Today we’d like to introduce you to Hailey Polidori.
Hi Hailey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
After moving to Austin from Michigan I fell completely in love with the coffee scene. The baristas, the customers, the creatives it attracted. I got a job as a barista & a year later was managing a shop on the East side. I knew from the moment I walked into my first coffee job I was sold on the idea of opening my own one day. I majored in entrepreneurship & psychology at Central Michigan University – owning a business was always the plan, but I had no idea it would be coffee. Creatives and community are what I am passionate about. Coffee brings those two things together in the shape of a business. Being a recent college grad I did not have the funds to start a shop right away, so I started following others journeys & learning about their beginnings. I was drawn to the idea of catering & owning a mobile coffee business. I loved that they were event centered & allowed me to start sooner – while saving money for a shop. I bought a camper & have been working to convert it into a mobile shop over the last year. Of course this past year was not ideal – considering events were cancelled due to covid – so I am getting my start without the camper for now, serving events across Austin in the shape of a pop up coffee bar! We have been serving many apartment complexes, campus orgs, and weddings! It feels good bringing some community back to the city during this wild year.
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?
My timeline was to be fully operational in the coffee camper by fall of 2020 – unfortunately the world wasn’t having many events/large gatherings due to covid. It was definitely a bummer, but thanks to some amazing friends in the coffee space we made it work anyways by serving as a pop up coffee bar. I’m honestly happy we were able to start smaller – I have already learned so much that I can apply to the larger space when the world is ready!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We strive to bring creatives and community together one cup at a time. There is something about coffee that allows people to connect in ways that extend so much further than any other interaction. There are so many times through my career as a barista I have watched people walk into a shop as strangers, get a cup of coffee, & leave as friends. That never gets old. We cater both hot coffee & cold brew to events that range from apartment resident events, and campus orgs, to employee appreciation, and weddings. Whatever the occasion – we bring the coffee – along with an amazing barista to serve you & chat with your guests. We are currently waiting for our espresso machine to come in – so we will be extending our menu within the next few weeks *yay*! We want Austin to know we aren’t just here to bring you coffee – we are creating an experience. Our entire bar can be fully customized – we can change the stickers on cups and bar decor to match your branding. We even change our drink menu & offerings based on your personal favorites. Most importantly – we are encouraging people to connect during one of the most isolating times in history. We are here to make people feel less alone through this year.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future we hope to get the camper out into the world so we can serve y’all even further! Having a little shop on wheels is so exciting & I can’t wait to watch it come together! We are also getting an espresso machine for our pop up bar – that will be ready within the next few weeks – so we can offer a full shop menu at your next event. It will be like having your very own shop for a day right in your front yard/office/wherever you say!
Contact Info:
- Email: hazelcoffeeco@gmail.com
- Instagram: @hazelcoffeeco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hazelcoffeeco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIXhe06NMlj1kmp9fK6h1cQ
Image Credits
Rooted Trumpet Photography
