Meet Jeffrey Litsey | Small Business Owner & Coffee Roaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeffrey Litsey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Honestly, I’m not sure there’s really much that sets our business apart. And that’s not really our goal either. However, I am really proud to be a business that welcomes everyone. It sounds a bit trite, but we really do strive to be a place where all people feel welcome.

We believe aesthetics, menu, signage, social media, etc all communicate welcome or barrier. That being said, we aim to have a space that is welcoming and comfortable and a menu that is accessible to as many socioeconomic backgrounds as possible. This is really tough in specialty coffee. Specialty coffee is inherently exclusionary because of its pricing, but aim to have multiple price points on our menu as well as a tiered pricing structure for our limited release coffee line.

Operating our business from day one till the present has been incredibly challenging in many ways. First off, neither my dad (business partner) or I have a business background so there were a lot of things we learned the hard way. To meet these difficulties we had to connect with our neighbors and friends for support and advice. Also, the nature of small business is uncertainty; nothing is guaranteed – no amount of hard work, passion, care, diligence, can overcome certain obstacles like economic recession when we opened in 2009 or a pandemic. But at the end of the day, we’re still here. And the reason for that is our community. Right from the get go we had incredible support from our neighbors. In the couple of moments we we’re contemplating closing our doors we had incredible support from our neighbors. Through the pandemic we had incredible support from out neighbors. Our customers started a fund for our crew that raised over $15,000 for them while they were furloughed in the early parts of the shutdown.

I think a lot of this can be attributed to the tone my dad set. He really is an amazing dude; he sees the best in people, he’s a trusting, optimist, and he truly cares about people and wants to know them. So when he had the idea to start the shop in early 2009, he got to work talking to people about the idea, built a lot of people support, and then when we opened he welcomed all people genuinely and openly. The welcome he established and the support from our community have gotten us to where we are today – though, truthfully, things always feel precarious. But the welcome doesn’t. It feels sturdy and firm, and we are incredibly grateful for that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question. A lot of people don’t think about Indy much, but I truly love it, and it has a lot to offer. It’s no better than any other city, but it has incredible people, amazing food and drink, subtle beauty, and a lot to love.

I’d want my friend to get a taste of the city as well as its nature. The defining landmark of Indy is the Circle Monument. It’s an old structure surrounded by a brick circle drive and some other old buildings. We’d take a walk around there and see some of the heart of downtown. A couple of neighborhoods I’d focus on would be Fletcher Place/Fountain Square where our shop is and Garfield Park where I live. In Fletcher Place/Fountain Square there’s a lot of good food and drink, plus some interesting walking and shopping. Garfield Park is home to Indy’s oldest city park and has a great conservatory. Nearby is a small roaster called Helm that we’d stop and get something to drink.

Being a coffee guy we’d hit Helm like I mentioned above, Blue Mind Roasting, and Rabble Coffee. For food we’d go to La Parada (traditional Mexican) and La Margarita (modern Mexican) for sure. Also, a lot of people don’t realize that Indy is fairly diverse, so we’d go to the International Market district and get coffee or tea with incredible hospitality at MOTW (Muslims of the World coffee), some Yemeni food at Al Rayan. Another food place would be Mumbai Grill on the southside. Some of the best Indian/Pakistani food around.

We’d have to go to Prophetstown State Park and Shades State Park to get a taste of some of the natural beauty around the city. They’re both just over an hour from downtown and offer really exceptional beauty. I’d also take my friend birdwatching, as I am a somewhat avid birder. We’d go to Eagle Creek Park which is a great place to hike and bird.

In general, we’d walk around a lot. Hope they bring their walking shoes!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This could be a list a thousand miles long, but first off I dedicate my shoutout to my dad who is an amazing father, friend and business partner, my wife who is an amazing friend and support, my mom who is an amazing mother and support and the community that supports our coffee shop and roastery.

Website: CFCoffeeCompany.com

Instagram: @calvinfletcherscoffeeco

Image Credits
Jeff Litsey