How MeetingPlaceCoffee got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

We began selling in 2015 because we were looking for a way to sell more of our coffee and bakery items. I ordered some gift boxes online and then arranged a few bags of coffee and biscotti in them. Our graphic design intern, Ridley, recommended listing them on Etsy, so he set up the online store for us and listed our first few gift baskets. We were happy to get about 20 orders that Christmas. Fast forward to today, and we have shipped more than 10,000 gift baskets through Etsy, plus more than 20,000 through direct sales. We use the best coffee we can find from independent roasters who partner with us and coffee farmers worldwide. We make biscotti, mini breads, cookies, and brownies in our bakery and coffee shop in Lima, Ohio. One of our values is Sustainability, and we look for recycled products.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

Here are my three favourites:

Our Deluxe Gift Box Set of 10 Coffees, because it allows you to really sample both our flavoured and house/oorigin coffees. It’s a great set to send to a coffee lover or even to an office. Each bag makes a full pot of coffee (half a gallon):

Deluxe Coffee Lover Sampler Gift Box with Variety of 10 Coffee flavors and origin/ blends, Coffee Gift Box, Birthday Gift, Free Shipping

Our Date Night Pour-Over Set is a great activity to do with a date or friend. It includes instructions and everything needed to make a pour-over coffee, plus Real Simple included it on their list of top Valentine’s Day gifts this year!

Date Night Coffee Gift Box, Valentines Gift, Learn to Make a Pour Over Coffee, Wedding Gift Basket, Gift for Him, Gift for Her, with Candle

Our Pancake Breakfast Gift Box includes our delicious coffee, our own pancake mix, and Ohio maple syrup! It’s perfect to send to anyone you won’t see for a birthday or holiday:

Pancake Breakfast in Bed Gift Box | Ohio maple syrup, Gourmet coffee, Wood flower magnet | Birthday Gift Basket, Mothers / Fathers Day Gift 

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

It took a month or two. We primarily attract customers through SEO optimisation, trying to figure out what the customer will search for when looking for a gift idea.

Managing MeetingPlaceCoffee

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

We have a small team to run our coffee shop and bakery, and they also help with our Etsy shop. I do a lot of the online listing and SEO; Ruth Ann helps with pricing and jumps in with assembly when needed; Britani is in charge of all assembly and shipping with the help of Emily; and our coffee and bakery team also includes Stephen and Amy. We use ShippingEasy to help keep shipping prices low, and it is a lifesaver. It also prints our gift notes, packing slips, and shipping labels to streamline our process. Orders are fed directly from Etsy.

The future of MeetingPlaceCoffee 

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

We want to add more logo-branded gift items.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

Don’t be afraid to test the market by listing something you are not sure of. Some of our best sellers were gift baskets we put together because one customer requested them. Then we listed them, and a lot of people liked the idea.

Alura Team
Alura Team

Alura is your all-in-one platform for selling on Etsy. With more $500.000+ gross sales over four years selling on Etsy, Alura is built by experienced sellers for sellers. Start with a free account and explore all the features you need to start, run, and grow your Etsy shop.