![]() I started competing in 2013 and I had got second in the US competition like three times. Having competed since 2013, she was crowned America’s Best Barista in 2020 – just before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. It can also be seen in Onyx’s boxes, which Andrea likens to the distinctive iPhone boxes, complete with the company’s slick embossed branding.Īnother big boost to the brand’s following was Andrea’s success in national barista competitions. This approach is evident in every corner of the business, from the takeaway cups to the interior of the shops. ![]() We can’t just source and roast nice coffee, we have to show that it’s really nice and get people excited about it in every sensory way.” “Our branding stems out of that mentality. “If you give people something that looks great, feels great, and tastes great, they’ll go away thinking it’s amazing. “So you can have really great coffee, but if you’re presenting it in a way that someone doesn’t perceive it as nice, what is their assessment of your coffee going to be? “People’s idea of how nice something is or what something is worth is built on different factors,” she says. Situated in their hometown of Northwest Arkansas, the aim was to bring better coffee to the region – and transparency was going to be at its core.Īndrea won America’s Best Barista is 2020Īndrea explains that a large part of this success comes down to a clear focus on the multisensory experience of coffee. In 2012, the first Onyx Coffee Lab was born. Andrea could use her experience as a barista, while Jon could apply his gift for branding. With or without the help of the specialty coffee community, the couple decided they were going to launch their own brand of coffee shops. No one wanted to share information, everyone that we asked said it was a secret, they said they couldn’t help us.” Even just getting samples from importers was difficult. “But when we first went into roasting, it was so hard to find any information. We began looking into roasting and sourcing, basically trying to scratch the surface of that. “We started to realise there was a lot to coffee – way more than we were doing. “And after a time, we decided to run some coffee shops locally. “My husband, Jon, and I were working in coffee together, which was really fun,” she tells me. It’s got name recognition worldwide and involves many more people than you realize.Jon & Andrea were surprised at the secrecy of the specialty coffee community ![]() Like Junk Brands, Onyx is a well-known company in Northwest Arkansas but also probably more well-known outside Northwest Arkansas than many people realize. “I don’t know how I have been so lucky to be part of another great Northwest Arkansas brand. “We had a few more conversations, and it ended where it ended,” he said. He said that after departing Junk Brands earlier this year, the conversation with the Allens continued, and the meetings became frequent. Some of it was intentional, but other times we ran into each other because I loved Onyx and have been a customer for years.” “When we started talking, it wasn’t in any official capacity,” Lile said. Lile said he met the Allens last year through a mutual friend. It’s now a multimillion-dollar business with five Northwest Arkansas locations, more than 175 workers and a network of partnerships and e-commerce reach worldwide. Jon and Andrea Allen started Onyx in May 2012 as a tiny café in Springdale and 10 employees. My job is to try to remove some obstacles and let them keep doing what they’re doing. They’ve got some really good people doing some amazing things already. “I’m drinking from a fire hose as far as information is concerned. “‘Learner of all things’ is probably where I am right now,” he quipped. In a recent interview with the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, he joked that his new COO title sounded pretentious. Lile is a former University of Arkansas golfer. Striving to make a difference and being relentless.” Great group of people doing great things. I hope it’s like the team I just ran with. Can’t wait to see what it is and who I get to do it with. ![]() Time to find a passion, dive in and keep going. “My words will not do justice to how memorable my time was at Junk,” Lile wrote on a social media post in February. The company also built a new, larger Bentonville headquarters. Under his leadership, Junk Brands hired more employees, diversified apparel offerings and secured more retail partnerships and licensing agreements. He previously spent nearly six years as president of the apparel and manufacturing company Junk Brands in Bentonville. Rogers-based Onyx Coffee Lab has tapped a familiar name as the company’s chief operating officer.Ĭraig Lile started the job in mid-May. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |