The year that never happened.
If I don’t write for a year, did the year even happen?
Yes, I can say with a loud and clear voice that 2022 did happen for sure! As much as I would love to give you a detailed play by play for last year, I am struggling to just get this recap out to you before the calendar changes over to February.
Buffalo
Did you know that I can juggle? One weekend in the early 2000’s in college, I made it my goal to not study but rather to learn to juggle.I worked tirelessly at that goal and was able to juggle by the time I went to bed on Sunday night. Well, I can still juggle but I can only juggle three things at a time.
High
When 2021 closed out, I was feeling good! Fika was in a good spot, had a cafe manager and a head roaster. I started the year off, thinking I can finally start working on my business a little bit and not be sucked into working in the business. I was juggling the right amount of things and feeling good about it.
Actually feeling so good about it, that I was able to take a trip of a lifetime. With my whole family and my mother and sister we went to Wales for the first three weeks in June. My mothers family is from Wales, so we got to spend time meeting and re meeting family, the kids seeing a new culture and meeting cousins, of some degree, and we even got to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in Great Britain.
Low
Once I got back to Minnesota in late June, things started to unravel a little and pretty soon I wasn’t juggling three things. Summer trips and dreams needed to be canceled or changed and some frustration set in as I felt like I was moving clearly backwards just when I thought we had momentum and opportunities to be making growth forward. What had happened is, I lost Fika’s “head roaster” to a family move and my summer was looking a lot different than I thought, as I was spending a majority of the week now standing behind the roaster.
Shout Out
Here is a shout out to Erik, for his short time here he was awesome and contributed so much to Fika in that short period of time, so Thank You Erik for being our Head Roaster!
Interlude
Pause for a short story. When I would tell people that I lost my roaster they would get really confused at how I could lose my roaster. It's a thousand pounds and pretty large.
Juggler turned Magician?
So to not be just a downer about last year, even with all the juggling I’m doing and remember I can only juggle three things at once and it feels like I’m juggling 16 and some aspects of Fika and my life are feeling that tension.
I will close with what is another highlight from this last year! Fika has purchased a parcel of land in the business park in Grand Marais. If you have followed us for a while, you know that we have outgrown our current space here in Lutsen. When I say outgrown, let me be specific. Fika is actually two different businesses, a coffee shop and a coffee roaster. ( technically its just one business but feels like two). Our roasting side of the business has reached its capacity quite some time ago and we have been in the way of the coffee shop and I have been searching to discover what would be next for Fika.
Well..
I closed on the property at the end of October, in the beginning of December I hired an architect to design the new building, and have a couple of close friends who is going to build this new roastery.
So 2023 is going to be another year for the record books.
I can’t do this alone and I’m very appreciative for all you folks who come and support me, my family and Fika.
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Josh, congratz on development plans and progress! I hope your staffing needs will be resolved. Best!
My husband and I love the North Shore Blend.
When it’s delivered to our home, our mail delivery person goes crazy from the smell of the coffee. We decided she needed a bag for her great deliveries. Christmas made her smile when she opened our mail box and found a gift for her.
Joshua, I love your resiliency to keep moving forward. Can’t wait to check out the new spot in the future. Godspeed and keep the yummy coffee a coming!
So all roasting will be done in Grand Marais? Any retail sales at that location? Either way, I’m excited and happy for the Fika family.
Hej hej! Any thoughts of eventually bringing back your promotion to benefit community members in need? I can’t recall the details of how I joined. Buy one give one? I’ll await your answer and want to support your business!