, Ridgely’s Delight. Unless you know me in real life, you may not appreciate how tickled I am that we have “regulars” and that I can greet people by name as they walk into the shop. Before the term “bucket list” existed, I yearned to be a regular at a shop—to be known. Psycho analyze that. (Sidenote: I accomplished this goal at a local bagel shop in 2003.) Anyway, now we’ve been blessed with this space where we can create a place for others to be known and be regulars. Thinking about this aspect of the shop is more effective than caffeine in getting me energized.
- There are amazing people in our city doing amazing things. Besides hanging out with regulars, my other favorite part is networking meetings. I never cease to be blown away by the creativity and passion with which others are attacking the social issues in our city. #BeMore
- Foster youth don’t need programs, they need relationship. We definitely should have spent less time on writing the training “program” for the shop and more time making sure we had cups in the shop. Our interns have relationship needs that a 16-week barista and food service internship program won’t touch. It’s beginning to be apparent that each intern we bring on board will be like welcoming another member of the family. Rather than having youth pass through, we’ll probably be collecting a cumulative bunch. We’re not sure what God has for us, but we’d love to find a way to do this full-time. The need is just so great.
If you’re in the area or visiting, let us know. We’d love to introduce you to the best coffee you’ll ever have. It’s hand-picked, custom-processed and dried, and peak-roasted. We’re also currently the only place in Maryland where you can try this summer’s newest coffee trend—nitro brew. Google it.