Ole Miss alum Heather Williams loves coffee so much that she decided to make a career of it.
Williams graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in exercise science, and after moving to Long Beach, California, for a job, she realized she’d rather be tending to people’s morning coffee routines than their sore muscles.
In 2013, after working with coffee for several years, Williams and a friend created a name, logo and Instagram for fun. It caught people’s attention, and Williams watched her hobby turn into a legitimate business.
HeartBreak Coffee was born.
“Out in California, I ran the business out of my garage,” Williams said. “Everything is so expensive out there, and since I didn’t have a storefront to sell my coffee, I decided to get the [Volkswagen] to make my business more mobile.”
After not being in Oxford for more than eight years, Williams returned last September to relocate her business.
“Getting products ready for market takes a lot of time and effort. I hand roast all my beans in small batches, and I hand-stamp and package all of my bags,” Williams said.
She decided on the name Heartbreak Coffee after the many obstacles she faced getting her company off the ground.
In an interview with the Promote Love Movement, Williams said she almost quit before she even got started.
“I was at the brink of giving up on the goal of someday owning a coffee shop, until I decided to pay homage to all of the obstacles and turn my heartbreaks into a positive change,” said Williams.
Heartbreak Coffee will be a new vendor joining many others at the Oxford Community Market, which begins its three-month season from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at the Old Armory Pavilion.
This article was submitted to The Daily Mississippian from an advanced reporting class.
