Wivenhoe: Dominic Stapleton on launching The Koffee Club

Dominic Stapleton, 32, lives in Wivenhoe with his partner and three children, and has a corporate background in the health and social care industry.

In July, he took a severance package when his company underwent an internal reshuffle.

It was at this point, he remembered how at the age of sixteen, he had always wanted to start a business.

In August, it was a “now or never” moment, and he wanted to take a “leap” and create a career which is more hybrid, so he can spend more time with his family.

Business man - Dominic Stapleton (Image: The Koffee Club) After passing comments from friends about how he always has a “coffee glued to his hand”, and with a strong passion for the beverage, he decided to set up The Koffee Club.

Dominic also is a trained barista and has a “background in coffee tasting”.

After a few months of throwing himself into it, registering the business, and learning all the legalities around importing coffee beans directly to him in the UK, he found a “good” supplier in the Netherlands.

The Koffee Club sells an array  of coffee gifts and even a monthly subscription service where customers get coffee goods from around the world – it’s “premium coffee” at a not premium rate according to Dominic.

Goods - The Koffee Club (Image: The Koffee Club) After two months of work, the business launched it’s online store on November 1 and Dominic is delighted.

He said: “It is surreal, so overwhelming, I am increasingly surprised by people’s kindness and generosity, not just by orders but their good will.

“I am totally grateful; I am a little bit in disbelief at where we are at so far.

“It has been an incredible feeling to achieve something and to continue to sustain it

“I have a fantastic support network, as well.”

Festive - The Koffee Club Christmas advent calendar (Image: The Koffee Club) The business also sells coffee advent calendars for the Christmas period, according to the entrepreneur, people like “different things” and many different businesses now make bespoke advent calendars.

Dominic  said:“ For me, if you are a coffee fan, and that is your niche, then it is a no brainer, as you can enjoy your product every day through December rather than it just be chocolate all the time.”

Since the launch, the business has had more than 110 orders which has “validated all the hard work over the last 60 days."

Moving forwards, Dominic wants to build a community, brand, and has big dreams.

He said: “It has been doing really well, I didn’t set targets as I didn’t want to be disappointed, I had mixed reviews about that. I’ve always viewed this as a marathon not a sprint.

“I would like to one day have a coffee house, have a warehouse.”

To find out more, visit thekoffeeclub.co.uk.