Beca House Coffee Company (Beca), located in Upper Sandusky, was recently the first Wyandot County business to be awarded the JobsOhio Small Business Grant. The $50,000 grant will be used to assist the company in the expansion of its wholesale production capacity. Specifically, the grant award will be used to aid in the purchase of a new roaster and associated facility upgrades. While many know and love the products offered through Beca’s retail shop, most of the company’s sales come through business-to-business transactions. The expansion project will bolster the Beca’s critical growth in its roasted beans sold directly to other coffee shops in the NW and Central Ohio markets.
To support the expansion, Beca House Coffee will create 2 new jobs with a total associated annual payroll of over $83,000 and invest at least $100,000 further solidifying its roots in Upper Sandusky and Wyandot County.
Beca House Coffee started as a small coffee roasting business setting up at area farmers markets, and eventually moved into a permanent, rented space in downtown Upper Sandusky for 10 years. As its customers and production operations continued to grow, so did its need for more space. In 2021, Beca House purchased a former grocery store building that sat vacant for many years.
“We’ve loved growing our business right here in Upper Sandusky! This expansion gives us the opportunity to represent the community we cherish on a broader, regional scale” said Steve Jackson, proprietor of Beca House Coffee along with his wife and company owner, Heather Jackson. “A big thank you to JobsOhio for believing in our potential and supporting our journey forward.”
Beca is the first Wyandot County business to receive the JobsOhio Small Business Grant. The grant is available to small businesses that are minority-, women-, and/or veteran-owned, and must fall into one of JobsOhio’s targeted industry sectors. The Wyandot County Office of Economic Development (WCOED) worked closely with the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) and company leadership to make the grant award reality.
“The (WCOED) and its member partners are happy to be able to support the growth of Beca House Coffee,” explained WCOED Executive Director Greg Moon. “The company owners and their team members have put great effort into building Beca into what it is today and continue to keep that momentum going. We are blessed to have Beca as a steadfast member of our small business community.”
The Wyandot County Office of Economic Development (WCOED) assists existing local businesses in their profitable growth and actively works to recruit new businesses to improve the overall economic viability and quality of life in Wyandot County, Ohio.