Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Foss
Hi Mary, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. My parents owned many small businesses as I was growing up and instilled in me a strong work ethic and desire to work for myself. My first jobs were in restaurants and small cafes and I just loved it. I loved the service aspect and the fast-paced environment. Since early in our relationship, my husband and I knew we wanted to try owning our own business someday. Fast forward a few years, after we had lived in central Texas for some time, we decided to go down the path of opening a coffee shop. We really didn’t know if we would be able to make it happen but each time we took another step down the path, the right doors were opening for us and after about 18 months we were opening West Pecan Coffee + Beer!
As we started to plan the business, we reached out to the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation and were put in contact with an advisor from the Small Business Development Center in Round Rock. This was a crucial step for us as our advisor helped us put together our business plan, financial projections, and put us in contact with options for lending. Because we had this help and connections, we were able to pursue an SBA start up loan from a local bank. This has proven to be an integral piece to our story and we are so grateful for the connections to the local community in the beginning which set us up for success as we grew the business.
West Pecan Coffee + Beer celebrates its 7th birthday in April 2025 and I am so grateful to get to be a part of the Pflugerville community in this way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Owning a small business is a joy but it comes with unique challenges. In the beginning, first year or so, I was at the coffee shop most of the time as we were creating processes and documentation to be able to function without me being there. I was building a structure for a thing that didn’t exist before and it was much like having another child. Meanwhile, I had 2 small children and a life I was trying to live as well.
Just when we thought things were turning a corner for smoother sailing, around our second birthday, we entered the Coronavirus Pandemic. This time was challenging for everyone and sometimes I don’t really know how our business survived. We were quick to pivot and make changes to try to stay open and we applied for every grant and emergency loan that we could. Furthermore, the Pflugerville community really rallied around us. We had customers coming in every day we were open and their collective purchases kept the lights on. Beyond supporting the business with purchases, they would come in and talk with me while I was running the cafe on my own before we could hire back some staff. I am so grateful for the Pflugerville community for continuing to support us and show us that they wanted our business to survive.
Beyond the pandemic, running a small business is challenging because of the many moving pieces. Things break, people call out, and at the end of the day, the owner is the one who either fills those gaps or lets things limp along. When you isolate the situations and broken equipment, they are not too challenging to manage on their own, but when you compound them on top of each other along with trying to keep everything else for the business afloat it can be overwhelming at times. But we have always worked through them and ended up on the other side and continuing to move forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My husband and I opened West Pecan Coffee + Beer in April of 2018. We saw a need for a local, sit-down coffee shop in Pflugerville for people in the community to meet and rest and of course, get a great cup of coffee! We roast our own coffee and make our drink syrups in house. Aside from coffee, we sell craft beer, wine, locally made pastries, and a few small food items. Our signature drink is the Pecan Sunrise- a pecan milk, bourbon, orange zest syrup in a latte made with oat milk- a take on an Old Fashioned but in coffee form!
Our goal is to be a local hub in Pflugerville- providing space for people to connect in their third space. We strive to be a bright spot in each customer’s day through excellent customer service and a high-quality product. It’s been a gift to build relationships with our regulars and be a part of their daily routines. West Pecan has been a part of many people’s stories, whether they had their first date here, or have been coming into the shop all through the different seasons of their life, West Pecan gets to be a local gathering place and third space for many and we are so grateful for that.
One of the ways we stay connected to the Pflugerville community is through our Sip & Support program. Through this program we support a different not for profit organization each month with a donation of a portion of the sales from our West Pecan Blend Retail Coffee Bags. This allows us to support 12 different organizations each month and stay connected to the diverse community.
We also get to rent out the cafe for private events which has been a fun experience for us and the team. We get to help people celebrate milestones and book launches and work parties! We love providing a cute place for private events and serving up coffee and beer to happy customers.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking can be so valuable! For anyone starting out I would recommend getting connected to your local Chamber of Commerce as a place to start. The Pflugerville Chamber has many options for levels of involvement and many networking events each month. I’ve made strong connections through the chamber; it’s my first place to start if I’m needing to a connection in a specific industry.
I’ve also enjoyed making connections with other entrepreneurs who have similar businesses as mine. This is helpful when you have industry specific questions. For Greater Austin area service-based businesses, Good Work Austin is a fantastic place to connect with other service-based business leaders who work together to create positive work environments at service-based businesses in the area.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to not be scared to ask questions or ask for help! It can be really easy to get into your own head about being a burden or asking a silly question but most people are so happy to help others along in their journey. And, if the first time you try to network doesn’t go as smoothly as you thought it might- keep trying!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://westpecancoffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westpecancoffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestPecanCoffee
