Ep5: From espresso to enterprise with Bootlegger

Ricky Ruthenberg has truly taken a ground-up approach to his career. Adapting to opportunities as they present themselves is clearly a powerful skill. From waiting tables at Col’Cacchio to helping launch the first Bootlegger in Sea Point, he’s gone on to build the team that runs a national chain of nearly 100 Bootlegger restaurants.

From espresso to enterprise, this is the story of building something from nothing. Hard work, perseverance and self-belief are the ingredients in this delicious recipe.

On episode 5 of The Finance Ghost Plugged in with Capitec, Ricky talks about what it takes to grow a local brand into a national success story.

Episode 5 covers:

• The hard work required when opening a restaurant and why owner involvement is critical in the early days
• Building the Bootlegger brand and overcoming challenges along the way
• Why the group runs a mix of corporate-owned and franchise stores and how that creates opportunity
• The pros and cons of having master franchisees vs many individual franchisees
• How the retail store model helps drive brand awareness and loyalty
• How his role has evolved from cooking and closing up the first store to leading a national team as CEO
• Managing coffee price volatility and the strategies behind it
• How the Bootlegger survived COVID and thrived afterwards
• The value of Capitec as a franchise funding partner

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Bootlegger's Success Story
• (00:01:09) - Which keeps you up more at night? Strong coffee or a newborn
• (00:01:44) - Coffee Bootleg
• (00:04:29) - Bootlegger's story on becoming an Equity Partner
• (00:06:41) - Bootlegger Coffee Co.
• (00:08:28) - Bootlegger's secret to success
• (00:10:16) - Peter and Ricky Bloom on Their Early Years
• (00:12:00) - The Coffee Chain's philosophy
• (00:15:02) - Bootleggers Coffee: A National Brand
• (00:17:12) - Keurig Coffee: Going Mainstream with Retail Stores
• (00:20:09) - When I was CEO, my role changed
• (00:24:31) - How Hard Do You Work In the Morning?
• (00:24:55) - Bootlegger's hybrid franchise model
• (00:29:49) - How to start a business with multiple stores
• (00:31:47) - Input costs in the coffee business
• (00:35:46) - Bootlegger's story of survival during the Covid Pandemic
• (00:38:46) - Franchise Banking: Capitec Funding
• (00:40:38) - What Keeps You Motivated?
• (00:42:17) - Support Your Local Bootlegger