Hi friends, Jean Valentino. Welcome back to another episode of Gene Valentino’s Grassroots Truth Cast. We cover it all

here. And today I couldn’t resist. I was uh sipping my coffee with my Grassroots Truth Mcast mug, which you can ask for.

Um and um uh I had the privilege of meeting a gentleman from South Florida,

Central Florida. And um uh he got to talking with me about what he was into,

an entrepreneurial uh kind of guy with a uh very uh Horatio

Alger American gospel to success way of life. Here’s a entrepreneur

who is what I’d call part of the Gen Z crowd. His name is uh Michael Patella.

Welcome aboard, Michael.

Glad to be here. Thanks for having me on, Jean. Well, Michael, we’re going to talk with the folks today with you about

um uh the Rags to Rich’s story of success, what hard work brings people um

the American dream and why I’m so proud to have you on as part of the Gen Z generation that’s also looking at the

opportunities that uh life brings, America brings specifically, and uh what

it is that made you so successful with this new product you’re uh brewing and distributing

called corporate menace. We’re going to discuss the coffee business and how that can be one of the rewards. An

entrepreneurial success story unto itself right after this.

Hi, this is Michael Patella, co-founder of Corporate Menace Coffee Co. Coffee for closers. Enjoy another episode of Gene Valentino’s Grassroots Truth Cast.

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Zuran at the Eddie Xarin Insurance Agency. www.zarin insurance.com.

Give him a call today. You’ll be glad you did when you do. Welcome back to Grassroots Truthcast. We’re here with

Michael Patella, Corporate Menace Coffee. Michael, jump right into it.

Talk to me about the product and then I have a range of discussion questions to ask you about where you came from, where you are now, and where you’re going.

What’s with this? I’m drinking uh Sunday Scaries, the whole bean coffee, which I just ground down in my grassroots truth cast coffee mug, which you guys can get.

You go prove to me you bought a bag of u of corporate menace and I’m gonna send you a coffee mug from Grassroots. Go

ahead, take it away, Michael. Tell them what you’ve got.

Yeah. Well, again, thanks Jean for having me on today. Really excited to be here. Uh we are coffee for closers.

That’s the easiest way to put it. So, Corporate Menace Coffee Co. Coffee for closers.

Coffee for closers. Yeah. Those who take charge and close the meeting. Close the deal. Sell the Sell the deal. win at the end of the day. That’s who we are.

Coffee for closers. So, that’s the simplest way to put it. But really, it’s all specialty grade coffee made to help business people and really anyone who

works a job get through their day. And that’s what we’re doing with uh not just Sunday scaries, but our whole line of products.

The whole line of products is uh in the ar arena of coffee. But um what what got you down this path? Why why coffee?

Yeah, it’s a great question, Gan.

Really, coffee stemmed from my personal love of coffee was the the general kick into this business. Uh, but really, we

saw a gap in the market for coffee directed at the people who are drinking it most, which are people in corporate America, people working a job. If you

really think about it, Gan, you start your day, and I’m sure we’ve talked about this, so I know how you start your day. It’s with a cup of coffee myself as well. Uh, and we’re not alone on that.

It’s really every the every man who’s going to work in the morning and grabbing a cup of coffee on their way.

Now, currently, I think they’re just going to what’s out there, right? We have some home brewers who are like you and I. We have the few that are going to

a drive-thru, but there was nothing targeted directly for those who want great coffee to help them get through

their their day. And so, that’s where the idealate menace came from. And that’s that’s the whole tongue and cheek of the brand is is directed towards

corporate America and and poking fun at it too. And that’s that’s where we’ll get into the names of our coffee and our marketing efforts and how we’ve targeted that.

I overheard you talking about part of this and you use terms like no fillers, no middle of the road blends. Uh

you really kind of emphasize this was the real thing. Does this sub does this replace Starbucks?

Yeah, I mean, Jean, I will stay here. I have not gone to a retail chain for coffee in quite some time. Uh, our

coffee is just better, and I can say that completely biased, but I will say it because we are specialty coffee. So,

what that means, and you alluded to it before, with no fillers, nothing in the blend, that’s one of the metrics that we’re tested on to ensure that we are

approved as specialty coffee. So, it’s the top of the line. And the real kicker and the real difference is we’re coffee made for our customer specifically. When

you go to a retail chain, you’re getting coffee that was farmed and brewed and roasted, not brewed, sorry, farmed and roasted, could be months ago. So, it

takes it it tastes stale. there could be contaminants in the coffee. With ours, you’re roasted to order. So, as soon as you click buy on our site, it’s made in

a small batch, roasted, and shipped free to your house. So, it’s the freshest coffee you can get. So, long story short, yes, we are we are the

replacement for those retail coffee chains. Okay, I think you answered my question.

you know, uh, I teach an entrepreneurial class at the local college and, um, one of the key issues of success to me is

that you compete in business by differentiating. So, uh, don’t tell me how you’re like one of the other six coffee shops going up and down the

street. Tell me what makes you different. Tell me what distinguishes you. I think you I think you just did no

fluff, no burnout, after taste. Um, I get the feeling it’s just a specialty.

Great. I have a sense right now as I’m drinking it of a very capturing aroma.

No uh no frills. I drink it black. I want to I want to taste the real thing without the sugar and the creamers and the fufu that you put in the darn thing.

They ruin the coffee.

But the good cup of coffee is a black cup of coffee that’s brewed right. And um I So is that how you compete?

Yeah, I the reason that we’re competing and and so successful at it is because our customers can taste the difference.

It’s because we are like I said roasted to order. So what that means when you go on our site and you click buy, we don’t have wareh warehouse stock. We don’t

have any coffee that we’re keeping in a warehouse. It’s all being brewed once our customer clicks purchase. So that’s our biggest differentiator. And then on

top of that, we decided that our customers are working hard enough. We’re targeting those business folk, those who are grinding, those who are reaching for

success. And so, we’re not going to charge them for shipping. They work hard enough. So, free shipping, roasted to order, specialty coffee for closers.

That’s how we differentiate.

This is very interesting. No, no. What I’d call farms or middlemen. It’s the real thing that’s coming straight to the user. And how do they get your coffee?

How do they reach you? Sure. You can reach us at www.corporatemenace.com.

That’s how you get all of our coffee right now. We have nine different blends currently all on our site. Single origin blends, decaf flavored coffee. We have

something for everybody, but the common denominator is it’s the freshest coffee you can get.

What got you into this business, Michael? There’s a lot of Jenzers your age. I trust you’re a Jenzer, but the

fact of the matter is uh there’s a lot of businesses you could be involved in right now. Uh what made you pick this?

Yeah, it’s a great question. I Yeah, you are correct. I am a Jenzier uh ripe age of 25 and I was thrust into the

corporate world. I think a similar story to a lot of Jenzers who are around my age. Graduated college with a degree,

went into corporate America and started working. And uh same thing with my business partner. We we both work corporate jobs. I’m in corporate consulting. He’s in corporate marketing.

And we sat there and just thought, hey, we want a better coffee experience. We want to have our own company that we can

really build this community of not just genzers, not just those starting their corporate career, but those looking back

on the good old days and come together through a cup of coffee. And that’s what started this this business idea.

So you’re picking your own bean and you’re obviously selecting selecting from where which farms it’s coming from.

And um I presume there’s a process of roasting and curing that goes on before packaging and before distribution.

Sure. Sure. So we do have farms across the globe. So what we did, we realized

that myself as a, you know, 25-year-old corporate consultant and my partner as a 28-year-old marketing strategist, uh, we

don’t know how to roast coffee ourselves. So the biggest thing in business that I learned from mentor a very long time ago was find people to

support your strengths. And that is one of the biggest things that stuck with me from a mentor of mine. So we did a lot of market research on the roasters out

there that we could partner with. and we interviewed roasters and finally landed on one that we felt comfortable with that had over 20 years of experience is

FDA certified um and so we worked with them to gain access to their roasting process. So we found the farms across

the globe that we liked the taste of and there is different tastes of beans from different farms in different regions of

the world and we spent about a good year maybe year and a half gene really building this business from the ground

up. This was not just a we found a roster slap our label on it and call it a day. This was a lot of strategy

meetings and a lot of business planning that went into this. So, I didn’t really answer your question. Long story short, I I go off on tangents, gene. You’ll have to you’ll have to reel me back in.

Uh but we do have farms across the globe that we then roast and then ship out nationally.

Okay. So, uh it’s not like you’re just throwing bulk together and then repackaging it under a clever name. It

really is um a a quality control vetting that’s going on here to create the image and the brand that you want to get out to the marketplace.

Yes. And me and my co-founders are the focus group because again we’re we are our target market. That’s what we’re going after. So whenever we try out a

new coffee like we just had uh out of office come out. It’s our summer blend.

And before we picked that, it’s from Kenya, but we tried out beans from Kenya, Tanzania, Guatemala. We really

wanted to find a floral summer tasting blend. So that’s how we do it. It’s not just, hey, let’s throw out of office coffee together. It’s we want coffee that’s tried, trude, and tested.

Well, there you go. There’s the there’s the competitive edge. There’s the unique advantage in a world where there’s a lot of players making and delivering coffee.

You know, I just had pan to have some of your product right here. I’ve got the ground version. It’s also the Sunday

scaries. I’ve got the morning hustle, which is um uh uh what’s That’s our breakfast blend.

The morning hustle. The breakfast blend. Extra caffeinated. Yep.

And what’s this say here? Vice president of D disruption.

Yeah. So, so what you have there, Gene, those are our sample packs. So, whenever we go out to a festival or a food fair,

uh, or really just want to show our coffee to someone new, we give out those packs. So, those actually cannot be purchased on our site. Those are special. And what we thought would be

really funny was if those packets were our business cards. So, on each of those packets, you’ll notice a different title. So for morning hustle, I think

it’s vice president of disruption or for quieting, vice president of retiring.

Um, so that that’s just a little fun tongue and cheek we have with that.

Here’s the other one. Sweet success, president of relaxation, French vanilla medium roast. And then the final one, I have the the disruptor.

Woohoo. Uh, vice president of corporate chaos. Corporate chaos. Yep.

Okay. Well, you okay? So, you know, you compete by differentiating. I’m getting the message. But, uh, behind me in the

distance, you can see my espresso machine with the grinder. It just got loaded up with the beans this morning.

And, uh, we ground up a whole bunch of it with myself and guests that are off on the sidelines here that, uh, were are

watching your show. Uh folks, we’re with uh Michael Patella and his partner is

Nathan Wilson. Together, they’re partners in an entity called Corporate Menace. A very clever name uh in the um

uh in the coffee business, for lack of a better term. They created a brand that actually speaks the language of winners,

they say. Uh, no fluff, no burnout culture or glamorization. Just specialty

coffee that’s roasted to order and build for those who refuse to coast along. I

love your language, man. It’s um I’m turbocharged before I finish the cup in the morning anyway. So, this is this is

my cup of tea, if I dare use if I dare use the analogy, the metaphor. Um, and so let’s continue with this conversation. Where do you go from here?

You’ve got the product, you’ve got a great brand and a marketing concept.

What happens now, uh, Michael, what do we where are you going with this?

That’s a great question, Gene. The one thing that we knew when we started this company was we had to grow. And we knew that we wanted to grow by diversifying

our business. So, the real start is coffee. And that’s that’s what we’re going to continue to work on. it’s not going to go away. Uh, but as you’ve seen

from the coffee names and the the few marketing callouts that you’ve mentioned so far is this brand is really sure of

who it is. So, what we know is beyond coffee, we’ll get into tea because that’s just, you know, we I will say

there are people who drink tea and I don’t want to discriminate against tea drinkers in the future, but for now we are just a coffee company. So, that’s the future. We’re going to get into

ready to drink. Right now we’re beans, grounds, uh, and pod packs, which you can use in your Kurig machines. And then

beyond that, we’re going to get into, uh, merchandise. We’ve had a lot of people, and this was surprising to us at the start, a lot of people have been

asking for merchandise. You’ll see here, this is a limited edition, meaning I have one of the only mugs that we have, but Corporate Menace mugs and Corporate

Menace t-shirts and apparels and things that you could wear because we want people to drink our coffee, but we want them to be feel like they’re part of the

movement. We want you to wake up and feel like you’re a corporate menace. And what better way to do that than than having it shown through your mugs, mouse

mouse pads, collared shirts, and whatever else we get into in the future.

So that’s the that’s the one three or fiveyear plan at the moment.

And one of the things I notice that is happening and I would say the deviation from old day marketing has occurred more

prominently in the last 10 years. That’s the idea that you need not worry about going to a specific retailer and seeking space from uh him on his retail shelf.

you’ve got a world of internet and Amazon folks that are ready to help you distribute this product. So, I presume

that when you’re marketing this, it’s as much as an online effort whether you reach Amazon or not, but it’s truly it’s

truly an online effort that you’re able to um uh explore and expand within. How

many products today, Michael, are expanding within the internet and never get to a retail store down the street?

So many. And it’s really become the trend since everyone hates to say it, but since 2020 when everything went

online, there’s been a boom in in retail through the internet and through e-commerce. So, the biggest thing too

about our brand is that roastto order model. If we were to go sit on the shelf of Publix or Walmart, Target, whatever

it might be, we’re going to lose out on that roast to order freshness that makes us so unique. So, all right. Now, now time out. Time out.

Just let let’s explore that because there’s that’s a key point of distinction. What do you mean when you say roast to order?

Sure. So, roast to order is the model that Corporate Menace Coffee Co.

operates on. And what it means is when you go onto our site corporatemen.com and you select your brand or your blend

or your coffee, we’re going to once you hit checkout, sorry, that’s that’s a key point. You have to hit checkout first.

Uh we’re not just roasting orders on presumption, but that’s again the differentiator. So once you hit checkout, we are going to make a note in

our system on the back end and have your coffee roasted within one to three days of you hitting checkout. And then within

5 to seven days thereafter, your coffee is then sent to you and it’s all roasted in small batches. So this is very

quality controlled coffee roasted just for you.

Uh it eliminates an awful lot of overhead that many um retailers are experiencing and some are shutting down

as a result of it. Um I’ll pick on one only because they’ve they’ve had their glory and they’ve had their day and it’s

Starbucks. uh the overhead cost of a retail operation for them is outrageous when you consider what’s been going on

in the marketplace. Even some of the ro uh the the delivery uh the companies with the delivery process through retail

stores has um has waned. It’s it’s gotten old and tired. And I think today everyone is more I wouldn’t have

believed it 20 years ago, but today everyone’s what’s the deal? just get online and order it. Exactly.

I guess that’s that’s what you’re doing.

Yes. And it goes back to again the persona of our buyers. A lot of them are young corporate Americans and they’re

working not just the 40hour a week especially in the industries that we’re seeing the most success in like banking, investments, um finance. They’re working more like 8 to 10 maybe 12 hours a day.

So, if we can eliminate a grocery store run for something as simple as your coffee, then we’re successful.

It sounds like you’re selling coffee as a closer.

We are we are tried and true here at Corporate Medicine. I think I think um you know you’ve got the keys to the vault and you’re um and you’re working

hard to bring bring a great new product with a great new image and a great new taste to the to the public for

consumption. Uh I’d like to thank your dad who I know is working behind the scenes on a lot of this U. Matt Patella.

Matt has uh obviously been your uh anchor and your strength and uh some of the things that are needed to inspire

you and uh Nathan uh in your journey getting to market. So, you know, it it’s um

you got a good team around you is what I’m trying to say. And I’m I’m I’m glad to be sipping your coffee.

Thank you. Yeah. So happy that my dad could be a part of this journey as well.

When Nathan and I were sitting there brainstorming our business plan, we knew that it would take a lot more than just our few years of expertise. So, we

tapped into my dad who was a corporate executive and been living this lifestyle for the longest time and he was able to give us immense amount of pointers and direction and even open up a new market.

I said it earlier where coffee mainly for those who are young entering their career but also for those wanting to

relive the the good old days. Uh and we noticed a lot a a whole new submarket within our coffee uh for those who are

maybe in their mid to late career stages and want good coffee as well and and

resonate with our brand if not for currently than for the days where they were in our shoes.

You know, just listening to you talk, I think back to some other people who’ve uh I’d call them rags to riches stories.

I think of a guy by the name of Mike Lindell, my pillow. He’s uh he started off with selling the darn pillows, but

it went into slippers and robes and bolster pillows and then in a whole array of products and food stuffs and um

uh oh my, there was all kinds of things and I guess he had a line of coffee, but it’s a small part and it’s not specialized the way yours is. But

nonetheless, to his credit, he has diversified into so many niches. Um, I I

I see such great opportunity for you in the same way of being able to expand your footprint. But I do agree as a an

economist, as an entrepreneur myself, stay targeted with one first, grow it to its satisfaction, and then from the

margins of profit, skim off the top of those profits uh the capital necessary

to divert into other um uh channels uh in your distribution system.

Yes, we have we have very big dreams here and uh not just hearing myself talk but if you get the chance to sit down with my partner Nathan or even my dad uh

you’ll hear we we are antsy and that’s one thing. So it’s it’s very important and we learned this this is not the first business that that me and Nathan

have and that’s that’s sort of part of our journey journey too.

Uh I think this is our sixth attempt at a at a business and this is the one we’ve seen the most success with. But we’ve taken little nuggets from each

business we’ve created and one of the best ad learning experience we had was focus on something what you just said focus on one and then expand to others

once you’ve had true success because uh a lot of businesses nowadays and I will say one of my favorite shows is Shark Tank. So maybe that’s why I’ve uh I’ve

picked up on a few things. But I watch this I I see new businesses to market and just talking to my my friends in my

network. So many people want to do everything from the start. And the worst thing that you can do is everything. You

need to have focus at first and then expand because that’s in the cards for us too is the expansion beyond. Right?

We’ve talked about just a few things. Uh there’s much more ideas we’ll we’ll get into at the five plus year mark and beyond, but our main focus right now is coffee foreclosers.

You know, you’re talking like a high performance performer, but it is a high performance coffee meant for high

performance people. I hope people find you. What’s your website and how do they order online? Yes, www.corporatemenace.com.

You can search on our blends for any of our products and simply find the ones that fit your needs and your lifestyle

best. Hit order and it’ll be shipped free to your house after we roast it to order. Corporate Menis founder Mike Patella.

Michael, funny closing comments.

Uh, stay bold, stay stay excited, and make sure you drink corporate menace.

Well, that’s an easy thing to do. I’m I’m waiting for you to give me I’m I’m waiting for you to stress me out with something I can’t handle. Uh this is a

real treat and I thank you for sharing your product with us today. Um uh I really wish you the very best, your team

the best. And folks, if by any chance you you have a break in the communication, you can always reach genevalentino.com.

Reach us as well. subscribe if you would please uh for this episode and hundreds of others and uh we’ll get you a coffee

mug and we’ll also make sure you reach Michael Patella of of uh Corporate

Menace Coffee. Uh uh Michael, I’m so excited about this because you remind me of me when I was your age launching a

new product and a new business and uh I’m inspired for you because I smell the aroma of great success coming your way.

Thank you, Gene. Hopefully, we have a fraction of your success then and we will be thrilled. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to come on your show today and talk and uh thank your audience today for listening.

And thank you Michael very much. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us as well on another episode of Gene

Valentino’s Grassroots Truth Cast. See you soon. Relationships matter because people buy people and that’s why I buy

Eddie Xarin Insurance of the Xarin Insurance Agency in Pensacola, Florida.

a family-owned business with over 50 years in the business. And they treat people the right way. From homeowners insurance to contractor’s insurance,

condo insurance, commercial insurance, all the different coverages that are out there, and of course, auto insurance.

They’ve got you covered. They worry about you first. You’re more than a policy number. You’re a person who

they’re watching out for, not when the sun is shining, but after the hurricane has left. If you want real service with

real savings, contact Eddie Zerin at the Eddie Xarin Insurance Agency. www.zarin insurance.com.

Give them a call today. You’ll be glad you did when you do.