WASHINGTON, DC – There are many veteran entrepreneurs out in the world doing exciting things. Today we focus on a local coffee roaster in Northern Virginia that is making waves in the coffee industry (pun intended). Ricks’ Roasters Coffee Company, surprisingly, is not owned by a “Rick.” The Fredericksburg coffee business is owned by Navy Veteran, Sean Ricks.

Ricks Roaster Image 1

Sean and his wife, Keely, started selling out of their home and at farmer’s markets in 2013.

On this episode of Borne the Battle, Sean talks about his unique military career. Starting out as a merchant marine and as a reservist, Sean explains how he switched between a couple of different occupational specialties before settling onto active duty as a Naval Intelligence Officer

Additionally, we break down how Sean started a business on active duty. Starting the business in 2013, Sean and his wife Keely went from bagging a single bag of coffee on their kitchen table to a $500,000 revenue-generating business within six years.  Sean also discusses the importance of diversifying your company. From wholesale, to brick and mortar, to coffee stands – Sean breaks down each one of his revenue streams for the listeners.

Ricks Roasters 2

Last year Ricks Roasters bagged and sold 40,000 lbs of coffee.

 

 

From an entrepreneur perspective, Sean shares his initial inspiration (which did not include coffee), getting started, the amount of effort needed and the benefits of working for yourself. In addition, Rick shares with us the future of Ricks’ Roasters and importance of giving back to local and veteran communities. Enjoy.

#BtBattle Veteran of the Week
Additional Links for this Episode:

http://www.campvaloroutdoors.org/

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2 Comments

  1. Rolan April 5, 2019 at 16:37

    Awesome! Thank you Sean Ricks!

  2. John Licht April 5, 2019 at 10:32

    Thank you for the Entrepreneurial Sean Rick article. We look very forward to seeing future Veteran Entrepreneurial Stories and Events.
    John Licht
    LITX Terminals
    (SSN redacted)
    Vietnam Navy Veteran

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