This year has shaped up to be quite remarkable for one local woman — and it includes brewing up a new business she never really planned on launching.
Megan LaBranche, a Montz resident, said her new business started with a task she was already doing every day — making coffee.
“I’ve always loved making lattes at home and experimenting with different flavors and combinations,” she said. “I’m an MRI tech, but I’ve always wanted to own a coffee business.”
After posting photos of her personal coffees on social media, LaBranche said a local mom who frequently visited the same playground as LaBranche and her son asked her to bring her a coffee.
The rest, as they say, is history.
More requests for individual coffees, as well as small catering jobs, started pouring in, and that’s when LaBranche said there was no turning back.
“I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to go all in and start my business,’” she remembers. “My husband, Chad, has been so supportive. He’s been the one who told me to start it from the beginning.”
In February, Velvet Brew was born.
“I wanted something luxury, but also homey,” she said of creating her coffee business’s name. “Velvet felt soft and smooth like espresso.”
LaBranche said the success of Velvet Brew has been due to her customers’ passion for her product.
“Word spread through social media and word of mouth … it’s actually taken me aback how quickly word of mouth works,” she said. “It’s a very simple concept that just took off. It all moved very quickly. I never expected it to take off the way it did.”
This year brought another addition to the LaBranche family — a daughter born this fall. Although she is still working as a tech, LaBranche said she will transition to working full time with Velvet Brew next month. Velvet Brew’s offerings include a full-service espresso cart, a drop-off coffee experience and individual bottle sales. A Montz pickup location currently serves customers, while a Metairie pickup location is in the works.
LaBranche works all Velvet Brew events with her husband and her mom, Stacey Jacob, and said thinking about the future of Velvet Brew still feels like a dream.
“I’d like to expand with event opportunities and provide more public pop-ups,” she said. “I just want to keep building relationships with other local businesses. Eventually … you know, maybe looking further into the future … I’d love to own my own coffee shop.”
To learn more about Velvet Brew’s offerings and ordering process, visit velvetbrewcoffeecart.square.site.
