5 minute read
More than Coffee
University of Mary alum keeps his community caffeinated and connected.
For Brian Jackson, ’10, it’s about more than coffee. “It’s about connection,” he said, sitting at a table at his roastery, with the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans in the air. Jackson is the owner of Mighty Missouri Coffee Co., a roastery and coffee shop based in Bismarck. He grew up in Hazen, North Dakota, not far from the shores of Lake Sakakawea. “I love all the adventure, the North Dakota scenery. I’m at the lake every chance I get,” he said.
When Jackson graduated from the University of Mary with a degree in communications, he started a job in marketing. But in the back of his mind, he had a dream about building a brand around his love for adventure and the Missouri River. Slowly the pieces started to come together, and all he needed was the product.
Coffee was the perfect fit.
“I’ve always liked coffee, but I didn’t exactly know much about it. Once I learned more about coffee, from the growing process to the roasting and the brewing, it was hard not to love,” he said.
From there, Jackson took a deep dive into starting his business, learning everything he could about coffee. Some things came naturally, like the creative side. He thanks his professors for that, especially Jerry Anderson. “What I learned in Jerry Anderson’s design class gave me the confidence to do things, like build my logo. That’s what I really love doing, and that was the initial step into business,” Jackson said.
Anderson speaks highly of Jackson as a student and said he could tell right away Jackson was motivated and would do well. Jackson took two classes from Anderson away Jackson was motivated and would do well. Jackson took two classes from Anderson during his time at Mary, Photography and Layout and Design. “He’s a likeable, smart person, but he’s also really open and honest,” Anderson said. While the creative side came easily, some other aspects of business took Jackson a little more time to learn. “I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” Jackson said. “I had a lot of confidence in my brand, but once I got into starting a food manufacturing plant, I didn’t know much. At that point, I really appreciated the unique relationship I had with so many Mary professors. Even though I had graduated, I could still call, and they were quick to help or tell me who to talk to.” Jackson credits this close, personal relationship with his professors to the small class sizes at Mary. “I knew they cared about me and were interested in what I was doing. That’s such a key thing, because when you start something from scratch, it’s such a solitary experience. It’s so lonely. But I knew that they cared, and I knew that they’d continue to mentor me and foster that relationship,” he said. Anderson was one of the professors who was there for him from the start. “When he was getting started, he bounced some ideas past me,” said Anderson. “When he put up his first website, he brought some product to my house, and we took pictures to populate his website. “I was happy to do it. He was a good student trying to do something interesting, something risky,” said Anderson, who also served as the University of Mary’s campus photographer for over 30 years until his retirement in early September 2020. “I’d describe Brian as a polymath, which is a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning,” continued Anderson. “He learned how to roast coffee, created the brand, and researched solutions to make it ethical and environmentally friendly. He takes on problems and learns how to solve them himself.” Since its humble beginnings, Mighty Missouri Coffee Co. has expanded to roast coffee for many affiliate shops, retail sales at grocery stores, and opened a storefront in the Bismarck YMCA. “We’ve created a mission statement that we’re not only providing coffee, we’re providing an experience that cultivates life-affirming customer experiences,” said Jackson. “That’s the thing that helps me sleep at night, the thing that I am working toward and investing all my time and energy in – helping people.” Jackson’s grateful for the people who helped him along the way. It’s been eight years since he started Mighty Missouri Coffee Co. “If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t think I’d make it this long,” Jackson admits. “That was the intent, I was committed, but I really didn’t think I’d make it this far.” But the people who know him aren’t surprised by his success. “Brian would have succeeded in whatever he decided to do,” Anderson said. “He could have done anything, but I think it’s a testament that he went into something he’s passionate about, something he could create.” Jackson and his team continue to be innovative as they encounter new challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. “We tried to do some creative things. We had an ordering section on the website where people could buy coffee for Sanford staff. The coffee bag tin ties that fold the coffee bag down work for facemasks. We donated 9,000 of those to people who were making facemasks,” said Jackson. Jackson is thankful for the support of the Bismarck-Mandan community to help them make it through. “We did what we could, and the number one thing was caring for our team,” Jackson said. “From day one, it’s been a faith experiment for me. Certainly, the business hasn’t grown from what I’ve done on my own.”
Finally, the question that has to be asked: how does Brian Jackson drink his coffee? He smiled as he answered the question. “I like a single-origin pour-over coffee because of all of the details and flavors. That exemplifies what coffee is capable of and what I really enjoy – to just experience a cup of coffee.”
Brian Jackson and Jerry Anderson formed a special friendship while Jackson was a student in Anderson’s class, which still continues to this day. They still catch up and share ideas over a warm drink.
