Randy Almay leading a seminar
What better way to spend a morning than hanging out at an O’Henry’s Coffee Shop with the owners Randy and Mary Adamy discussing fair trade and direct trade coffees? I met an amazing couple whose Christian and business vision is evident in the success of their coffee houses and wholesale coffee business.
Randy and Mary understand business as mission. They are practicing it everyday. In the process of exploring some possible partnering related to our common mission, I heard a little of their journey and I’ve asked Randy to share their story.
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Is your business a Christian business or are you a Christian in business? Perhaps both?
Whether you own a business or work for a business, this question needs to be answered. Responses vary beyond the simple yes or no.
I am currently in the retail and wholesale specialty coffee business. We have 5 retail stores under the name O’Henry’s Coffees and a small coffee roasting facility. We roast for our retail stores and other coffee retailers in the Southeast. That said, let’s go back a few decades.
I grew up in a “Christian household”. That term should have just one meaning, but most of us would agree it has many. I went to a church camp the summer I was 15 and was saved. In college I majored in Business with a specialty in Hospitality Management. A foodservice career of twenty some years ensued. I was a low-grade Christian most of these years in non-Christian businesses.
At 44 years of age God presented me with an opportunity to purchase a small business; O’Henry’s Coffees. It was a vast leap from the executive suite to roasting small batches of coffee beans. Knowing that God says he will equip us, He put Dr. Henry Bright smack in the middle of my path. Dr. Bright founded O’Henry’s in 1993. He, too, had taken a mighty leap. Henry was a highly regarded orthodontist who sold his practice to open a coffeehouse. This was Birmingham, AL in the early 90’s when no one here knew of Starbucks. Henry agreed to work with me for one year. It is worth noting that 11 years later, he still does.
My wife (Mary) came on board full time about 5 months after the purchase date of April 1, 1999. Yes, April Fools’ Day. One thing we learned quickly was that there was no one to delegate to unless you were looking in a mirror. Roast the coffee beans? Check. Do the accounting? Check. Go to the bank? Check. Clean the toilets? Check.
Dr. Bright was a Christian in name and deeds. He would not let us sink. He was the teacher/mentor/cheerleader. Is this not what we are to do in life? When most people sell a business they run away from it as fast as they can. Not Henry. We opened our 5th retail store about a year ago. Who do you think installed the espresso machine? Henry. He has no financial interest in the company, but his heart remains. I equate it to being a grandparent; “I care that my grandson has a dirty diaper, but you get to change it”.
We have people approach us wanting to open a Christian coffeehouse. Names like Jehova Java come to mind. We generally discourage that course of action. Why would you open a coffeehouse to reach primarily Christians? You’ll get a lot more people in the door who need to hear the Gospel if you don’t have a neon cross above it. The Great Commission has many more opportunities outside our church doors than within them.
In November of 1993 Dr. Bright opened a business owned and operated by Christians with sound, biblical business practices. It has been a subtle outreach for almost 17 years. O’Henry’s now serves about 400,000 customers a year.
Thanks, Henry.
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To learn more about business as mission I recommend Missional Entrepreneur by Mark Russell. Mark has gained tremendous international understanding in his time living and working in Russia, Chile, and Germany, and in his extensive travel to more than 70 countries to carry out a variety of business, educational, humanitarian, and religious projects. Mark has been published in more than 50 academic and popular level publications.
