3Elements Coffee is an Australian Veteran-owned and run coffee company that supports ex-military personnel and their families through the love of coffee. With every gram of coffee sold, a percentage goes back into veteran transitioning and training initiatives. They also support veterans’ employment by helping them establish their own coffee business, retail outlet, mobile coffee cart or by joining the 3Elements Coffee wholesale team. Additionally, their production and roasting process focuses on providing skilled employment for more than 200 people with disabilities.
The Founder, Terry McNally, who himself is a former serviceman in the Royal Australian Navy, was inspired to start the business to help Veterans who were making the transition from the military back into civilian life after serving the country.
Despite having an array of useful skills, many ex-military men and women can experience difficulty in gaining meaningful employment in the commercial workforce. This can cause financial and emotional stress, sometimes leading to relationship breakdowns and even homelessness and suicide.
Terry had already established a not-for-profit organisation called EDit (Ex-Defence integration team) to help Veterans transition but he recognised the importance of a for-profit enterprise in order to reliably fund these training programs. Terry wanted a business that was relatively simple, family-friendly and popular – the answer was there all along, coffee!
They’re now in their third year and are proud to have developed a successful business model that not only offers great coffee but support in multiple ways:
- They help entrepreneurial individuals or families* through the process of establishing their own ‘ready-to-go’ coffee business with minimum overheads, outlays and stress. Included is practical training of basic account keeping, sales and marketing, and supply chains – all transferable skills that can be refined and applied to all their business ventures.
- Becoming a part of the 3Elements Coffee family – either in roasting and distribution, national sales or corporate events management teams, they can learn about the ins and outs of business and develop commercial skills and experience that are sort by potential employers – should they choose to explore new opportunities.
- Every sale raises funds and awareness for Veteran transitioning programs and employment training. This includes partnering with organisations that educate corporations and recruitment companies about the valuable skill sets, qualifications and experiences our ex-military personnel can share with the commercial workforce.
*You don’t have to be a Veteran to get started in the program but the new business must support a veteran charity.
What is Terry’s favourite part of the job? In his own words, “it’s being able to say ‘thank you for your service’ in a practical way that not only helps our Veterans gain meaningful employment but also supports their families and raises awareness in the greater community. Oh, and easy access to great coffee!”
To celebrate International Coffee Day, 3Elements Coffee are going all out with two major events.
For starters, they are thrilled to share that the featured roast for October is a limited edition blend of coffee called ‘Victory – Legacy of Legends’ which will be sold online and throughout their month-long roadshow to all the East-coast capitals and major regional townships as they travel to the International Veterans Art Exhibition at the Invictus Games in Sydney. $5 from the sale of every bag of this dedicated blend will be donated to Veteran art therapy and employment transitioning. You can learn more here: https://3elements.coffee/victory/
Secondly, they’re very excited to announce the opening of the “3Elements Coffee Lab” – their first non-mobile store, where the public can purchase take-away coffee and beans and be home to their practical Veteran employee training. It’s called the ‘3Elements Coffee Lab’ because they want to encourage a lot of experimentation, such as coffee inspired mocktails for summer! You can check out the location and opening hours here: https://3elements.coffee/lab/
For those looking to start their own business, Terry had some invaluable advice to share:
“Be focused, passionate and research the market before starting out – listen to what people want. Make sure you understand your product and how it stands out from the rest.
Have good marketing and don’t over-promise and under-deliver. Your product must do what it says on the box.
Have a plan, stick to it and see it through. Be positive and don’t let negative comments drain you. Surround yourself with like-minded people with different but complementary talents and most of all, network.”
Have a passion for coffee and think this is a great cause? The folks at 3Elements insist you don’t have to be a Veteran to get involved or buy their coffee. Whether you’re a multi-national company, small business, boutique cafe or just want great tasting coffee for your home, 3Elements Coffee provides a reliable retail and wholesale supply of as little or as much quality coffee as desired, at competitive prices. They also offer tailored blends and the opportunity to re-label packaging to enable other organisations to promote their own brand, whilst still giving back.
For our lucky readers, if you want to get top-quality coffee and support our Veterans at the same time, 3Elements Coffee are offering FREE SHIPPING for all coffee purchases. You can look at their selection of blends and purchase them online here: https://3elements.coffee/shop/.
Visit their Website
Like them on Facebook
Follow them on Instagram
Connect with them on LinkedIn
