Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Orsak.
Hi Nikki, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the founder and Chief Coffee Curator at Guadalupe Coffee Company. My story begins somewhere in the foothills of the Sacred Valley of the Incas during the Spring of 2016. While on a spiritual trek across the valley with my best friend and sister, I fell in love with the simplicity of the nomadic lifestyle of the local culture and its expression through textiles, culinary dishes, and the arts.
After returning home to the US, I made the decision to uproot my family from our home in San Antonio and move to the hills of Canyon Lake in search of a more simple and intentional life, and Guadalupe Coffee Company was conceived over many morning commutes through the Guadalupe River Valley in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Inspired by each sunrise through the valley peaks, my mission to bring an elevated coffee experience to the underserved markets of the Texas Hill Country was easily envisioned – one cup of coffee at a time.
My career background is in procurement, so I knew my mission wasn’t going to be easy logistically – not to mention the hurdles of opening a new business in the midst of a pandemic – but my passion to brew a good, honest cup of coffee took root in the foundation for Guadalupe Coffee Company.
One of the most important aspects of my vision for the shops was to cultivate a place not just to grab a cup of coffee – but a space for community and creativity to comingle. We spend a lot of time in our community involvement efforts through our support of local charities and the arts, and we continually strive to create an environment that fosters growth not only within ourselves as a team but also other local small businesses.
Coffee has historically been at the table of many important conversations, divisions, and life moments…I want to ensure that a good, honest cup of coffee remains at the center of community and continued growth.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To describe the struggles of opening a startup business in the midst of a pandemic would probably be inappropriate for your audience! Just kidding – kind of, haha.
I self-funded the startup of the coffee shop in early 2019; however, finding commercial real estate in a rural area was definitely not a smooth experience. I went from a trailer concept to a land lease that fell through after months of negotiations, and then, one day in early 2020 it was my coffee roaster who actually sent me a new listing they saw advertised on the internet. When I pulled in the drive, I immediately noticed how the hills in the background reminded me so much of the hills I fell in love with in Peru – I signed the lease and two weeks later, the entire world shut down due to the pandemic…
We have definitely had our fair share of struggles over the past year since we opened our window (we are an open-air, walk-up bar concept) – from supply chain issues to being shut down for multiple weeks last winter due to the snow and all the havoc the winter storms caused our small community – sticking to our roots of a simple menu and positive atmosphere have helped us to make the best of the struggles we’ve faced along the way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Guadalupe Coffee Company?
At Guadalupe Coffee Company, we believe a good cup of coffee (or tea) doesn’t have to be complicated. Like the simple sophistication of the Texas Hill Country, our artisan drinks are rooted in the purity of natural ingredients.
With a special focus on the Central and South American Regions, our coffee and tea drinks are hand-crafted using brewing techniques purposely to enhance specific notes in each brew. Our beans are sourced ethically from small, fair-trade farms from Mexico, Central, and South America and small-batch roasted by our good friends over at Bluebonnet Coffee Company in New Waverly, Texas.
We place a special focus on sourcing the products used and sold in our shop from other local, small businesses. We make all of our coffee syrups and sauces in-house using minimal ingredients – no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
We also use fresh spices to enhance many of our beverage offerings. For instance, our Chai spice is made from scratch in-house using fresh spices and Yerba Mate leaves and our signature Hibiscus syrup is steeped using dried organic Hibiscus flowers.
Our spent coffee grinds and tea leaves/flowers are donated to local garden clubs and we encourage a healthier way of life by means of education, activities, and events hosted at our shop.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I personally feel that success is a transient state of mind – if you can learn to be content in the present moment while simultaneously fostering continued growth, you will always find yourself in a state of success.
Contact Info:
- Email: shop@guadalupecoffeeco.com
- Website: www.guadalupecoffeeco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guadalupecoffeeco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuadalupeCoffeeCo/
- Other: https://order.joe.coffee/guadalupecoffeeco
