Coffee Bar Aims for Carbon-Neutral Java

IN the dog-eat-dog retail world, many have found it difficult to craft a green business model when it comes down to the bottom line.

But the proprietor of a new Lompoc company devised his business plan around a carbon neutral model, and has vowed to remain accountable to Mother Earth.

Joshua Cossman, proprietor of I Need Coffee, opened for business with the desire to make fruit smoothies with the healthiest ingredients possible. In addition, Cossman makes his coffee, tea and espresso drinks with certified organic products that are grown and harvested via the Trans Fair certified fair trade process.

I Need Coffee opened in April inside the lobby of In Shape City gym on West Central Avenue, but Cossman’s business is open to the general public, as well as gym members.

Cossman, who opens I Need Coffee at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday, says that his fruit-based smoothies and protein shakes comprise 80 percent of his total business.

Cossman devised his business plan about two years ago when he observed how his fiancee, Lindsey Manzo, gained business acumen and confidence as a participant in the Santa Barbara Women’s Economic Ventures program.

WEV teaches women — and men — how to craft business plans and become successful entrepreneurs. Manzo designed a plan for a glass-based jewelry business, and now is a successful artist with work in galleries across the United States, said Cossman, 35. She’s also his business partner in I Need Coffee.

After attending WEV classes himself, and drafting a mission statement for what would become I Need Coffee, Cossman began searching for a location in Lompoc, where he and Manzo, as well as her family, reside.

In November 2008, the gym opened its doors, and in March, Cossman approached the manager about opening a coffee and smoothie bar inside the facility. A mere two weeks later, Cossman had I Need Coffee up and running. “It all fell together like it was meant to happen,” he said.

With his plans for certified organic coffee in place, Cossman turned to searching for distributors who could provide him with fresh fruit for his smoothies and shakes. “I wanted to use fresh fruit, low sugar and provide ‘slim’ options for diabetics. I wanted something for everybody, and ingredients I could feel comfortable giving to my kids. I wanted to follow my convictions,” he explained.

In fact, the loyalty card for frequent customers of I Need Coffee states “Get your fix; save the world.”

In addition to wanting fresh ingredients as the base for his smoothies, Cossman also wanted to buy local; his dairy products, cocoa and coffee all come from Santa Barbara County-based companies, he said.

“Greenstar, my coffee company, is owned  by good guys who are doing exactly what I want” as far as being a green company, he said. Part of being green, he explained, is being a company that treats its workers fairly and pays them a living wage. “It’s about the product, as well as the workers themselves.”

Cossman is proud of owning a healthy business that’s also healthy for the environment. “I chose to start out right — green — and grow from there. Nothing that leaves here at day’s end is less than green. We are totally accountable” to the environment, he said.

A big part of Cossman’s effort to reduce his business’ carbon footprint involves his use of recyclable paper cups, lids and sleeves for the hot drinks, and organic corn plastic cups and straws for the smoothies and shakes. The cold-drink cups get thrown into the garbage, and not recycled, he said, because they are designed to quickly disintegrate.

After less than eight months in business, Cossman has hired two young employees to staff his business on Friday nights and Saturdays so he can enjoy time with his three young children: Parker, 10; Megan, 8; and Codi, 4. The business is closed Sundays, Cossman said, and he and Manzo make it a “family day” at the Cabrillo Boulevard Art Walk on Santa Barbara’s oceanfront.

Despite his current long days running the drink bar five days a week, Cossman relishes having a healthy workplace and no commute. Before opening I Need Coffee, the Ventura County native was employed as a union electrician, following the work from job to job in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“I never got to see my kids because I was having to travel to find work,” he said. “I wanted to find a job where I could stay put.”

For now, the soft-spoken Cossman continues to focus on being accountable to his clientele by selling healthy drinks. He hopes to continue to educate others about the burgeoning Trans Fair Certified movement. And be green.

“How nice is it that you can just go buy your favorite drink, and I’ll do the footwork” behind the effort, he said with a smile. (Laurie Jervis can be reached at winecountry writer@yahoo.com)