Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben LeClair.
Hi Ben, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My wife and I are opera singers by training, and when we met, we decided we wanted to travel the world chasing our passion. During this time we got married and as a wedding gift, I bought her (really us!) a Jura coffee machine. When we moved back home to pursue new goals, we didn’t have much money, but we really had to have the wonderful coffee this machine produced, so I bought a broken Jura coffee machine and repaired it. I love the process of repair and I truly appreciated how well the machines were designed-they were made to be repaired. After it was working again, I wanted to keep it, so I decided to sell it and use that money to buy something even better, and that started a process I have been repeating ever since.
Today, we not only repair and refurbish Jura coffee machines from all over the country, but we provide coffee, Jura coffee machines, and our services to restaurants, bars, offices, churches, and our wonderful residential customers as well. We pride ourselves on customer service and we are so honored to be a part of the Houston/The Woodlands community.
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?
For several years, the business was a side hustle that I would work on the weekends, and that phase was very smooth for me because there wasn’t a lot of pressure to work crazy hours. I would make extra money and my customers appreciated having a local repair shop to call on when they needed help with their machines. I learned during this time that I had a knack for solving problems and that I had the patience to complete complex tasks. The result of my hard work was delicious coffee that made me and my customers happy.
As we started to grow into a company with experienced technicians, I had to create a system that everyone followed so that our staff could repeat the same great results. My talent for solving problems came in handy again there, but this part was tough at times. In the end, I learned that no matter what, we had to do right by the customer, otherwise there would be no business. We still live by this principle now. I’m very proud of our team and I’m proud of the consistent results we’re able to produce. This is our core value to the community-integrity through service.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Jura Guy?
Our mission is to elevate the coffee experience, wherever coffee is served. We do that through great customer service and by providing the best-in-the-industry repair process that yields superior results. We don’t just make repairs to coffee machines, we perform a process called refurbishment. The process means we completely disassemble, clean, and build it back better with new and upgraded parts. Our customers notice that their machine is not only thoroughly cleaned and serviced, but it’s working better than ever! We set the bar pretty high for our services and we try to over-deliver on that promise. It’s all driven by a passion for great espresso and coffee and this is where our brand shines brightest.
We translate this approach to everything we do for our commercial customers. We try to exceed expectations and provide a luxury experience on par with the machines. Jura has been manufacturing appliances for over 100 years and has been the market leader in fully automatic luxury coffee machines since they were introduced in the 90s. We aim to match that level of luxury and performance with our services. We provide high-end coffee from local roasters, we provide the best service in the industry, and we provide personalized customer service to care for our clients.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Be ready for anything! When Covid shut everything down, there were those few weeks when nothing happened. At that moment, I thought something was coming, so that’s when I built out my shop to accommodate more volume. I can’t say I knew what was coming, but Covid exploded our business. With everyone suddenly at home, our service was in demand more than ever, and at one point I had 8 weeks of work backlogged (these days we try to keep turnaround to a week).
We repaired a ton of coffee machines, helping our customers get through this tough time stuck at home. Today the work environment has clearly changed and now with workers going back to the office, they are demanding great coffee at work too. Fortunately, Jura has amazing mass-market commercial coffee machines that can make hundreds of cups per day and The Jura Guy can provide the ongoing service needed to keep these amazing Swiss marvels running for years to come.
Pricing:
- Refurbishment: $400-$700
- Pick up and Delivery Service (Houston Metro) $79
- Refurbished coffee machines starting at $699
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thejuraguy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuraguycoffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejuraguy
Image Credits:
Rob Pearce
