Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Burgo.
Jason, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey in creating the Inspired Brew brand has comprised of its coffee highs, but so many lows, for us to get to this point. My wife at the time, our children and I moved from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Dallas so we could start a family business together. We decided without much conversation ahead of time to leave our home, sell the house, with hopes of beginning a brand-new life here. And that’s what we did.
After making this move, we finally made the collective decision as a marital unit to create a coffee brand between us – in which we genuflected to the relationship between my Cape Verdean heritage and the coffee industry that has been a mainstay in my homeland for generations. It was then that we decided to name our little shop in the Far North Dallas neighborhood “Inspired Brew.” Our children being part-Cape Verdean and part-African American inspired us to create a community coffee center to unite people of different backgrounds, cultures and especially ideological outlooks with the types of beverages that have united my people for centuries.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In our inaugural year – officially opening on May 17th, 2023 – we received so much incredible local attention from our neighborhood, which was immensely energizing considering how abundant Dallas’ coffee scene is. Part of our specialty is printing customers’ photos – which can be anything from their babies to their groups of friends, and everything in between – on top of people’s coffee orders using vegan print. This visual aid, along with our then-new Instagram presence, brought a lot of customers to us from the start.
However, Inspired Brew went through a bit of a cloudy period when my wife and I separated. Although she continues contributing to Inspired Brew’s aesthetics and stylings, this sudden rift within our family business – which wasn’t resolved until just recently – meant I had to run the entire shop autonomously. While I learned the raw basics of coffee roasting and coffee hygiene from my mentor, I had not quite developed any employees beyond my wife or myself, which meant learning how to trust the kindnesses of other businessmen (and women) in how to grow my business in a place I was still learning to adjust to.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Inspired Brew Coffee Shop?
My shop is beyond coffee. At Inspired Brew, our approach goes beyond simply serving coffee; it’s about cultivating an environment inspiring creativity and building meaningful connections within the community. We understand that a coffee shop is more than just a place to grab a quick drink; it’s a gathering space where friendships are formed, ideas are exchanged, and memories are made.
We invite you to join us on this journey of inspiration and connection. Let’s celebrate love, kindness, and the joy of exceptional coffee – one sip at a time.
Our beans are specialized because they are infused with different types of whiskey – which we rotate throughout the seasons for our batch to stay fresh and relevant. The beauty of them is how the essence of alcohol is preserved, but not its inebriating effects. Therefore, I continually receive online and in-person feedback that my coffee has influenced others battling alcohol addictions to curve them… all because of the uniquely infused bean.
What I’m proud of most isn’t even my own business – it is the community my business has sustained and continues to grow. As my employees and I continue improving our menu for both in-person and online customers – because yes, you can order the beans if you’re out of state simply by ordering from our webpage – we always put the customer first. We’re also known to give early-morning participants extra shots in their coffee just for being early birds.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Have a plan. As trendy as it’s become in the 2020s to “start your own business” and “be your own boss,” the harsh reality most of us face is how often us small business owners end up closing our shops after (if we’re lucky) the first year. Sales, investments, and donations are increasingly difficult to come across in the current economy. I’m beyond grateful to God, my employees Em and Tatiana, and especially my frequent customers for sustaining my business past tried-and-true obstacles. I’m only recently embarking on a meticulous, multiple-year journey to expand our business space and add more culinary options into Inspired Brew’s menu.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://inspiredbrewdallas.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspired_brew/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/inspired-brew-dallas
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@inspiredbrew?_t=8k33gQZpEVP&_r=1
