The Seton Hall Consulting Group partnered with Kaitlyn Brown, a Seton Hall alumna who graduated in 2006, on a new startup for a decaf coffee business called Savorista.
Brown said she initially was most interested in social impact work, as she worked for a nonprofit organization after graduating with a degree in diplomacy. She later joined the Peace Corps, traveling to Burkina Faso to help farmers build a cooperative business.
It was at this time that Brown said she “realized there is a lot of good things in business that has a positive impact in the world” and later earned her master’s degree in business at the University of Michigan in 2014.
Brown said she had been an avid coffee drinker since high school, but eventually had to give up caffeine. “I gave up caffeine, but I missed coffee,” Brown said. “However, I did not like the decaf options that were in the market.”
Brown said thus, she decided she would tackle the decaf challenge by launching her own decaf coffee business, Savorista, in 2018. She said her goal was to reach an overlooked market of people who want amazing coffee minus the caffeine.
Prior to deciding on which coffee would be the right fit, Brown said after doing market research, she went on a four-month-long global “decaf quest” where she traveled to different countries where different coffees are grown.
“Savorista only sells coffee that we are super excited to drink,” she said.
“Coffee that is high quality and with a great taste – something that tasted like really special coffee, so much so that people would be surprised when they find out they’re drinking decaf.”
Brown then partnered with the Seton Hall Consulting Group, describing the experience as mutually beneficial.
“Working with the Consulting Group has been great for us as we have been able to continue building the business in a way that serves the customers,” she said. “We had the spirit of making working with the Consulting Group an amazing experience for every student on the team. We are so excited to collaborate with different Seton Hall students.”
Christopher Fedorczyk, a senior information technology management, finance and philosophy major, serves as the group leader on the Consulting Group’s project with Savorista.
“Savorista being a fresh, new startup, there are still a lot of unknowns which offers a very exciting opportunity for the Seton Hall team to help identify these unknowns,” Fedorczyk said. “Two main areas the Seton Hall team will be working on is identifying the target markets and the best channels to reach the customers.”
Fedorczyk said working with Savorista taught him the dynamic of executing client expectations, managerial oversight and how deadlines work in the real world.
“I am really excited to assist Kait and her mission to spread joy and Shockingly Great Decaf,” he said. “Working with a team to execute client expectation will allow me to get a great sense of management once I work in the field full time.”
Analisa Espino, a sophomore mathematics major, enjoys working in a team to help a SHU alumna.
She said, “Kait is very hard-working and I’m grateful to be able to learn from her and her business.”
Elise Kerim can be reached at elise.kerim@student.shu.edu.
