Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica DiMiele.
Hi Erica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I hail from the coffee mecca of the nation – Seattle, Washington. My first barista job was 18 years ago, which began in me a love for the art and science of making coffee. Over the course of 20 years, I went to college, I’ve been a flight attendant, a barista, bartender, sever, manager of a coffee stand, traveled the world – both domestically and internationally, owned several businesses in Washington, and worked in corporate positions. With my path after graduating high school not being linear and exploring many opportunities and career paths, my path to where I’m at now has not been a conventional one. But it’s been my path, my unique journey, and has led me to where I’m at today. When I moved to Fort Worth, Texas a little over 3 years ago, I wondered where I was going to get my iced coffee from through a drive-thru like I was so used to back in my hometown of Seattle, Washington. The stand-alone, coffee drive-thru market is very prevenient in Washington; they’re quite literally on every corner. Here however, especially south of Fort Worth, I saw a market that was entirely untapped with this concept. After getting laid off from a corporate position I held with a company that was doing mass company lay-offs in September of 2024, I decided I was done feeling like a number and done working for someone else. Two months later, Cowboy’s Cup Espresso Bar was born. With my deep love and passion for the art and science of coffee-making that was born in me 20 years ago; a craft I’ve practiced and honed in on over the course of 20 years, service to others, and using coffee as a catalyst to connect to people, I am proud to say that we are coming up on 1 year in business as Cowboy’s Cup Espresso Bar.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road whatsoever. But that’s what makes it worthwhile and beautiful – business ownership. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Anything good and worth having requires work and is not easy. It takes grit and hard word. We’ve faced many challenges over the course of nearly a year – plumbing issues, espresso machine issues, HVAC issues, and the list goes on. But we were prepared for things like this to happen and having owned businesses prior, I knew going in firsthand that the road of entrepreneurship is a road less traveled and not easy – but it is indescribably rewarding and beautiful. Many people in life, because of human nature, choose the path of least resistance and don’t work against the grain, because it’s too hard or feels uncomfortable. Many choose the easy road and the path of least resistance. But this is not our mindset – never has been and never will be. With what I believe to be a vision God gave specifically to me for my business, a hell of a lot of grit, work ethic, resolve, and fortitude, we have pressed on in the face of adversity, overcome obstacles and challenges, and have grown Cowboy’s Cup Espresso Bar into something in less than 1 year that is beyond my wildest dreams. Once a distant dream and something I only thought about doing is now my daily reality. I am extremely proud and am extremely grateful. Though it hasn’t been easy and remains to not be easy, we are okay with that and we accept that. It’s great fun to challenge yourself, strive for your fullest potential in life both personally and professionally, and push yourself beyond your limits. I’ve never felt so fulfilled in my work. I’ve never felt more like myself owning and running Cowboy’s Cup Espresso Bar. I feel so proud of the business created from scratch. I believe I was born to do what I’m doing today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a drive-thru and walk-up country espresso bar located in Godley, Texas – just south of Fort Worth. We are woman, veteran and law enforcement owned. We proudly serve gourmet hot, iced and blended espresso drinks, teas, frappés, energy drink Italian sodas, food and more. At Cowboy’s Cup Espresso Bar, we are down-to-earth people who understand the value of a buck. When you pay for a cup of coffee, it should taste good and you should be treated well. Well, we don’t strive to be “good”. We strive to be exceptional and set apart. We exemplify this every day by the superiority, integrity, and quality of the coffee we use from our local Fort Worth, Texas coffee roaster we are proud to serve, to professionally hand-crafting each cup of coffee we make with expertise and immense care and providing you with exemplary service. Not just a transaction, a meaningful experience and authentic connection. When it comes to consuming coffee ourselves or serving it to you, anything subpar or lackluster just will not do. With one of our owners hailing from the coffee mecca of the nation and possessing nearly 20 years of experience in the coffee industry, along with making and consuming coffee all around the world – both domestically and internationally, these experiences have shaped our standards. Our standard is absolute perfection – every drink, every time. We pride ourselves in knowing the exact art and science behind making and delivering the perfect cup to you – hot, iced, or blended. Our customers can expect unmatched, top-tier coffee and service. Nothing but the very best.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck and never have. I believe in faith, work ethic, grit, resolve, and fortitude. I believe in committing yourself to something and seeing it through. I believe in pressing on in the face of adversity and hardship. I believe in the day-in and day-out part of business ownership and entrepreneurship – this is the secret. To press on, even when it’s hard. This is the part where others would quit. I don’t have to show up at my business every day – I get to. What a blessing! What a privelage that I have curated for myself! What sets tenured, seasoned business owners apart is that they kept going. They didn’t listen to their feelings. They followed their vision and they quite literally followed their dreams everyday and let that lead them. Feelings are fleeting. A business owner who makes a choice to never give up is who I want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cowboycupcoffee.com
- Instagram: cowboyscupespressobar
- Facebook: Cowboy’s Cup Espresso Bar
