Apple Valley Couple Aims to Brew Up Success With New Coffee Business

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She's a latte girl. He's more of an espresso guy.

And together, Nancy and Bret Halverson, are hoping to supply south-of-the-river workplaces with a machine—pictured with this article—that serves up not just customizable, gourmet coffee drinks to their employees, but rather, an "espresso experience."

"It's almost like you've got a teeny, tiny barista inside," said Bret, the owner/operator of their company, .

The couple, who lives in , started their home-based business back in the spring, looking to upgrade workplaces' coffee offerings. They'd been looking for an independent business opportunity—Nancy previously worked in finance, Bret in mortgages and real estate—and when they discovered the Italian-made Rubino coffee machine, it seemed like the right opportunity.

"...mostly because it tasted so good," Nancy said, a far cry from "all those years of drinking horrible office coffee."

Before the Rubino (the Halversons now keep one in their home), Nancy said she'd go out to buy a coffee every day. And for those in that boat, it's not always pleasant, or cheap, to head out into the elements during long Minnesota winters to get it.

So to start, Nancy said, they "bit the bullet" and bought 12 of the machines—somewhat difficult to get, as distributors didn't want to work with an individual businessowner—and assembled them into a small army in their garage as they began selling to businesses in the area.

Each machine contains a five-gallon container that provides for about 200 beverages—lattes and mochas, espressos, seasonal flavors and more. It even comes complete with a frothing function.

Bret, who visits the workplaces to do any service needed after the machine is sold (Nancy is more of the "bean counter" of the operation), can program the sophisticated machine to offer several types of drinks with the push of a button, based on what the business would like to make available. They can be employer subsidized, or set like a vending machine so employees pay.

For an office where employees consume about 40 or 50 cups a day, Bret visits to reload and check the machine about once a week. They also buy fresh beans each week from the J&S Bean Factory in St. Paul.

Bret said they plan to keep their operation smaller and fairly local, with 36 machines maximum so they can manage the whole operation themselves.

"We're not trying to build an empire," Nancy said.

They know of another person who has a few machines in the Twin Cities, but beyond that it's not a widespread trend in this area, or really in the U.S. as a whole, they said. Notably, though, there is a Rubino machine aboard Air Force One, Bret said.

As the Halversons move ahead, they'll also learn about trends among their customers, like demand for holiday flavors, or increased consumption during colder months. Beyond making beverages, the machine can track consumption of the different drinks, as well.

Working together and having flexibility in their schedule was one goal the Halversons set in wanting to become independent business owners. Through that, they've managed to successfully take on different roles in the business and not step on each others' toes, they said. They've had fun, they said, and they've also gotten involved in the local business community.

But the venture hasn't come without challenges. For others looking to start their own businesses, know that the process "always takes longer than you think," Nancy said.

"If you know you have something good, stick with it," Bret said.