Coffee kicks off entrepreneurial series

By BRENDA MOSELEY

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KIMBALL - The cozy meeting room at Little Finland in Hurley was filled with the aroma of freshly-ground coffee and warm Finnish pulla, a buttery, sweet bread spiced with cardamom. And the subject of the Dec. 30 meeting was one all participants loved: coffee.

Joseph Miller, community development educator at the Extension Iron County Office in Hurley, chose the subject of coffee as a prelude to eight entrepreneurial events he's offering in the next several weeks because so many conversations begin over a cup of the brew.

"Coffee Connections for Entrepreneurs" featured Lana Maki and Chris Perez, who own Late Run Coffee. They gave participants a tour of the ambulance they've redesigned into a mobile coffee shop and shared roasts from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico and Colombia.

After demonstrating how to grind and brew pour-over coffees, Maki and Perez invited everyone into the kitchen for a chance to brew their own cup. "Pour-overs are romantic," said Maki. "You can see, smell and feel the beans."

In the kitchen, deeper conversations began. Maki and Perez had both worked in stressful and emotionally charged jobs with elevated risks of suicide.

Maki had been a critical care nurse for 12 years, and Perez had worked as an EMT and first-responder. They needed to step away.

Perez said he loved coffee and began learning about the many different ways of brewing from "The University of YouTube." After much experimentation and employment at a coffee house, he was ready to start Late Run Coffee with Maki.

When they first started their business last year, they intended to do only five events in their first year but ended up doing 65. However, their initial set up was labor-intensive and lacked durability.

They initially used a canopy that they transported in a trailer that Perez's father had found decaying in the woods. They went through three canopies, including one that fell on Perez's head an hour after he opened for business.

In retrospect, they said, they should have made restoring the ambulance their priority.

Miller said stories like those of Perez and Maki help others hoping to become entrepreneurs.

In his free, eight-week Entrepreneur Boot Camp Program, which began on Tuesday and will run through Feb. 25, Miller's goal is to connect participants with other business owners and to provide them with the resources they need to create a solid business plan.

The Extension Iron County Office is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more information about the entrpreneurial series or other Extension issues, see the Extension office's website or Facebook page.