MINNEOLA, Fla. – Brandon Erving was working in the medical field as a phlebotomist when he realized he wanted to venture out into the coffee industry.
“Working in the health field, a lot of us actually drink coffee--a lot of it--just to stay up and focus,” the 35-year-old said. “I went into basically learning coffee beans; the grades of coffee beans, the different types.”
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After learning all the in and outs about the business, he launched Black Brew Bros. Coffee company in September 2020. The online coffee business is operated from Minneola, according to its website.
“It’s been difficult,” Erving said. “It’s been quite a challenge.”
A challenge not only because he wanted to try his luck in the middle of a global pandemic but he’s had to learn all about marketing, promoting, and branding his product on social media.
“I’m that type of person where I have an idea, I do 6 months to a year of research on it, come up with the name jot it down...I just went for it,” the Miami native said. “With the COVID, it did create a lot of challenges because my idea with the coffee was to go door to door, kind of you know, talk to people.”
Since reaching out to potential clients face-to-face was off the table at the time, he switched gears and went into E-commerce. Erving said after learning about the different types of coffee beans, he decided on selling the highest grade bean.
“I don’t mix my bean. It’s 100 percent Arabica, there is no blend whatsoever, so you’re actually getting a grade A quality cup of coffee compared to something that’s higher in caffeine but you have to put creamers and sugars in it,” he said. “We roast about 100 pounds of beans a day. And as soon as the orders are made, then that bag goes out within 24 hours.”
He says his mission is also about helping others and decided to give back five percent of the profits to those who grow the coffee beans from the regions he buys the beans from.
Brandon who has since left his phlebotomist job said his race inspired his company’s name.
“The name Black Brew Bros. originated as another term for coffee — black brew. It just so happened that the name fit my race as a Black man. As a Black entrepreneur,” he said. “I am passionate about coffee and coffee education. I hope to inspire and encourage entrepreneurship within the black community by being an example of taking a chance on something I’m passionate about.”
And he hopes others in his community take a risk on whatever their passion is.
“I took a chance on myself and decided that I didn’t want the traditional 9-5 job. I want to let the black community know that investing in yourself is the best investment you can make and would love to see more black entrepreneurs in the community.”
To learn more about the company visit: https://www.blackbrewbros.com/