Meet Carrie Collins | Owner of Wildcraft Coffee

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

Hi Carrie, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
I have two amazing daughters. My step daughter is 24 and my daughter is 8. Such a range in the differences of what I want to instill in them and continue to work on every day. My youngest daughter has only known me as an entrepreneur. She’s watched my highs and lows with this coffee business. What I love is that she has only embodied the good, and she motivated in these amazing ways to carve her own business path..at 8! My step daughter has been on this journey with me and worked for me for the past 7 years. I’ve pushed her outside of her comfort zone so many times, and every time she succeeds to the absolute fullest and impresses me continually. I think so many times we look at what we are teaching our kids, but truly, I think what has been the most amazing thing to me is how much they have impacted me. They’ve taught me such empathy for myself through the really difficult times of the business. And they cheered me on beyond any bounds I thought I had set for myself. They’re my best friends through and through.

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?
I own Wildcraft Coffee, formerly known as Arcadia Coffee. I have had many, many pivots with my business over the last 7 years. From moving locations multiple times, to operating in multiple different facets, this coffee business has really seen every up and down imaginable. To be honest, none of it has been easy. If there’s one thing you learn quickly when opening a small business, there’s is a ton of red tape. From budgets being busted to time lines being askew, there is never a dull moment, and sometimes all we want as business owners is a dull moment. I think the one thing I’ve been able to take away from this business is that I must listen to my gut. I found out in many ways, no one is going to care about this as much as I do. And ultimately I made the decision to close my brick and mortar. We are currently regrouping and rebuilding, doing mobile events and appreciating the free time we never had when we had the brick and mortar. I think we are continually overcoming the limits we don’t realize we have set for ourselves. It’s really nice to get to show up for yourself when you are constantly trying to grow personally and professionally in new ways.

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.
Would definitely have them stay at Hotel Dryce. have to Coffee or Tea at any of our C.A.T. Crawl shops: Cherry Coffee, Leaves Tea Shop, Black Coffee, or Love Local Coffee Shop. Morning at one of the many art museums like The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, or The Kimbell Art Museum.
Spend some time at the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. Grab a great vegan lunch at Spiral Diner. Have copious amounts of natural wine at The Holly Wine Bar, followed by any of the many vinyl nights held at Hotel Dryce.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my group of coffee shop girlfriends. Together we created this event for our female owned coffee shops here in Fort Worth, Texas called the C.A.T. Crawl. It stands for coffee and tea crawl, and through this event we have bonded and formed what I’m sure we all feel is such a powerhouse friendship and support group.

Website: www.wildcraftcoffee.org

Instagram: wildcraft.coffee