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Past Summer Venture Program Participants: Where Are They Now? (2014 Series: Part 1)

In 2013, Hans Homberger M’14 participated in the Summer Venture Program with his venture, FourthWheel Coffee. Leveraging his family’s coffee plantations in El Salvador, Homberger found a way to bring fresh coffee beans to consumers in the U.S.A. within five days of being roasted.

When he entered SVP, all Homberger had was his family’s unroasted coffee beans. He did not know who his customers were or how to reach them. Through talking to his SVP peers and with help from his advisor Mary Gale, Homberger was able to find a way to add value to his unique product and also identified distribution channels that would reach his ideal consumer.

Hans Homberger M'14, founder, FourthWheel Coffee

Hans Homberger M’14, founder, FourthWheel Coffee

Homberger is now currently working on FourthWheel Coffee full time. In addition to his online store, he is selling whole sale and is focusing on educating consumers about how to drink coffee. When asked what his takeaways were for the 2014 SVP cohort, Homberger shared that it is important to write down your goals and objectives, and be open to ideas from peers. Homberger emphasized that it is important to focus on what is really important for the business, so make sure to listen carefully to what other people say and decide if their advice is applicable to you and your business.

Meet the 2014 Summer Venture Program participants at the Summer Venture Showcase on Thursday, July 31.