FLOYD, Va. – Red Rooster Coffee is being recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their annual Co-100 list as one of the top 100 small businesses in the country! 10 News spoke with the owner and the staff about their journey.
“There are some customers that have been coming in since I was 14 years old. I’m 35 now and I still see the same faces coming in. They’ve been with us through this whole journey.”
Grace McCutchan, 12 year Employee, Director of Education
What began as a family-operated coffee shop above a bookstore in rural Virginia, is now officially one of the best small businesses in the country.
“My sister and brother-in-law are so ambitious, and they work so hard. I didn’t know that it was possible to achieve this award. But I knew that we would achieve awards. And we would achieve that kind of recognition.”
Grace McCutchan, 12 year Employee, Director of Education
Now, the founders of the ship attribute much of their success to their Southwest Virginia roots.
“Floyd is a really special place. Growing up here really shaped my world view, and allowed us to have the freedom to grow the business the way we wanted to. To be able to concentrate on quality, to be able to concentrate on taking care of our employees. Concentrate on the community and I don’t know if we would’ve been able to do that if we were somewhere else.”
Haden Polseno Hensley, owner of Red Rooster Coffee
The recognition from the Chamber of Commerce also acknowledges how Red Rooster treats their employees.
“I do take more pride in what I do because they care. It feels good to work here and it feels good to want to do well everyday.”
Erin Grant, barista at Red Rooster Coffee
“There’s so much value that they place on every single employee. They really really care about our livelihood and I feel that when I work here.”
Grace McCutchan, 12 year Employee, Director of Education
Fostering a caring environment for Red Rooster employees has made them both community champions, and one of the country’s top small businesses.
The company will receive $2,000 for their achievement and have a chance to be named America’s top small business. That will be announced on Wednesday evening at an awards dinner.