This is the eighteenth article in a Vendor Profile Series intended to share the history and diversity of the Market through the stories of our vendors, as we celebrate our 25th Season. This article is written by journalist Barry Courter.
A veteran of the business universe specializing in start-ups, real estate acquisitions and valuations, Danielle Phillips had a leg up when it came time to owning her own business.
Ready to leave the corporate world, Danielle looked back over the people and businesses she'd been impressed with and landed on Lisa Dunny and her Spill the Beans coffee truck.
The timing was right as Lisa was ready to let go of the truck to focus her energies full-time on her Chattanooga Roasting Company business.
For Danielle, the decision to buy Spill the Beans in October of 2022 was about what Lisa had already built and about the opportunity for growth.
“I saw a lot of potential,” she says.
“She had built a lot of great relationships.”
Danielle says she felt like she brings a certain set of skills to the business based on her past experiences, but freely admits to being unaware of the amount of day-to-day grind it takes to run a coffee business.
“In my experience, there is always more to the story,” she says.
Danielle adds that she knew she was buying an established brand with loyal customers, and she knew Lisa would be available to show her the ropes, so to speak. But, that came with its own sets of pressures.
“I knew I had big shoes to fill with Lisa stepping away from Spill the Beans,” Danielle says.
Lisa says she started Spill the Beans as a stationary trailer parked in a gravel lot next to Coolidge Park, operating only on weekends. In 2015, she purchased a truck and transitioned the business to mobile, running both the trailer and truck for about a year.
“As the mobile truck gained popularity, I decided to sell the stationary trailer and focused solely on the mobile operation,” she says.
It became a full-time operation 2019, participating in events all around the Chattanooga area.
She says the Chattanooga Market helped connect her to her customers in ways she didn't imagine.
“When I first joined the market, I didn’t have a clear set of expectations. I knew it would be busy, but much of the experience was new and unknown. I never dreamed of the connections I would make and how invested people would become.”
“The market had a tremendous impact on Spill the Beans. As we were just starting to go mobile, the market provided an opportunity to connect with the community. Customers would approach us with invitations to events at schools, weddings, and more. The Chattanooga Market’s partnerships with venues such as Finley enabled us to serve at CFC and Mocs games. Additionally, we were involved with events like Head of the Hooch every November.
Danielle says she has tried to continue those connections.
“Having been part of the market for seven years, (Lisa) had built so many strong relationships, and I wanted to make sure I could nurture those connections while also building new ones.”
Danielle says she made it a priority to connect with her customers and to learn their favorite drinks.
“I spent those early days learning who was connected to which businesses, what their favorite drinks were, and just trying to soak it all in. There was definitely some nervous excitement, but it quickly turned into so much fun.
“Even now, I still look forward to seeing my regular vendors and customers every week— it feels like coming home.
“Her heart is with Spill the Beans and she is still my roaster,” Danielle says.
Danielle and her husband Josh Phillips own several other businesses, but coffee is her main focus. The oldest of seven, she occasionally calls on her sisters for help, and says they have expanded into two trucks, and have plans to open a brick and mortar in Chattanooga in the near future.
