Story

My name is Erene and I'm an immigrant from the Philippines. I permanently moved to the United States in 2007. In 2009 I met a really weird guy with nice arms. He ended up being my husband. Brantley and I were married in 2010 and in 2016 we welcomed our one AND ONLY daughter, Noëlle. We also have a rambunctious mini-schnauzer, Truffle.

I started my business because I have a passion for coffee and, more importantly, I have a passion for people. I believe that coffee shops are the modern day watering hole. A place where friends gather to share stories and where strangers come to meet friends – or to be left alone to get work done. I have long wanted to open my own coffee shop where people can come and gather.

 In 2019 my husband and I were looking for potential properties to purchase that could be split-use commercial and residential. We looked in places like Suffolk and Chesapeake, but we never really found a perfect fit. Then 2020 hit and brought with it Covid-19. Opening a coffee shop was not a wise decision at the time, but I still wanted to pursue a coffee business, even if I had to start from home.

 During quarantine days in 2020, I found myself working from home and thought to myself “I wish someone would deliver coffee to me”. Then the idea came that I should deliver coffee! The plan is to begin a coffee delivery service that is largely subscription based, similar to Oberweis dairy. I learned the craft of cold brew coffee and fell in love with it. With so many people working from home I thought it would be great to offer a service where I could deliver coffee to customers at a scheduled time and maybe even bring some smiles to some people that could use them.

What gets me excited with Project Seed Coffee

I get excited when I play around with new cold brew flavors. Actually, I look forward to seeing other people discover new flavors of cold brew! I began selling my cold brew at pop-up markets on May 2021 and I love seeing the look of surprise and satisfaction on the face of someone who samples my product for the first time. I'm also very excited about the unique opportunities to meet people that would otherwise be faces in the crowd.

What’s ahead

I would love to see this small business go to unimaginable heights and maybe, in the near future, open my own coffee shop. Instead, it will be a cold brew coffee brewery where families, friends and even fur animals can come and gather while enjoying coffee, sweets and food.