Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Croger.
Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our story began as a mobile coffee trailer called The Trailer Perkin 2012. With the help of my dad, we spent several years building out this mobile coffee trailer from a 1963 vintage Shasta travel trailer that we salvaged from a field in Louisville, Kentucky.
We debuted The Trailer Perk in Nashville in the fall of 2012 and it was a hit. It took endless amounts of determination and perseverance to steadily develop a unique coffee concept with upscale quality coffee and complimentary food and beverage creations. We built a solid loyal customer following as well as catered to the endless tourists that come in and out of Nashville. The trailer rolled the streets of Nashville for over 6 years, serving joes on the go to local businesses (McKay’s Bookstore, etc), participating in tons of local events (catered for the show Nashville and for Billy Ray Cyrus’s TV show, to name a few) as well as catering for private events.
Given we were trying to make a name for ourselves, we took every gig that we possibly could to gain exposure and experience. The Trailer Perk also spent a few seasons with the Nashville Farmers’ Market in the outdoor sheds and then was offered a spot inside the market to open a brick-and-mortar coffee bar. We took on the challenge and in 2 months fully built out a space that is now the home of the first and original Farm City Coffee inside of the historic Nashville Farmers’ Market.
We have been a local staple at this location for 5 years now serving gourmet quality freshly brewed coffee, artisan pastries, and Signature breakfast sandwiches- home of the iconic “Miss Piggy”. From the very beginning, I have worked as an owner, a manager, and a barista with The Trailer Perk and Farm City Coffee. Just this year, I have been able to redirect my efforts and energy into creating more and expanding the business. Currently, we are branching out with new locations in the local Nashville area after recently becoming a franchise.
We can’t wait to see what the coffee future holds for Farm City Coffee.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There has been a great success but it’s been a bumpy road with lots of trial and error. It’s been anything but smooth. It’s been full of obstacles and learning experiences. I’ve made a ton of mistakes which have only helped me improve and fine-tune the policies and systems in place today.
The improvements and continued learning have been necessary to help with mainstreaming quality and not only providing a product that I wanted to create but also what the customers wanted and desired. There have been endless amounts of determination, resilience, resourcing, and problem-solving that I have gone through to lay the groundwork for our current success. Some struggles have been how to fine-tune the policies and the systems that work best, that are efficient, and that are still profitable.
We’ve learned the value of being 5 steps ahead so that we were as prepared as we could be to handle any adversity. Another struggle was how to manage staff and how to upscale and mainstream without sacrificing the quality and uniqueness of our product and service. Covid! Surviving a pandemic as a small business and further a small business in the food and beverage industry was an enormous feat.
It was survival of the fittest to make it through this unprecedented time in our history. We not only survived but we prevailed. Through it all, we evolved so that we could be a stronger and more successful business in the long run.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Farm City Coffee is a small-footprint coffee bar that has an organic farm fresh appeal specializing in using local dairy milk, locally roasted coffee/ingredients, and house-made handcrafted Signature syrups and chocolate sauces. What sets us apart is our different approach to coffee. We didn’t try to recreate the coffee wheel, rather we put a down-home Southern spin on our coffee drinks and complimentary products. We have a local, farm-fresh appeal with our branding, which fosters our community bond. Farm City Coffee is a place where our guests can feel right at home.
Our coffee experience is hospitable and welcoming, where our guests feel comfortable and like part of the family. We appeal to customers of all ages and backgrounds offering something for everyone. We mean it when we say it: “Coffee Y’all”. Our business model is upscale third-wave coffee without being pretentious. Farm City Coffee is well known because of its creative branding, unique drink names, and distinctive one-of-a-kind house-made flavors/recipes.
As a Kentucky native, I graduated with a degree in exercise physiology and dietetics with a minor in art. After college, I headed West and spent several years in Los Angeles as a personal trainer and wellness director. I gained knowledge and much experience in the West Coast coffee scene until migrating back in 2012. I headed closer to home and planted roots in Nashville where I pursued my coffee endeavors. I have always been an artist and creative.
It’s what drives me and makes me happy. My country roots and Southern upbringing have been very influential, from the names of the coffee drinks to the culture that I promote and ultimately what we serve today. Using these inherent artistic traits and manifesting them throughout my journey with The Trailer Perk and Farm City Coffee has been a perfect combination and it is what makes me whole.
Because I am an artist I am always creating and the business has been an outlet for that expression. It’s what makes Farm City Coffee stand out in a crowd. The fact that my creations can touch others and make them happy is what inspires me to keep creating and expanding. I am grateful for where I am today and look forward to future opportunities for the continued growth of the Farm City Coffee legacy.
How do you define success?
Success is a continuum. We are constantly learning, adapting, and growing. Success requires confidence and determination. It’s progress upward and it’s the ability to use your mistakes as a learning tool to get better. Success is being able to do what you love while also profiting, which is ultimately what allows for more growth.
Personal success for me is knowing that Farm City Coffee has impacted more than just myself, it gives our guests a positive lasting experience. Our mission is Brew Good Do Good and that’s our reality. We continue fostering good Coffee, Community, and Kindness. It’s how we measure our success, every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: farmcitycoffee.com
- Instagram: @farmcitycoffee
- Facebook: facebook.com/farmcitycoffee
