When they closed on a company called Leap Coffee Roasters on leap day on a leap year in 2016, co-owners Eric and Kari Starkey knew it was meant to be. They kept the name; it was, after all, a leap of faith. A husband-and-wife team, they actually met for the first time at a coffee shop in the early 90s just blocks away from where they now work together. Kari introduced Eric to really good coffee—and he was hooked!
Leap Coffee imports green coffee beans from all over the world. Their certified organic coffee as well as teas are available in local grocery stores, cafes, local retail, local farmer’s markets, online, and they also white label for one of the biggest local coffee chains in the city.
Both wearing many hats, Eric serves as Head Roaster, Head of Accounting, and anything else that needs doing, and Kari manages sales, marketing and customer relations.
Armed with caffeine, they start their day at 4:30 AM with their normal routine—checking deliveries, logistics and orders. Later in the day, they’re finishing up with the next day’s fulfillments, returning customer calls and emails, and mapping out deliveries.
Working in a roastery is physically taxing— so Leap looks to hire part-time workers, the majority of whom spend the rest of their time in the arts. This is intentional; Leap Coffee’s central mission is to create a culture to help artists thrive with community and coffee. They also partner with local artists for each coffee blend’s release, with portions of each sale going to the artist, showcase art in their roastery, and host concerts and art shows. The result is lots of color, lots of community, and lots of coffee.
Most of their staff have passions other than coffee, but owners Eric and Kari make up for that tenfold. Coming from backgrounds in the arts and theatre, they understand how to empower artists to do good work and follow their dreams at the same time by offering steady, dependable work and benefits.
We started looking for health benefits during COVID as part of a commitment we had made to our team to take care of everyone. There was so much volatility then and the HRA provided security for our employees.
In a difficult hiring market, Leap understood that they needed benefits to recruit and retain the specialized workers that they train to roast and distribute their coffee. Too small to offer a traditional group plan, they started looking for a solution that would work for their company and budget during the pandemic. The Qualified Small Employer HRA checked all the boxes.
As they evaluated different HRA providers, Take Command stood out about the rest.
The thing that attracted us the most about Take Command’s platform was that it was so easy to get people on it and we were signed up that day. It was a no brainer
Leap set up their HRA to reimburse for premiums and medical expenses. Set up was same day service and time spent administering the HRA plan is only minutes each month.
It’s one less thing for us to think about and it’s a way we can provide a benefit to our employees that places more value in the position. It helps us hire great people and once we hire great people they want to stay because this is a benefit that not a lot of companies offer.
One of the biggest benefits for Take Command for us is that we get to offer our employees a benefit that a big company would offer.
Eric adds, “If I could tell other small business owners one thing about HRAs is that it’s worth it. It’s too easy not to do it.”
All new to the concept of QSEHRA, their employees have had nothing but good things to say as well. They choose the health plan of their choice and can submit receipts for reimbursement if they have a medical bill or a copay or a prescription.
This all felt more real when we saw how much these benefits helped one of our employees who had totaled her brand-new car. Thankfully she was okay, but then she started having neck pain and needed physical therapy. Medical bills started piling up. Leap was able to reimburse her for them through our HRA and help alleviate that burden.
We are hoping to grow in the coming year. As we scale and as we grow bigger, we’ll need more staff. To do that, we need something that makes their lives easier, and a Take Command benefit is definitely one of the stars of our benefits package. It’s often the difference between surviving and thrivin.
They’re developing their tea program—the blacks, greens, oolongs and herbals are coming soon!
Who we are as a company is because of who works for us. Our employees are representatives of the brand and the face of Leap. We want to make sure they’re taken care of.
Their mission is to make delicious coffee and provide a community where art is not only appreciated but supported.
At Leap, we believe in paying fair prices for amazing coffee. It brings us tremendous joy to know by us doing our small part, we're helping ensure & promote sustainable agriculture, fair wages & humane rights for workers, which in turn is leading to a happier, healthier and more prosperous planet for all of us.
We believe in prioritizing people, values and ethics over profit. When we “Leap It Forward," we inspire a kinder, more compassionate and creative world. We believe in finding active ways to encourage others to live with passion and intention, to show them that they are seen, heard and valued.
“Leaping It Forward” shares the unshakable trust that any action launched from the well-spring of empathy, compassion and loving kindness is worth it. And ALWAYS graces the giver as well as the receiver. We truly appreciate all that you are and all of the ways in which you express your unique gifts in the world.