The owners of Zion Coffee Co. in Peoria were guests on Wednesday as part of the National Retail Federation Student Association guest speaker series.
Mike and Banu Hatfield shared the story of how they started Zion Coffee to a group of interested students.
It began with a launch party in December 2013. They held pop-ups in the Peoria area before opening their location by Dozer Park on the corner of Oak Street and Southwest Adams Street. The Hatfields are now in the midst of opening a second Zion location.
“We talk about the things that are important to our business, but those things aren’t necessarily important to the folks that come into our shop every day,” Mike said. “It’s good for us to have this interaction where we understand what’s important.”
Mike said the social impact is the essence of Zion, but people usually only think about what is happening on the side of the cup they are sipping from. He explained “the other side of the cup” as underrepresented aspects of their business.
“It’s about a marriage or a business partnership or drinking cups of coffee to study for a test or hanging out with your friends,” Mike said. “What we are trying to do is bring awareness to what happens on the other side of the cup. So, the three years that goes into the coffee plant, the family that spends hours upon hours … growing that pot of coffee.”
Banu said potential customers and students studying the principles they are trying to implement challenge the couple.
“Are we doing the right things? Are we doing enough?” Banu said. “The questions that come in are challenging questions that make us think and grow.”
Alice Lawson, a junior marketing major, said she enjoyed listening to the Hatfields discuss their business.
“I love Zion and I go a lot and I knew about some of the stuff that went into it and some of the stuff they do, but I didn’t know a ton of details, so it was really great to hear more about that and hear about all the amazing things that they’re doing,” Lawson said.
Mary Paetow-Fanning, a senior sociology major, said she is a fan of Zion Coffee and how they help people in different countries, as well as what they are doing in the Peoria area.
“I think that sustainability is such an important thing and they put so much thought into their supply chain,” Paetow-Fanning said.
The couple is working on a documentary focusing on the stories and problems facing the coffee farmers in three areas of Guatemala. Mike said they want to bridge the gap between the person drinking the coffee and the ones who produce it.
Banu gave some advice to students making their plans for after college.
“When you think about the future, I think there’s a pressure to figure things out way in advance,” Banu said. “Just be open to what life brings to you. Have an open mindset just to focus on the next step and know that 10 steps from now, it may look completely different than where you thought you would be.”
