Imagine this: you’re on the run, trying to get out the door for the day. You’re trying to make your lunch, wake up your significant other, feed the dog, get the kids dressed, put on your makeup – or maybe all of those things at once!
With a morning like that, you could do the unthinkable: Leave for work without your morning coffee.
I can’t even think about it.
But who could blame you? Whether you have a Keurig or traditional coffee maker, making your morning cup of coffee can be a time consuming process.
But does it have to be?
Nancy Zapata-Faella, the President and CEO of Violet’s ® Coffee, says no.
Born and raised in Colombia, Nancy came to America 26 years ago searching for a brighter future. Nancy works full-time as a clerk and interpreter for the district court in the Rhode Island judiciary system.
In her spare time? Nancy is a brilliant, blossoming entrepreneur.
Her current project is every coffee lover’s dream and the much sought-after solution to that hectic morning scenario we all know too well.
Introducing the Instant Coffee Cube, by Violet’s ® Coffee.
The Instant Coffee Cube is as easy to use as it sounds. You heat up water or milk in any container for as long as desired (obviously the hotter you want the coffee, the longer it will have to microwave) and pop in the cube.
Done.
Just like that, the cube will dissolve in the steaming water or milk, creating instantaneous coffee.
The Instant Coffee Cube is comprised entirely of all-natural, biodegradable materials (even the box!) and easily breaks down. The cube is comprised of coffee grounds and Muscovado sugar (a non-refined brown sugar) which turns into a perfectly balanced cup of coffee before your very eyes. Cream is not included in the cube for obvious reasons – I’ve never met someone who likes sour cream in their coffee.
The recommended amount is 2 cubes per 8 ounces of liquid and Nancy herself suggests putting the cubes in the microwave with your water or milk for the smoothest coffee.
Nancy had the idea for the Instant Coffee Cube back in 2004, which she then shared with her brother, Walter.
“My brother Walter is still living in Colombia,” Nancy said. “But we have always wanted to have a business together. So, one day after work, I asked him, ‘Walter, do they have instant coffee cubes down in Colombia yet?’ and he said he had never seen any. So I said, ‘We need to make that happen, then.’”
With Walter on board, Violet’s ® Coffee was ready to take off.
Walter now oversees the manufacturing of the cubes, which happens entirely in Colombia. Five different machines, all engineered by Walter, do the entire production process from mixing to packaging.
Nancy has sold her first coffee cubes online through an international trading website – more or less a big Ebay of international connections. Over 23 countries have contacted Nancy so far to try the coffee cube, including buyers from Israel and Chile.
Investors have been just as curious.
“There have been people who want to invest,” Nancy said. “But they also want 60% of the company. And I think to myself, I have worked too hard to give up so much of this business.”
So, Nancy is turning to the ever-popular crowd funding website, RocketHub – which has partner with TV channel A&E – to gain capitol for her project. (SIDENOTE: CHECK OUT VIOLET’S ® ROCKETHUB CAMPAIGN HERE https://www.rockethub.com/projects/61465-my-coffee-cubes — DONATE, BLOG READERS!)
For her rewards (for those of you who don’t know, individuals who give money to crowd funding campaigns get rewards for the amount of money donated) Nancy is thinking philanthropically.
Ideally, Nancy would like to support American troops who are deployed overseas. Her idea is, for the smaller backing amounts, that donors would be able to send a solider some Instant Coffee Cubes with their donation.
But her sense of giving doesn’t start and end with crowd funding. Nancy’s entire business plan revolves around helping others.
“My family members in Colombia are coffee growers – and it is not an easy life,” Nancy said. “That is why my father left the farm and moved to the city, keeping our future in mind. I want to help the farmers and coffee growers still in Colombia. Look – everyone is drinking coffee. We don’t want them to go away. We need them.”
To support Colombian coffee growers, Nancy only purchases beans for the Instant Coffee Cube from Colombia in an attempt to keep their industry thriving and enhance their quality of life.
Over all, Violet’s ® offers a win/win situation for everyone. We, as caffeine addicted consumers, benefit from delicious, efficient coffee – does it get better than that? Nancy’s family run business (besides her brother, Nancy’s two daughters also help keep the company running) thrives, helping the small business economy. And great causes everywhere are affected – whether it’s soldiers in Iraq or farmers in Colombia.
Go to http://www.mycoffeecubes.com/contact-us/ to order your coffee cubes today…did I mention they’re extremely reasonably priced?!
What are you waiting for? Get off this blog (what kind of name is The Bean Stream, anyways?) and go buy yourself a cheap, delicious and quick way to make your love of coffee a little easier.
The Bean Stream 