vlog

NOWCAST vlog News at Noon Weekdays
Live Now
Advertisement

'I'm so proud of him': High school student starts his own coffee company and brand
Kelly Eckerman
KMBC 9 News Anchor
'I'm so proud of him': High school student starts his own coffee company and brand
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL IS MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF. KEY:LL HE IS 16 YEARS DOL AND ALREADY OWNS HIS OWN BUSINESS. THEN CLOUD HAD TO FIND A NICHE IN THE CROWDED COFEFE MARKET, SO HIS SPECIALTY IS EXOTIC FLOWERS -- FLAVORS, LEIK BALI BLUE. BEN SAYS HE FOLLOWED HIS PASSION. >> NEVER LET YOUR AGE COME BETWEEN ANYTHING YOU CAN DO. YOU CAN THEORETICALLY DO ANYTHING YOU WANT. >> GREAT IDEAS ARE KDIN OF A DIME A DOZEN. BUT FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THINGS ARE DIFFICU.LT HE IS A TESTAMENT THAT YOU CAN DO THAT. KEY:LL HE SAYS ONLINE SALES ARE
Advertisement
'I'm so proud of him': High school student starts his own coffee company and brand
Kelly Eckerman
KMBC 9 News Anchor
At the Brickhouse Coffee Shop, inside Shawnee Mission North High School in Shawnee, Kansas, they only serve one brand of coffee; Clouds Coffee, a brand and local company that started just three months ago.The company's owner, president and CEO is only 16-years-old.He's young, but Ben Cloud has done his homework.“I choose different blends, different single origins from different parts of across the world like Bali, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico,” Cloud said. Cloud says he had to find a niche if he was going into the crowded coffee market. Exotic coffee is his specialty.“My favorite is Bali Blue. That is a single-origin coffee grown on an active volcano in Bali Indonesia,” Cloud said. He loaded up on business classes and spends his free time doing research. His passion is obvious to his teachers, including his business teacher Cody Fothergill.“He's worked tirelessly, and so I'm so proud of him. I'm also really proud of his tenacity. He just keeps going,” Fothergill said. Ben admits he had a little trouble getting some people to take him seriously. That isn’t a problem now. “The business is going great. Online Sales are doing amazing. And I just closed a couple of retail deals,” Could said. He's left a lasting impression at Shawnee Mission North.“Great ideas are kind of a dime a dozen, but actually following through with things is much much more difficult, but he's a testament that you can do that as a high school student without a problem,” Fothergill said.
SHAWNEE, Kan. —

At the Brickhouse Coffee Shop, inside Shawnee Mission North High School in Shawnee, Kansas, they only serve one brand of coffee; Clouds Coffee, a brand and local company that started just three months ago.

Advertisement

The company's owner, president and CEO is only 16-years-old.

He's young, but Ben Cloud has done his homework.

“I choose different blends, different single origins from different parts of across the world like Bali, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico,” Cloud said.

Cloud says he had to find a niche if he was going into the crowded coffee market. Exotic coffee is his specialty.

“My favorite is Bali Blue. That is a single-origin coffee grown on an active volcano in Bali Indonesia,” Cloud said.

He loaded up on business classes and spends his free time doing research. His passion is obvious to his teachers, including his business teacher Cody Fothergill.

“He's worked tirelessly, and so I'm so proud of him. I'm also really proud of his tenacity. He just keeps going,” Fothergill said.

Ben admits he had a little trouble getting some people to take him seriously. That isn’t a problem now.

“The business is going great. Online Sales are doing amazing. And I just closed a couple of retail deals,” Could said.

He's left a lasting impression at Shawnee Mission North.

“Great ideas are kind of a dime a dozen, but actually following through with things is much much more difficult, but he's a testament that you can do that as a high school student without a problem,” Fothergill said.