Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Small Business Development Center (Southwestern SBDC) works closely with businesses in Coos, Curry and Western Douglas Counties to help them find information and resources to be successful. Each year the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) staff chooses a client that has shown growth as a result of help or training from the SBDC and highlights that business as a local success. The success story as of December 2016 is Bayside Coffee in Charleston. Coffee roasting is a little bit science and a lot of learning the best techniques. Finding the perfect location to sell fresh roasted coffee takes searching and luck. Learning how to run a successful small business in a rural area requires tenacity and a willingness to participate in training opportunities. Doug and Twila Veysey bring all those attributes and more to Bayside Coffee located at 63340 Boat Basin Road in Charleston, a business they chose to start after retiring. What motivated them? They found they were unable to find the perfect cup of coffee anywhere in the area so they decided to research how to make it themselves. Bayside Coffee uses only organic fair trade coffee beans from far-away places like Africa, South America, Indonesia and Central America. The business also offers cookies, pastries, and soups made by local businesses; as well as organic chocolate and loose-leaf tea. Gift items are a mixture of locally made crafts and fair trade imports from the countries that grow their coffee. Doug can be found at the local farmers market on Wednesdays most of the year sharing coffee samples and promoting his business as well as the Southwestern Oregon Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where he and Twila took classes and met with an advisor who helped them understand practical business concepts. According to Doug, “I tell EVERYONE about the Small Business Development Center and how they help business owners find information and practical advice on creating a successful business. Our advisor told us about the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce New Business Challenge grant and helped us prepare to win the grant in 2014. Without a solid business plan we would not be where we are today.” The Veyseys now operate Bayside Coffee in Charleston from 7:00 am – 3:00 pm every day except Thursday. Coffee beans are roasted onsite. The shop also sells smoothies, snacks and gift items. Coffee is sold wholesale to several restaurants and stores. Owner Doug Veysey has a table at the Coos Bay Farmers Market where he sells cups of coffee and roasted coffee beans. Buyers can also purchase on Facebook and have products shipped to them anywhere in the country. Since starting in 2015 the company sales have grown over 300% and one employee has been added. In 2016 Bayside Coffee was voted “Best Coffee” in The World Newspaper Best of the South Coast edition. If you want a great cup of coffee, visit Bayside Coffee in Charleston or on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/coos.baysidecoffee/. If you want to know more about operating a successful business, visit the Southwestern Small Business development Center. Information about the SBDC is available at www.BizCenter.org.
