Local Monarch turns entrepreneur over coffee

Originally published November 22, 2018.

All pictures by Nicole Brailer

What began two years ago as a hobby roasting and brewing coffee, has quickly become a successful small business that’s continuing to expand throughout Hampton Roads. Shortly after he started working with coffee, ODU student Stephen Davis quickly realized he had a passion for the industry and a desire to pursue it further. That’s when the mobile roasting and brewing company Bear House Coffee, was born.

 

Bear House Coffee offers a new and distinguished approach to the coffee industry. It’s not the type of place where you just walk in and pick up another bag of coffee. Bear House is more than that, it’s an experience. They offer something unique to their clients, a choice of custom roasted coffee made fresh to what your taste buds prefer.

 

“My coffee is unique in that the customer can choose what region they get their coffee from, based off of what I’m supplying for that month. From there, it’s freshly roasted to order, just for them. The great thing about being a small business is that I’m able to really build a relationship with my customers, and personalize their orders based off of what they enjoy,” said Davis. He goes on to explain his company motto and what the name Bear House Coffee, means to him.

 

“I came up with the name after weeks of trying to find something that fit the vision I had for the company. One day, I was out for a run on the beach and it just hit me. The mission is to build community over a coffee. That’s why our mission statement is ‘Community built over a cup!’ Where people are ‘bearing’ together, under one roof ‘Virginia,’ over coffee. There it was, Bear House Coffee!”

 
 

One of the main focuses behind the brand is to bring the community together through local music and art, all while enjoying a cup of fresh Virginian coffee. Davis plans to broaden his company’s local involvement by connecting with the homeless community as well. With the winter expected to be especially cold this year, Bear House Coffee would like to help by handing out hot coffee and blankets to the homeless.

 

As a Mechanical Engineering student, Davis is using his degree to help him master the art and trade of coffee. His degree is helping him learn and understand the mechanical concepts of coffee equipment and machinery, as well as the depths of the industry. In addition, being a student at ODU has helped the company tremendously and allowed Davis to network beyond what he thought possible. He hopes to build a relationship with ODU’s College of Arts & Letters to reach students that are local artists and musicians to help them promote their work.

 
 

The small business owner has larger aspirations for the company and his goal before the end of the year is to get the Bear House Coffee concession trailer fully operational. Once up and running, he plans to continue his endeavor by spreading the taste and mission of Bear House Coffee throughout all of Virginia. With the proper funding, Davis’ five year plan is to open a shop and once a Bear House storefront is open, he is excited to be able to bring local jobs to the community.

The company does deliver locally and “Keeping up with our social media pages is the best way to see where we’ll be popping up in the Bear future” said Davis.

 

To find out more on Bear House Coffee, their local promotions, and events visit https://www.facebook.com/BearHouseCoffee/.