Heyy Coffee Lady!

Hey, coffee lady, Polk County! We're back for another episode of the Elevate Polk podcast. Hoping you're having a wonderful week. My name is Chrissanne Long and I'm here again with my co-host Nate Kendrick, always helping us tell the unique and personal stories of entrepreneurs in Polk County, Florida. How are you doing today, Nate?

I'm good, Chrissanne. How are you?

I'm doing great. And we have my long-lost friend, and I say lost because she hasn't been into the office in 4 years.

Oh, wow.

So we already had that discussion.

Shame on her.

Adriana Drika, Drika the Coffee Lady, is here in the studio today.

Hello. Good morning.

Good morning. I love to hear your voice.

Oh, thank you. I'm so happy to be here.

It's so different to be able to hear your voice than to just like have to comment on social media posts.

Or text.

Or text.

Yeah.

So we're so happy that you're here.

Well, I am I am showing up as you ask for all of us to do. So here I am. Yay. Showing up.

Well, what we're gonna do is we're gonna get started and I'm gonna kind of set the scene for you. Actually kind of feeling like I'm telling Nate, like, okay, how did I meet Dreeka?

Yeah.

Right?

Okay.

And so the very first time that I remember meeting Dreeka was when we were in Winter Haven.

Correct.

And there was a SCORE conference of some sort. And I think I was speaking, but I was also there as an attendee. Asking all the questions and asking lots of questions. And you were sitting across the table from me.

Yes.

And we were like just having like, you know, in between sessions we were talking and kind of getting to know one another. And to my knowledge, Drika's was the first coffee truck that kind of went on the road in Lakeland.

I don't know about Polk County wide, but Polk County, it was like 10 year, 10 year, 8 years ago.

So she has set the stage for everybody. Like she created the pathway for all these new food trucks.

Oh, wow.

From my perspective, that's what I see because So after Drika, then food trucks in Polk County became a thing.

Yeah.

So you're the first.

I was the first, yes.

Yeah. So I wanna kind of talk about that. I wanna talk about the beginning 'cause it's now 10 years?

Well, 8 years that we hit the road.

But you were in development for those first 2 years.

For 2 years I was trying to get my acts together and see how can I go on the road and build a truck and where to park and that kind of stuff.

All those things. Yes. Building those relationships so that people would allow you to come on their lots.

Yes.

Yes. I wanna, I wanna start with that journey from you, from your perspective. Let's even go to what brought you to Lakeland and how you started here, and then where the idea for the coffee truck came. And just, this is your chance to tell that story.

Mm-hmm. Okay. So, uh, my husband and I lived in New York City for 10 years and, uh, we were looking for a house outside of the city and every house I liked, he didn't like the price and every house he liked, I didn't like the fixer-upper. So his parents moved here because of the Tigers, Lakeland Tigers, for spring training. And we came to visit them. And then Bill was like, "Well, the house you want for the price I want, we have to move to Florida." And I'm like, "No, I'm not moving to Florida.

I'm from Brazil." This is not a debate. We're not having a discussion. No.

I'm from Brazil. It's hot, it's humid. I left Brazil. I'm not doing the Florida thing. Anyhow. So he came to visit them for Easter. I'm like, I like this. So I said to him, if I can be here for like 6 weeks and do my homework, see if I can, if I like it, what's the community about, if I can, by then I knew I wanted to have my own coffee shop. So I said, if I know that I can do this, then okay. So I stayed here for 6 weeks. I drove 6,000 miles. And I fell in love with it. I visit every small businesses, I visit every restaurant. I went to every Publix.

Every single one?

Well, in Lakeland, I think so. Yeah.

What feels like every single one, right?

Yeah. Right.

I would go to the north side, the south side. Yeah. I think I visit most of them. And then I found a house and I call him up and I'm like, I found our home.

And he was still in New York at the time?

And he was still in New York at the time.

Okay.

So he actually only saw the house that we bought during the walkthrough. So we moved to Lakeland and, uh, those 6 weeks I was here with my friend Lupita and we really loved the town. It was so much community-oriented, the parks, the lakes, the downtown. It, it was, I fell in love with it to the point that technically I actually live in Mulberry. And when I signed my down payment, I'm like, okay, Lakeland, Florida. And the lady goes, oh, Adriana, this is Mulberry. I'm like, oh, no problem. This is all close enough. So we moved here. Um, and I didn't know anybody, literally. I knew my parents, my in-laws. So then I thought, let me figure out the city location, location, location. Where do I open this coffee shop and find the people and that kind of stuff? And I took my time. I got a job as a part-time marketing person for Dr. Vickers, the chiropractor, who I think now retired. I joined Junior League, I joined American Business Women Association, I attend breakfast at the chambers. I found out about Lakeland Business Leaders and we did a committee and I attend a couple of those events and I try to find myself, you know, stay busy and meet as many people as possible. Then one day, I guess to answer your question, I was at the chamber meeting and Richard Pellegrini was there. Mm-hmm. And I knew that I wanna have a SCORE or an SBDC consultant to help me with my business plan because during grad school I worked at SBDC. So I knew how helpful they would be with me, for me. So I was at chamber meeting and Richard was talking and I knew he had an accent. I'm like, this guy's from Boston, which is my favorite city on earth. I'm like, I gotta talk to this man.

So all about the accents. I love it. Yes. I love it.

So I talked to him and he goes, well, why don't you go online, request a, you know, consultant, blah, blah, blah. So I did all that. I met with him and I give him my idea and I started doing a business plan, doing all the things, you know, you do a business plan. By then I have done my marketing research. I knew that I would like to have a coffee shop here. And Richard started helping with that. But every time we met, he was like, Adriana, have you picked a location? I'm like, Richard, I can't pick a location. It's like Bartow Road, Florida Avenue, Hardin Boulevard. You know, Southside, the Northside. It's too spread out.

Mm.

Yeah. So jokingly he said, "You should go mobile." And I'm like, "And that's why I love you. Yes, let's go mobile." So then I went back to the drawing board and I literally had Post-its all over my kitchen wall.

You have pictures, right?

Yeah, well, I have Post-its of the places I'd like to park.

Right, but you took pictures of all the Post-its.

Pictures of the Post-its, yes. And then the question becomes, where do I park? Mm-hmm. So every time I drove, I'll go, I wanna park here. I wanna park here. Never even thinking about how do I do this? Like, am I allowed to park here?

Right.

Then after I pick all these locations, the question becomes, am I allowed to park here? So I did the research on if I'm able to park there, and the answer was it has to be zoned for mobile vendors and the property owner has to Give you permission.

Mm-hmm.

I'm like, okay, so how do I do that? So I make it next to each stop. I had the property owner's name and whether or not it was, uh, zone allowed. Then my husband keeps going, you need to talk to these people. I'm like, I'm not ready yet. And Bill was like, just call them. I'm like, no.

Call the owners?

Yes. Okay. And I'm like, I'm not ready yet. And he was like, Adriana, you have to be ready at a certain point in time. Just call these people.

I love it. Thank you, Bill.

Yes. For several other things. So I'm like, Bill, my favorite stop so far is Executive Plaza across from Café Zuppina. And I know the owner is Howard Wicks. Mm-hmm. Bill goes, call him. I'm like, I'm not calling him. I'm not ready to call him. So Bill is like, Adriana, just call him. I'm like, why don't you call him? I'm like, I have an accent. He will not understand me.

Me.

I'm super nervous. It's not gonna work. So Bill was like, fine, I'll call him. So I gave Bill all the questions I want him to ask Howard, right? Mm-hmm. And I said, you have to ask him, pitch him, and then schedule an appointment so I can go and talk to him.

Mm-hmm.

So Bill called Mr.

Wiggs and, uh, Commissioner Wiggs at the time, right?

Well, so I didn't know that at that time.

You didn't know.

Got it. All I knew is he owned the place I need to park my truck.

Mm-hmm.

Is this looking good, by the way?

You need to take it off and put it back on.

Oh my goodness.

Yeah, you got a little flippy. There you go.

Anyhow.

Perfect.

So Bill called and, uh, Howard said, yeah, have her come by my office and we'll talk about. So I had a folder with a mock picture of the, what the truck would look like and a little kind of a idea of what I wanna do, which is park at his, uh, plaza twice a week in the morning. Mm-hmm. So I went in and I met with him and Linda, and they loved the idea. I promised him it was not a roach coach. It was a clean truck, self-sustainable. The moment I left, nobody would ever know I was going to be there. I have a generator who was very quiet, so it was not disturbing, you know, the environment and all of that. So he liked the idea, and so did Linda. So the next day, I had to meet with Richard Pellegrini, and I'm like, "Richard, I got my first stop." And he was like, "Where is that?" So I told him, he goes, "Do you know who Howard is?" I'm like, "No, not really.

He's the owner of the place." He's the owner of the location, right? That's it.

Richard's like, "Adriana, he's a city commissioner and he is running for mayor." I'm like, "Oh, okay, no problem." And he didn't even say anything, right? No, no. He was a— all he said is he was a coffee drinker and he had stopped drinking coffee back in college. I'm like, "We can change that, Howard. No problem." I haven't yet. But Linda is a coffee drinker, so that makes it up for it. Anyhow, so I knew I had Howard. Then my next one was Henry Tucker at Southside. Yes. I met with him and he was super nice. Then I met with Kathleen from Flooring Outlet on Florida Avenue. Then I met with Susan. She was the manager at All Creatures Animal Clinic. And they all loved the idea. They all was like, this is fantastic. You know, we can, but of course I had to, I had insurance, I had liability insurance. I had, uh, some of them ask me to have a little contract about the liability. I give them the copy of my insurance. And in the meantime, of course, I work with my very best friend Kim at City Hall. She was like, I'm so sick of this lady because poor Kim, poor Kim. Kim, can I park here? No, Adriana. Kim, how about here? Adriana, that's not zone for it. Kim, how about here? This is county, Adriana, not city limits. Okay, so let's talk to Jerry at the courthouse in Pardo.

Mm-hmm.

Another best friend. Can I park here, Jerry? No, Adriana. How about here? You need the letter, Adriana. So this, these two ladies were super, super fundamental for me because they were the one who tell me yes and no, or you know, that kind of stuff. As far as the owners go, they were extremely supportive. So by the end of 2 weeks or so, I had 4 stops. The guy at All Off the Wall Adventures on Shepherd Road. And then of course, I had one more and I met Chrissanne and I asked, "Do you know the owner of Wiener Circle? Because I'd love to park at his location." She goes, "Let me call him right now." "Come work right now, Bill." Exactly. "He's a great guy. Let me give him a call." So she called Bill right away and I went to talk to him and he was also super supportive. I know that I had 5 stops and the 5 stops allow me to hit the road. So March 13th, 2008, no, March 8th, 2013. That's it.

Yeah.

We hit the road and we serve at the Florian Outlet at Kathleen and Dave, and then we moved to Executive Plaza and it was the best day of my life. Yeah.

That was the most exciting, like, time. Because, I mean, and it's still exciting, it's just exciting in a different way because there's like that uncertainty. Like, yes, you're figuring it all out as you go.

Oh my God.

And you really don't know what you don't know.

Correct.

And then there are these people who you have to meet in order to figure those things out, and then you start to learn. And you heard a lot of nos. Yeah, you heard a lot of nos, or no, you can't do that, or you have to do this in order to get that done.

Yeah.

But eventually, because— and, and I would I'd like to talk a little bit about that. Like, I want to talk because it took a while. I mean, we're talking about it now, 8 years later. It wasn't like the city and the county and everything was just like wide open and like, "Hey, yeah, absolutely. It's just going to be a breeze." And that's why no one had really gone down the path of starting a food truck in the city or in the community because there were some barriers to entry.

I think for me, the— The biggest thing was how do I figure out what I can or cannot do? And there were things that I really, really want to, how do I get those? So for me, it was super important. Like I got a lot of nos, like I can't park at Moon Park downtown. It's not zoned. You have to do this and all that. Okay, then give up, give up that one. But for me, it was fundamental to meet the right people. Like once I met Kim, then forget it because she was able to explain to me this is what we need to do. So she pointed me in the right direction. Like if this property is owned for you and the owner says yes, you're good, you know, or if this is county. So she was the one who actually educated me of the things I could or could not do. Mm-hmm. Does that make sense?

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. And then Jerry from county as well. You need this license, you need this permits, you need to pay this much. So once I found those two people, And I'm like, where have you been? Because they're super knowledgeable, super helpful. But to find them was, okay, who is the person who knows?

Right.

How do I do this? Yeah. I know.

And you were the first. So nobody really knew either, probably from the internal side, what the answers were.

Correct.

So somebody would answer the phone and they're like, no, we don't have a department for that.

No, I gave up the phone. I didn't do phones because by the time I explain myself, I have an accent, I talk too fast. I'm like, I don't do phones. So I actually went there and I'm like, I'm having a coffee truck. Who do I talk to? Who at City Hall, at the, you know, county office. So forget the phone or emails. This is like a face-to-face conversation. This is what I plan on doing. This is what I want to do. How do I make this happen?

Yeah, I'd love to, you know, speak on that kind of like that paradigm shift of because I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs, like when they hit those, those walls of trying to find those right individuals to talk to, and that person says, oh, well, you need this, this, and this. How did you take that and flip it on its head and say, okay, I'm gonna get this, this, and this and come back, as opposed to it being like, oh, I didn't get what I wanted because I wanted to be at MUN Park, or I wanted to be at this location, or I wanted to be at that location, instead just taking those tools and resources that they told you and bringing it back?

What did you—

what'd that look like?

Well, so again, I had 25 stops on my posted kitchen wall. And you know, of course everybody talks about downtown and parks and this and that, but then when you go back to the drawing board and you go, okay, so as a city zoning thing, you cannot park here. Well, so am I gonna go and try to change the zoning? Not really, Adriana. Mm-hmm. Because I just moved here. Maybe 20 years from now I'll join city commissioner and change the zoning. Mm-hmm. But now I have my truck on the road. So what's my, what are my other options? You know, and those other options, are they feasible?

Mm-hmm.

So it's about, it's about eliminating. And like I said, for me to hit the road, I needed 5 stops.

Right. So it's your MVP, it's your minimum viable product.

Minimum viable product.

Right. And making sure that you know that once you can get that underway, you learn correct how to go from MVP to scale or to the next level or to it.

Absolutely. Yeah. And then after that, um, I mean, 8 years later, if I bring that Post-it back, I have a check in every single stop I wanted. You know, I don't serve downtown on a daily basis, but we do go for catering offices. You know, I don't serve at parks like Common Grounds. I would love to serve there. Not allowed. But we serve at Peterson Park for softball games, you know, so, or Carter Road for soccer or Parker.

Right. Or fundraisers.

Or fundraisers.

When you're at— Exactly. Lake Morton or Lake Mirror.

Lake Mirror for, you know, the Wine Fest.

Exactly.

Or the Fourth or Red, White and Kaboom. And also, I honestly believe that because I was the first, I was not from Lakeland, people didn't know me. They knew me because of networking, you know?

Mm-hmm.

They didn't know me. But then after a while, once they get to know me, they got to know the truck, they've seen the actual truck. So it's about, They tasted the product. I've always believed I had a good product. You know, we can't forget what specialty coffee is and the coffee journey and what that's about. So I knew the product, the coffee and the pastries will definitely win over the community. And once we are out and about and people start coming, they're like, I want you at my location. I want you at my office. And then at, even nowadays, I do have a list. Like Victoria from End Results. Mm-hmm. You know, I met Victoria with you.

Yeah.

10 years ago. And only last year I parked at Victoria because when I first asked, I got a no.

Well, and that was 'cause she was in a different location.

No, no, but not in Victoria gave me a no. The property owner.

Property owner. Right.

And I was so busy. I'm like, I'm not gonna pursue that 'cause I'm already busy.

Mm-hmm.

Then I met Victoria at the Halloween event in Mulberry. And she goes, why don't you park in my new location? I'm like, yeah, why don't we? Mm-hmm. Oh, let me— so she connect with the landlord, you know, so 10 years later I was back serving at her business. Mm-hmm. You know, so it was not about giving up, but it's about, like I said, finding the right resources.

Mm-hmm.

And how do I make it happen with what the city has to offer? 'Cause which other choice?

What other choice do you have?

Yeah.

Right. I mean, that it is the way that it is.

Yeah.

and you can rage against the machine, or you can learn to figure out how to fit yourself into the way that the things are.

That's correct.

And I love that you said, you know, okay, well, you know, talking to yourself, Drika, you got, you just need to get the truck, truck on the road.

Yep.

20 years from now you can run for commission and change the zoning. No, that's not it. I like that.

I wanna go back to that.

No, but I, but I love the way that you think about that. Right? Yeah. I mean, I think from an entrepreneurial perspective, so many people will get angry and just shut down and say, it's the city or it's the county or it's this or it's that, and then spend their life kind of being mad instead of just figuring out a way to get it done and realize that there are more ways, especially with that. I always use the four quadrants of knowing. There's what you know, you know, like 4 4 8. There's what you know, you don't know. So I know that I don't know quantum physics, and so I've got to find somebody that can help me explain, help explain that to me. And then there's what you don't know you don't know. And then there's what you think you know, but you're wrong, right? So those are your four. And the vast majority of the box of knowing, boxes of knowing, is what you don't know you don't know.

Correct.

And so you have to go through life learning and open to that receiving of those lessons or that experience so that you walk out going, hey, I learned something that I didn't know I didn't know. And that's what you are. You are the epitome of that. You're like, I know I wanna do this, but I don't know what I don't know. So Kim, Jerry, people who are gonna teach me and coach me and help me, I need you to help me get through this.

Right. And I also think that, you know, for exa— as an example, right? Uh, the county I think gives you a form and the property owner has to sign that form. Mm-hmm. You are only allowed to serve at an existing open business that can offer you a restroom. And you're like, okay, it makes sense, right? So you think, but that's silly. Well, it might be silly logistically speaking, but from a city perspective, you're trying to protect your community and you don't want anybody parking all kinds of crazy stuff at your, at the city property and then damage the city or even, or even a visual pollution, you know? And that's why I designed the truck because I want them to see I have a nice truck.

It's beautiful. It's beautiful.

It's so pretty. It's so orange. And that it self-sustained, you know, I don't— it doesn't leak grease, it's not loud. I remember when they first invited us to serve. I was laughing so hard. They first called us and invited us to serve at the Lake Mead Car Show.

Mm. I remember.

And the first question, I forgot his name, he asked, how is your generator? And I proudly said, it is so quiet, it will not disturb your cars. And we are the first truck who are able to park at the car show because you're so quiet.

Yeah.

You know, or when Teresa invited us to serve at the Pig Fest VIP event, brought the truck over because the truck was on all night serving coffee. But it's so quiet that it doesn't disturb the event.

Right. But there's so many generators going on at Pig Fest. I don't know why that matters.

We don't serve at Pig Fest per se.

Oh, at the VIP event.

At the VIP event.

Gotcha.

Right. You know, so I think that as you have your beautiful business plan, as you have this idea in mind and you go after looking for it, you have to go, okay, these places have their yes and nos. So if I can live with those nos, let me focus on the yeses because the ultimate goal is I need my truck on the road. Yeah. Mm-hmm. You know, and on top of it, What's the goal? The goal is to have the truck on the road at locations that become win-win for everybody. Mm-hmm. Win-win mean I am there to serve coffee and have my successful business, but at the same time, the locations I am serving benefit from it. The offices have coffee, the clients have coffee. I cannot tell you how many times Linda Bagley have brought her clients over to have coffee. You know, or Dennis from Sunshine Interiors.

Mm-hmm.

He brings customers over to have coffee, you know, or the tenants at the plaza, they bring their clients or they look forward to having us there.

Right.

So my goal has always been to be welcome. Mm-hmm. A few times that we had some miscommunications, my answer has always been, if I'm here is because I was invited to be here and I'm here legally. I will not park in any location that I'm not welcome or not allowed.

Right.

That has always been my motto.

And you've created a new culture for us. I mean, I think, I mean, you, not your, not yourself, but your, your, um, your grit, your determination, your, your ability to just see the path and know that that's the path and not say, you know, get discouraged. I mean, it's discouraging, you know, to hear no, to find out that the $25 is only gonna be $5 to, to realize, you know, all of these different things. I mean, you're, We're telling the story after the story. So it's easy to kind of talk through, and now you're on this side, and it's a win. And you're known. Like, you're the coffee— hey, coffee lady. I mean, that's who you are. And I just— I want to talk just a little bit more about kind of that process because now there's a— I'm just— I was thinking as you were talking about watching Dexter. The TV show Dexter, and there's a coffee truck right outside the police station in Dexter, and they go out and they get the coffee and they know the guy and whatever, and he's always there. And it's a police, you know, it's a city thing.

We have a service at the police department here.

Right. But this is like, this is their permanent coffee truck, right? Like the police station always has the coffee truck. But the culture, like the culture is now a part of, that's a part of pop culture. You know, you're watching television, there's a coffee, there's a food truck. 10, 15 years ago, that wasn't necessarily— it was taking off in larger cities in the metropolitan areas. And, you know, I traveled, I had just met you and I traveled, I don't remember where I was, Milwaukee or somewhere. And I'm driving in the taxi from the airport. I'm like, oh, look, there's food trucks. And literally that was the first time that I ever noticed food trucks anywhere.

Well, for me, and as clear as, you know, today is as clear as it was back then. When Richard said, "Why don't you go mobile?" He actually— I love him. He actually meant having a cart. In my head, I already had the truck because in New York City, we had all those trucks.

Right.

So I'm like, yes, if people are making hamburgers, Greek, and tacos and all that in New York City, I can definitely have a truck.

Yeah.

You know, but then becomes what kind of truck?

Mm-hmm.

Who's gonna build this truck?

Yeah.

I'm not gonna build it. A lot of truck owners, they build themselves.

They rent, like they retrofit existing trucks into—

I am a believer that stay in your lane.

Mm-hmm.

My lane is serve coffee, make the pastries. I'm not gonna build the truck and make people smile and make people smile. Mm-hmm.

That's your lane.

I tell my team, our goal is You leave my window happier than when you first came in.

Yep.

That's the goal. So if you have to leave that window happier and with a bigger smile than you first came in, I don't build trucks.

Right. So you, you, and that took some time.

So that took some time because how do I find somebody? I'm not gonna travel to New Jersey to have somebody build my truck. Mm-hmm. How do I find somebody here in Florida? You know, where do I buy a truck that is reliable? So all that, It took time because I've never done that before. I, I knew how to run a business. I knew how to manage a— I knew the business itself, the logistics of it. Like, oh my goodness gracious, why? It's so much to just have a store. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Well, yeah.

So, yeah.

So when you started the discussion, you said you always knew, or you had always dreamed that you were gonna have a coffee shop, right? So tell me why coffee, why a coffee shop? Where did that whole thing come from? Why Drika? And then let's talk about the name Drika. Let's just talk about the coffee experience.

How much time do we have again?

We have a little bit more time.

Why coffee? So I'm from Brazil and coffee and my grandmother's pastries have always been a constant in my life. At our house, actually, by both my side of my family is at 3 o'clock, you have your coffee and your cookies. Period. No matter what's happening on earth, between 2 and 3, either neighbors come over and they have coffee and cookies, or no matter where I am, right? Or like I was telling before, if I would go with my grandmother on errands, and when you first walk in a business, "Would you like a cup of coffee?" "Você quer um cafezinho?" The first thing they offer is like little black coffee in a demitasse cup. So I knew it was a constant. Then I was working in New York City and I was doing marketing for an engineering company. They did boilers and water heaters. Love Jack. He sponsored my work visa, but really boilers, water heaters? No.

It was a means to an end, but it wasn't, it wasn't the whole future.

And I was so grateful. I did for a couple years. But anyhow, one day I said to Bill, my husband. I'm like, "Bill, I'm done. I just want to serve coffee and talk to people with no responsibility. That's my thing. I don't want to have the marketing weight on my back. I wanna wake up, go to a coffee shop, serve coffee, and have a conversation." And Bill was like, "What now?" I'm like, "Just for 8 months or a year, let me do that," you know? Okay, Adriana.

That's so lovely to have somebody supporting your dreams.

Oh my God.

Shout out to Bill for being such a, such a lovely man.

I call him the Teddy. He's fabulous.

He's the teddy bear.

Yes. Anyhow, so he goes, okay, whatever. By destiny or universe or God, higher plan, I walked through the house that night and there was a Fortune magazine with Howard Schultz interview. And I read that interview and Bill came home and I'm like, "Bill, I wanna work for this man." He goes, "Okay, it's a good company, you know, blah, blah, blah." Next day I got my resume. Again, no phone calls or emails. I like my thing face to face. Walk up Fifth Avenue, walk to the front desk and go, "I wanna work here." And the guy was like, "That's very nice, but you need to apply online and, you know, go with the process." I'm like, "I'll do that, but here's my resume." I went home, did all this online business. I applied for the job and this, a week later they called, I was interviewed and I got a position as a Starbucks store manager.

Just like that.

Yes.

Wow.

Just like that.

Just like that.

Showing up, literally. Yeah.

Yeah.

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And I'm like, this is heaven. I am drinking coffee all day. I am talking to people all day and I can eat pastries all day. Forget Whatever.

Yeah.

You know, but of course I had a half a million dollar business to run and employees to manage and train and, you know, talk about coffee. So of course a business.

So wait a minute, I just need to stop. You have this twinkle and like little, like little moisture in your eyes as you're memorizing, as you're remembering this.

It's like I'm home. Mm-hmm. You know, and I did that for 8 years. And back then I was most fortunate that I was actually selected to go and open the Starbucks Brazil.

Oh, wow. I didn't know that.

Yes. Wow. So me and 7 other managers were selected to call the star team, and we went back to open the first 2 Starbucks in Brazil. Wow. And we were there for 2 weeks. And then 2008 happened, and the company changed. And I clearly remember my DM, district manager, saying to me, you know what? Let's hang tight. Get this done and get to the other side. And you're like, yes, we all drink the Kool-Aid. We are ready to do this. Well, the change management and this and that. And I said to him again, Bill, Bill, again. Oh my God, it's funny. I'm like, I didn't sign up for this. You know, it's not the same anymore. It's no longer about the coffee. Like, I love to do French presses and educate people in the coffee and the fair trade. How the coffee journey, what is a specialty coffee? What is the difference of a specialty coffee to a Folgers or a Dunkin' Donuts or all that? That has always been my passion because I'm, I come from a family of farmers. So knowing the coffee journey and knowing what it takes to have that cup of coffee and being able to share that every day to every single person, it's like, that's what I want. Yes. Yeah. But all of a sudden I have to upsell and sell you mints, or I have to upsell and sell you a CD. I'm like, I didn't sign up for this. Mm-hmm.

I remember the CDs. Yes. It's like, what is this?

And then I have to sell sausage sandwiches.

You know, I'm like, no, it was all about the bottom line at that point.

All about the bottom line and the speed. It was not about connecting. Like, I have customers, John, he gets a black coffee for the past 8 years. I don't even offer him anything else anymore because he knows the menu and he wants to go to work. Well, I'm gonna go, would you like blah, blah, blah today? I know him.

Mm-hmm.

You know, so why am I going to suggest something if I know you, I know you are in a hurry. Yes, it's a business. Yes, I need to make sure that you understand what I have, but I also care for my customers. And if you're not that person, I'm not gonna do that to you.

Right.

You know?

Right. Anyhow, so hopefully I didn't get lost in my conversation, but no, I, I'm following you.

I'm back. Oh, I'm glad.

Totally with you.

So I said to Bill, "I'm out." And Bill goes, "What?" Now you need to meet Bill, Nate.

Yeah.

Yes, you do. And Bill goes, "What?" I'm like, "I am so out, it's not even funny. Like, my stomach turns when I go to work." So he goes, "What next?" I'm like, "I want to have my own coffee shop." And he goes, "What now?" I'm like, "Yeah, Bill, that's it. This is the—" I said to him, "I promise you, that's the last thing I'm going to want. That's the final thing." So he goes, all right. So back then he was moving, he was also changing jobs and this and that. So he left, he used to work downtown Manhattan on Wall Street. He moved to an office outside of the city. So there's a lot of moving parts back then. Mm-hmm. So I know I could no longer be with Starbucks. I, and I said, I need to clear my head and I need to go home, meaning Brazil. So I quit, literally no 2 weeks notice, no nothing. I left the company. I actually, I called my HR manager and I said, I want to request an exit interview. I need to tell you why I am leaving. Because it was like a bad divorce. You know, like my heart was broken. I loved the job, but I didn't love what the company was doing. Direction it was going. So I went in for an exit interview and I opened my heart to her. And then I went home to clear my head and I was home for 40 days and it all, it was all clear to me. It's like, this is it. I need this coffee shop. I have my grandmother's recipe. Like going home was just full clarity of what I needed to do. You know? So I came back and I worked with my friend at her, um, salon in New York City for maybe a year or so. Then we moved to Florida. Mm-hmm. And that was it.

And then the plan, the business plan, what did you start writing it in New York? Did you start it when you talked to Richard Pellegrini?

In New York, I had ideas of what I wanna do. Like I wanna have movie for the kids. I knew I had the menu. I knew I needed to offer a specialty coffee. And I knew it was about educating the customers. Coffee is delicious. Coffee is not bitter. You know, coffee is consistency. Espresso shot is, is very dense and dark, but it's delicious. You can have some aftertaste of the coffee, but no bit. So educating the customer, coffee is delicious. And the reality is, like I answer in your Facebook post, coffee is so inspiring. A good cup of coffee will change your day and a bad cup of coffee will ruin your day. Day. Mm-hmm. So you are not leaving that counter with a bad cup of coffee because I'm gonna call you on it.

Cause there's a lot riding on that cup of coffee for your customer. Yeah. Yeah.

Very much so. Do you think it helped having that marketing background and the experience with working at Starbucks, managing people when you went to go start your own venture?

Yeah, very much so. I mean, you know, I bow to Starbucks and hats off. They have a phenomenal, uh, process and systems in place. Mm-hmm. So me learning how to run that shop and how to, connect with the employees. And so the logistics of it was extremely helpful. And me going to Brazil and opening those stores in Brazil. So the learning of operating the location was extremely helpful. Yeah. Being there, you know, and like I said, it was a hard decision. But then once you leave and you go, oh, there is life after that, and you learn more and more about specialty coffee, you learn about You know, small farmers who are family businesses, who are climbing up those hills with their children and the wife and handpicking that cherry and climbing the hill down on their sack on their back and processing. And the roasters here are all about relationships with them. Mm-hmm. So our roaster now, Dan, he travels with, for, to every farm. And the question is, do you have potable water? You know, how is your soil? And if the farmer goes, yes, we do, kind of. Well, before we do anything, let's get you potable water. You know, is your soil the best it can be so you can provide the best coffee? Kind of. Well, let's have a soil analysis. How is the community? Do you need the daycare? Do you need school? So when you go back and you learn the real story and journey of the coffee and what specialty coffee means, means there's a family of 4, 6, or 8 with small lots, and they go up every morning and they handpick that ripe cherry and they bring down and they go through the whole process. And the roaster buying that coffee is working with them. Mm-hmm. So they are sustainable. Mm-hmm. They can make a living. and then that coffee comes in. And then when I call Dan and I place my order, he roast that coffee, delivers to me, and then hopefully me and my team do our job and delivering and being loyal to all that journey. Mm-hmm. You know? Mm-hmm. So it's not like there is this automatic roaster with 200 pounds coffee, 17 minutes on auto and roast. Mm-hmm. No, there is somebody standing there paying attention to that bean to crack and being roasted to its peak. So how can that coffee be bitter, right? It is impossible.

You know, one thing I wanted to ask, uh, because we kind of heard your journey and your story, but one thing I was really curious and really wanted to know about is when you got all of your ducks in a row and you got everything in place with all the stops you were going to get, take, and everything, what was that— what was that initial launch like? I know it.

So if you ever experience me at the truck, you'll notice very quickly I am very hyper. So for me, those people are choosing to come to my window every day. So that day when those people came to my window, I'm like, you are making a choice to come and support my business. I was so hyper that I didn't— it is still nowadays. Like, if you had to go to, you know, Creatures on Friday morning or Drainfield or Highland Park Church in the morning and there's like 6 or 8, 10 people, I need no coffee because I am so hyper and happy that everybody is there. Yeah. That is, it's a, it's an adrenaline rush that you don't need no caffeine or anything. Just again, I am so very grateful that everybody has, you make a conscious decision to come to my window and you choose our products and our service. And that for me speaks volume because you could go to anybody that is faster. You can brew at home. There's so many other options and you're choosing us. Mm-hmm.

That is, I cannot describe. That's all you need.

Yes. That is all you need.

Absolutely all I need. Yes. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Well, let's, let's talk a little bit about some things that have happened recently. Okay. You, you have a shop. I do have a store. So there's a store, a, a stationery store, a stationery store, and there's the truck and the truck continues to have its routes. So we'll talk about where they can find out about you, but talk about the process of opening the store in Mulberry.

So the Mulberry Library is my library because I do live in Mulberry, uh, and I left— I left because I remember signing that paper writing Lakeland on it. Uh, so, um, I often go— we have a book club and I go there to pick up my books, and I saw construction And I was like, "What is this?" And the girls, "Oh, we are building a coffee shop." And I'm like, "What now?" And they're like, "Yeah, we are building a coffee shop." Do you know who I am? I know. And we're building a coffee shop. And I'm like, "What now?" I'm like, "Okay, what's going on?" "Oh, we don't know. We are still building it." I'm like, "Well, how do I find out?" "You have to call the city." Call the city. Well, we are still building. After we build, we're gonna have a bid out and this and that. Well, can I submit a proposal? Of course, email us. So I quickly email a little bit, a business, a, you know, a small version of my 50-page business plan, small version of our business plan. By then I had the truck, so I had the menu. It was much easier because we had a brand.

They, there was a known product, known commodity in the community.

And years ago we have served at Mulberry City Hall.

Okay. You know?

So, and I'm like, this will be great because it's the next baby step. Mm-hmm. There's a lot happening in Mulberry. You know, the chamber is super active. They're building new homes. They're building a new high school. They're building a new elementary. So there's a lot happening in Mulberry right now. They have a brand new theater with a, which I'm fascinated. You have to go, by the way. Okay. They have a dinner and a movie at the Gem Theater. Really? Yes. Okay. So you pay $20, I think, don't quote me on that, but you go in and you can have dinner while you watch the movie. It's like, it was— Wow. Yes. I'm in. It's so beautiful. So I'm like, this is fabulous because it's the next small step for, especially after COVID, you know? Yeah. So they build the infrastructure and they needed somebody to serve the coffee. And then Rick and Laura, invited me to meet with me and find out what I was about and that kind of stuff. And I met them, and fortunately enough, they selected us to serve at the library cafe. And we opened mid-January or so, and we open 6 days a week, 6:30 to 5, and Saturday 9 to 3. And because we do have a location, we can now, you know, host lots of events. So we have a coffee tasting, which is heaven. Mm-hmm. Because the last Saturday of every month, I get to do a coffee tasting with those who have registered. And at the library, it's perfect because— And at the library.

You're, you want to teach about the customer journey. Yes. The coffee journey. Yes. And so for one class— This is what happens with coffee.

Oh my God. Yes. You have no idea. Yes. Mm-hmm. So we have that and then we have, uh, puzzles. We, you know, we have, a Read-a-Latte. People come and talk about books. Instead of having a book club, they read one book. This group, they talk about whatever books and writers they want to talk about. They're reading or wanting to talk about that day. And then we have bingo, and then we have a homeschool moms meetup. Oh, fun. So we're having all kinds of events at the café with the same menu as the truck. And hopefully we'll start soon serving lunch and breakfast items. Ooh-hoo!

I just love that part of the story. Like, I'm glad that we didn't have you on as a guest before that came to fruition, because that to me is like the cherry on the topping, right? Like, here's Dreeka, here's her story, here's all that she's done. Here's part of the story that probably, hopefully not many people are from, because I know everyone I know knows Dreeka. Okay. And if they don't, then I say, you know, the yellow coffee truck, and then they know Dreeka, right? Yes. So now it's like putting some of the story together and letting people really truly know what's behind the coffee truck. Because when you're in line and you're waiting for your coffee and you're there hyper and doing everything that you're doing, there's no real long time conversations that get to be had. But you do get to talk to the people that you get to know.

So can I tell you something? Of course. This is one of my favorite parts of this. Oh, I can be here all day. So the best part of this, among all the other best parts, but here's the thing. So years ago when I was, we were not busy, I could have talked to our customers. Yeah. Right. And tell them this story and all that. Now we are busy. Mm-hmm. But when we are busy and there is a new customer, my customers tell them the story. So I do not need the menu. I nothing because I call them Drinkas Ambassadors. Mm-hmm. If you come to the truck and it's busy, there is a group of people. I can assure you there is always one person there who will tell you where to find us, how we started, what's the best coffee, what's the cheese bread. And I'm like, I don't need a menu. Yeah, yeah. I just— Good people. Yes, exactly. I have these drink ambassadors who have been customers for 8 years now, and they will tell you sometimes better than I do. Like Tracy Carly.

She tells that story way better than I do. We need to get her in here and have a video. Yes.

Or like John, people come to the truck, they go, "How many cheese breads do you have?" And I go like, "Why?" How many? Yeah, how many? And I tell them, "I have 2 dozens." And they go, "I'll take them all." Why are you taking my cheese bread? 'Cause John told me to. Yes. Wow. John brings cheese bread for us. And today is my turn to buy for the office.

Oh, wow.

And they buy 24 cheese breads. And I've never saw that person before in my life. Wow. You know?

You don't know John? No, I don't know John. But I know that person that comes to me. The person that came in and bought the cheese breads.

Because it's her turn to buy the cheese breads. Got it. I'm like, what the hell? Or I call them the sisters. They get an ice Cuban and they come to the truck and customer go, that looks so good. What is that? Oh, this is her best cut. And I'm like, Who are these people?

So I just have, I just have to comment really quickly. My cheeks hurt because I've been smiling this entire episode listening to you telling your story. So I just absolutely love hearing the story. Nate, do you have like any follow-up questions before we start to wrap up?

Yeah. Yeah. I'd, I'd, uh, I'd love to, I say this to the majority of the guests that we have on. I'd love for you to kind of share some advice you would have for entrepreneurs that are hearing your story. And are seeing where you are now and are saying, how do I get there? What does it take to build a business, to understand how to build the right team, to understand how to build raving fans that, like you're saying, getting to that point where your customers are telling other people that you don't even know, and they're just so excited to be about your brand and purchase and continuously showing up?

I think to get there, you have to be obsessed with it. It. Mm-hmm. Like laser focus, focus obsessed. You know, you don't take a no and go, that's the end of that. Or don't take a bad day and, you know, be the end of that. I cannot tell you how many times I drove to Tampa literally crying because my generator was not working for no reason whatsoever. Mm. And I'm like, why? You know? And then it's just a bad day and you, you move on because But you need to want. It can't be because you're gonna make money. 'Cause you can make money with another position, another job. You know, you can work for Amazon and make money. You have to want, and you have to want with every single fiber in your body. Where there is— Richard Pellegrini says to me, my business plan, what's your exit plan? I don't have an exit plan, Richard. What's your exit strategy? There is no one. What's your plan B? No, not either. So you have to be obsessed with it for you to get there. And then once you get there, you have to be loyal. Like every morning when I pull the espresso, be loyal to the coffee, you know, be loyal to your product.

Mm-hmm.

Don't cut corners because you are— yes. Don't cut corners because you're in a hurry. Don't cut corners because your cash flow is not there. You know, don't rush. Don't do that. Be loyal to your product and be loyal to your customers. You know, I feel I'm very genuine and I truly am. I can't, I can't put a, I can't have an elevator pitch or customers. This is who I am and I love what I do. I know the power that coffee has when I serve that, you know, I know that I can make your day better. I know that guava cookies will make those kids smile. Mm-hmm. And when you know your product and you know you can make a difference, then it happens.

It lines up.

Mm-hmm. It does. Because people know. Yeah. You know, when you go to a restaurant, you know if your service is being genuine or not. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. You know, you can feel that, you know?

And again, I, I'm just happy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and, and so you said something to me before we started recording and, and, And I'm going to put you on the spot a little bit. Sure. No shame. No shame. Okay.

But can we edit this thing or not really? It can be edited.

It can. I don't know if I'm going to allow this to happen. But what you did in the very beginning, going back to when you went out on the road the very first day, right? And people showed up, you built relationships and that was by showing up. So you took that time that you were under development of the business to network, to be in ABWA, to show up at chamber events, to go to Lakeland Business Leaders things and to show up up so that there were people who genuinely cared about your success. Right. And I don't want to underscore that. I want, I want to like underscore that and like underline it 15 times. And then something that you have been saying to me lately in the last few years is how busy you are. Right. And how much you want, you, you crave and feel the need for that connection.

Right.

Because you're, it, it's not there. You're, you're serving your clients, you're on the road, you're doing the work and you're, and you're doing all of the necessary things to help grow the business. Right. And there's no, there should be no guilt or shame in that. However, now you're in a season where you're starting to say, I need to be able to delegate. I need to go and see my people. And so I'm excited to see how you make that transition because it's another baby step, right? Yeah, absolutely. I was doing all of the things. I was wearing all of the hats. And now I'm ready to say, okay, I trust who are my— who are awesome guys that are working at the truck now?

Yeah. Nate and Mason and Holly at this point.

Nate, Mason, and Holly. I trust them. They can handle it. And even if Nate and Mason move on, there'll be somebody else that can come in and can handle it.

Well, I thought it was a marriage, so nobody's going anywhere.

They're not allowed. Oh, they're, you're married. They're married. It's forever. Forever. Forever. Well, there you go. So when you get the second truck.

So no second truck, I'll tell you this, but I, so I'll answer your question. So no second truck, the truck, I still need to maximize the truck. I have not been able to find a person that I can I trust enough to drive the truck and expand the truck hours. Mm-hmm. Right? So I'm the only one who drives the truck and the truck still doesn't work full-time. So the truck only work mornings and some afternoons. Mm-hmm. I could serve nights, I could serve the whole afternoon, but I need another person to do that. Right. Right. So no second truck, but I still can maximize the truck. To answer your question, I feel that a lot of us business owners, who wear all the hats, especially if you're in the service industry or food industry, it takes so much of you. At the end of the day, there is nothing left, you know? So for me to attend a networking event, there is no energy. I've used all that energy serving, right? There's nothing left of me to be at that event. But at the same time, and also because I'm having those customers, you know? But at the same time, you reach a point that you want to be a part of the community, not the community you have built with your customers, but the com— the bigger community, right? The Lakeland community, you know, the bridge and Junior League and the, all those other places that you wanna volunteer and do work and, and serve your community as a whole. And the reality of it is, if you don't say to yourself, you know what, enough is enough, I need to start doing this because 8 years later I learned it's not gonna change. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I can still be there all day and have nothing left to me at the end of the day. So there's not a date on the calendar that goes, oh, Adriana, today you're now able to attend those meetings. Right. Or serve more. It doesn't exist. Right. It took me time to realize that.

Yeah. Well, and you decide that. And I decide that. Right. And that's one of those things where, and, and we've kind of, I look at it like we've grown up together in the business. Right. Like I was still kind of early in the, in the business. Maybe a couple years ahead of you, but still we're growing up together. And the thing that's, I'm in the season now of thinking like the CEO, thinking like the owner, not thinking like Howard Schultz as opposed to thinking like the person who has to do all of the things. And so it's a season. Like you do the thing long enough to know that these are my processes, this is how I want it to be done. This is where quality is and this is how I'm not going to bend. I'm not gonna cut corners. but then you say, okay, now it's time. Yeah, absolutely. And so for everybody it's a different, yeah, number of years, but it's, you, we all get there. Yeah.

And if I just, I forgot to mention, but to answer Nate's question also about when doing that, you know, you have to love, you have to be loyal, but also I know that it's all about date and planning and, and accomplishing goals. It doesn't work that way sometimes. Mm-hmm. So the fact that if you have a, a timeline That timeline is flexible. Yeah. You know, don't get frustrated because, oh, I supposed to open this day, or by this time I supposed to have 5 trucks. No, it's not a competition. Not even a competition for yourself. You do your thing, you do well. There is progress. Are you making more money? Is your business growing? Are you sustainable? Are you in a different season, which is a better season than you were before? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I feel a lot of people who open businesses, They have this thing in their head that, oh, if I don't do this by this time, no. If that works for you, hey, more power to you. For me, it doesn't work that way, you know? Yeah. But some people go, oh, you should have another truck already, or should have a store. I'm like, no, I shouldn't. Don't shit on yourself. Yeah, exactly. I'll do what I'm good and ready, or when the business is good and ready. Mm-hmm. You know, this is my business. My choice. I grow as I see fit, you know? And, and that's what I think sometimes the frustration and the fail comes. People get too hyper on, I'm doing so well, let me open 5 locations.

Well, no. Right. I did 1, now let me do 5.

5. Yeah. And then you're like, what now?

Yeah. They, they overextend themselves. Exactly.

Or they go, oh, I have to close because I have not accomplished this, this, and this and this. Well, change your calendar. At the end of the day, you're the boss. I love that.

Change your calendar.

Yes. Love it. You don't have to rep— like I joke with my customers, let me check with my board of directors to see if I can do this. You're the one. Yeah.

Let me check. I love it. I love it.

You know, so, so I think that's one of the things that I, I would tell people, don't be so hard on yourself with the deadlines and, and the growth strategy that you want. Yes. So like, what are the key performers that you look to show that you are growing, that you are being successful? Business 101, your business should make money. You know, how is your product? Are you hiring more people? Are you training more people? But don't let that calendar on your wall dictate where you are or, or keep you from where you are. If things are going well, hey, jump ahead. But if things are not where they're supposed to be, Slow down, you know.

Yeah. So words of wisdom from the coffee lady.

I love it. You're so amazing. So I'm, I'm so glad that you were here.

Thank you.

Me too. Thanks for saying yes.

Of course. Anytime. Chrissanne is all about showing up.

Yeah.

Well, my next one is the Bridge Network.

Okay. Well, you've got Dr., Dr. Stratton's, um, 10-year anniversary on the, mm-hmm, on the 15th. So that's a, that's a Tuesday.

Yeah. Oh, I can do it. I'm not working that Tuesday.

Yay. We're going to see her at Oh, he's rebranding. He's completely changing his, his brand from Lakeland's Family Health and Chiropractic to—

is he still by the Lakeland Chiropractor Circle? Yep. Okay, I will be there.

Good. Well, we will see you there. And if you're listening and you want to join us on the 15th, you're welcome to come. So I'm going to go ahead and wrap up. Thank you everybody for listening to this week's show. If you'd like to help us get the word out about this podcast, check out the post on our Facebook page, comment on the live stream share it, or even better yet, comment with your favorite part of the episode. We're really looking forward to learning what you loved about this conversation. If you have some ideas for upcoming episodes and future guests, we'd love to hear from you, and we'll see you next week, Polk County. That's a wrap. Yay!