Starting a Product Business: Lessons From Building an International Coffee Brand - Jason Harvey

What does it really take to start a product-based business from scratch and grow it into something that reaches international markets?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jason Harvey, founder of Common Coffee, a specialty coffee roastery based just outside Edinburgh that now supplies wholesale customers, retail consumers, and international markets including Dubai and the US.

Jason’s journey didn’t begin with a perfect business plan. It started with an events business, a chance moment at a music festival, and a willingness to follow curiosity rather than certainty.

We talk about how Common Coffee was built from the ground up, including how Jason went from refurbishing a forgotten coffee roaster in a Scottish workshop to launching at the London Coffee Festival just six weeks later.

This is a conversation about momentum, decision-making, and what really happens after you “launch” a business.

One of the biggest themes in this conversation is that building a product business takes far longer than most people expect.

Jason shares how early momentum came from action and deadlines not perfection and how real growth comes from staying consistent long after the launch moment.

We also talk about how setbacks don’t always block progress. In Jason’s case, a £35K packaging error became the unexpected catalyst for expanding into the US market.

Find Jason Here:

Website - https://commoncoffee.co.uk/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/iicommon

Instagram - @iicommon

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-harvey-a28721198/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/common-coffee/?viewAsMember=true

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@BedofRoasters

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Jason Harvey and Common Coffee

01:01 How a coffee roastery started from an unexpected opportunity

09:10 Taking a business idea from concept to launch in six weeks

11:58 Why deadlines create momentum in a startup

15:35 Building confidence through community and loyal customers

17:29 Expanding internationally through trade shows and networking

19:54 Growing wholesale and online sales together

27:49 Working with family and building the right team

35:15 Turning mistakes into opportunities

38:41 Advice for anyone thinking about starting a business

43:09 What Jason would do differently if he started again

44:51 Jason's number one piece of advice for product business owners

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