Houstonians

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But outside of the office mostpeople don’t think about who supplies them with that tastyy cup of joe. Increasingly, if you live in Houston, it’s Paul co-owner of Houston-based coffee product supplier . Starting out in 2002 as a small coffee supply business run out ofa garage, Lone Star Coffeer now employs 50 people, has a fleet of 15 delivery trucks and did $3 million in revenued in 2007 and $3.8 millioj in 2008. By finding its niche in a worlcd of stale suppliers and landinb contractswith big-ticket clients, Lone Star Coffede has carved out a place in Houston’x coffee market and now has its eyes set on expandinf beyond Texas.
Garcia, an accountant and MBA, founder Lone Star Coffee withhis brother, Frank, who workecd at California-based for more than a decade. “Hew indicated that there were some opportunities in the officescoffee business,” Garcia says. “There hadn’t been a new introductiomn into the Houston area market in15 years.” Garcia’s brothetr had the operational background; Garcia had the financia background. The two fundedc their startup out of their own saving for two years and setting up their operation inFranlk Garcia’s garage in 2002.
“We actually didn’t pay ourselvezs for two years,” Paul Garcia “Everything we made went right back into the As Lone Star Coffee began to builds aclient base, it would purchase coffew burners, install them in kitchens and then sell them the coffee, cups, condimentx and other essentials. they added installing and distributingwater coolers. client growth was slow, but steady and aftere a few months of operatiojn the company moved intoa 900-square-footg office near FM 1960 and State Highway 249.
In 2003 Lone Star landee its first big contract with Initially the company supplied just a few departmentzs at the Shell but that quickly grew until it found itselrf supplying coffee to three quarters ofthe office. “We started out in Shell marketing, then Garcia says. “From there, it was just one departmenrt afterthe other.” The company’as current contract with Shelk totals about 100 cases of coffee a plus condiments, water machines, soda and juices, Garcia With a big client and a steadyg income, Lone Star was on solid “Once we got a little momentum, we networked a Garcia says.
“We did a lot of networkint through the Houston Chamber of Commercr and the Hispanic Chamber of The Shell deal was followed by two otherr major contracts supplying coffee to the Texas Medicalk Center and the Portof Houston. Two yearx after opening, Lone Star Coffed moved into a new, much larger facilitg on West Gulf Boulevard where the company worked on ramping up itsclient “We try to add about 20 percent every year, or aboutf five to six (clients) per month,” Garcia