About this project

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Kudzu Jungle...A coffee house documentary is about the journey of Wesley and Colleen Crawford, who, in spite of extreme poverty and homelessness, had a dream of owning a coffee house that caters to entrepreneurs, musicians, artists and homesteaders. Instead of waiting for all the circumstances to be in their favor before planning and pursuing their dream, they stepped out in faith and trusted the Lord that He would make all things beautiful for those who love Him.

Making barely enough money to sustain themselves, they knew it would be a long journey to raise capital before they could even find a location for their coffee house. When work stopped in Tennessee, the little money they had saved up had to be used to survive.  

Though they continued planning the coffee house, they had to find work, which meant going back and forth to Maryland to work for Colleen's sister.  Then, on one of their trips home to Tennessee, they discovered that a cute brick home, down the road from their apartment, was listed for sale as commercial property.

After three years of planning the coffee house, but not able to find a building that was affordable for a start up business with a unique development approach, they decided to meet with the manager of the home to find out if they would be willing to rent instead of sell. After hearing what the home would be used for, the owner said they would be willing to finance the home 100%, reduce the monthly payment for the first six months from $1,250 to $600 and delay the down payment of $36,000.00 until June 1, 2012.

Without any capital to work with, they left again for Maryland to raise $600 for the December payment, $300 to turn the power on in their name, and $50 to put the water in their name. They returned to Tennessee to sign the contract on December 1, 2011, then headed back to Maryland for more work to raise money to pay for January's payment, and to set up utilities and take care of the initial contract requirements. Then they returned to Maryland to raise the money for February's payment.

It would be so much easier to raise capital if they could just start baking cupcakes because they already have customers and groups waiting for the coffee house to open. However, the health department is very strict about baking for the public. They can't even bake cupcakes to sell at a flea market! They have to have a commercial kitchen as soon as possible.Going back and forth to Maryland or working in Tennessee when other jobs become available, will sustain the monthly bills, but it will not get the coffee house ready for inspection so they can start raising capital for the down payment. They also won't have enough money to purchase equipment for the documentary or buy start up supplies for baking.They are running out of time to get the coffee house ready and still be able to have enough time to bake and sell cupcakes and other products to raise the $36,000 by June 1st.

It took three years for them to get this far, and now begins a new chapter; starting up a coffee house and creating a documentary about the journey of a husband and wife who wouldn't let go of their dream, no matter how bad things got.

With a crucial deadline for the down payment, they need to get the home ready for inspection by the Anderson County Health Department and they want nothing more than to stay in Tennessee and work full time on the coffee house and documentary.

They are reaching out to Kickstarter.com to help them raise the money needed to complete Phase 1.

RAISING CAPITAL:

There are two major elements of this project. 1. Our Little Coffee House and 2. Kudzu Jungle...A Coffee House Documentary.

About:

http://ourlittlecoffeehouse.com

Wesley and Colleen want to minister the love of Christ through their coffee house, through their music and through Bible study. Their dream is to have a coffee house that is a home away from home, yet still be a hub for entrepreneurs, musicians, artists and homesteaders.

Our Little Coffee House will help fund musicians who have songs in their hearts but do not have the resources needed to record and distribute their music. When the "Big Picture" (http://kudzujungle.com/index.php/en/2011-11-28-21-40-11/the-big-picture) is completed, they will have an entrpreneur program that provides Biblical business training and seed money to help others launch their business dreams; or pay for Christian artists to record their music; and provide nutritious foods to the community, not only through the coffee house but also through community gardening projects that use aquaponics systems...providing fish and organic vegetables.

Their menu includes foods made from scratch, along with freshly grown and picked vegetables and locally produced dairy, eggs and meat. They strive to use ingredients that were not chemically tainted; including baking ingredients, free-range eggs, hormone free milk, and locally produced honey.

About:

http://kudzujungle.com   

Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/kudzujungle  and on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kudzujungle

In addition to the online documentary, there is also a locally printed newspaper version. The documentary is being created to record the processes of going into businesses regardless of circumstances, skills, knowledge and resources. It captures every stage of the journey, from planning to implementing the plans, to managing the business and everything in between. People who keep up with the journey will be able to watch segments of the documentary, download forms created for business and interact with Wesley, Colleen and other entrepreneurs, artists, musicians and homesteaders.

Coffee houses are magnets for creative people! Wesley is a musician (in updates, you'll get a video of him playing a drum, and also learning guitar) and Colleen is an artist, and they love meeting other artistic people at coffee houses.

Colleen and Wesley love the coffee house environment and mixing it with homesteading and their talents is burning a hole in their hearts. It only makes sense to create a coffee house where people can go for inspiration, encouragement, prayer, fellowship, music and art.

Documentary Segments Include:

a. The God Who Is: A deep look into Biblical teachings about who God is, and an exploration of praise, worship and the study of His kingdom.

b. Coffee House Documentary: The day to day journal entries, videos, interviews, business tasks, marketing and many other elements of starting and running a coffee house (which can also apply to other businesses).

c. Music: Praise and worship music, original songs, learning to play instruments, drum circles and meet ups with Christian musicians.

d. Art: Interacting with other artists and bringing their work to the coffee house or featuring it in the newspaper or online.

e. Entrepreneur Spotlight: Featuring entrepreneurs and telling their stories.

f. Homesteading: Sustainable living, aquaponics, square foot gardening, container gardening, Farmers Market visits, farm visits (and who can forget...scouting out those incredible "on your honor" markets put by the wayside by homesteaders?).

g. Duck to Sawn: Colleen's journey to finish what she left behind. Art, music and dance. Her journey back to art began when her husband's love taught her that people can love regardless of your outward appearance or circumstances, and now she has someone to walk with her as she loses weight, learns to dance and learns the language of music...and finally, choreographing a dance to a song that inspires her to want to dance..."Beautiful Things" by Gungor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyPBtExE4W0)

What The Money Will Be Used For:
Wesley and Colleen will use money pledged through Kickstarter.com to launch their Phase 1 development plan. Because they are building this coffee house one phase at a time, they need to raise the money first, then implement the plans. Though it is a slower way to get a coffee house up and running, it allows them to pursue their dream in small steps, having each step able to produce income for the coffee house while operating debt free. It is very rewarding to look back at where they were, living in their car with a dream but no money to pursue it, to planning for three years, to launching two Web sites, to finally having a physical address for the coffee house plans.

Phase 1:
Prepare the coffee house to pass the health department inspection; purchase inventory supplies; and purchase equipment needed for the Kudzu Jungle documentary. Once this is completed, they will be able to open the bakery portion of the coffee house and begin raising capital for the downpayment and the coffee bar.

If more money is raised than what's needed to complete Phase 1, the extra will be applied towards the down payment needed by June 1st.

Until the down payment is paid in June, Wesley and Colleen are not allowed to make any structural changes to the walls, per contract agreement. This means they have to be creative, using the kitchen, living room and three rooms to house a dining area, bakery, product display, green room, dish room and pantry. The existing kitchen will be used as the temporary bakery. This will make it possible to bake cupcakes and cookies right away, and to serve soups.  They will also serve their own house coffee blend created through a local roaster.

The green room will literally be green. Using chroma-key paint, they will paint the entire room and install equipment (lights, cameras, computer, and software). This room will be used for shooting video, recording music and creating portions of the documentary that are not filmed elsewhere. Other entrepreneurs and musicians will be able to use the room to create commercials, record songs and work on other types of media projects.

Outside will be a hummingbird garden, herb and flower gardens. There is a huge yard! (See the picture in the intro video.)

They will stay in this phase until they have made enough profit to move to the next phase (summarized below).

Completed milestones of Phase 1 include:

Planning;  Recipe development;  Launching Kudzujungle.com;  Launching Ourlittlecoffeehouse.com  Finding a location for the coffee house.  The house is located at 707 S. Charles G. Seivers Blvd, Clinton, TN.

Current milestones to be funded for Phase 1 include:

Prepare the coffee house to pass inspection - Clean, paint, furnish, tear down porch, install wheelchair ramp, make enough parking spaces to satisfy zoning requirements;  Add content to Kudzujungle.com;  Set up the green room;  Set up POS system;  Purchase inventory;  Print the first newspaper;  BAKE BAKE BAKE!!!

About The Rest Of The Development Plans:

Backers will be able to keep up with the future plans if they want to, by visiting Kudzujungle.com. They can also visit the coffee house and get in on planning meetings, or be a part of the documentary. A summary of future phases include:

Phase 2: Bakery

One of the rooms will be converted into a bakery. A double convection oven, proofing oven and mixers will be purchased so the coffee house can increase their production and product selection. Included will be homemade breads, pastries, apple dumplings, pies and other goodies. Profits during this phase will fund the next one.

Phase 3: Coffee Bar

Build the coffee bar. After the down payment is made on the property, Wesley and Colleen can change the wall structure, making it possible to add on to the home. They will extend the dining room and create a nice, full-service coffee bar. They will offer espresso, various brewed coffees, teas, fruit smoothies, and a soda fountain. They will stay in this phase until they raise enough to fund the next one.

P.S. A three group commercial espresso machine has already been donated for this phase!

Phase 4: Deli

Equipment, such as panini grills, roasters, bbq grill, refrigerators and small ware will be purchased so a lunch menu can be added. Our Little Coffee House will remain in this phase until enough profits allow for the next phase to be completed.

Phase 5: Homestead

A new coffee house will be built using the Deltec green system and the brick home will become the bakery and gift store. The new building will house an art gallery, music studio, radio station and offices for the entrepreneur program.

A small homestead will also be created! Our Little Coffee House will be a destination place that is both educational and beautiful. Two greenhouses will be built. One will have an indoor koi pond and dining area. The pond goes under the greenhouse and out to the yard into a bigger pond. This pond water will be pumped into a second greenhouse where an aquaponics system is used to grow organic lettuces and vegetables for the soups and salads. Any excess produce will be sold to homestead co-op members.

There will also be a storehouse stocked with locally grown produce not grown in our greenhouse, local honey, dairy from Cruse Farm Dairy and other locally produced products.

Phase 6: Entrepreneur Program

By the time Wesley and Colleen reach this phase of their dream, they will be able to take a portion of their profits and provide seed money to other entrepreneurs, who, just like them, need to trust the Lord and put one foot in front of the other and have faith that there is hope to pursue a dream no matter what the circumstances look like.

BACKGROUND:

Wesley was born in Macon, GA and Colleen was born in Flint, MI. Wesley and Colleen met in Georgia in 2008 and became best of friends.

Wesley and Colleen's love for the coffee house scene came about while Colleen worked at Joshua Cup in Macon, GA back in 2008. It was a very popular place, attracting media, college students working on projects, and many locals. Whenever anyone arrived with a camera, Colleen headed for the bakery and hung out there to avoid any camera shots being done. Camera avoidance dated back to her late 30s, when she first started gaining weight.

Colleen's struggle with her weight problem prevented her from pursuing music and dance. Wesley is a drummer and as much as Colleen wanted to learn music with him, she avoided the stage and any other setting that put her in front of people or cameras.

In a world that is critical of overweight women, she hid herself as much as she could, in fear of rejection and criticism.

Wesley and Colleen grew closer in their friendship until one day they fell in love. It wasn't until Wesley's acceptance of her, the way she was, that she realized reaching her dreams was possible through love.

Wesley's sense of humor and his love for the Lord broke through many of Colleen's walls and from that love, she opened her heart to pursue a dream of building a coffee house that makes it possible for entrepreneurs, musicians, artists and homesteaders to have a place to go to be inspired to pursue their dreams.

Moving forward without capital:

In December of 2008, Wesley and Colleen moved to Tennessee to be closer to her family. They camped out in an RV and began planning the coffee house. In order to sustain themselves, they worked for Colleen's sister doing estate liquidation. When her sister moved to Maryland, they started a small business liquidating estates.

Two years of planning went by before they started looking for property. They were discouraged at the cost of property in the Oak Ridge and Clinton area. The closest they got to having a location for a coffee house happened in the summer of 2011. They found an empty shack on a small lot. The lease would be $1,500 per month but the property was over $800K to buy. They had to keep looking when they learned the building required over $40K of work just to get it to pass the health inspection.

They even tried finding land so they could put a nice size shed on it and dress it up to look like a little cottage, however, the cheapest land they could find was $300K per acre. Instead of giving up, they just continued working their small business, though there wasn't enough left over to buy or lease land.

As members of the Entrepreneurs of Knoxville (EOK) group (http://eokhq.com), they were given advice on how to narrow down the scope of their project in order to focus on small steps. Wesley and Colleen thought it would be a creative idea to make a documentary and record their journey, and raise money to build the coffee house, one phase at a time. They called it; "Building a coffee house one cupcake at a time."

Colleen baked a couple batches of their signature cupcake; "Tropical Pineapple" (pictured above) and took them to an EOK presentation where they were featured in the "Hot Seat" and they pitched their idea of doing a coffee house documentary. They would sell cupcakes to raise the money to build the coffee house. The response from fellow entrepreneurs was so encouraging to Wesley and Colleen and it was the official moment they decided it wasn't so bad after all pursuing a dream without capital to work with.

Hard times in the winter:

Wesley and Colleen didn't know that work would dry up in November of 2010. It was a bitter cold winter and they didn't have much saved up. They ended up living in their car for two months. Bitterness and anger was a daily struggle for them and it wasn't until they learned to praise the Lord, even in the difficult times, that their trial ended.

In January of 2011, a friend of theirs told them about an apartment that was vacant and that they could work in exchange for some of the rent. They are in that apartment to this day. Still, no work was available so they began traveling back and forth to Maryland to work helping Colleen's sister with her estate contracts. In 2011, they spent more time in Maryland than they did in their apartment, which left little time to work on the documentary or coffee house, but at least bills were being paid.

A long awaited break:

In November of 2011, Wesley and Colleen were driving into Clinton when they saw a cute brick home for sale, and it was listed as commercial property. They turned around and pulled into the driveway. When they saw the home, they tried not to get their hopes up. It was located on Charles G. Seivers Bldv, the busiest street through Clinton. It had to be too expensive for them to get into, but they wouldn't know unless they called the number on the sign.

They were about to make another trip to Maryland but they were able to get an appointment with the manager of the property before they had to leave again. After walking inside the home and seeing the wood floors, the fireplace, the large kitchen and the huge yard, they knew it would be the right place for their coffee house theme; "A home away from home."

The owner was willing to finance the place 100% but the lease price was $1,200 per month. Without any capital to work with, they thought they would miss out on the opportunity. They asked if they could put in a proposal for the property and they negotiated back and forth and came up with $600 / month for six months. This would give them time to get the property ready to be inspected by the Anderson County Health Department, then have time to start their cupcake campaign to raise capital to pay the down payment. The owner accepted the proposal and on December 1, 2011, they signed the contract for the property.

And now, a documentary begins!

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