By CHIP HUTCHESON, Kentucky Today
MADISONVILLE, Ky. (KT) — A family business started by a Madisonville pastor has taken off in just four years, leading the family to expand to two locations with plans to have a third open by the fall.
The business idea was hatched by Kevin Maples, pastor of Madisonville First Baptist Church, after his family moved to Madisonville.
During Maples’ nine years of pastoring in the Atlanta area, he was accustomed to visiting a local coffee shop that roasted its own coffee beans. The owner shared with him the process, starting with a hot air popcorn popper.
“I looked for fresh roasted coffee here and no one was doing it,” Maples said. “I thought we might be able to make enough to pay for the roaster with friends and family. We put a table beside the road and the business exploded from there.”
In 2017, Maples and family started roasting coffee in a rented room in town, then set up a roadside table to sell coffee. “We never knew it would grow like this,” concedes Maples.
The local Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting Aug. 5 to officially open The Roastery, a new coffee shop in the downtown area. A mobile unit is already in operation, and by the fall the business expects to have a drive-through location on the north side of town.
“This is a win for our community,” said Libby Spencer, president of the Hopkins County Regional Chamber of Commerce. “It’s exciting to see them not only start in a pandemic, but to grow and excel. They are quite innovative — they started in a food truck and then in a brick-and-mortar store. To know they will have another brick-and-mortar location is just incredible for our community and for that family.”
Spencer said the success of the Maples’ family venture “shows how hard working they are and their vision for the community. I love that it is a family venture and everyone in the family plays a role.”
She noted the Maples’ business “is an incredible example of entrepreneurship” and serves as a guidebook for success for other businesses.
“It’s the most welcoming coffee shop I have ever visited,” Spencer added. “We know they put a lot of love in their product, and we all want them to be successful. It’s an incredible family and a great business model. They are principled entrepreneurs.”
“We did it as a family project,” Maples said, noting that he, his wife and their three daughters equally own 20% of the company. “We make all the decisions together and we share the work,” he said, dispelling the notion that the daughters work for him. Two of their daughters are returning to Liberty University this fall — one is a senior and the other a freshman.
The business has grown to 17 employees for its operation which is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Maples said that in addition to offering Campfire Roasters coffee, customers will be able to purchase sandwiches, light food items and smoothie products.
Maples said he has tried to keep the coffee business separate from the church “so it is not a conflict of interest. But as much as I try not to talk about it, church members always bring it up and are so excited we are successful. They see young people working extremely hard. Church members say they are so proud.”
The family roasts single-origin coffee beans from around the world and preserves their unique flavors. “Each coffee bean is roasted by hand with hot air, bringing out the natural flavor of the coffee,” according to Campfire Roasters’ web page. “Many roasters use automated machines or computer programs to roast, but when you purchase beans from Campfire Roasters you can be sure that your coffee was roasted with care by people who take pride in their craft.”
For those outside the Madisonville area, coffee can be ordered online at https://ift.tt/3Az8HHo.
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