New coffee venture in Grand Rapids gets boost from Start Garden

Thanks to an assist from Start Garden, Kurt Stauffer, founder of Rowster Coffee, is launching a new venture. And, surprise, surprise, it involves coffee.

The Regular Coffee Company is an online subscription service for super premium coffee. "We are taking a level of quality beyond premium by providing an amazing coffee in a unique package, devoid of all the coffee shop jargon," Stauffer says. "It will be a good coffee experience, but not in a coffee shop."

The business model, which is loosely based on the Dollar Shave Club,  involves leveraging Rowster's infrastructure and "toll-roasting," and then creating an online marketing and fulfillment organization.

The impetus for the new project came while Stauffer and his team were competing in a  roasting challenge. "I was at the  roaster guild last year and one of the roasters from the west coast said they roast one million pounds of coffee a month," he recalls. "I thought, why can't we create a one million pound coffee a month business in Grand Rapids? If we do volume, that would create jobs. That would require a building. We would be competing on a national level, where I know their expenses are higher than ours and we would not competing with neighbors."

Stauffer then outlined his idea and contacted Benjamin Gott of Start Garden and Boxed Water is Better. "I was interested in Boxed Water," Stauffer says. "How do you edge your way into the water business?" After the conversation, Gott encouraged Stauffer to put together a formal presentation and apply to Start Garden where his idea was selected for funding by their team. 

As for the name, Stauffer acknowledges the irony in calling the brand "regular." "There will be nothing regular about the coffee, except it will be delivered regularly and the pack has a regular feel, but the coffee is unique," he says.

To follow the progress of Regular Coffee, you can visit their Facebook page here.

Source: Kurt Stauffer, Regular Coffee Company
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor