Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris “Buddy” Johnson.
Chris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It was 2008 that I found myself in a jail cell after agreeing to a six-year state sentence for a felony. It was my second time in the correctional system, as I continued to lose the battle on drugs, with the latest addiction being crystal meth. I had been crying out to God to deliver me from the grips of drugs, and the moment the handcuffs were placed on me, I was free.
I had come to know Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at the early age of 12 but rebelled and went in a different direction shortly after the commitment. The environment of my youth played a big part of the confusion of who I was as an individual. I was very talented at being whoever I needed to be to gain acceptance. With this being my greatest desire, as years passed on, I no longer knew myself. My life was full of lies, merely smoke and mirrors covering up my identity crisis. It was difficult to resolve my issues with my identity due to my constant reliance on drugs to cope with the confusion.
At the point of arrest in 2008, I was a 24-year-old boy whose only skills were waiting tables, selling drugs, and doing them. Crying out to God, I expressed my fear of the reality of having no skills that would help my desires to do and be a productive citizen and follower of Christ. While inside, I lived every day of incarceration for Christ, and He slowly revealed more and more in regards to my concern.
Halfway through my sentence, an interest in coffee arose. The industry intrigued me because I could see how the coffee world provided an opportunity for relationship and change in numerous areas. Also, everyone drinks coffee and I didn’t see how I could fail business-wise, as long as I had a good product. The more I thought on it, the more I was attracted to it.
While incarcerated, I pursued an Associates degree, and I found myself doing a majority of the projects requested on the topic of being a coffee professional. from websites to business plans and much more. Upon my release in 2012, the fear of not having any skills arose, but the Lord provided a job in construction within months of being released. And through hard work and integrity, I grew from labor status at a construction company to office manager, equipment manager, and many other duties and responsibilities in a commercial construction company. I also finished my Associates at Lone Star College.
During this time, I began experimenting with coffee roasting, as I believed it would be a more affordable entrance into the specialty coffee industry. What started out as simply supplying family and close friends with fresh roasted coffee, began to grow into delivering roasted to order coffee to neighborhoods all around Houston.
My wife and I began to put together a pitch deck/business plan for an approach to go after this passion I had brewing inside of me. As we did this, more excitement arose, seeing how the organization we aimed to create through roasting coffee could be a pivotal point of encouragement and mentorship towards teens and young adults who faced life similar to my youth. The coffee industry is typically an industry where a majority of the people that enter are just passing through. And a high percentage of those people are young adults. I began to realize what God was doing: He was positioning me on the path of many young adults so that I can be to them what I did not have and desperately needed.
So we presented the pitch deck to the man who gave me an opportunity of employment at the construction company, and at that point, Puréfi Coffee Roasters was born.
That was nearly two years ago. And through much persistence, perseverance, and diligence, what began as a small operation in our home with a couple coffee options is now in the process of transitioning into a 2,500+ square-foot coffee roastery warehouse that offers over 10 different coffees, along with the ability to create custom coffee options for cafes, churches, businesses, and the like. We’re truly humbled to be in the position we are today and are welcoming all the changes, challenges, and blessings that await.
Great, 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?
It has not been a smooth road for the most part, except for the initial start. We have had many challenges that involve the sourcing of green coffee, creating trustworthy relationships, and availability and time to fulfill large orders while carrying on a full-time job at the beginning.
We made personal financial adjustments to ensure provision for our growing family. Equipment acquisition, along with doubt of my personal ability to carry out the desired plans of this company, were challenging. There are so many aspects of business that are not visible or known until in the midst of the pursuit.
I believe the environment and choices of my youth have influenced and played a big part in the challenges that have arrived. This has honestly made every challenge harder than it should have been, making me the biggest obstacle in this entire pursuit.
However, day after day, I have an opportunity to overcome the scars of my youth as I am being changed by the flames of life. So to list all the challenges we’ve faced at this point would be daunting, and I’m sure many more are to come. There will always be resistance against the good, but it’s also a tell-tale sign we’re heading in the right direction.
Puréfi Coffee Roasters – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Puréfi Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roasting company that aims to offer quality coffee while making an impact locally and globally.
We offer small-batch coffee options, which shows our attention to detail, consistency, and quality. Although I have a preferred coffee profile, we pride ourselves in making available coffee for every palate and preference.
In our selection and sourcing of the coffees we will offer, we have a set of standards that we adhere to in order to ensure that the farmers and importers we support are making a positive impact through sustainable and ethical practices. Our long-term vision is to have a tangible presence in five origins or farming communities.
While this is a process that will take time, locally, we have committed to using the industry of specialty coffee roasting as a mentorship program for young adults here in the Spring, the Woodlands, Tomball, and Houston areas. Whether you find us at the Tomball Farmers Market serving delicious coffee drinks and beans, hosting events at partnering cafes, or roasting amazing coffee at our roastery, you will most likely find a young adult alongside us, learning a useful trade, along with applicable life skills to help them along their own journeys of success. Nothing makes us more proud as a company than witnessing the excitement of the young people we mentor as they experience the joy of a satisfied customer.
I believe these particular aspects of our business are what sets us apart.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career was the day me, my wife, and two of our closest friends joined hands and prayed over the facility after placing our roaster in our new warehouse. There was laughter, there was joy. There were hugs, and there were tears because we knew that we were now in position to better provide for our family and further our mission.
Pricing:
- 12 ounce bags of specialty coffee, ranging from $13-$17
- 2 pound bags of specialty coffee, ranging from $30-$36
- 5 pound bags of specialty coffee, ranging from $64-$77
Contact Info:
- Address: 27359 W Hardy Rd
Suite 214B
Spring, TX 77373 - Website: pureficoffee.com
- Phone: (832) 641-8182
- Email: info@pureficoffee.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/pureficoffeeroasters
- Facebook: facebook.com/pureficoffeeroasters
Image Credit:
Joshua and Nohely Cox, Matthew and Jacqueline Berry
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