Chicago man brews up successful coffee business amid pandemic
CHICAGO - A Humboldt Park man credits the pandemic for helping him brew up a successful business plan.
"I just looked at this and said hey, coffee's always going to be in demand, no matter what the state is in Chicago," former barista Raoul Adwan said.
He used his time at home, as a teacher sidelined during the pandemic, to create Thrd Coffee Co., which is a mobile coffee bar.
"When I looked at COVID, being at home cooped up, I said I need to take advantage of this," said Adwan.
Using his connections with local coffee shops and business partners, Adwan built, customized and rolled out a coffee shop on wheels. It comes equipped with an espresso machine and cold drinks.
"If we were at a high end event, we would bring our light kits. We would want to have some mood lighting around the bar, at the same time, we have our espresso machine that has LED lights around it," Adwan said.
The bar comes staffed with a trained barista, steaming up traditional and specialty coffee drinks.
Beverages reflecting the culture of the community will also be served, which is a nod to Adwan's roots.
"It's probably the best story telling for second generations that move in the city and they stay in the city and they're able to give back to their local community," Adwan said.
A percentage of the quarterly profit will benefit COVID relief. You can find Thrd Coffee Co. on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thrdcoffeeco