Written by Sophie Henriquez
We recently had the pleasure of accommodating the CEO and co-founder of Three Keys Coffee, Kenzel Fallen. She is a Cincinnati native who was raised to be independent and work for what she wants. Those learnings stuck with her and allowed her to be the high-achieving individual she is and create her successful business. Starting her coffee business, she wanted to create the best product of the highest quality while creating great opportunities for her team and standing out in the industry.
When asked about a key lesson learned, she recounts the beginnings of her company. Kenzel Fallen and her husband wanted to create a multi-sensory experience by incorporating music. The company's name comes from the valves of the trumpet that her husband played, and there are QR codes on their packaging that lead you to a curated playlist. Three Keys Coffee was originally a passion project where this couple wanted to pour their interests into the enterprise. One of the moments that most resonated with her was a conversation with a potential buyer at Target who encouraged her to do more with her business by saying, “I feel like I’m listening to you talk about this gifted child that you are content with just letting play in the sandbox.” She had explained that she did not plan on expanding the business a whole lot and was simply doing it out of passion, but his comment also made her think and understand that this business had the potential to be something bigger.
She talks about how valuable it is to have passion for what you are pursuing. We must be able to think and remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing and pursuing it. Starting a business because of cash may not be as fulfilling if it is not motivating you to keep going. We asked her what advice she would offer to someone trying to decide whether they were pursuing something for passion or profit, and she answered that a person should ask themselves if they would still be doing this if they weren’t being compensated. Ms. Fallen has actually not paid herself from the profit of 3 Keys Coffee yet, as she genuinely seems to appreciate what she is doing.
Three Keys Coffee has achieved various victories, including landing in 43 Trader Joe’s locations after the first year, being named the best coffee roasters in Texas by Food and Wine, and being placed in the top 10 coffee roasters in the country through the U.S. Coffee Roasting Championship. She would still like people to know that regardless of the victories, there are still difficult points that people must overcome, as Three Keys Coffee did as well, and as a business owner, it is not possible to please everyone. She shares that progress is not always a straight line; the wins always outweigh the losses.
If you are interested in buying from or looking into Three Keys Coffee, you can find their product in Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Walmart, and other local establishments in Houston. They can also be found at threekeyscoffee.com and they have a coffee shop in the Chase building on 712 Main Street in Downtown Houston. Overall, so much can be learned from this business, this woman, and her journey. Pursuing your passion is always more valuable and can lead to great things.
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