Referrals, online sales a big part of coffee company’s business

It’s been almost six months since Mike Richard II decided to venture into the coffee business at Jefferson Island, and so far he can’t complain.

Orange Island Coffee Company started in March as a labor of love for Richard and his wife after months of taking up coffee brewing as a hobby.

Richard’s father is the owner of Rip Van Winkle Gardens, and Richard himself manages Live Oak Gardens at Jefferson Island. The coffee is served at Rip Van Winkle Gardens where it can be purchased at the gift shop or sipped at the cafe.

The name Orange Island comes from an old name for Jefferson Island. Richard said the variety of flavors is what sets his coffee apart from competitors, and the company has enjoyed good reviews from several satisfied customers since opening.

According to the company website, orangeislandcoffee.com, Orange Island Coffee is sourced from premium beans originating in various coffee producing countries all over the world. “Our coffee is carefully roasted in micro batches in order to ensure freshness and maximum flavor,” the website states.

When did you start?

We started last March. It started with just me and my wife. We loved coffee and friends would ask us to roast for them and for others. We have the (Rip Van Winkle) Gardens next door, the restaurant and the people that come to the gardens, so we thought we would start selling it. We also do mail order and subscriptions.

How long had you been roasting coffee?

We’ve loved coffee for a long time. We started roasting the coffee for about six months. I guess it was 2017 that we started.

How has the coffee sold at Rip Van Winkle?

Very well. A lot of people never had fresh roasted and that’s a big part of our coffee. Online is also a big part of our business. We get a lot of sales through Facebook and referrals.

What would you say is the main draw of your coffee?

There’s nothing added to the coffee, nothing artificial, it’s just the way the beans are grown and how they’re processed. We try to find these coffees that have flavors that people aren’t accustomed to in coffee. We have blueberry and strawberry, flavors that are more smooth than bitter.

Have you considered expanding?

Maybe, we’ve only been around since March so we’re still just getting comfortable.