Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Young Be Tu Tran
Hi Audrey Young, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi! We’re Audrey & Be Tu and we’re the owners of THe Concord: a Botanical Cafe & Dispensary!
Audrey was COO of a multi-location healthcare company. She grew up in the hospitality industry, earned a degree in Design with a minor in Business from UT Austin. She loves to orchestrate intricate details to create events & experiences.
Be Tu is a healthcare provider with a Bachelor degree in Health Science. She’s also a serial entrepreneur in hospitality, real estate, and finance. She recently discovered how chronic inflammation that stems from not knowing the needs of your own body can truly impact your
personal health – this catalyzed her journey to find ulterior options for food, drinks and fun.
Both of us had a career in healthcare for over a decade each and worked throughout Covid. Post Covid, we were looking for a change and have always wanted to start our own business. We thought about what we enjoyed and how we wanted to make an impact on our community.
We wanted our next step to set the tone for a new chapter and THe Concord came to life. Not being in our 20’s anymore, we still enjoy the occasional drink but found ourselves partaking in hemp more often to relax, destress and help elevate other aspects of our daily lives. It felt like it was overnight that we decided to open a dispensary to highlight all the holistic health benefits of a wide variety of hemp and we jumped head first into the deep end.
To get THe Concord going, we wanted to create something special, yet on a budget because it is fully self funded. We found an old school bus on Facebook Marketplace in July of 2023, took 4-5 months to renovate everything ourselves with the guidance and help of our friends Whit Scott (@smore.life) & the team at Lucktone Woodshop (@lucktonewoodshop), and boom! – we had our soft opening in December of 2023 and officially opened in January of 2024. We just reached our 1 year anniversary!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Well, our slogan for THe Concord is “Enjoy the Ride.” With that being said, it has not been a smooth road, but we have soaked up every moment of this journey. We wouldn’t categorize all the ups and downs of starting a new business as “struggles.” We see it as growing pains and learning opportunities of entrepreneurship, it comes with the territory. Keeping an opportunistic outlook and objectively solving issues that come along our way, one by one, motivates us. It means we’re making progress. Every time we find a solution, we definitely celebrate the small victory!
Some of the challenges we’ve faced in the first year are:
1) Building The Bus: We’re not builders, but we have a “can do” attitude! Building and renovating the bus itself was an experience we’ll cherish forever. Watching your idea come to life with a lot of elbow grease is extremely satisfying. We had no idea where to begin, but with some good friends and a lot of youtubing, we got it done! Long term, we still have some challenges with our space. We feel like we’re already outgrown our bus and need more space. We’d love to have a brick and mortar one day to create an even more comfortable environment for our guests and to bring more options onboard for our cafe & dispensary menu.
2) Stigma With Hemp & Supply Chain: There’s still some stigma surrounding the hemp industry. We do our best to stay on top of the ever changing updates with different types of products that come out and we’re constantly learning more about the scientific information as well. We want to make sure all our products are quality, clean, and that we can stand behind them 100%. Having a deeper understanding about all the components of the products we carry allows us to create a better experience for our guests. It took us a lot of time to sample and source the products. We truly love everything we have at our shop. Hemp products, not just THC, but also CBD, CBG, CBN and more can truly improve your quality of life when consumed responsibly.
3) Growing a Team: When we first opened, we were working around the clock. We were so much in the business, we weren’t able to work on the business. It wasn’t until about 9 months in that we could hire a great team. We’re so proud of our team and that we’re able to offer health benefits to full time employees. We truly couldn’t do it without them! We’re also thankful for so many other local businesses that have graciously collaborated and worked with us to help get our name in the community. Thank you to: The Pershing, Black Swan Yoga, Curra’s Grill, Malbu Markets, Austin Flea, Frida Friday, Austin Artisan Market, Fierce Whiskers, Pie in The Sky, Tare, Hold Out Brewing and more. We’re looking forward to growing more in the years to come!
We’ve been impressed with THe Concord, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our name, THe Concord, literally means harmony and with our slogan “enjoy the ride”. This phrase expands beyond the physical space of the bus – through all the highs and lows life has to offer, we believe you have to take it all in, appreciate the journey and enjoy the ride!
THe Concord aims to provide the highest quality of hemp products to help guests enjoy the many natural benefits of what plants have to offer. Utilizing our expertise in hospitality and healthcare, we’ve curated a unique beverage menu as an avenue to experience hemp, CBD and THC in a familiar manner. We specialize in: having a deeper knowledge of the effects of our products and a curated experience for consumption. We offer coffee, teas, and mocktails that you may have as is, or you can mix and match Botanical Infusions and curate your dosage at the cafe or purchase our tinctures to enjoy at home. We manufacture our own CBD, THC, THCP, Reishi and CBG infusions.
What sets us apart is our atmosphere, infused drinks, quality products, and overall experience. Whenever a guest comes into our shop, we truly want to understand why they are interested in hemp products. Sometimes it’s just for fun, other times they might want help with stress, inflammation, pain, sleep issues, etc. Having a better understanding of their needs, allows us to better match them with a product.
We also believe in a strong sense of community, we intentionally source the majority of our products locally to highlight the hemp industry in Texas. Some of our favorite local brands are: Earlybird CBD, Hometown Hero and Chill Country.
Above everything else, we’re most proud of our team, being a female owned business and the feedback we receive when our guests have a great experience. We love hearing all the stories of how hemp has added value to their daily lives.
P.S. – THe Concord is not a typo 😉
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
All and any support truly helps: come visit our shop, give us a follow on IG (@ridetheconcord), tell your friends about us, or write us a review on Google Business.
We also love collaborating with local businesses. If you’d like to have us pop up at your business, host an infused dinner, or elevate any event with our infusions, reach out to us at hi@ridetheconcord.com or DM us on Instagram!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ridetheconcord.com
- Instagram: @ridetheconcord
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ridetheconcord
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/xuDNh3G
Image Credits
all photos are originals no credit applicable
