Cattlemen’s Coffee House Opens in Franklinton, Louisiana Through Crimson Cup’s 7 Steps to Success Coffee Shop Startup Program

In developing Cattlemen’s Coffee House in Franklinton, Louisiana, Owners Schantell and Lane Russell sought to bring their local community together over terrific coffee. The shop also pays tribute to generations of cattlemen in Washington Parish.

Coffee makes people happy and brings people together,” Schantell said. “Also, farming and cattle ranching have played a huge role in my family’s heritage through four generations: my great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and finally, us.” Although they love coffee, the couple had no experience in running a coffee shop. Lane’s career has been in offshore and international oil drilling. Schantell has worked as a nurse. She stayed with her cousin in Baton Rouge while attending nursing school. “I went to a coffee shop called Charlies that had a great environment and we wanted to bring something like that to our community.”

A search for support led to award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea and its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program. The 7-Steps program has helped open over 300 independent coffee shops in 30 states. “We’re excited to welcome Schantell and Lane to the Crimson Cup community,” Ubert said. “We look forward to helping them grow their business in the months and years to come.”

A one-stop shop for independent coffee shops, Crimson Cup supplies award-winning coffee, coffee business expertise, hands-on training and industry-leading coffee shop supplies.
Seven Steps coffee shop startup consultants guide new owners through every step – from finding a location and writing a coffee shop business plan to laying out the shop, training staff, and more.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” Schantell said. “After discussing franchising options with other roasters, Crimson Cup almost sounded too good to be true.” She found Step Two, Focus on Efficiency Of Equipment Layout, the most valuable. “My coffee house is in a unique location so the help with making it as efficient as possible was really helpful,” she said. “The book is still in my office, and I refer to it all the time.” Her advice: “Don’t try to do this on your own. Don’t think that Crimson Cup is too good to be true; they really are so helpful throughout the process.”

The new coffee shop serves a full menu of hot, iced and frozen coffee drinks, cold-brewed coffee, hot chocolate, fruit smoothies and organic infused teas. The Russells invite everyone in Franklinton and Washington Parish to visit them inside the new Forshag’s Drugstore across from Riverside Medical Center. “We designed our coffee shop to give special meaning to our community and its heritage,” Schantell said. “Cattlemen nowadays are not recognized for their perseverance.”

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Since May 1991, award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted sustainably sourced craft coffee for consumers and wholesale customers. The company also operates several Crimson Cup Coffee Houses and a Crimson retail flagship store.

To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com.