How to Start a Coffee Company and Secure $10 Million+ in Funding
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview with Debbie Wei Mullin, founder of Copper Cow Coffee, a Vietnamese pour-over coffee brand. She links her heritage and her earlier work in international development to the idea, and says the company was bootstrapped, got into 300 Walmarts early, and later raised funding including a reported 8.5 million dollar Series A. The description cites 11.5 million raised in total and 2,000-plus stores. She talks about improving farming and picking practices with Vietnamese farmers, the long road to a certified organic product, and advice to speak to everyone along the supply chain and test products with the market. Sponsor: Shopify, which produces the show and is named in the description with a free trial offer. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the origin story, the farmer relationships section, the organic certification section and the closing, and may not cover every point in the roughly 36 minute video. Funding, store counts and organic or chemical claims are the guest's or description's own and not independently checked, and nothing here is health or investment advice.
Key Takeaways
Heritage and mission
The guest says her mother was a refugee from Vietnam and she wanted her career to create opportunity there.
Make it undeniable
She says when people tell her no, she thinks about how to make her idea undeniable.
Early retail win
She says getting into 300 Walmarts early meant no investor could call the idea too niche.
Working with farmers
She says early talks with farmers were hard, and changed once she spent time and stayed curious about their methods.
Better picking
She says waiting for sugar levels in coffee cherries changed the flavor.
Organic certification
She says processing in an organic certified facility was a major bottleneck that took a big investment.
Her view on verification
She says she moved from doubting certification to valuing third-party checks as the company scaled.
The Conversation Breakdown
Heritage and mission
⏱ Untimed topicThe guest says her mother was a refugee from Vietnam and she wanted her career to create opportunity there.
Make it undeniable
⏱ Untimed topicShe says when people tell her no, she thinks about how to make her idea undeniable.
Early retail win
⏱ Untimed topicShe says getting into 300 Walmarts early meant no investor could call the idea too niche.
Working with farmers
⏱ Untimed topicShe says early talks with farmers were hard, and changed once she spent time and stayed curious about their methods.
Better picking
⏱ Untimed topicShe says waiting for sugar levels in coffee cherries changed the flavor.
Organic certification
⏱ Untimed topicShe says processing in an organic certified facility was a major bottleneck that took a big investment.
Her view on verification
⏱ Untimed topicShe says she moved from doubting certification to valuing third-party checks as the company scaled.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Make it undeniable - the guest's mindset
Answer every no by strengthening the proof.
Talk along the supply chain - the guest's advice
Speak directly to everyone from farm to shelf.
Test the market first - the guest's advice
Check there is a market, then show the world and learn from the response.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Check the funding, retail and store figures against company and press sources.
- ✓Map the supply chain of a product you care about and note each bottleneck.
- ✓Read independent sources on organic certification before relying on the guest's statistics.
- ✓Treat the business advice as the guest's experience, not a guarantee.
Notable Quotes
“Whenever people are telling me no, I always try to think about how can I make this undeniable.”
“I've totally come full circle on third party verification”
“just don't be afraid to talk directly to everybody along the supply chain”
The One Thing to Remember
The guest argues that direct work with farmers, third-party organic verification and making a product undeniable helped her coffee brand win over retailers and investors.