Two ASDN students were recently invited to speak at the Rotary Club of Newcastle weekly luncheon. Their topic: Bloom Coffee - Creating and Growing a New Business During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

During the recent school closure, while home learning became optional, Roman Francis, a grade 11 student at MVHS, continued with remote learning for his Entrepreneurship class at the ASDN ICE Centre. He saw the pandemic as an opportunity to begin a coffee business where he would deliver his own brand of ethically sourced coffee directly to your door. With the help of his teacher, Mr. Rob Lehnert, Bloom Coffee was born. Despite the fact that the school year is now complete, Roman continues to operate and grow his business. The popularity of his coffee has become so strong that he was able to hire his friend, Emmanuel Newman, as a sales rep. and consultant. Bloom Coffee has not only become a passion of theirs, but also a way for them to give back to their community. They donate 10% of all proceeds to the Miramichi Youth House.

In their presentation to the Rotary Club Roman and Emmanuel discussed the ideation of their business, creating their brand, marketing techniques, and the day to day operations of their business. Emmanuel relayed to the group that they are both currently taking a summer youth leadership course five days per week. They hope this course will add to their resume as they continue to grow as leaders in our community.  He noted that while other students in the class go to KFC or enjoy a picnic in the park at lunch, they are busy delivering coffee around Miramichi and arranging business meetings.

Roman and Emmanuel also discussed the tremendous impact the ASDN ICE Centre and the Miramichi Youth House has had on their lives. Both youth credit the youth house, and their staff, for giving them a stable foundation and the confidence they needed to become the successful young entrepreneurs they are today. With regards to the ASDN ICE Centre Roman talked about how he sees his teacher, Mr. Rob Lehnert, as more of a mentor and business partner than an instructor. Despite it being summer holidays Roman, Emmanuel and Mr. Lehnert still e-mail constantly with new business ideas and meet to discuss their progress.

The motto of Bloom Coffee is "Giving Our Youth a Chance to Bloom".  The ASDN ICE Centre and Miramichi Youth house are certainly two entities that this motto aptly applies.

Recently, Roman and Emmanuel were able to acquire shelf space at Mill Cove Coffee and Creative Grounds.  You can also order Bloom Coffee via their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MyBloomCoffee