A second chance
Coffee business gives ex-cons a new lease on life
Starting a business isn't easy these days.
And it might be a little harder if an entrepreneur purposely seeks employees who have been recently released from prison.
Just down the road from Glen Ellyn is a company that's trying to do just that.
Danielle Gardner / Staff photographer
"My eyes were opened (to the problem)," Leonard said, relating an experience of a family member who once worked for him. Leonard's relative wound up in prison. After he paid his debt to society, he found himself virtually unemployable.
Although his relative possessed a considerable IQ and numerous job skills, he ran into roadblocks every time he tried to get a job.
"They said you cannot employ him, it's too risky," Leonard said.
So Leonard got together with two other members of his church and decided to combine their love for freshly roasted coffee with a responsibility to meet a social need.
The idea of selling freshly roasted coffee first occurred to Leonard and his partners, Dave Scavotto and Ron deVries, in 2007. The group devoted two years to formulating a business plan that would embody the Christian doctrine of "loving your neighbor as you love yourself."
The partners all agreed that a way they could live up to that doctrine was to help ex-prisoners transition back into society.
Second Chance opened its doors in June 2009 with three employees: Pete Leonard, his roastmaster, Jim, and salesperson Cindy.
The fledgling company has helped provide a transition back into a society that has changed more rapidly than the average person might suspect.
"Jim was incarcerated for eight and one-half years," Leonard said, noting that technology alone advanced at a dizzying pace during that time.
Leonard values Jim's work ethic, calling him "a fantastic employee," but stressed that the concept of a transition is central to Second Chance's mission.
"I don't expect either of them to be working here two years from now," Leonard said, pointing out that Jim has computer skills and Cindy once owned her own business.
Jim, who works one morning per week, also has a full-time job at a nearby auto dealer.
"It's (Second Chance) a part-time job that's really important to help take care of my family," he said of his wife and two children.
"It means a second chance," Cindy said, "and a way to get back into the community."
The product they produce is whole bean coffee roasted to order for individuals and companies.
"I Have a Bean," the company's initial offering, comes from coffee beans imported from all over the world, including Ethiopia, Guatemala and New Guinea.
Because Second Chance only sells coffee the same day it was roasted -- complete with the date roasted and a "enjoy by" date -- the current location will only be able to accommodate, at most, one more roasting machine.
Plans are in the works to expand to different locations throughout the United States, most likely with the help of future investors.
As for the first store, Leonard says that although it operates only two mornings per week, it's "going in the right direction," with word of mouth advertising, and Cindy's hustle, providing solid growth.
Leonard has confidence in his product, saying: "You can't get fresher coffee unless you roast it yourself."
And to prove it, he's inviting the community to an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 7.
Visitors can sample what freshly roasted coffee tastes like and come away with a sample bag of freshly roasted coffee beans.
For information, visit the Second Chance Coffee Company Web site at www.ihaveabean.com.
