Kadet Coffee 2 just invested in popping pearls, a fruit filled “bubble” added to the delicious slushies served in the media center at Air Academy High School during (B2 – B4 / S2 – S4) class periods. The founder of KC2, Ms. Lindsay Bornhofen, remarked that the business was once making slushies out of a blender, and that this is a huge step for the student-run enterprise. KC2, she said, has a long way to go, but it’s improving steadily, though the start-up process has been long, time consuming, and costly.
“It’s been a little over a year in the making. KC2 came about because our business program grew so much that we needed another shop for students to get work-based learning,” Bornhofen explained.
FBLA and DECA are two of the biggest business affiliated clubs at Air Academy, not only in size, but in influence. The student-run coffee shops in both the media center and Room 302 are what set AAHS apart from other public schools in District 20.
I think [Kadet Coffee] really prepares our kids for the workforce,” athletic director, Kali Maxwell said.
Kadet Coffee 2 is an ongoing fundraiser for FBLA, similar to Kadet Coffee, DECA’s fundraiser for invitational, travel, and new opportunities. Bornhofen explained that these businesses not only supported the two growing business programs, but also supported the culture of Air Academy by providing hands-on learning opportunities to prepare students for a possible future in the workforce.
Bornhofen said she hoped to see some profits going to support the business programs, specifically FBLA, the smaller of the two programs. She said her hope was for KC2 to financially support students at state and international competitions.
The development for this idea, however, has been delayed on multiple occasions. Issues in contracting have been the biggest culprit, along with awaiting approval through the district, broken machinery, and plumbing issues.
“That was really hard for us, but we overcame it,” DECA officer and manager of Kadet Coffee, Ramah Kammash said.
“KC2’s startup process actually started around mid last year. We just had tables, we sold pre packaged drinks, and there wasn’t even a built structure. It was super DIY,” Kammash mentioned, reflecting on the last semester of her sophomore year.
“At first KC2 was really slow financially. We were selling three or four drinks a period on a really good day, but it all changed when we got the popping boba. That was really big, and now we’re hitting about a hundred drinks per day minimum. I think financially, we’re not exactly where we need to be, but we’re on our way up,” she said.
At the end of the school year, Kammash and Bornhofen see KC2 breaking even. Selling over a hundred slushies a day, the business is finally starting to make a profit. However, with the many operating expenses — from cups, to slushy mix, to straws — KC2 still has a way to go.
“At the end of the school year I would love to have a full menu of items so that we can have multiple students working in the coffee shop during each class, and multiple student managers,” Bornhofen mentioned.
“And I would love to see us decorated, like having a theme. Right now we don’t have the money to do that extra stuff,” she explained.
The business is planning on investing in tapioca boba as well as popping boba, which it seems, will greatly increase its customer base and provide a well rounded menu for students to choose from. With boba being such a lucrative market for teenagers, KC2 is hoping to see some significant growth in sales soon.
