Launch Mid Valley Coffee Club for Entrepreneurs Went on the Road This Summer in McMinnville
Sep 16, 2026
Three stops. Six local businesses.
A summer of conversations about the realities of entrepreneurship.
This summer, Launch Mid Valley’s McMinnville Coffee Club for Entrepreneurs traded its usual meeting room at Chemeketa Yamhill Valley Campus for a road trip through the local business community.
The Summer Road Trip Series offered entrepreneurs, business owners and community partners an opportunity to step inside local businesses, meet the people behind them and hear candid stories about starting, growing and adapting a business.
From a new café and an entrepreneurial business hub to a market making a strategic pivot, an emerging consumer brand, a boutique hotel under construction and a growing specialty coffee company, the three stops demonstrated just how varied the entrepreneurial journey can be.
July: Century Café & The Bohemian
The series began July 21 at Century Café, located inside The Bohemian Building on First Street. Owner Eric Ladouceur has been growing his entrepreneurial and community building footprint in McMinnville, taking on Tommy’s Bicycle Shop in 2020, expanding its rental and repair offerings, and then bringing Century Café to life after three years of planning and build-out.
The businesses are intentionally connected, creating a natural handshake between cycling and coffee. Century Café gives riders a place to grab coffee before a ride, while Tommy’s Bicycle provides rentals, repairs, and the cycling experience that can bring people back through the door. Looking ahead, Eric also sees opportunities to host tours and create additional ways for visitors and locals to experience the businesses together.
The combination offered Coffee Club participants a look at how entrepreneurs can build on an existing business, identify complimentary opportunities, and create connections between ventures rather than treating each business as an island.
The Bohemian has become home to a variety of small businesses and entrepreneurs, including several Launch Mid Valley alumni. Its collection of ventures—from Mac Clay to Cascade Movement Center and Radical Rubies to Gold Hand Signs, Tommy’s Bicycle Rentals and Fractal Bar—offers an interesting example of how entrepreneurs can share a space while contributing to a broader business ecosystem.
The conversation at Century Café focused on the realities of launching a new venture, building community and creating a destination that compliments the businesses around it.
August: Village Provisions & Free Wild She
In August, Coffee Club moved to Village Provisions, bringing participants together for conversation and a closer look at two very different entrepreneurial journeys.
Village Provisions with mother/daughter duo Julie and Alaina have built a distinctive neighborhood market around quality ingredients, local products and community. During the gathering, the owners also shared an important business pivot. They are planning to sell the market's products and inventory and lease the space to a compatible business, allowing them to shift their focus toward their nutrition consultation practice, under founder Julie Shivley, BS, DEM, MS.
Their story offered an important reminder that entrepreneurship isn't always about expansion. Sometimes the right next step is to reassess, refocus and reshape a business around where an owner's interests and opportunities are headed.
The morning also featured Free Wild She Tea & Bitters, a local consumer brand creating botanical teas, bitters and other wellness-inspired products. Owner, Shandrea Frew offered a glimpse into what it looks like to grow a product-based company while navigating the many operational details that come with moving from an entrepreneurial idea toward a scalable business.
That growth includes building a team. Free Wild She is currently working with a Level Up intern through Unidos Bridging Community and is looking ahead to adding a Production Manager as the business continues to develop.
At the same time, the company is navigating the practical realities of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketplace, including product labeling and UPC requirements. As product information increasingly moves toward QR-code-enabled solutions, even the details behind the packaging can become important considerations for a growing CPG business.
For entrepreneurs building a physical product, growth means much more than creating something people want to buy. It can involve developing production systems, building a team, managing packaging and labeling requirements, finding distribution opportunities and figuring out how to grow without losing sight of the product and purpose that started it all.
September: Piquette Hotel & Summon Coffee
The final stop on September 15 brought Coffee Club to the Northeast Gateway Craft District on Alpine Avenue for a look at two businesses at very different stages of development.
At the construction site for the anticipated 17-room Piquette Hotel, owner Tim Wade shared the vision and entrepreneurial journey behind the project. Participants learned more about what it takes to bring a boutique hotel from concept to construction, including the importance of financial stacking and partnerships with local organizations such as First Federal and working with R&H Construction.
The project also reflects an entrepreneurial investment in McMinnville and a community-minded approach to creating a new destination.
Nextdoor, Summon Coffee owner Matthew Anderson shared the story behind his coffee business and roastery expansion. Participants heard about building a specialty coffee company in McMinnville and some of the external pressures affecting small businesses, including the impact of tariffs on costs and supply chains. Be sure to visit the cafe on Baker adjacent to Bad Dog Bakery.
The morning offered a fitting conclusion to the series: two entrepreneurs pursuing very different ideas, each navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with turning an idea into a sustainable business.
Supporting the People Behind the Businesses
While the three stops showcased very different businesses, a common theme emerged: entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line.
Businesses launch, evolve, pivot and grow. Entrepreneurs encounter regulations, financing challenges, changing costs, customer demands and decisions about where to invest their time and energy. Having access to peers, resources and people who understand those challenges can make a meaningful difference.
That's the purpose behind Launch Mid Valley's Coffee Club for Entrepreneurs. The monthly gathering provides a place for startups and small-business owners to ask questions, share experiences, exchange resources and learn from one another in a casual, supportive environment.
Launch Mid Valley supports startups and small businesses throughout Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties through programs and resources offered through the Mid-Willamette Valley Regional Innovation Hub, funded in part by Business Oregon.
Are you an entrepreneur or know one, please complete our LMV Entrepreneurs Intake Form to get connected!
MEDP is proud to help bring that entrepreneurial community together in McMinnville, alongside Launch Mid Valley Regional Innovation Hub partners including the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center, McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce, Linfield University Launch Lab, SEDCOR and Yamhill County Economic Development.
A special thank you goes to Century Café and The Bohemian, Village Provisions and Free Wild She, and Piquette Hotel and Summon Coffee for opening their doors, sharing their stories and giving Coffee Club participants a behind-the-scenes look at entrepreneurship in action.
After a summer on the road, LMV - McMinnville Coffee Club for Entrepreneurs returns to Chemeketa Yamhill Valley Campus on October 20, continuing its monthly opportunity for entrepreneurs and small-business owners to connect, tackle challenges and discover what's next. Find this event and more at LaunchMidValley.org/events.
Because supporting entrepreneurship isn't just about supporting new businesses. It's about supporting the people willing to build something, adapt when circumstances change and keep moving their ideas forward.
