Inspiring Conversations with Charlie of Wee Bean Coffee Co.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie.

Hi Charlie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Wee Bean Coffee Co. started in the summer, June 2023. My sister Victoria and I started the business as a coffee trailer that was transformed out of an old 1970s horse trailer. Our whole family has always loved coffee, we always made it our mission on every vacation to visit all of the local coffee shops. My mom, sister and I all have worked in the coffee industry and just enjoy the process and experimentation of making drinks. I personally also love baking and had worked with many talented cafe owners who taught me how to bake. This sparked our idea of having a mobile coffee trailer. Pastries and coffee pair so well together so it seemed like a perfect fit. We decided to commit ourselves to the business and had a very successful first summer. We started out primarily doing private events such as baby showers, graduation parties, etc. We enjoyed being able to be small part of these monumental days for people and to serve them some delicious coffee and treats.

When we started in 2023 I was still in the process of earning my degree in entrepreneurship from Baylor University so we knew at the start Wee Bean would have to just be operational throughout the summer months. It wasn’t until April of 2024 when we were gearing up for our second summer, (I was still in Texas finishing my degree) when we heard there was a space available for a physical location in Lake Orion that had previously been a coffee shop. This time we took an even bigger leap of faith and decided to pursue this lead.

Fast forward to today, we are coming up on a year of opening our physical location which we were able to open June 1st 2024. It has been such an amazing journey and time has just flown by. There have been many road blocks and struggles along the way but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Every time we have encountered these obstacles it has helped us grow our knowledge and expertise in running a business.
We love being a community hub for people coming together, spreading joy and happiness. We have truly created so many lasting friendships with our customers and continue to work hard for our community members. We want to be a business people can count on for consistency, quality and hospitality.

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?
We have struggled with all types of challenges. Some being your run of the mill, equipment or facility issues that need repaired. We also encountered issues with vandalism to our outdoor patio space. This was an especially scary challenge. After the 4th time of damage being done to our outdoor space we had begun to worry someone was targeting us specifically. Thankfully we were able to get that under control and resolved. We also encountered some legal trouble that had us worried but in the same fashion, everything worked out in the end.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wee Bean Coffee Co. ?
Wee Bean Coffee Co. is known for its locally sourced coffee and homemade baked goods. We often get questions about how our name came about and it all links back to our Irish Heritage. Both of our parents (Sharon and Mark McClenaghan) grew up in Ireland. Wee is a common term equated to something being small so we incorporated that into our name when we first started the coffee trailer. Our trailer is pretty small and could resemble a bean in certain aspects of the outside shell of it. We often refer to the trailer as “The Bean”. We love bringing our heritage into the way we run the business and even use some old family recipes for the homemade baked goods and pastries. The Irish are known for being very hospitable people. We have always tried to encompass these traits when going about our business. Creating a welcoming space for our community members is always our number one goal.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Every local business I have worked for has provided me with a mentor and connections that has gotten me to where I am at today. For me, I learned best by observing and taking accounts of every bit of knowledge these leaders had to offer. Giving 110% to every job I had helped me create close connections with my bosses and in tern they helped me grow my network

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.weebeancoffeeco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weebeancoffeeco/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weebeancoffeeco