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

Hi Vaughn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting 2 Bros Coffee Co. was to build something with my friend that is just like a brother to me. We always talked about starting a business together and wanted to work for ourselves. Also to be able to give people employment opportunities and to leave something behind for our families. We chose coffee because it’s a product that will never go out of style and is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. Our connections in Africa to source some of the highest quality beans put the icing on the cake.

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?
Our business is a small business that started from the ground up. Or as some people will say we got it out the mud! My partner Elijah and I fund everything and never have taken any handouts. We grew our business organically and it’s definitely not easy, There are ups and downs, but through it all we’re growing and staying optimistic about what’s to come. There are things we have to improve on such as making content to stay within the social media algorithms. We’re predominantly an online business so creating content is very necessary, even though we dread it at times.

The coffee business is a very expensive business! There are so many expenses that we pay that most people don’t think about. With inflation prices can be outrageous! We also do everything by ourselves from roasting, grinding, labeling, packaging, sealing and shipping products, to even canning our own cold brewed coffee. We have a lot of innovative products that we’ve created over time and products that we haven’t released yet. We also make our own merchandise such as coffee mugs, tumblers, and t-shirts. We do the bulk of our marketing as well.

Running a business can be stressful. There have been a lot of sleepless nights filling orders or preparing for in-person events. There were times in the past to where we felt like giving up, but we’re not quitters. The positive feedback we get from customers and motivation we get from our believers pushes us to keep going forward.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t go out as much anymore to night clubs, but if I wanted to show my best friend a good time we would definitely hit up some spots in Deep Ellum on a Friday or Saturday night. We would bar hop to where the good hip hop and R&B music is. Another option would be Sidecar Social in Addison with good food, drinks, live music, and bar games. You can’t go wrong with that place. Cidercade in Dallas is also a cool place to get drinks and play nostalgic arcade games. The vibe there is always nice.

If it’s basketball season we would go to a Mavs game to see Luka Doncic and hopefully Kyrie Irving if he stays on the team. I would show my friend the best views of the Dallas skyline and maybe even drive to Arlington to show him AT&T stadium and the Rangers ballpark. I would drive through some of the wealthy areas such as Highland Park and Preston Hollow to look at the prime real estate. For shopping I would take him to Northpark Mall or the Galleria.

We would definitely get some good street tacos from Fuel City or a place in Carrollton called Taqueria Nuevo León that has birria tacos. Barbecue is a must so we would go to Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum or I would try to catch Nate’s BBQ 2 Go posted up with his smoker somewhere in the Carrollton or Lewisville area. There’s a black owned restaurant named Savory Kitchen in Little Elm that might be my favorite so we would go there too. Then another good food spot I like is Haywire in Legacy West. Most importantly he has to try Whataburger for a real Texas experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We just want to shout out all of our supporters who have been with us since the beginning. Family and friends don’t support as much as strangers and we’ve realized that since the start. Our online customers across the country that we don’t know on a personal level really keep us going.

Website: 2BrosCoffeeCo.com

Instagram: @2BrosCoffeeCo

Facebook: 2 Bros Coffee Co

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.