Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Reichert.
Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My coffee story started with a home pourover setup that my wife (girlfriend at the time), Ashley, gifted to me for Christmas. We had just started drinking coffee a couple months prior to make it through our junior year at Baylor. I got a little obsessed with coffee and began experimenting with all sorts of recipes, syrups, and coffees with different origins and processes. Eventually I upgraded my setup to a real espresso machine and began crafting cafe-quality lattes at home. From then on, any time someone came over I would make them a latte with whatever syrup I was experimenting with that week. My wife and I absolutely loved making coffee for our guests. Just a couple years later, after we graduated college, I knew I wanted to work in the coffee industry in some capacity. After I finished my week of teaching middle school choir, I would dream about getting to spend a Saturday crafting drinks at the local coffee shop. That’s when we had the idea to start our own coffee catering business. Originally, I had planned to remain a teacher and work weddings and pop-ups on the weekends but the Lord had different plans. I spent the months of April to June obsessing over starting a coffee business, from branding to bar workflow to advertising, I would spend all of my free time working on the business. Through the summer we decided to take a leap of faith and I left my job in education and went full-time into Menō. Since then, I have learned so much about what it means to be an entrepreneur/small business owner. We’ve grown faster than I ever thought I would and I’m excited for many years to come!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been easy, but it has been so rewarding. I started this business with zero background knowledge of business ownership so learning the ropes has been really challenging. I’ve had to learn how to manage business finances in QuickBooks, develop consistent work ethic as my own boss, price my services well. Early on, I struggled to get a single booking and I worried that I had made the wrong choice quitting my job. I would reach out to people and market the business but the event industry is all about having your business in front of people right when they need it. As a new business we didn’t have the social presence or proof to get bookings but slowly we started building up, event by event, and now we get a more consistent flow of leads.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At Meno, we are known for elevating event experiences with delicious coffee and exceptional hospitality. We offer a full-service mobile espresso bar to bring cafe-quality coffee to events around the Houston area. Our setup is fully customizable, cart, cups, menu, custom awning. If you can dream it, we will make it happen. Beyond our standard offerings, we also have upgrades like matcha, cold brew, and more.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My faith in Jesus is the most important thing in my life. I committed to living my life with Jesus at the center in college after experiencing an unexplainable answer to prayer and my life has changed significantly since then. I used to struggle to understand my purpose and would often experience existential dread. When I began to trust the Lord and learn about Him through the Bible, I started to see how much it revealed about the things I was experiencing. I then saw the world as an intentional creation with a purpose for everything which heavily impacts how I live my life and run this business. I believe that I have a chance to serve people in love at every event and leave a real impact on their life through Christian hospitality. I intend to use this business to share the good news that we have a way to escape the enslavement of evil and sin and experience an eternal life of pure joy with the creator God who humbled himself to experience death that we may experience life.
Pricing:
- Full coffee cart packages starting at $600
Contact Info:
- Website: https://menocoffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menocoffeecart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575948141778
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/menocoffee
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/meno-coffee-cart-pearland-2
Image Credits
Terren Hurst
