By Josephine Gardner, Senior Associate of Technical Assistance

What sparked Benjamin’s interest in the coffee industry?

Boketto Cold Brews LLC, a black-owned business in Los Angeles, is fueled by passion, curiosity, family, and fatherhood. Growing up, Benjamin Westley was no stranger to the small business world. His grandparents owned a concession stand at a baseball field and dished out BBQ from their garage every weekend. As a young boy, he witnessed his family working full-time jobs while running several home-based businesses. Benjamin developed an innate entrepreneurial spirit. “It was always in my blood to start a business,” he recalls.

While Benjamin didn’t initially share the widespread coffee addiction most of us experience, his journey into the industry began with a single sip of cold brew.

Fascinated and intrigued by the coffee culture, he fully engaged with the local scene by frequenting coffee shops and gaining knowledge from baristas and coffee shop owners. During this period, cold brew was just starting to gain popularity in the industry. He remembers that “it wasn’t even available at Starbucks but was found in smaller coffee shops.” Benjamin was drawn to its smooth flavors and lower acidity compared to hot coffee or iced lattes. As he delved into the brewing process, his interest grew, leading him to experiment with making cold brew at home using beans from his favorite local roaster. He expressed, “That’s how I got started making cold brew.”

A fortuitous business opportunity arose when Benjamin's boss approached him about introducing barista services to their Downtown Los Angeles building lobby. Seizing the opportunity, Benjamin set up a barista station and managed operations. This serendipitous moment created another opportunity when his boss opened a co-working space, noticing that competitors were adding beverage services such as cold brews, and kombucha, and he wanted to add these services as well. He asked Benjamin, “Hey if I give you a working space, do you think you can make cold brew and put it in a key for us?” he partnered with Benjamin again to provide cold brew in kegs to its members. This marked the beginning of his journey as a professional cold brew maker.

Reflecting on his motivation to start his own business, Benjamin attributes it to "Family and Fatherhood." As a new father, he didn’t want to work a traditional 9-to-5 job. He believed entrepreneurship was a pathway that would afford him the freedom to dictate his schedule and prioritize quality time with his daughter, Josephine. He recalls, “It was an amazing experience to have my own business and to be able to spend a lot of time with her. I loved that I was a hands-on dad as well as a business owner.”

In those early stages, he was balancing entrepreneurship with parenthood, he cherished moments of grinding coffee beans in the kitchen with Josephine by his side and delivering coffee pouches with her in the car. Being a business owner for Benjamin was about setting an example for Josephine, who is now ten years old. “I want my daughter to know that she can have her idea, she can control her narrative, and that she doesn’t necessarily need to be working for someone to be successful or happy,” he affirms. Parenthood became the catalyst for Benjamin’s commitment to run his business full-time.

Seeing his family have their businesses sparked Benjamin to create his own destiny. He hopes to ignite that special spark in Josephine.

Behind the Concept and Business Model of Boketto Cold Brews: Insights into the Process of Product Design and Innovation

Explore the story behind Boketto Cold Brews LLC's operating model to uncover the themes of innovation, creativity, and seizing opportunities to meet market demands. The company operates under a dual business model, serving both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) sectors, setting itself apart in the competitive coffee industry.

The B2B business model originated from a chance business opportunity to provide cold brew kegs to the tenants in his employer's building. Benjamin delved into the complexities of the cold brew-making process and eventually established a successful model. After proving the success of his business model with his first client, he naturally expanded to multiple locations in downtown Los Angeles. Drawing from his market research, he discovered that his coffee tasted better due to his dedication to using locally sourced fresh ingredients. This led to a deliberate decision to keep operations local to distinguish his product from competitors in the market.

The B2C segment emerged from curiosity and innovation. Inspired by mobile food vendors on a bike during a trip to Sweden, Benjamin aimed to be the first in Los Angeles. Benjamin forged a relationship with a fellow tenant in his workplace, engaging in daily conversations for about a year. The friend, connected him with an architectural firm to design a customizable cart. However, he still needed a bike.

Benjamin discovered that IKEA offered a bike with a trailer, a product that had been discounted. Taking advantage of a discount during a store grand opening, he purchased the bike and assembled the cart in his kitchen. He explains, “This feature is absent in conventional three-wheel setups that are impossible to move around, and cold brew businesses on bikes are forced to rent a U-haul.” The resulting design provided unmatched convenience in transportation, with detachable wheels that could be effortlessly stored in the back of his Honda car, showcasing Benjamin’s innate knack for product design and innovation.

The design of Boketto Cold Brews' packaging reflects Benjamin's meticulous attention to detail and commitment to standing out. Drawing inspiration from the architecture of interior designs featuring elements of a rose gold color scheme, he curated a clean, simple, and upscale packaging design. He emphasized, “I wanted to align my packaging with the quality of the beverages I had inside, and I didn’t think the cardboard box spoke to being a quality beverage inside.” Benjamin chose pouches over traditional cardboard for attractiveness, portability, and user-friendliness. The pouch product design underwent several iterative processes to address challenges such as the lack of sprouts for dispensing coffee, which made the initial process labor-intensive. Benjamin explained, “We were killing our hands by filling the pouch by hand and putting the sprouts on to every single product, and it did not work.” The newer pouch design features a cap to decrease filling time, is airtight, and has handles for easy transport. Initially, the handles were made of the same materials as the pouch, causing them to crinkle but this was later solved. The other iteration was the bag was translucent and showed the brownness through it. After numerous iterations and market testing, Benjamin now has a pouch design that has sparked interest from other businesses.

The story behind the name of Benjamin’s business

Benjamin’s business name inspiration traces back to cherished memories of family gatherings. At a young age, he recalls his grandfather’s habit of blankly gazing out the window during meals, seemingly lost in thought, he immersed himself in a state of contemplation, oblivious to the world around him. Benjamin recalls, “he would just stare at the window and there is nothing behind us, except acres of corn. “It wasn’t like a beautiful view or a lake with some boaters, it was a field of corn.” In Junior high, it prompted Benjamin to discover the Japanese word “Boketo” which means, “to stare into the distance without thought.” Benjamin adopted the name for his business, adding an extra “t” for visual appeal.

The brand's font and style were inspired by Patta, a well-known black-owned streetwear brand based in the Netherlands. Benjamin aims to expand beyond coffee, incorporating streetwear and skateboarding. He envisions creating a cult following for the brand. Limited-edition sweatshirt releases offered a glimpse into the brand's potential beyond the coffee market. The logo features an African civet, symbolizing resilience and determination. It conveys the message of perseverance and hard work, without explicitly referencing coffee.

How Boketto Cold Brews is different than its competitors

In a competitive and saturated industry like coffee, Boketto Cold Brews stands out from its competitors with a commitment to freshness. Unlike corporate competitors who rely on additives and preservatives for

prolonged shelf life. He emphasizes, “This process is not healthy or flavorful, it kind of kills the coffee flavor and I did not want to have preservatives in my products to sell more.” Benjamin prioritizes crafting each batch from scratch without compromising on quality or flavors, he ensures that every sip is a celebration of the coffee’s natural essence. As Benjamin succinctly puts it, “You can taste the difference.”

Boketto Cold Brews chooses a steady and organic approach rather than pursuing rapid growth at the expense of product quality. The company intentionally takes a different approach, even if it means slower growth. The founder emphasized, "I prioritize maintaining product integrity over rapid expansion. I want to ensure that we don't compromise on quality for the sake of becoming a booming, multi-million dollar company. We're currently thriving while staying local in Los Angeles. I believe we can grow steadily and organically within California, keeping our products fresh and becoming a regional gem. I want people to associate California with Boketto and crave our products even when they're not available elsewhere."

Boketto Cold Brews offers convenient weekly or monthly delivery of delicious cold brew, perfect for enjoying anywhere, from beach outings to office days. Benjamin focuses on customer well-being over rapid growth.

Resources and tools that Benjamin finds invaluable as a small business owner

Left to right: Benjamin Westley, Josephine Gardner, and Andrea Avila of Inclusive Action.

Benjamin's experience highlights the important role of CDFI in supporting entrepreneurs of color. After obtaining a business loan from Inclusive Action for the City, he used the capital strategically, making a down payment on a coffee processing machine, hiring a marketing firm, and purchasing inventory at a discount. As Benjamin puts it, "obtaining a business loan was a big moment for my business. It let me know that someone who didn’t know me looked at my business from another view and told me to keep going." Before obtaining the business loan, he stated, “I never sought out to look for funding or anything like that, because I assumed, I wasn’t in a place to be able to receive anything for my business. As soon as I learned that wasn’t the case, it boosted my confidence and allowed me to step out and do more with my business.” He used the capital strategically, emphasizing that “I was able to do a lot with the capital provided because we kept the money in our pocket and moved slowly, and did what was needed as we saw it, and didn’t spend it all at once.” His advice to small businesses is to strategically allocate capital and engage in careful planning for business growth or stabilization.

Benjamin recently completed a six-week “Leveraging Real Estate To Grow Your Business” program organized by Inclusive Action for the City and led by industry experts Matthew Gates, In The Building LA, and Austin Curry, Curry Consulting, and sponsored by LISC. He shared, "It opened my eyes. I’ve been leasing space and recently looking at different places to lease, and it’s expensive. I hadn’t even thought about being able to purchase as a business and how that can be possible — it was the furthest thing from my mind."

The course gave Benjamin valuable insights into commercial ownership, making complex concepts easier to understand. He now evaluates leases differently, considering ownership feasibility. Benjamin expressed, “A lot of the times, what happens is that we don’t recognize the terminology used or what we are looking at and it becomes discouraging.” Matthew and Austin’s real estate knowledge empowered Benjamin's cohort to navigate business ownership confidently. Benjamin appreciates their ability to explain complex concepts using everyday language and provide real-life examples.

The course also allowed Benjamin to connect with fellow business owners, such as brands like Ora or Sip and Sonder, whose journeys he had followed and admired from a distance. Through this experience, he fostered a sense of community with like-minded entrepreneurs, engaging in meaningful dialogue. Benjamin notes, “ I still maintain a dialogue with them outside of the course.” Before this opportunity, he had operated independently, lacking camaraderie with other small businesses, highlighting the importance of connection opportunities for small businesses.

Where Benjamin sees the coffee business evolving in the future and what his long-term goals are

Benjamin plans to expand his coffee business with a storefront that serves customers and manufactures products. He also aims to create a facility for other craft beverage makers, addressing a current market gap. He states “The current market is lacking in that space. There are many ghost kitchens offered for food-based businesses, but paying the rent for a space like that with an oven, and full kitchen equipment that beverage business will never touch, becomes hard to maintain and costly.” Benjamin aims to address this by offering cost-effective, functional facilities with essential amenities. His goal is to empower beverage makers to thrive in a supportive environment and expand into the apparel business, seamlessly integrating coffee culture and streetwear to create a cohesive brand identity.

Benjamin’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs

For entrepreneurs entering saturated markets like coffee, Benjamin advises finding areas for improvement to survive. He suggests going micro instead of competing on a broad scale and highlights the advantages of providing locally crafted products. Benjamin encourages thorough industry research and aligning business with passion.

Thank you to Benjamin for sharing his inspiring journey with us.

Client Stories: From Concept to Cold Brew - Benjamin's Path to Innovation