Six months ago, Norman Stark was creating electronic music, working for Wabtec and being managed by Ryan Wout. Francis Stark, Norman’s brother, was an engineer working in manufacturing. The brothers were also trying to get a business off the ground selling beauty products on Amazon.
Now, the three men and a silent partner are hoping to expand their clientele by selling their specialty coffee from Lucky Bean Coffee at 3741 W. 26th Street. They recently started selling their coffee to the public through a website as well as a shop with a drive-thru window and in bulk to other businesses in town.
“The expenses were too high,” on the Amazon project, Norman Stark said. “So in January 2023, we figured we’d try to get into coffee because we all loved coffee.”
They worked on the branding and supply chain for making pure Colombian coffee while the Starks’ father, Norman “Buddy” Stark, a lawyer, helped the Erie natives (except for Wout, who lives in Los Angeles) get their plans up and running. Now they sell through their shop, online, and business-to-business.
“We entered our coffee in some events and coffee competitions and did well,” Norman Stark said. Now, they just need word of mouth.
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Joe time
“We decided to focus on the drive-thru,” Norman Stark said. “Most people are in a rush, and don’t have time to go in and sit down. We decided this was the best way for us to grow our brand.”
Currently, their goal is to get control of every step in their coffee’s production, from beans to roasting to packaging. They want people to know that they care most about the fair-trade status, environmental impact and quality of the coffee they sell. They aren’t about to start loading it up with flavorings and additions they say the bigger coffee houses use to cover up lower-quality joe.
“It’s fast, affordable, quality coffee,” Norman Stark said, “without all the super expenses of flavoring and sugar. We want to focus on drinking high-quality coffee.”
When to go
Lucky Bean is open to the public Mondays through Fridays 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Contact Jennie Geisler atjgeisler@timesnews.com. Find her weekly newsletter athttps://profile.goerie.com/newsletters/erielicious/.Â
