Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin & Lacey Gates. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Austin & Lacey have a serious love and appreciation for coffee and animals. The search to find the perfect fair trade coffee bean began and led them to find Ethiopian beans that are sustainably sourced from Africa and held a flavor that they loved. They wanted to be able to control the way the bean was processed to ensure that they were drinking the purist coffee they could find. Austin & Lacey want to be able to help and give back to animals that need it the most and seem to get over looked which led them to the idea behind the name of the company. The goal for the company is to be able to sponsor and at some point own their own elephant sanctuary. The company has grown from using two small hot plates for roasters and selling only at farmer’s markets to owning a full Artisan coffee roaster and being featured in local stores, farmer’s markets and selling products online. They now feature organically flavored coffee, cold brew packs and coffee rub as some of their products. Tusk has made over 7 elephants adoptions and has made other various donations to sanctuaries.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is ever as smooth as you think it will be or plan for but its all about your mindset along the way. Starting this company was a HUGE learning process. We knew absolutely nothing about coffee (other than the taste). We didn’t know what type of beans would have a better taste, where to begin with roasting, how to create labels or a website. We literally started from scratch and had never owned a business before. We had more struggles with packaging then anything else, which is the crazy part! Every aspect was something we had to learn about and we have loved every minute of it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Tusk Coffee Company is a local coffee roaster in Savannah, GA that features fair trade Ethiopian natural beans, organically flavored coffee and donates a portion of their proceeds to elephant sanctuaries. We focus on being sustainable, economically friendly and giving.
Our coffee beans support local farmers in Africa and give back to their community. The beans are low acidic, full body, single origin, small batch and roasted to a precise medium-dark and a medium for flavors.
We feature 3 regular flavors year round and seasonal, special features throughout the year as well. Our flavors are hand mixed with an organic powder-free from synthetic syrups, sugars and oils.
We have been able to adopt 7 elephants and make other various donating for the care and support of orphaned elephants. We have a full adoption page on our website where you can read all about it!
We also feature a handcrafted coffee rub seasoning. Austin, one of the owners, worked tirelessly on this recipe and has created the perfect smoky-sweet rub for your meats and vegetables. It has been thoroughly tested on just about everything from briskets to sweet potatoes, chili, popcorn, trout and even meatloaf!
All of our labels are hand drawn and change depending on the flavors.
We have poured our heart and souls into this company and show it with every thoughtful decision.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
We honestly do not believe in luck. We have worked incredibly hard for where we are and how we have been able to form this company. You don’t get anywhere in life or progress by being “lucky”. We have tried hard to make local connections and meet as many people as we can to get our product out there. We have been able to make advances with the company by always having the goal in mind to give back as much as we possibly can. We believe that the act of giving also gives back to you. The universe rewards those with a good heart which has stayed true throughout the journey of our company.
Contact Info:
- Email: support@tuskcoffeeco.com
- Website: https://www.tuskcoffeeco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.tuskcoffeeco.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tuskcoffeecompany/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tuskcoffeecompany?lang=en
