Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Danielson.
Hi Abigail, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
It all started with a small business in my hometown. In fourth and fifth grade, I loved spending time at our local scrapbooking store, Memories. What I remember most about my trips there was how warm and welcome it felt walking in. It was a place to get away but also feel at home. The woman who ran it dreamed of helping families capture memories to save forever, which is why she started the business. After feeling so loved and welcomed there, I decided if she could do it, I could do that too. It took until 8th grade to officially decide that I would pursue my own small business, and I adjusted it towards my passion — coffee. Beginning in 8th grade, I planned out the remaining years of high school to incorporate all the business classes our school offered and went to college for business administration management.m, which I began fall of 2019. That fall, I happened to be in the class that would make my dreams fast forward. My professor told me about a competition for students who had a dream for any business. I quickly joined the competition and started interviewing “customers,” managers, baristas, etc., about their views of how a coffee shop should work and does work. This helped me work through the business model canvas and understand many business functions. In March 2020 (three days before leaving due to COVID), I received 3rd place in this competition and $500 business startup funding. Truly this was a miracle from God as I never expected to have my dreams become a reality so soon.
Due to Covid, I headed home and being there allowed me to focus on how I would use this startup funding to sell my first cups of coffee. After sampling different roasters and settling on a tent to conduct business, I sold my first cup of coffee on June 11, 2020. Since then, I have grown the business to attend more events around the Minnesota area and branch off into small catering gigs. Wildflower’s mission is to love well. This simply means loving others as Jesus did — truth, care, kindness, and grace. I desire wildflower to show a love that reminds everyone interacting with the business, from suppliers to customers, that they are valuable and worthy. Wildflower is a little girl’s dream to bring communities together to share a radical love coming true, and that is what it will always be.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Although God has already exceeded my expectations for what he will do with and through the business, it has come with many trials after deciding to put more of my effort and focus on the business, sacrificing consistency, ease, and normal pay. Being a business owner, you also have to make the business happen; you can’t just show up and run it as an employee would. This has made it difficult to be on top of things and make the business work, especially when there are other trials in my personal life. As the only one running the business, when I find that I am falling apart, that typically means the business is too. It has been hard having to be in charge of everything from accounting to research to barista-ing. Things also don’t always look up financially. As a seasonal business, there isn’t a constant cash flow, and markets/events can be hit or miss. This makes investing in equipment especially tough. Although things haven’t always been easy, I know that I have a support system that believes in me and cares for my mission. This makes a massive difference as I can rely on these people for emotional and mental support whenever necessary.
As you know, we’re big fans of Wildflower Coffee & Tea. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Wildflower operates as a pop-up shop currently. This means I find events/markets where I go and set up a 10’x10′ tent to be open for business. I sell cold brewed Coffee and Italian sodas. I’m looking into a tea supplier now and should have one around mid-July! The cold brewed Coffee is truly what sets wildflower apart. It starts with the beans sourced from Columbia and roasted at Olympia Coffee (my supplier). I chose Olympia Coffee based on their ability to have a better product and conduct a better business. They are a B-certified corporation which means they don’t only care about their impact on the world/people but can prove they are benefitting it too. They source directly from the farm owners and take time to create relationships with them, their families, and their employees. Specifically, cold wildflower brew is made from their morning sun roast, which is from Columbia. It is a delicious coffee that makes a perfect cold brew (in my and some of my customer’s opinions). As a medium roast coffee, it creates a cold brew that tastes as Coffee is supposed to — not bitter, not acidic. It has a round body with deeper chocolatey and hazelnut notes but finishes with a faint taste of caramel. All that to say, this Coffee is amazing in all ways. I strive to make a coffee that can pair nicely with other flavors but never needs to be covered up by sugar. Wildflower moves around a bit but has events in the Hudson, Wisconsin, Duluth, and Roseau, Minnesota.
What was you like growing up?
Growing up, I have always loved people and love to help others live in peace. I have always been passionate about community, loving and helping people. As the middle child, I was often the one mediating between conflicts and would avoid being personally involved in conflicts as much as possible. I was also always a little too crazy with the intention of making sure everyone had fun! From a young age, I knew God was the most important thing in life and made my faith my own around 4th grade. My love for Coffee also began as a 3-year-old when I had that first sip of my mom’s homemade latte. In middle and high school, I played volleyball in our school band, played basketball until 9th grade, and was in track until I became track manager for 11-12 grade.
Pricing:
- $5 – 16ounce cold brewed coffee
- $8 – (bulk brew) 32 ounces cold brewed coffee
- $4 – Italian Soda
- $20-$36 Wildflower merchandise
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wildflowercoffee.wixsite.com/wildflower
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildflowercoffee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildflowercoffee
