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Meet Nick Lowary of Ground Shark Coffee Co.

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Lowary.

Nick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Our story is kind of a funny one. My partner Adam has worked in the food service industry for his whole career. I just graduated from CU in 2017 with a Civil Engineering degree. We met through martial arts – we both train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Zingano’s BJJ. He’s been training for 13 years, and I’ve been training for three.

One day last April, he posted on his Facebook page something along the lines of “I quit my job a year ago. It’s been the most stressful, tightly budgeted year of my life. But I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

I knew exactly what he meant. I had just started my career as a Project Engineer in the construction industry about two months before, and I was already ready to get out. I knew that my path lay in entrepreneurship. I messaged him and offered to buy him lunch if he would tell me about his journey and what he’s learned.

At lunch, he told me that for his whole career all he’s wanted to do is make food for people. He doesn’t like sales, he’s not good at business, but he makes amazing food. So, I figured… well, I can learn the business. I need to anyway.

A massive brainstorming session began and a couple of days later we decided on coffee. He knew he could learn how to make it, and I knew I could learn how to sell it. People say it’s a saturated market, but there is 2.25 BILLION cups of coffee drank worldwide every day. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no way that there isn’t room for a new coffee roastery.

But we knew that we couldn’t compete with the giants like Dunkin and Starbucks. We decided to focus on a specific niche to start, and that’s where the name Ground Shark comes from. It’s a BJJ reference that goes back to the origin of the art. We figured that if we can sell coffee to all of the people nationwide who train, we can sell enough to make a living and make a great product while we’re at it.

As time has gone on, we’ve started looking to expand into other markets. The newest obstacle we’re tackling is wholesale. Specifically, private labeling. We’re working on both wholesaling coffee for other companies to label as their own, or big quantities for realtors, financial planners, etc to use as client gifts. I’ve had a lot of fun working in that space and I’m hoping to expand that more over our second year of business.

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh Lord no! If it is, you aren’t thinking big enough.

To be honest, my biggest struggles have all been personal. We started this company while I was working 50-60 hours a week at my construction job. That was busy, stressful work. Having the business on the side put me in a situation where I never really felt like I had any time to myself. I got “busy” but not “productive,” if that makes sense.

It put a lot of strain on a lot of my relationships and I’ve lost touch with a lot of people I used to be very close with. It’s totally my fault for not organizing my life better, but that’s how it goes. I’ve heard it said that a paradigm shift is always accompanied by chaos, and I totally agree with that.

After those first few months passed, I started to learn what was good for me and what wasn’t. I started to make my life leaner and operate at a higher level. This year – 2019 – has been much, much better than 2018 was, from both a business perspective and a personal perspective.

I can honestly say that running the business is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s put the very essence of who I am to the test. I have to know not only how to manage a project, but also how to budget, how to sell, and how to make the relationship with my business partner work. I know he’s of the same opinion.

That all being said, it’s also the most satisfying thing both of us have ever done. Friends and family who have known me my whole life have told me recently that I’m the happiest they’ve ever seen me, even though I’m neck deep in a pool of stress.

Not to get overly philosophical here, but I think that’s very telling about the nature of humanity:

Chasing fulfillment is the best way to find happiness.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ground Shark Coffee Co. – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Like I said earlier, we specialize in retailing coffee to martial artists and we are working on adding private labeling to that. If things go as planned, we’ll be selling coffee to every coffee shop in Denver and putting their branding on it. I think that’d be a really cool way to get our coffee out there.

We are known for smooth, low-acidity coffee that you can drink black. The first review of our newest roast (called the Madcup) included that the man’s wife “enjoys it black, even though she usually has more creamer than coffee.”

That’s something we take a lot of pride in. When we do events, we refuse to bring cream and sugar. We make very good coffee and we know that you’ll like it black.

We’ve definitely had people order a bag and not become returning customers, but we have yet to get a negative review about the quality. That’s one way we set ourselves apart. Another is by focusing on our niche of athletes. Eventually, we’ll expand to try to hit yoga, CrossFit, and all athletes, in general. But we’re working there.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I always say the best thing about Denver is getting the hell out of Denver.

I was born and raised in suburban St. Louis. I moved out to Boulder for school back in 2013 and I absolutely fell in love with the mountains. I love Denver too (I live in the heart of downtown and have no plans to leave), but I absolutely can’t get enough of the Rockies. One of my personal goals is to hit every Colorado 14er. I’ve done ten so far.

My favorite part of the city itself is the hidden character. The further down you dig the more culture you find. Speakeasies, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, stuff like that. There’s a ton of it here if you know where to look.

The mountain character influences the city as well and I love it. The music scene is great as well, and so is the startup culture. There’s a ton of new business popping up all the time. Denver is a great spot to make a name and build something.

What I don’t like is the traffic – but I’m sure you’ve heard that before. I guess that not being a native makes me a part of the problem, but I still moved to town before it got really bad. It’s been crazy watching Denver grow even in just the last six years.

Pricing:

  • Our retail coffee price is between $15 and $20.
  • For wholesale or private labeling pricing, email me at nick@groundsharkcoffee.com

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Maddy Halpern, Scott Mowrey, Nick Lowary

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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