Our Newest Coffee House: The Broken Mug in Columbus, Nebraska

Please join us in welcoming The Broken Mug to the Crimson Cup community of independent coffee shops, cafés and bakeries. The shop at 2800 22nd St. in Columbus, Nebraska opened inside the newly renovated 1C Church building in April and held its grand opening on August 22.

“We’re excited to welcome Owners Mandy & Todd Tuls and their team to the Crimson Cup community,” said Greg Ubert, founder and president. “Training entrepreneurs to run their own independent coffee houses is a central part of our success as a coffee roaster and coffee shop franchise alternative.”

The Tuls, who are 1C Church members, named the The Broken Mug after a Bible verse from the book of Psalms that says God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. One unique aspect of their new venture is that once operating expenses and staff salaries are paid, any extra revenue from sales will go back to the church.

Their new shop serves a full menu of hot, iced and frozen espresso drinks – including mochas, lattes and cappuccinos – as well as iced coffee and tea, cold-brewed coffee, hot chocolate, fruit smoothies and other custom drinks. The menu also includes Crimson Cup’s Nitro cold brew, which is infused with nitrogen gas and dispensed through a tap to produce a frothy beverage with the texture of a fine milk stout. Ice cream and pastries round out the offerings.

The couple learned how to open a coffee shop through our 7 Steps to Success coffee shop franchise alternative program, which is based on Greg’s Book, 7 Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry.

“As a coffee roaster and coffee shop franchise alternative, Crimson Cup believes that our company only succeeds when our customers do,” Greg said. “As a result, we support coffee shop owners at every step – from scouting a great location and writing a coffee shop business plan to choosing equipment, hiring staff and providing comprehensive training and marketing support.”

Crimson Cup consultants guide new coffee shop owners in development of a coffee shop business plan and assist with site evaluation, on-site training, marketing materials, menu ideas and much more. “Our services are designed to help reduce costs, increase profits and eliminate potential headaches,” Greg said.

He added that, unlike coffee shop franchises, Crimson Cup does not charge franchise fees or royalties or lock customers into long-term contracts. “We earn our customers’ business every day through the quality of our coffee and coffee house supplies, comprehensive training, marketing materials and ongoing consultation,” he said.

A lifelong coffee lover, Mandy Tuls wanted to have a business with a great atmosphere and lots of customer interactions.  The couple originally discovered Crimson Cup several years ago while considering opening a coffee house in an old Long John Silver’s building.

“We decided the building and all the work it would need were not a good fit at that time, but our dream of opening a coffee shop didn’t end with that hiccup,” said Todd. “We picked Crimson Cup because of the lack of franchise fees. We were thoroughly convinced after having read the 7 Steps to Success book and having sampled the product.”

Kudos to Todd and Mandy and their team on a successful grand opening! We look forward to helping them grow in the months and years to come.

To keep up with happenings at The Broken Mug, follow their Facebook page.