He’s the boots on the ground - wheeling, dealing, and making things happen to expand our in-store footprint. He's light-hearted, fun-loving, and an all-around great guy to have on our team. He pays the bills while helping to find ways to give them back to others. Meet the man on a mission and our sales guru - Pat Mahoney.
How did you get into this business? Why coffee?
I got into the business randomly, as Matt and I were in the same friend circle. I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur but didn't have a product to sell. Matt had the product and I had the willingness to sell. I started out in 2016 showing up at stores, unannounced, asking if we could sell our product there. At the time I started, we were in 3 stores but now we are in over 95 and growing.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Lone Rock, WI. and attended River Valley High School. River Valley is a consolidated district of four main towns consisting of Arena, Plain, Lone Rock, and Spring Green. My dad owned a bar when I was growing up called OD Bucks which was named after my brother. OD is his nickname. We bought the bar when I was five in 1977. The family lived up above the bar. We eventually moved out when I was 15 years old (1987). Living there, witnessing how hard my dad worked and his love of owning his own business really ignited and cultivated my entrepreneurial spirit. When Matt approached me, I jumped at the chance to be a co-owner of Brewhaha.
What is your favorite Brewhaha flavor?
All of our flavors are great but if I had to pick just one it would be Good Sumatran. But a close second is Wicked Snow Day.
How do you like your coffee?
I prefer my coffee black. However, my wife likes me to drink bulletproof coffee, high-fat coffee, and then I like to add a little honey. Yet, I do like my coffee black –Sorry babe!
What is your favorite place to drink coffee?
My favorite place to drink coffee is in our sunroom. I love grabbing a cup of Good Sumatran and sitting on the couch with my wife talking about the past week and planning future family events. Below is me with my oldest son Cole. We are at the American Family Golf tournament held at University Ridge in Madison. Brewhaha donated 90 twelve ounce bags of coffee to the tournament. Each player received one in their welcome gift bag.
What are some things you enjoy doing outside of coffee roasting?
I guess people who know me would say my family, my community, coaching, teaching and golfing, in no particular order, are what is important to me and how I spend my time.
In June, I turned 50 and celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary to my lovely wife. We have three kids, two boys and girl, and I’d say I’m a pretty involved parent. When my boys were younger, I coached all their youth sports which included football, wrestling, and baseball. Even now, I continue to watch my boys, now grown up, play baseball on the Plain A’s, which is a local adult league called Home Talent. I’m still involved since I manage the team, I guess some things never change. My daughter is 8 years younger than my youngest boy and when she was born, I stepped away from teaching to be a stay-at-home parent. I have to say it has been one of the most rewarding times of my life and I know my family was fortunate to have that option available to us.
As I mentioned, wrestling been pretty important to me for most of my life. In high school, I was a decently successful wrestler. In my junior year, our team won the Division II (then Class B) Wisconsin State Championship and I placed 2nd individually. In my senior year, I placed 5th individually and went on to wrestle at a D3 college for three years. Those years in high school and college, wrestling with some amazing guys and dedicated coaches, taught me the value of hardwork and perseverance. The tremendous amount of time of these coaches gave kept me focused all those years. The best way I know how to honor them is by giving others the same opportunities I had and that means paying it forward with my time and talent. So, when I moved back to Spring Green after college, I immediately started volunteering with the high school wrestling team. Over the next 22 years, I held several roles ultimately serving as the head wrestling coach for River Valley High School. We had some great successes with a state qualifying team and many wrestlers going on to be state champions. Overall, being a coach has its own unique type of rewards and I was privileged to be a part of a successful program.
I didn’t start my career in teaching instead I graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1995 with a degree in finance. My first job out of college was in banking but after two years, I decided to switch careers. It meant going back to school to get a master's degree in business education at UW-Whitewater. My first year of teaching was the 1999-2000 school year in Dodgeville, WI. I taught Business Education for 5 years in Dodgeville and was an Alternative Education teacher for 5 years in River Valley. I then was a stay-at-home dad until my daughter entered kindergarten. After that I decided to get back into education as a substitute teacher. Eight years later, I continue to be a sub-teacher at River Valley.
What is your favorite part of being a small business owner?
My favorite part of owning Brewhaha is hearing about the people who enjoy our great coffee. Satisfying customers is the greatest thing ever and as a small business we make customer satisfaction our highest priority. It has been amazing watching the company grow beyond its humble beginnings in a shed at Matt’s house. We really have only scratched the surface of what we can do and I look forward to expanding into new markets growing in the future; therefore look for Brewhaha in a grocery store near you.
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