Brett Struwe

I first fell for Coffee during a 5-week backpacking trip I made with my then girlfriend (now wife) through Europe during the summer of 1993.  While meandering the neighborhoods of Paris, the streets of Barcelona, and the canals of Venice, I realized that the culture of coffee was truly unique and distinct from my experience living in the Upper Midwest of the US.  Shortly thereafter a startup company called Caribou was bringing this passion for a coffeehouse revolution to the neighborhoods of Minneapolis & St Paul. I was instantly hooked, and embarked on what would come to be a 24-year journey with this MInnesota brand. 

I began my career as a barista, which quickly led to managing a cafe on the campus of the University of Minnesota. I realized my preferred next endeavor was to go deeper into the coffee operations of the business.  I pleaded to learn to become a roasting technician, and then spent the next few years learning the craft and trades of roasting & cupping, sensory evaluation, and green coffee procurement/ buying.  Soon I became the Roastery Supervisor for a company on the verge of becoming a national brand through coffeehouse expansion and a Growing commercial business, which included the North American inflight account for Delta Airlines.

Growth can be exhilarating, as well as painful when your operation is bursting at the seams.  So soon enough there was expansion into a new roasting plant, coffeehouse, and office space. It was just the tonic for our ills with enough room to grow into a multi-channel company to support lines of business such as office coffee & food service, international retail stores, grocery & mass, and even Keurig single-serve.  Through this experience I pursued and received an executive level MBA at the Carlson School of Management at that same UofM.  

Next I made an abrupt turn toward what can be called an ENTREPRENURIAL 'reboot of a startup' in St Louis Park, MN. A speakeasy of a roastery called by many names, and if you know… you know. While there I More than quadrupled annual revenues through brand partnerships with well known names such as Peace Coffee, BLK&Bold, and City Girl all while supporting the Berry Coffee Roastery. in less than 5 years we converetd a modest equity investment into a burgeoning business with topline sales in the seven figures.

Collectively we navigated challenges through the Covid pandemic while diversifying the sales approach into a multi-channel model to include bolstering frac packs for office coffee and foodservice, along with 12 oz bagged coffee for grocery and bulk wholesale for cafes and the like. We repeatedly commissioned new work centers, equipment, and plant operations for phased expansion, eventually growing the physical footprint by 80% over 3 years. And all of this was achieved while incubatiing and launching a number of local brands into prominence in Mpls/Stp.

So now I am excited to embark on my next phase in the coffee industry through my consultancy Sustenance Coffee.  This is the culmination of over three decades of pursuit toward the finest coffee in quality, business models, and intrinsic design. The burgeoning cafe culture out there is contagious, and the coffee operations value chains opportunities are inspiring. I couldn’t be more thrilled to engage the most complex landscape our sector has ever seen.