The economy and job markets may be unpredictable, but at least one CBA student already has a job brewing in the pipeline after commencement this spring. Ryan Yacura will be running his own company.
Yacura, who is completing his business degree with a focus on entrepreneurship, launched Superba Coffee on March 15.
“While traveling in Europe, I discovered the essence of what coffee truly is and became enamored with the beverage, its preparation, and its history,” Yacura tells. “I considered how I could translate my newfound passion into a business. The answer was obvious—develop a cutting-edge, modern brand for retail that the consumer had never seen before.”
Yacura understands that he is not re-inventing the wheel here. It was Starbucks founder Howard Schultz’s travels through Europe that inspired the vision for his company, and Yacura acknowledges the many coffee franchises that partially inspired the birth of Superba. However, he says Superba was born of a different generation of entrepreneurship, and is blazing a trail for a new wave.
Like the brew, Yacura was bold in his decision to introduce a product at the retail level that exudes high-end exclusivity. Its elaborate packaging includes personalized touches—such as hand-signed and gold-embossed embellishments. The inner contents of the chic, matte black box illustrate the Superba vision: “An artisan roasted coffee that is produced in limited quantities and distributed to clients who share a mutual yearning for excellence.”
“Coffee has come a long way since the likes of Folgers and Maxwell House,” explains Yacura. “Starbucks and Peet’s helped paved the way for the coffee revolution that has taken place over the past 20 years. Currently, there are many new players in the game, all with unique takes on the business, products, and distribution networks. In five years, I see coffee, and hopefully Superba, developing the same following and success that companies such as Grey Goose and Fiji Water have enjoyed.”
Yacura also credits professor Fred Kiesner’s unique entrepreneurship course for providing access to one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs as another cornerstone of the Superba development.
“Dr. Kiesner’s class has been a unique experience,” says Yacura. “The associate ‘teacher’ for the class, Paul Orfalea, the founder of Kinko’s, has changed the way I look at business. A few key points that I have taken away from the class have been focused on entering a business in which you can raise prices, learning how to effectively ask and answer questions, and to be aware of your surroundings every single day in search of opportunity.”
In this difficult economy, Yacura faced some obstacles getting loans and investors. He admits that had his family not aided him with funding, his idea may have amounted to nothing more than a hill of beans. That investment helped reduce the pressure for returns that would simply not be possible for a start-up coffee company to show right away.
Superba Coffee is currently distributing its product to retailers and consumers worldwide and has also launched its home delivery and online purchasing program.