Love Coffee? Stick with making your own for now.

For many people who enjoy a particular sport, hobby or food item, starting a business around that interest is often somewhere in the back of their minds. Coffee shops are one of the most common business ideas–after all, who doesn’t love a steaming, robust cup of coffee?

In today’s economy, it’s not surprise that small businesses are not thriving the way they were even just a couple years ago. Coffee Shops are no exception. It seems simple enough to the prospective business owner: buy some coffee beans, and start roasting. After all, how much could it cost to brew up some coffee and put it in a paper cup?

It turns out that launching a coffee shop with the appropriate utilities and equipment costs between $100,000 and $200,000. To break even in such a situation requires selling nearly a cup of coffee every two minutes. For some locations, this might be feasible, but for others–particularly small shops in less urban areas, with fewer employees and limited hours of operation, this is nearly impossible.

So, if you’re thinking of starting a coffee shop, give it a few years. Wait until people have more spare change to spend on a cup of coffee and then rethink investing. For now, just treat yourself, your family, your friends and your co-workers to some single serving k-cups from ACS Java. They’ll thank you. If you put out a jar, maybe you’ll even get some tips!

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