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Cashua Coffee Builds a Fresh-Roasted Community
Story by Patrick Smith
Although he didn’t begin as a coffee aficionado, Cashua Coffee owner Luke Hudson finds purpose in the grind. It gave him direction in his entrepreneurial journey, which centers on the simple idea of “real coffee for real people.” So far, the idea isn’t merely working, it’s thriving.
“We spend no money on advertising, no money on marketing, no money on packaging,” Luke says. “We’re just trying to sell good coffee and connect with people.”
The approach resonates with customers. “If you do something well, you don’t have to come up with genius ways to convince people to buy a product,” he says. “We’re transparent with what we do. Customers see the fresh-roasted coffee on display in the shop.”
From Food Trucks To Fresh Roasts
Luke’s professional life took turns prior to his coffee career, including working in restaurants and food trucks, a management position at the YMCA, and even time with a national uniform supplier during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I really respect career-oriented, 9 to 5 individuals, but I’m just not 1 of them,” Luke says. “I always knew I was an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know what or how to put that together.”
Before long, his self-employment venture included taking over Cashua Coffee, a company initially founded in 2006 and named for Cashua Drive in Florence. The business changed hands from its original owners, and when Luke took over, it was operating out of Timmonsville. “It was basically a shed behind the owner’s house with enough room for the roaster, a worktable, and not much else,” Luke says.
Today, nearly 20 years since its founding, the small-batch operation serves more than 60 wholesale clients, as well as customers through retail and online sales, from its 3,500-square-foot building on Highway 151.
“We’ve been in that building for almost 2 years now, but the actual coffee shop opened just months ago,” Luke says. “It’s a full-service coffee shop with anything you might want, right on the other side of our roasting room.”
Unlike what customers might receive from larger operations, the coffee beans Luke and his team serve are often only a few days old when they’re sold. “We roast fresh coffee every week,” he says. “Often between 1,000 to 1,500 pounds. When you go to a grocery store and grab a box of K-Cups or a breakfast blend, there’s a good chance it’s 14 to 16 months old. It’s just the way the market works.”
That freshness is part of what sets Cashua Coffee apart in a crowded field.
“We’re probably up 230% in our wholesale business compared to last year,” Luke says. “And the coffee shop gets busier every week.”
Real Connections
Customer feedback helps Cashua Coffee create a quality product that builds a following. “Working in the kitchen at a restaurant, if you make a plate, sometimes you’ll never see the customer and you never get to talk with them,” Luke says. “At the coffee shop, the customer is standing there right in front of you, and the connection that you make is so much deeper. If you need to fix something, they’re going to tell you.
“A lot of people steer away from coffee because it’s a very critical business and people are really particular about their coffee,” he adds. “But if you’re giving them a quality product, you’ll build that connection. Different from my other jobs, I think the coffee shop is something I want to do for the rest of my life, if I can.”
Community In Every Cup
Perhaps the best part of Cashua Coffee’s story is how deeply it’s been embraced by the community. Located in a rural area, the coffee shop has become more than just a pit stop for caffeine.
“I thought we’d be relying on travelers, people heading to the beach or passing through on a race weekend,” Luke says. “But we’ve been blown away by how many locals came out. And not just once—they’re coming back, over and over again.”
The shop has become a hub for people to meet, mingle, and exchange business cards or local news. Many customers refer to it as “the coffee shop at Pine Ridge,” and for Luke, that’s the ultimate compliment. It means Cashua Coffee is becoming a local staple.
Looking ahead, Luke knows the business may soon run out of space, but he’s not in a rush.
“We’re just trying to listen to the customers and build something sustainable,” he says. “At the end of the day, we want to make coffee that’s worth drinking and worth coming back for.”