What is your mission, vision and/or values? Our mission at its base has always been to provide high quality coffee from friendly baristas in a clean environment 24/7/365. From there, Bennu has really evolved to have several more core values that spring from what the owners bring, what the team brings, and what the community has asked for. As an owner, Steve came to Bennu with a long history in the Austin coffee scene both as a barista and as an owner. For him it was very important that coffee = community. For Stephanie, she brought a background in social work and a need for purpose in the business. This combination resulted in a coffee shop that strives to be more than just a business, but rather an integral part of the community it is in, a space that feels like home to the staff and customers alike and that gives back rather than just existing to make a profit. This means so many things: from a commitment to fair trade coffee and going local with almost all of our vendor partnerships, to keeping prices extremely low for our customers, to providing health insurance to our employees in spite of being small enough that it isn't a requirement for us, to giving back to our community through donations and even volunteering as a team throughout the years. A coffee shop is like a living thing though and sometimes it surprises you by what it becomes! While we never set out to make a space that was primarily a work/study space, that is quickly what our community kind of decided we were and so we embraced that part of our brand identity. This has guided us as we've grown. For instance, we instituted a policy early on that we would never have events of any kind. That way our customers knew what they could expect at Bennu 24/7 whether that means a place to study or read a good book or somewhere relaxing to meet for business or pleasure. Finally, we give the managers of each of our three locations a lot of ownership in how they run their locations. We find that each location has a different customer base/a unique community and the team on the ground knows their community the best. We've been really fortunate to have wonderful staff over the years who know how to nurture just the right qualities in each specific location to make it the best for its specific customer base.
While we started out with notions of what Bennu would be, we have held those loosely while still keeping our values as our foundation and we are really proud of what Bennu has evolved into under the influence of those values, each team member over the years who has poured into it, and our community who has both grown us and loved us.
The number one thing that stands out about us is likely that we were truly 24/7/365. Prior to COVID, we NEVER closed. Also, because we want to foster community, all our locations are pretty large with lots of seating.
How did you get to where you are today? Tell me about how your shop started and what has brought you to where you are today.
Congress is our second location, opened in 2017. This location used to be an esteemed coffee shop, Dominican Joes. We purchased it from them and converted it to our second location. It was somewhat easier than when we began our first location because this building already was a coffee shop whereas Bennu East had been an antique shop, never a restaurant. That said, we also had two kids by this point and Chameleon Cold Brew, as well as our original location, so we had a lot more on our plates. But we hustled and we learned a lot about the pros and cons of taking over an existing business. And that has kind of been the legacy of this location. In some ways this has been the easiest of our locations and in other ways, this has been the craziest and most stressful.
What makes your shop unique?
Located on South Congress, this shop has a fun mix of regulars and tourists, students and businesspeople, neighbors and commuters.
What is your shop best for?
Study Space, Client Meetings, Day Dates, Self-care, quiet space for journaling etc., Patio Hangouts, Dog Approved
Comments