Jenny Creates a Sustainable Impact in Her Community

“I had never taken out a loan before. I was so debt-averse. I didn’t want to be stuck with some giant monthly payment. The Ascendus loan worked out to be something I could manage without feeling stressed, and it was wonderful.”

Jenny has always been an advocate for a greener planet. “In my previous career in the garment industry, I was horrified by the way clothing was made cheaper and worse for the world.” When Jenny noticed a lack of coffee shops in her neighborhood, she used the opportunity to both provide a service to her community and educate those around her about reuse. Over the course of two years, she converted the garage in her home into a sustainability-focused coffee shop. “Our mission is to reduce single-use plastic and single-use coffee cups.”

Almost every part of Jenny’s business is tailored to sustainability, and she has created a close-knit community of people who are concerned about the planet and reuse. “There are so many regulars that bring their own cups, and if they don’t have a cup, I’ll bring one from my home. There are community cup donations, and every aspect of the coffee shop is with the mindset of being reusable or compostable.”

STABILIZING HER BUSINESS THROUGH AN ASCENDUS LOAN

Although Jenny’s coffee shop is always full and she has a dedicated customer base, it is still difficult to maintain the costs. “It took all my savings to convert my garage into a coffee shop, and all my earnings are used for maintaining it. Even though I have a lot of customers, with the costs continuously going up, it almost felt like I had no money coming in.”

Jenny also experienced many unexpected costs for running her coffee shop, from maintenance of equipment to fees for regulations and more. “All my money was gone. I was supporting my family, my two children, and trying to keep up with everything. My credit card very quickly went through the roof. It was very anxiety-inducing because I had never been in debt before.” Jenny reached out to Ascendus and received a loan to help her stabilize and focus on the maintenance phase of her business. “I am so grateful for the loan; I used it for everything. Paying my staff a livable wage, machine repairs, bills, and more. Now, I feel like I can breathe a little and that I can be one step closer to thriving.”

THE LONG-LASTING IMPACT OF REUSE

Through Jenny’s coffee shop, she has the ability to work in a field she loves while providing a significant impact on her community and on the planet. “Last year, we saved over 16,000 cups of plastic through having reusable coffee cups, and we’ve achieved a 50% reusable cup rate—that is practically unheard of in to-go coffee shops. It is amazing to meet new people every day and to help people understand the environmental impact that their consumer habits can have. I love that I can bring together people who are concerned about the planet and reuse, and now I can sleep at night knowing that we haven’t created another mountain of trash for the world.”

To learn more about Jenny, visit: ixvcoffee.com