Crafting a Business from the Roots Up, Without a Flight Plan.

Topic: Crafting a business from the roots up, without a flight plan.

Chuck Jones will tell the story of how he seized an opportunity on a labyrinthine journey—chasing markets into dark alleys, dipping into commodities and wrestling with shrinking margins—on the way to fulfilling his legacy in coffee.

Chuck was born with the entrepreneurial spirit in his veins. As a kid, the lemon tree that hung heavy with fruit in his neighbors' yard was chock full of opportunities. He stamped the lemons with a happy face and sold them to the local market under the brand: "Like Sunkist." He also made fresh lemonade for his weekly lemonade stand, cornering the market at El Molino and Wilson in San Marino from 1979-1984. Making something from nothing was the creative challenge he enjoyed. Hisadventures continued, fraught with successes and failures.

During his final year in college, Chuck was facing a weakjob market and a fear of a job in a cubicle slinging water filters or knife sets. He and his older brother decided to try their hand at the family business by borrowing some money from their dad and buying a "box" of coffee (250 burlap sacks of 69 kilos each: 37,500 lbs.) from their grandfather in Guatemala. Their mother, Mireya, was born on the world-class farm where this coffee was grown, Finca Dos Marias. Their new goal: move beans!

How could they go wrong? They had a golden story of family history, romance and intrigue, and a premium product to market and sell.

Bio:

Although Chuck was born and raised in Pasadena, he spends much of his time at his family’s coffee farm, Finca Dos Marias, in Guatemala. Upon completing his studies in Marketing/Journalism at CSU Long Beach, he and his brother Larry began importing and marketing coffee from the farm and distributing it to specialty roasters throughout the U.S. and Canada.

As a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, Chuck was a founding Co-Chair of the Membership Services Committee from 1994-98; Chair of the Awards Committee in 1998 and 1999; Annual Conference Committee Facilitator from 1994-02; and an Instructor for Sensory Evaluation and Espresso Lab Workshops. In addition, he was in the Sustainable Criteria Group II at the First Smithsonian Sustainable Coffee Congress in 1996, and has been a presenter on panels for Family Businesses and Marketing Guatemalan Coffee. He also co-authored the book, “Achieving Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry.”

Chuck has worked with the Coffee Quality Institute and Coffee Corps in developing domestic coffee markets for producing countries. He has hosted PBS Frontline in Guatemala, investigating the coffee crisis, discussed coffee on Larry Mantel’s NPR show, and has been quoted on other NPR programs such as Market Watch about the commodity market.

Today, Chuck lives in South Pasadena with his two daughters. He and his family own and operate Jones Coffee Roasters, a premium wholesale coffee roasting business with distribution through schools, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants in the local area. They also own and operate two local coffee shops.