After a Seymour man went shopping for coffee at the grocery store one day, he had an epiphany.
Logan Mead wanted to try different coffees without having to buy an entire box of a flavor he might not like.
He thought others might like that, too, so he started his own coffee business.
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“I got home and was putting my new box of coffee in the cabinet one day, and there were four or five other ones there,” Mead said. “I got to thinking that I’d spent $10 or $20 on all of the separate boxes and half of them I didn’t like.”
Mead, 24, was wondering why he couldn’t just get whole boxes of all different brands to try, and so that’s how his online business, Coffee Company, got started.
A 2014 graduate of Seymour High School, Mead is the son of Marty and Stacy Mead and he has a younger brother, Tanner.
Mead earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana State University in Terre Haute. For the past year, he has worked at Lannett Co. Inc. in Seymour, where he packages their products.
“When things started shutting down because of the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to keep working full time at Lannett because they were essential,” Mead said. “I just needed something to fill the spare time, so when I got the stimulus check, I used that money to start this small thing.”
Mead said the coffee business is something he has wanted to get into for a while now, and it basically takes up all of his spare time these days, but he’s having fun doing it.
“We originally started with K-cup coffee variety boxes, but now, we also include bags of fresh ground coffee,” Mead said. “I package the fresh coffee myself, and I get the raw beans from a small business that gets them directly from the farmers in other countries.”
Coffee Company’s Facebook page went up April 18, and during the first month, Mead experimented with tea K-cups, too.
“All of the people I talked to that might be interested in the tea said they realized it would just be cheaper to buy the tea bags at the store,” Mead said. “So for now, I’m focusing on just the coffee, and I have organic Peruvian coffee and organic Honduran coffee.”
Mead said he is beginning to develop additional flavors and has had great success so far.
“There is a website to order from, but most of the orders have been ordered directly through personal contact,” Mead said. “I run the business myself with some advertising assistance from friends and family.”
Mead said so far, he has been getting the word out mostly by word of mouth.
“My mom helps a lot with it since she knows a lot of people through school and through her church,” Mead said. “Then there is the social media, and I do all of that stuff.”
Currently, most of the customers of Coffee Company buy one box to see if they like it. Then when they realize they do, they’ll come back and sign up for a subscription.
“A subscription can last anywhere from a couple of months to a couple years or whatever they feel like they need,” Mead said. “That’s always changeable, as are the flavors they want, and it’s really customizable for the customer.”
Free shipping is included with the orders, and delivery is typically within two or three days. Good customer service is a high priority for Mead.
“A lot of the time, if an order comes in from a local address, I will just drive it over myself at no charge just to get it to the customer quicker,” Mead said. “The plans and prices are available on the website, and people can order there or by email.”
Logan’s mother, Stacy Mead, is an instructional assistant in the special needs preschool class at Seymour-Jackson Elementary School.
“I have been helping Logan out with taste testing the new flavors and giving him advice on what needs to be tweaked,” Stacy said. “He and I are both coffee lovers, and this has been a fun thing to do together.”
Stacy said she is not surprised Logan started his own coffee business.
“He always has the neatest ideas for business startups and new inventions,” she said. “I love his creativity and his willingness to work hard in whatever he does.”
According to the website, seasonal boxes will be available during the holidays and make nice gifts for loved ones or anyone who enjoys coffee. All subscription customers will receive a complimentary box during the month of their birthday, too.
Business bundles also are offered, which include 10 boxes of coffee a month and come with a brand-new Keurig.
Currently, Coffee Company is all online, but Mead said one day, he hopes to see a physical store when he can find a suitable property.
Until then, he looks forward to growing his coffee company and supplying customers with a variety of coffees, delivered right to their homes or businesses.
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For information about Coffee Company, visit coffeecompany500.com or facebook.com/coffeecompany500 or email [email protected].
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