The method allows Mullin to separate the coffee beans from the condensed milk, which makes shipping easier. On a trip to Asia, she had an “aha” moment when she re-discovered the pour-over method, a type of brew that involves pouring hot water over coffee beans in a filter. Despite her best efforts, she wasn't finding success. Then, there was finding the right factory in the U.S. Mullin spent months traveling back and forth to Vietnam, visiting coffee farms and determining who should source the coffee. Logistically, manufacturing such a product was nearly impossible, especially since Mullin wanted to source the coffee beans from Vietnam. “I really wanted to do a bottled cold brew Vietnamese coffee, and I wanted the sweetened condensed milk mixed in and ready to drink.” “When I first set out, about seven years ago, bottled cold brew was beginning to become popular,” she says. What Copper Cow Coffee is now - a Vietnamese pour-over coffee brand - isn’t the business Mullin initially imagined. But when her business began to really take off, she needed more funds from venture capitalists. In the first year, she raised $100,000 thanks to donations from friends and family. She secured funding by asking anyone - literally anyone - who’d be willing to invest. She spent nights and weekends working on her business plan and some days, she even stood outside farmers' markets, encouraging potential customers to buy her product.Ī coffee lover herself, Mullin eventually saw more potential in a coffee business, so she put her all into Copper Cow Coffee. From Corporate to CreativeĪt first, Mullin’s business was a cooking line - a side gig for Mullin, who worked at the World Bank. Here, Mullin explains the trajectory of Copper Cow, how she developed her product and the cultural significance of Vietnamese coffee. The road to starting a business is never simple, especially for women of color. Mullin introduced the brand to the world on "Shark Tank" in 2021, and the experience brought many customers - although she decided not to go through with the deal after airing. She believes it is the uniqueness of Copper Cow that makes it sellable: “There's a desire for people to have new flavors that taste amazing.” “I am obsessed with Vietnamese cuisine, and I thought it would be an incredible business idea to bring to people,” Mullin says. There's everything from signature Vietnamese-inspired lattes (flavors include lavender, salted caramel and vanilla) to dark roast coffee grounds blended with herbs and spices (one even tastes like churros). Mullin started Copper Cow Coffee, a direct-to-consumer Vietnamese organic coffee brand in 2017.
Come adulthood, she couldn’t find a brand that tasted like home - so, she decided to make one. The child of a Vietnamese mother, Debbie Wei Mullin grew up sipping the rich flavors of Vietnamese coffee. By taking a behind-the-scenes look at how their shops came to be and highlighting the products they (and their shoppers!) love, we hope to put a deserving spotlight on these marginalized business owners.
#Copper cow coffee series#
This series aims to go deeper than your typical product roundup, diving into the inspirational stories behind some of our favorite brands. Shop Small is a monthly series highlighting small business owners from diverse backgrounds.
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