Community Highlights: Meet Donte Martin of Bodega Bean

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Donte Martin.

Hi Donte, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, the old cliché is, “I sort of fell into this line of business, but I actually did meander my way into the coffee and tea business by way of happenstance. A very good friend of mine introduced the idea of opening an online coffee shop. He had a close relationship with a local coffee roaster and pitched the idea to me about partnering with the local roaster.

But first, I needed to try the coffee, so we took a trip to the roastery and sampled their best-selling coffees. Needless to say, I was very impressed with the experience and proceeded with discussing a partnership with the roaster and building the online store.

Our initial mission was to offer fresh roasted coffee delivered to your door, but the idea, over time, expanded into offering organic teas as well as coffees. Our current strategy moving forward will be to continue to grow our network of coffee and tea suppliers while learning and growing the business.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would be remiss if I painted a perfect picture of the road we took to get here. To be quite honest, there were times when we thought of quitting and throwing in the towel. But, when we thought we were done, we could always count on our family and close friends for their support and love.

There were and will always be obstacles and challenges throughout life. If you aren’t experiencing any, then you aren’t growing and expanding yourself within the life you are blessed with. Juggling a day job and managing my side hustle while being a father and husband is very difficult. Trying to budget time adequately between all the responsibilities is tricky and requires thoughtful planning.

There are no maps, GPS, guardrails, or previously trodden paths to navigate into this business. So that means we had to learn as we went along. Through social media outlets, local coffee and tea prep classes, online courses, and home brewing experimentation.

There were also challenges with learning our passion more deeply. We want to know as much as we can about the business and the various ways to experience coffee and tea. Sometimes, learning came from late at night until early in the morning, which would impact a restful night’s sleep. However, we were willing to do this because we knew the energy we put into learning our passion would translate into a better customer experience.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Bodega Bean Co.?
Our story began with the idea of developing the most flavorful roast profiles with unique and robust flavors from top-producing growing regions around the world. We wanted to be able to offer premium roasted craft coffees and fresh hand-selected teas for everyday enjoyment and seasonal favorites to enjoy during the holidays.

So, we’ve partnered with a few select gold seal roasters and tea growers across the U.S. to bring to you the most flavorful and fresh products on the market. We are based online to provide you with freshly roasted, quality coffee beans and tea leaves that you can brew however you choose, right in the comfort of your own home!

The creators of Bodega Bean Co., LLC — like our products, are very unique as well. What it took for our paths to cross and begin our adventure is purely amazing. Their professional backgrounds could not have been more different, and with their separate strengths brought to the business, they blended together, and their shared love of coffee and tea is what made the dream into reality.

Our high-quality coffee beans and teas are imported from around the world and roasted and hand-selected exclusively for Bodega Bean Co., LLC. We offer our products in a single order, or you can take advantage of our subscription and allow us the opportunity to send you your favorite products on a regular schedule.

We developed our passion for coffee and tea out of a desire to have a premium cup of coffee and tea for work instead of the same old stale coffee grounds and tea leaves served in the office breakroom. The idea expanded outside of providing for just ourselves — to family and friends, and finally into Bodega Bean Company, LLC.

What sets us apart is our sincere relationships with our customers and partners and our tireless mission to provide products that will benefit the greater good of society. Bodega Bean Co. is a family-owned company dedicated to providing the finest quality product offerings. With a passion for coffee and tea that runs through our veins, we ethically source the best beans from around the world and roast them to perfection.

We also meticulously hand-select the finest tea leaves for maximum enjoyment. Our commitment to sustainability and fair trade ensures that every cup of Bodega coffee and tea not only tastes amazing but also supports the farmers who grow it. Join us on a journey of flavor and discover the true essence of coffee and tea.
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Our oath in action. Sourcing. We source sustainably, proudly putting our name to coffees grown with the environment, community, and customer in mind. We choose our coffees with great love and care. We have close relationships with producers all over the world.
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Roasting. We roast exclusively in Loring™ Smart Roasters, one of the most eco-friendly coffee roasters on Earth. We’ve cut our emissions by up to 80% over other roasters in a smokeless roasting environment. Our roast profiles are a collaborative effort. Spearheaded by our in-house Q-grader and Roastmaster, we’re constantly cup-tasting to ensure you’re getting a superior product.
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Packaging. We nitrogen flush all our roasted bags and pods to keep your coffee fresh. Our coffee pods are #5 recyclable, as is the internal and external packaging. The filters and the coffee itself are compostable. Our loose-leaf tea bags, tea pods, and tea boxes are also recyclable, while the tea and pod filters are compostable, allowing a virtually waste-free experience.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
Our biggest supporters are always our family and friends. We didn’t start the business with a ton of customers/followers, but we could always count on those close to us to visit the website and purchase a few items from us. During this early stage, we were able to receive very detailed constructive criticism (from friends/family) about the entire customer experience process.

Our most rewarding moment was when we partnered with Bodéga Nashville. The manager was inspired by the spunk and confidence that we had in our offerings and decided to bring our brand into their storefront. After that moment, life and the way we conducted business changed for the better. Bodéga Nashville invested in our company in so many ways and afforded us a way to put our brand in front of a much larger customer base.

They also gave us a forum where we were able to showcase our products in pop-up functions at the Bodéga hosted to increase the visibility of small local businesses. We are forever grateful for that partnership and other future partnerships that will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bodegabeanco.com
• Instagram: @bodegabeanandteacompany
• Facebook: @bodegabeanandteacompany
• Twitter: @BeanBodega