ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — August is National Black Business Month. So, over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting different Black-owned businesses in the Tampa Bay Area.
ABC Action News reporter Anthony Hill stopped by Hogg Batch Coffee Roastery in St. Petersburg, where two brothers have an interesting way of making coffee.
“So, this is our roastery. This is what we call the lab. It’s where we do all of our production stuff, all of our creative work, all of our thought process around what we want to develop and create happens here,” explained Duane Hogg. Duane and his twin brother David own Hogg Batch Coffee Roastery on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. “We like to source it through a third party so we can get some range because we’ve done things like a Jamaican rum,” said Duane.
They create interesting non-alcoholic coffees by aging immature green coffee beans in spirit barrels for anywhere between three to five weeks. “Then we’ll sample it each week until we feel like it’s achieved a good balance between the new flavors from the barrel and the origin flavors that already existed in the coffee,” said David.
They started their roastery business back in 2020 – during the pandemic – after experimenting and operating out of David’s house. After receiving positive feedback on their barrel-aged coffee at an indie market, they decided to bet on themselves.
“We did really well at that market and, so, it was just kind of like, I think we’ve got something here. I think we’ve got something that people actually want,” said David.
They can be found selling their coffees at different events in the Bay Area, but they mostly use e-commerce to reach their clients. As for the best business advice they’ve received, Duane said that focus is the name of the game.
“There’s a lot of noise and distraction that’ll come from different places. So, once you’ve found your focus and what you’re passionate about, just stay consistent and it’ll pay off,” said Duane.
For more about Hogg Batch coffee, click here.
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