This segment is a Veteran Focused talk show that showcases individuals and companies in the community and is focused on Veteran leadership, service, stories and transition. Our Veteran host highlights other Veterans who serve, have served and who are doing great things in their business and in their community. Today our host, Chris Budihas spoke with Ben Sorrels of High Ground Coffee Co
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Transcript:
Speaker 2
Welcome to five minute salute. I’m your host, Chris Budihas. Today’s segment sponsored by the Military Affairs and Veterans Department for the city of Jacksonville. Harrison Conyers and his team squared away our veterans with the military benefits they earned through their military service. Talking about veterans, I got Ben Sorrels here with High Ground Coffee Co
Speaker 1
Ben, how are you? Hey, it’s good to see you.
Speaker 3
Thank you. Thanks for having.
Speaker 1
Me. No, thanks for coming in. So were you originally from. And what you do in the military?
Speaker 3
Born and raised right here in Jacksonville. Yeah. Lucky enough to come right out of high school and joined the Florida National Guard. And, just finished up 26 years, or went over 26.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Congratulations.
Speaker 3
With the Florida National Guard. Yeah. I’ve had a complete, blessing of a career in the Florida National Guard. I hope to keep serving, you know, for many years to come.
Speaker 1
That’s awesome. So it’s funny, a lot of people around here, you know, there’s a lot of Navy. You know, we got a little bit of Marine Corps, but the the Air Guard and the in the guard in general between the Army in the Air Guard, very busy.
Speaker 3
Very busy. Yeah. We just transition from the F-15, to the F-35 and that’s definitely, yeah. Had our attention for the past couple of years.
Speaker 1
That’s a full wing out there. Or is it okay.
Speaker 3
For the following. Yeah. Yeah. Boeing.
Speaker 1
And so and where’s the located. Because most people don’t know this.
Speaker 3
Jacksonville International Airport. Yeah. So right there as you’re flying in and out, on your business trips, in the in and out of Jacksonville, if you look over out the window, depending on the runway you’re on, you’ll see our, Yeah, there’s amazing f 35 sitting over there. Yeah.
Speaker 1
So for Jacksonville community, the F-35, the Joint Strike Fighter, that is the latest and greatest fifth generation combat fighter in our state. The great state of Florida got this transition of aircraft, early. And it’s good. You know, one, it’s good for security, obviously, of our nation, security of our state, but also for our economy, too. So that’s great.
Speaker 1
But we didn’t come here to talk about all that stuff, though. It is very important. I want to, you know, help educate as to local boys, you know, we came back, you know, you stayed here, but you deployed a lot in your career. So high ground coffee. Tell me about one. What is high ground coffee and why did you get in this phase.
Speaker 3
So high ground coffee? Premium coffee company, premium coffee blend, is what we’ll be offering. Yeah. Think of it as, you know, Black Rifle Coffee Company, you know, had a war child with a history channel, and that would be High Ground Coffee company, right? Yeah. We’re going to take, that premium, coffee, product and, and, slap it with, some inspiring, informed, products, that inform our, the community, that likes to take part in that kind of a product, with all the history and culture of the military and all that comes with it.
Speaker 1
That’s great. What was the inspiration again, in this space?
Speaker 3
Finishing up about, that 25th year, you know, in service and knowing that, hey, I’m 45 years old. Yeah. And I do need to figure out, you know, what’s going to be that next thing, in my life, in my professional life, that, that I have the same affection for as my military career. Right. And the responsibilities to, to the, the community that have that’s gotten me to this point.
Speaker 3
I want to keep serving that, so high Ground coffee company is the conduit, for me to continue that for many years to come.
Speaker 1
That’s great in. So how are you looking for sales? Are you going to do e-commerce? You know, direct to consumer? Are you looking to get on shelves now? Like, how do you look at a distribution.
Speaker 3
Of both right now. Right. So we got great visions for the future. But right now e-commerce, we’re you can find us on all the, all the socials. We got a great, great, website for e-commerce sales. Lucky enough, before we even opened the front door, so to speak. To be in three stores represented Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
Speaker 3
Okay. So there’s you can find us on it on a couple of stores out there already.
Speaker 1
That’s awesome. So, you know, an international show, by the way, we have people, you know, dialing in from all over the world. So for everybody else that’s out there, you know, not necessarily in the international or international space yet, though I can I will encourage them for definitely for our local businesses. You know, I’d encourage them to reach out to you if they got some shelf space or just at least want to have a conversation about it.
Speaker 1
Absolutely. So how would they find you?
Speaker 3
So you can find our contact information on our website. Okay. I’d encourage you to find us on, Facebook. Instagram. Twitter or X now and, but you can go right to our website, as well. And all those funnels will take you right there. And our contact information is right there.
Speaker 1
So we got a lot of veterans listening in to and a lot of wannabe business owners. What has been some of the things you’ve learned that you would pass back to them that they might want to consider as they think about starting their own business?
Speaker 3
I’d probably say the, the toughest thing was, you know, to take, like, this big grand vision, you know, especially when it’s a product that you’re maybe going to put on a shelf, a service is a little bit different, although I’m sure you got the same challenges. I just I’m just not in that space. But taking a grand vision like that, and, distilling it down to a tangible product.
Speaker 3
Yeah. You know, because there’s a lot going on in your mind and in your heart about what you want to develop for that your community or on behalf, you know, through that product. Yeah. And that can be a that can be a challenge. It can take time to get you got to collaborate with people that are smarter than you.
Speaker 3
Yeah. And and it’s, and that can take time. That’s probably been the biggest challenge.
Speaker 1
It’s funny, I was out in the southwest last couple days and giving testimony to one of these state capitals. We’re having a conversation, and I actually made a statement on a software capability for specifically for Department of Corrections. And they asked that question like, well, who your competition? I said, honestly, nobody because it doesn’t exist. And they’re like, you know, you can see like, yeah, sure.
Speaker 1
But I said, you can look it up. I said, the funny thing is I go to pitch competitions by Jason Engelhart, shout out Jason then and Randall Thomas over the lane. Shout out Randall and Raghu and everybody. All these companies like you know the question is like Shark Tank, you know. Yeah. Who’s your competition? There’s no competition.
Speaker 1
They do a quick Google search. You’re like.
Speaker 3
Oh man.
Speaker 1
There’s a lot of people out there in this space. So but it was kind of funny. I used to yeah, right. But you’re right. You got to really take a look at your market because you don’t want to sell anything that mind wants to buy. Yeah. So. Yeah. So. And I imagine your value proposition is high quality veteran owned com coffee and you.
Speaker 1
Oh, by the way, you get little bit educational on the way.
Speaker 3
Yeah, absolutely. Our bag. Well, you know, every blend that we do, there’ll be an icon or a moment or a battlefield represented on the front and on the back. We’ll have, like, that old battle. Map. Now, you like the current blend that we have. Our first product out, is Patriot Blend.
Speaker 1
Okay, front.
Speaker 3
You’ve got new Patriot blenders and Eagle and all the things that you speak to that that iconic, moment there or that iconic, warrior. Yeah. And then on the back is an old Revolutionary War battle map.
Speaker 1
Oh, there you go.
Speaker 3
Sit rep that talks about, that talks about the Patriot calls and, and, so that’s kind of how we’re going to tie that. That’s what will make it that that’s how it will be. That’s a great.
Speaker 1
Branding.
Speaker 3
Piece of the market space there.
Speaker 1
That’s good. And I like you brought Black Rifle Coffee Company because it is because when you do like an x, y, you know, diagram, you can see where they exist, where Starbucks exists and Dunkin Donuts and others. So yeah, you’re bringing a some great branding, great quality coffee to the community. So, so how do folks find you and how they find, high ground coffee one more time?
Speaker 3
You can go right to high ground Coffee company.com. Okay. Or from that website, you can just search high ground coffee Company on Facebook, on Instagram and on X and more on all those platforms getting started.
Speaker 1
And that’s great. And you’re also on LinkedIn, correct?
Speaker 3
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1
All right. That’s awesome. Well, then, thanks for coming. And it’s good to.
Speaker 3
See you so much for having.
Speaker 2
Me. Oh my God, high ground coffee. I’m already excited just by saying high ground.
Speaker 1
So being military dude, that’s just what we do. We take the high ground, we hold it, keep all the people at bay.
Speaker 2
So, high quality coffee out there. Reach out to Ben, connect with us on LinkedIn. We’d love to talk with you. And then, hey, if you’re a store owner, you got you want to support a veteran owned business, reach out to Ben, have a good conversation, see if there’s an alignment there. We’ll see you next segment.
Speaker 1
Live a gratitude.
