Get to Know Civilized Coffee Cofounder Mark Patterson
Civilized Coffee’s Mark Patterson Shares His Tips for Business Success, Connecting with Audiences, and Sharing Civilized Conversations
Last week, Civilized Coffee cofounder Mark sat down with Chef Vicky Colas to chat about his experience in the food industry, how he’s found success, and the origins of the Civilized Coffee company. Check out his interview below.
Chef Colas: Can you share with us the story of the “ah ha” moment that led to the creation of the food brand you are leading?
Mark: Coffee has always been a passion for me, and I love coffee shops. The image of people sitting around drinking coffee while discussing current events, strategizing the future, sharing views and expanding their horizons through conversation brings me joy.
It was June 2017, as I was starting to look for my next opportunity when a local Coffee Importer, Jeff Norton, asked to meet with me. We knew immediately that with our combined skills we would start our new venture, “Civilized Coffee.”
I had just finished reading the book “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, and Ron McMillan. This book was a turning point in both my personal & business life. My business partner, Jeff Norton, had recently returned from a coffee sourcing trip in Africa and he was telling me about the importance of communicating with the farmers and their families. We started talking about the importance of “Civility” and the social unease we are experiencing today. We felt people need to get back to enjoying healthy civil conversations. By the end of our meeting and drinking several cups of coffee we agreed on a tagline “Bringing Civility back to Conversations.”
Find the full interview on Chef Colas’s blog.