We were lucky enough to not just collaborate with Fair Dinkum’s Founder, President, and Roastmaster, Chris Clark, but also to have a good chat about what makes Fair Dinkum stand out above the rest. Fair Dinkum is roasting coffee with a purpose, operating as a non-profit with a goal of giving back to the community. Chris and his team have led the way in making a difference in his hometown of Deer Park, Texas, and their philanthropy is extended even further, as they are currently collecting donations for the Cajun Navy‘s response to Hurricane Ida. For inspiration on everything from coffee orders to starting your own business, Chris has a little something for everyone!
How did you get started roasting coffee?
This is actually kind of funny, I drink coffee literally all day long and one night I was laying in my bed and ask myself the question if I could grow my own coffee here in the US. Well after some very brief research I figured out that that is definitely not the case. And then after months and months and months of research, I figured out that there’s an extreme science behind growing and roasting coffee! After that, I was hooked!
You’ve mentioned your whole goal has been to invest in your community, can you tell us some of what you’ve accomplished there?
So after one year of market research and two years of being in production, we have been able to donate upwards of $10,000 back into our community. To some, that may seem like a very small number but the one thing that we have done is grow this company from the ground up with zero debt and zero investors. So not only have we been able to sustain during one of the worst economic crises since the great depression but we’ve also been able to give back almost $10,000 to the children of our community!
How many people volunteer their time at Fair Dinkum?
There are three members of our board myself -President, John Sheffield- Vice President and Stacye Hughes – secretary.
All three of us volunteer times and do not receive a paycheck. This is how we are able to invest as much as we do back in the community!
How do you determine where to donate to your community?
Every quarter we have a board meeting and determine where our funds will be allocated to. There are times where things pop up and people need our help sooner than every quarter and we always step up and take care of that if we can!
There’s a lot of competition in the coffee world, what makes Fair Dinkum stand out?
Nine out of 10 companies nowadays aren’t for themselves. Their goal is to put $1 million in their pockets. Our goal is the complete opposite our goal is to help 1 million people. That’s what separates us and will continue to separate us from every other company out there. Not to mention our strenuous quality control and top-of-the-line products!
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m am a hype person, the smallest things will get me extremely excited! I watch Gary Vee almost every day and that dude keeps me inspired! I love to watch things unfold from start to finish so new products and marketing is my specialty!
What’s the best advice you were given when starting Fair Dinkum?
Don’t take out any loans or take on any investors!
What advice would you give a friend starting their own business?
Don’t be scared to ask questions! get on social media and find groups of your specific interest! Stop thinking about everything that can go wrong and start getting excited about what can go right and last but not least just start, if you’re waiting for the stars to align and things to be perfect your idea will go to the grave with you!
Take a chance on something! Take a chance on yourself!
What 3 websites do you check every day? Why?
Shopify – sales and abandon carts
Etsy – sales
All social media platforms – To post Valuable content and talk with our customers!
What’s your coffee order? What about your team?
Chris – sugar-free caramel fudge waffle cone cold brew from Fair Dinkum Coffee Co 🙂
John – Hot black coffee
Stacye – Hot coffee with butter pecan creamer
