Today we’d like to introduce you to Mohit “Mo” Mehra.
Hi Mohit “Mo”, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
BarleyBean came to be for one main reason — the love of brewing a good cup of coffee.
I am a serial entrepreneur that came to the U.S. in 2004, where my background was primarily in finance and commercial real estate development. Prior to coming to the U.S., I worked in Europe, the Middle East, and India primarily in the hospitality industry (in which I am certified along with holding a degree in management and finance.) Since I didn’t find much luck in the hospitality industry here in the U.S., I pursued finance and real estate.
One day in the summer of 2009, while having a meeting with a client on closing a finance deal at a coffee shop, I had my first cup of coffee for the day (as it was an early 7 am meeting.) Needless to say, it did not leave a good taste in my mouth. I realized then that the first cup is very important.
I closed on a big deal but had a bad day until an opportunity rang a bell. The answer was simple! Austin is growing and lacking in specialty coffee shops. With the market crash of 2008 still in effect, and my closing of a few financial and real estate deals, I decided to invest my money in creating a coffee concept.
I went to Portland, got myself trained and educated, came back with a concept in mind, wrote a business plan, and immersed myself completely in creating this venture with hours upon hours of research and development. I realized early on in the process that only selling coffee would not generate the revenue needed to survive and pay the escalating Austin rent prices. And then, VoÌla, my hospitality background with food and beverage came into play.
I decided to collaborate all my skills and experience and the work started. With my real estate and finance backbone, I secured the location, got the funding, and started the process with a lot of excitement and a dream. I also took a job and was primarily working to learn and not to earn. My coffee journey had taken a start, and a story was being written.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing comes easy. Austin was not a monopolistic market but a competitive one. Within a few months in the process of doing research and development, I learned that many other companies were in the market with the same concept that I had, minus the food; which, by the way, still remains the strength and breadwinner for BarleyBean.
My strength was food. Coffee was my passion. I was up against great leaders in the market, losing hope. I needed branding, marketing, good purveyors, and above all else to serve good coffee, for which I needed to roast.
There was a vision, but the road was not easy.
One morning, at my lawyer’s office, I came across a quote from my mentor, Sir Richard Branson, who said, “if you have an opportunity that you want and you face a struggle executing it, take the opportunity and then learn how to do it.” The next line read, “focus on what you do best, and outsource the rest.” I took these words quite literally and put them into play.
I focused on my strengths, made relations with great coffee companies all over the U.S., and started the business. Sales were there in the beginning, but something was missing. I wanted to roast my own coffee and needed to create a brand. Something more “Austin.” I sold good coffee, but that wasn’t my coffee.
So, after four years of running a coffee shop with a non-branded name, I was a little disappointed. I wanted more. I wanted a team who shared a vision. And in 2014, I met Ryan Mosler, my partner. He decided he wanted to be a part of my vision, and we started revamping the business.
We created BarleyBean. The name, the logo, and the branding. I challenged Ryan with cold brew which was growing fast in Austin. He accepted it. We soon expanded to a bakery, commissary kitchen, and cold brew in our small shop. Then, in 2015, Ryan mastered the cold brew and that was the start of our roasting journey.
In 2016 we bought our Probat roaster, introduced pizzas, created specialty blends, worked a number of long hours, and also started our Social Media. It was a struggle for years, but it was changing.
Finding good people was not the problem, keeping them with the company was. BarleyBean was blessed and we reopened on Halloween in 2014 and never looked back.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am the CEO and co-founder of BarleyBean, where I oversee all avenues of the company. Under my leadership, BarleyBean has diversified into roasting, a commissary kitchen, retail, bakery, licensing, business and barista training, and more.
Our coffee is award-winning, our pizzas are award-winning and above all, our cafe, BarleyBean has won an award four years in a row for the best cafe in Austin for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. We are on the verge of expanding nationally and internationally and are proud of our team who is now our family and have stuck with us through thick and thin times.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
In Austin, we were one of the early birds in the industry to introduce draft growlers.
We are constantly educating ourselves through coffee cuppings, which has resulted in creating great blends.
We were in the top 10 at the Coffee Fest cold brew competition in San Antonio, TX this year.
We are a true specialty and artisanal coffee shop and our next venture is an in-house brewery and a drive-through concept.
Our Vegan menu is slated to be launched in 2022 and will be one of its kind.
Contact Info:
- Email: connect@barleybean.com
- Website: www.barleybean.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/barleybeanatx
- Facebook: facebook.com/BarleyBeanATX
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/barley-bean-austin-4?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
Image Credits
Sean Craig – Sean54 Photography
