When John left the military, we had a clear idea of what he wanted to do. That’s because he’d been dreaming of the next step in his career, even while he was deployed to Afghanistan. When he transitioned out of the Navy, we knew that it was our chance to make this huge life goal happen: we were going to open a coffee shop.
Since opening nearly a year and a half ago, we’ve seen tremendous changes in ourselves and in our community. We made the choice to open the coffee shop in my rural hometown and to be part of a driving force to revitalize and draw more business and cultural opportunities into our area. As the only coffee shop in our school district, we have the unique opportunity to be a meeting place for a diverse range of people and to really be part of the community. (It’s exciting stuff that John and I both could talk about for hours and hours.)
Owning our own business by bootstrapping it has given us the freedom and ability to grow our business exactly as we want to– with a focus on our local area, our neighbors, and our employees. SCC has garnered local, national, and international media attention for our hyperlocal sourcing, celebration and elevation of the flavors of Pennsylvania Dutch Country and what we’re doing in the area. We celebrate our community by working with our neighbors and businesses in rural Pennsylvania and have seen that by choosing local and small, we’re able to have a big impact on our community.
While entrepreneur life is hard sometimes, every day is thrilling… including yesterday, when we learned that John made it into the top 15 for StreetShare’s national veteran entrepreneur competition.
The chance to win a grant for our very small business would mean the world to us. We are excited to expand Swatara Coffee Company and continue our mission to enhance the lives of our neighbors. In order to make it to the top three and have a chance at the top prize of $25,000, we need your help. Could you take a moment and vote for John Noll/Swatara Coffee Co. here?
One Response
I voted! Thanks for the opportunity to do so. And I hope I go through town one day and enjoy a cup and a cookie.