When their first Kickstarter campaign failed to raise $60,000 in December, Ben and Cassy Vollmar went right back to work to get their potential future coffee shop open.
Although “bummed” about the campaign, Ben said he was excited to see the community begin to jump on board with his project. Since December, community members and other coffee connoisseurs have approached Ben and offered help.
Photo Courtesy Ben Vollmer
“A lot of people reached out and because of that, we found other investors, which is part of the reason why this Kickstarter has a lower goal,” Ben said.
Ben said he appreciated the help of the community members, especially since the first Kickstarter campaign didn’t have much social media presence behind it — another difference about his current campaign.
Ben said the new campaign looks a lot better because of what he learned from the unsuccesful one. The couple’s current campaign, which ends at 6 p.m. June 22, aims to raise $20,000.
If the goal is met, the couple plans to open Flatlands Coffee at 138 N. Main St. in Bowling Green, in the same strip as On the Edge Tattoo Studio and Finders Records. Together, the two want to offer “an authentic coffee experience.”
“[Our vision is] just to create a welcoming, creativity-inducing atmosphere where customers can really enjoy the uppermost quality in terms of service and product,” Vollmar said. “Our mission is to bring the best in the country to Bowling Green, Ohio.”
The couple has added to their original business model which, Ben said, sets them apart from other coffee shops on a national scale.
“We have made good partnerships with numerous roasters,” he said. “We’ve been researching for so many years and we’ve found just outstanding roasters. What we plan on doing, from season to season because coffee is such an agricultural product … we will taste all different roasters and pick the best of the best and bring those coffees into our shop.
“That concept has been done and is being done by coffee subscriptions out there. It’s a pretty big fast-growing trend,” Ben said. “It’s getting a lot of attention and people like to know that they’re getting top-quality, but ironically it’s never been done in a coffee shop setting.”
The couple has even picked some early favorites including Kilenso Mokonisa, an Ethiopian roast from Counter Culture; Las Mingas, a Colombian from Cuvee; and Costa Rica Los Lobos from Populace.
Ben said, the first Kickstarter only reached out to locals in Bowling Green. With this one, the Vollmars are trying to maximize their success by sharing how this makes them unique to the industry.
“At this point, most of our backers are from all across the country,” Ben said.
The coffee shop would offer many different brewing methods, including a siphon pot (Vollmar’s favorite), pour-overs and an espresso machine.
“We’re always trying to perfect, tweak and make the coffee taste to its best capability,” Vollmar said.
For more information, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/960621923/flatlands-coffee. At press time, the project had raised more than $16,000.
