From Bird Food to 15–18 Million Pounds of Coffee a Year | Brad Gutwein, Copper Moon Coffee

On today's show I sat down with Brad Gutwein, co-founder and CEO of Copper Moon Coffee in Lafayette, Indiana.

Brad remembers starting his career after Purdue by joining his family's feed mill business, where he and his brothers grew Morning Song Wild Bird Food from a small regional operation into a major national supplier for retailers like Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, Target, and others, ultimately selling the company to Scotts Miracle-Gro in 2005.

Inspired by parallels between blending bird seed and coffee, Brad and his brother, Cary, purchased Copper Moon Coffee in 2007 from a Marsh Foods-related entity and shifted it from convenience/office channels toward premium retail branding. After early struggles in a highly competitive category, moving to a new Lafayette facility in 2013 enabled upgraded equipment and K-cup production, helping scale to roughly 15–18 million pounds annually and 150–160 employees, with strong growth via Amazon, club, and grocery channels.

If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.

You are going to learn about:

- The Gutwein Family Feed Mill and Morning Song Wild Bird Food's Growth and Sale to Scotts Miracle-Gro

- The Shift of Copper Moon Coffee to Premium Retail Branding

- How Copper Moon Coffee Scaled to 15–18 Million Pounds Annually

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