Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew and Ashley Mrozkowski.
Hi Andrew and Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Pedal Java was born back in 2015. We were tired of the corporate lifestyle and found ourselves daydreaming about the coffee break coming up. What started as a coffee break obsession soon turned into making coffee for co-workers in the work break room. And then the idea struck us—what if our whole day was the coffee break?!
We looked at opening a cafe or food truck, but the cost was high for two people with absolutely no experience in the industry. Instead, we decided to start small and took inspiration from many parts of the world with food carts and bicycles.
The first coffee bike was built in the aisles of Lowe’s before the rollout at the Knoxville Christmas parade in late 2015. Since then, we have operated in large event venue spaces serving hundreds of thousands of people all over the East coast. We currently have six coffee bikes (with two more in production) and work over 70 events per year.
Our brand evolved in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 100% of our household income was temporarily gone, and we started to panic. My wife and I went to social media (specifically TikTok) to tell our business story. Through social media, we were able to advertise our bagged coffee varieties and merchandise—keeping our small business dream alive.
Today, our event business is back along with a thriving coffee bag business. We have expanded to catering weddings/businesses and can’t wait to see what the future holds for our little coffee dream.
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?
The road has been anything other than smooth! We have always been believers in “bootstrapping” to get a job done. The whole idea is that you use what you have in order to accomplish a goal. This was our entire philosophy with Pedal Java—use what you have to build it and perfect it as you go!
The very first coffee bike was built in the aisles of Lowe’s, but after three weeks of working on it, it didn’t even fit in our vehicle. Essentially, the whole thing had to be built again (but smaller) to make it work. The bike design has evolved through the years (and the vehicles have gotten bigger), but the idea of continually working on our business to make it better every day has not changed.
In addition, the event business was a difficult concept to learn. How exactly do you prepare for an event with 10,000 people? How many people will buy coffee? We had absolutely no concept of the amount of supplies needed for a crowd that large. Foolishly, we brought in two pounds of coffee and four gallons of milk for that first event.
The director of food and beverage, Kim Beets, took us under her wing. We’ve learned how to manage large crowds and our supply level because of her guidance all those years ago.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pedal Java?
Pedal Java is a husband and wife-owned coffee business. We are known for our over-the-top coffee drinks, excellent customer service, and social media presence. We are coffee roasters, baristas, content creators, recipe gurus, and lovers of our Knoxville community. We are a small business with a huge heart.
What sets us apart from other coffee businesses is our hands-on approach. As owners of the business, we are baristas. We manage all of our inventory. We deliver coffee all over Knox County to our customers two days per week. We do all of our own marketing. Our passion and love pour into everything we touch.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
There are several ways to support our little coffee dream. First, buy our bags of coffee! We ship all over the US and deliver for free in Knoxville two days per week. www.PedalJava.com.
Second, follow and like our social media pages. Facebook and Twitter: @pedaljava Instagram and TikTok: @pedaljava and @mrspedaljava
Third, buy a cup of coffee at an event! We frequently work events all over Knoxville. Come see us and try our yummy drinks!
Contact Info:
- Email: Pedaljava@gmail.com
- Website: PedalJava.com
- Instagram: @pedaljava and @mrspedaljava
- Facebook: @pedaljava
- Twitter: @pedaljava
- Youtube: @pedaljava
