Today we’d like to introduce you to Taneisha Patrick.
Hi Taneisha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I discovered my love of coffee when I was introduced to it at a very young age by my male heroes, my late grandfather and dad. As a child, we would sit at the kitchen table and sip coffee while I listened to them exchange stories and drop little life gems – this was our special bonding time.
My love of coffee turned into me dreaming about one day owning my own brick-and-mortar coffee shop. So as 2020 approached, I decided to create my very first vision board, which included photos of coffee shops and motivational excerpts from business owners to keep me inspired to bring my dream to life. Although I knew what I wanted to do and was excited about the possibilities, fear held me back from moving forward, as I was immensely afraid of overhead costs and paralyzed by not having experience in the coffee industry or in being an entrepreneur. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I took the extra time to brainstorm and eventually found a way to make my dreams a reality. I then decided to scale back from opening a brick and mortar to opening a mobile coffee shop, as this route seemed more attainable and also made more sense due to the effects of the pandemic.
I began gaining the confidence I needed to move forward and amped up my search for mobile coffee shops. While researching and exploring my options, I started following a Washington-based YouTuber who owned her own mobile coffee shop and I fell in love with her story and trailer. I even attempted to hire the same fabricator to build a trailer very similar to hers, but unfortunately, the fabricator never returned my calls nor emails. To my surprise, the owner listed her camper for sale a few months later! I put in an offer but later found out that she accepted another offer. I was even more surprised when I found out the first deal fell through and my offer was selected as the official buyer! Everything, from the purchase of the camper to transporting it cross county, happened so effortlessly! Although the fabricator never responded to my emails and my initial offer for the camper was not accepted, that did not mean it was the end of my journey. I stayed the course and committed to my research and began to watch doors open back up. This story is a constant reminder that a “delay is not denial!”
To this day, my dad and I continue the tradition of bonding over coffee before a road trip or at the start of a long day. He and my granddad, my first male heroes, are who I named my business after – Ira (late grandfather) Lane (dad’s middle name) – and I have the pleasure of continuing the tradition of storytelling and gem dropping with my customers through our love of coffee.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The most challenging part of this journey was definitely the permitting process and the need for a base commissary. Since I only sell beverages, I was surprised that a base commissary was even required, as there is no preparation involved for me to sell coffee/tea beverages. Based upon my experience when I first opened, the state of Georgia viewed mobile businesses as an extension of an existing brick and mortar; therefore, having a base commissary comes naturally. Well, times have shifted and more entrepreneurs are venturing into the mobile business, as opposed to opening a brick and mortar. There are now more mobile food trucks than there are available commissaries. I was fortunate to have the means to satisfy this requirement, but some of my peers in this industry are still trying to navigate this hurdle.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Ira Lane Coffee is a mobile boutique coffee shop which serves espresso-based beverages, coffee, tea, tea lattes, hot chocolate, and pre-packaged pastries. We are well versed in catering/vending at special events, such as festivals, weddings, film/production sets, auto shows, celebratory gatherings, and teacher/employee/tenant appreciations. We proudly serve quality coffee brought to you by our wholesaler, Counter Culture Coffee.
Although we understand the product we serve is a huge contribution to our success, what is equally important to us is providing each guest with a personable experience when they visit the camper. Whether we’re talking about their love for a good cup of coffee or how their day is going, we thoroughly enjoy conversing with each guest and learning more about them. Some of the best compliments I receive are when guests visit the camper and express how much they “feel welcomed” and how it “reminds them of a piece of home.” We are very appreciative of their support, as we know our guests can go to ANY indoor coffee shop of their choice that provides tables and chairs and air condition/heat, but they choose to support us which makes our commitment to bring this vision to life all the more fulfilling, and we do not take it granted.
We want our guests to essentially become our “extended family” as we develop a rapport with them through our quality beverages and excellent customer service. One of my favorite, yet simple, sayings is, “Without community, it’s just coffee!” which speaks volumes and is representative of how I want to maintain a community of joy and connectivity within the metro-Atlanta area.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.iralanecoffee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iralanecoffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iralanecoffee
