Hey, everyone! It’s Rachel Frentsos with the Annapolis Fine Homes Office of Long & Foster. This is Moving Forward with Rachel. Today, I have Sharon Pieczenik, who is not only a friend and co-worker, but also the co-owner of Mommee Coffee. Sharon, thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate it!
Sharon: Happy to be here!
Rachel: It’s so much fun talking to people who go out on a limb and start their own businesses. I think you started this when you were out in California. Tell us how you got started with this company.
Sharon: For the past 17 years, I’ve been a videographer and photographer. Meanwhile, I would always trade business ideas with the co-owner of Mommee Coffee who is Emily, one of my closest friends from college. She came to me with this idea. She said she had an epiphany. She was pregnant with her second child. She was craving coffee. There really wasn’t a good answer to coffee that was easier on a pregnant woman’s belly and that focused on the years after that for the mom market. So, we were like, “Yes, let’s do this! Let’s make this happen!” And, she even had the name, “Mommee Coffee” ready to go!
So, we looked for a roaster who could do low acid coffee. We found a roaster in Santa Rosa, California. Emily and I were both living somewhat close to Santa Rosa, and we’ve been working with him ever since. We’ve been selling coffee for the past 5+ years!
Rachel: What is the difference between your coffee and other coffee that you can get on the market, when it pertains to being pregnant?
A Variety of Caffeine Levels
Sharon: We have a few caffeination levels, first of all. We have whole caf, half caf, quarter caf (which you don’t find anywhere else), and decaf. So, you can cater that caffeine level that you feel is appropriate to whatever stage of mommy journey you’re in. Some people even use it wean off caffeine, if their doctors want them to go completely off caffeine, because it’s really hard to go cold turkey.
Rachel: Right! Absolutely!
Sharon: People run into a lot of headaches, a lot of problems. We also decaffeinate using a water processed method, which you always want to look for. You can get decaffeinated coffees that use a chemical and that’s not good for your body.
Low Acidity
The low acidity is just a big thing. It’s easier on your stomach. Especially when moms who are pregnant already have an upset stomach. It’s easier on the whole acidity level within your body. You don’t really want the acidity level leaching out into a growing person within you.
Those are just a few things that make it geared to this beautiful time of life, from trying to get pregnant, to being pregnant, to breastfeeding, and post. Being a mom who needs that caffeine and trying to keep up with the craziness juggling so many different hats.
Rachel: It’s funny because I didn’t really drink a lot of caffeine until my second was born. I was asking my friends how they do it all, and they were like, “Do you drink caffeine?” And, I was like, “Well, I will now!”
Sharon: Exactly!
Rachel: Besides pregnant women, can anybody drink this coffee, or is it just for pregnant women.
Who can drink Mommee Coffee?
Sharon: Yes! We were focusing on this market, and talking to this market, because it was a market that wasn’t really being spoken to and served. So, that’s where we focused, but we have so many people who have acid reflux issues. We actually have musicians that drink our coffee, because we’ve been told that there’s a nice, elevated energy you get, but without the jitters. So we have musicians that use it, and drink it, before they perform, because they can’t be bowing with jitters.
Rachel: That is true! I used to play the violin, so I can attest to that! Where can you get your coffee?
Sharon: You can get it at www.mommeecoffee.com and you can also get it on Amazon.
Rachel: That’s awesome! Are you doing anything else besides this Mommee Coffee business?
Mental Health Therapy
Sharon: Yes! I actually went back to graduate school. I’ll always make videos and take photos, but I’m focusing my efforts on becoming a mental health therapist. So, I actually would love to work with moms because I think there’s a lot of adjustment periods and stressors that are very unique to motherhood. I would love to work with a lot of clients, but I would love to work with moms as well.
Rachel: I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people are experiencing a lot of stress during this time, so your services are much needed.
I truly appreciate you jumping on with me! I’m so excited about all of the things that you are doing, the therapy and the Mommee Coffee. I’m supposed to wean myself off from a lot of caffeine, so I will be ordering from you, for sure!
Thanks again, and I’ll see you soon!
Sharon: Absolutely!
Rachel: Talk to you later!
