“From our first conversation, Pursuit has been there to help. We won’t even consider working with anyone else,” says Charles Wilkin, who owns 2 Queens Coffee with his husband, Martin Higgins. 2 Queens offers fresh-roasted coffees, teas, and local honey that they produce and sell online, through wholesale and corporate accounts, and from their fabulous riverfront café in Narrowsburg, NY.
Here’s how Charles and Martin secured financing from Pursuit to scale their business, strengthen their community, and infuse their industry with high-quality products offered with loads of style and love.
Pivoting passion into a full-fledged business
After purchasing a home in Narrowsburg in 2005, Charles dove into a beekeeping and honey-making hobby and Martin reignited a passion for roasting fresh coffee – a skill he’d honed years before – when Charles gifted him a small roaster.
“At first, we made coffee and honey for fun,” Charles explains. “Then, we decided to sell at a local farmers market. Clearly, we clicked with the community, because we sold out every week.”
They made a permanent move to Narrowsburg in 2010 and decided to go all in on their budding business in 2019, with a goal of “celebrating love, beauty, and community in every cup.” They describe their products as infused with care for everyone from the bees that produce their honey and the farmers who grow their beans and teas – they only source from farms that support fair pay and countries that support human and LGBTQ+ rights – to the people of Narrowsburg and the visitors who stop by on country drives.
Success leads to scaling challenges
When entrepreneurs consistently offer great products and services, an engaging and authentic brand, and community support, loyal customers follow – and that success can bring challenges. For years, Charles and Martin had operated 2 Queens out of an 800-square-foot building but as demand and revenue lines expanded, they began to outgrow that space.
Martin says, “Along with farmers markets, we sold online, but our little roaster couldn’t produce enough beans and we couldn’t keep up. We did a Kickstarter campaign to buy a bigger roaster – and even with that, our coffees were sold out after an hour at the markets.”
Fortunately for 2 Queens and their fans, Charles and Martin met Sam Kendall at the Mid-Hudson/Catskills Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at SUNY New Paltz.
“Although we’d both run successful service-based businesses before, this was our first product-based venture and we had a lot to learn about financials, cost of goods, margins – all the things that can make-or-break a business like ours,” Charles admits. “We worked with Sam for almost a year and he helped us focus our passion and ideas to create a solid business plan and financial projections that made sense and prepared us for the loan process.”
Sam also recommended Pursuit as a potential lender.
After exploring options, 2 Queens chose Pursuit
“We had conversations with a few banks but because we’d gone all-in on our business, our financials looked less appealing and they couldn’t offer terms that would support reinvestment,” Martin explains. Then, they connected with Pursuit VP and Senior Business Development Officer Orlando Callegari.
“Pursuit’s approach was totally different and so refreshing,” Charles adds. “Orlando met with us, checked out our space, and heard our plans. Then, he and the Pursuit team got to work.” At that time, they used financing from an SBA Microloan and Pursuit SmartLoan to secure, equip, and furnish a new café, while they continued roasting at the previous location.
“We leased our dream space on Main Street, with river views and seating for about 30 people. Pursuit helped to make that a reality,” Charles says. “The loan process was much easier than we expected and we felt like more than just another account – we felt like Orlando and Pursuit really cared. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.”
They opened the new café in June 2024. Between that and roasting operations, 2 Queens has about six employees year-round, with additional staff during the busier summer season.
Leveraging new opportunities takes additional financing
Soon, another great opportunity arose: 2 Queens was selected to provide coffees to Goldman Sachs in a program that helped support small coffee purveyors.
“We had this amazing opportunity but it meant producing a lot more beans – and if we couldn’t, we’d have to turn it down,” Martin says. The time came for investment in a commercial roaster and again, they turned to Pursuit.
“Orlando and Pursuit came through, offering a line of credit so we could purchase the roaster, beans, and packaging in much larger quantities. It was a huge success, too,” Charles says. “We’ve already received three more opportunities thanks to that program and securing large corporate clients is a revenue line that we can build.”
Orlando adds, “Charles and Martin were ideal borrowers to work with. They were prepared with the financial statements, tax returns, and other documents that Pursuit needed to process their loan request. As a business lender, it’s very gratifying to know our loans assisted in their growth, too, from a small shop in 2022 to a larger facility today.”
Connecting with entrepreneurs and experts: Business Advisory Services
Along with financing, Charles and Martin received support from Pursuit’s Business Advisory Services (BAS). After meeting with Pursuit VP and Senior Business Strategist Malini Krishna, Charles and Martin joined a BAS cohort with other entrepreneurs in a range of industries.
“We learned so much from connecting with other small business owners and experts,” Charles says. “You never know who has the answer or connection you need – or when you can be that for someone else.”
“Working with 2 Queens Coffee has been a joy,” Malini adds. “Charles and Martin jumped into Pursuit’s ‘Path to Profitability’ accelerator program with curiosity and hustle, using every tool and resource to strengthen their financial knowledge and grow smarter.”
She continues, saying, “Their commitment to community building is genuinely inspiring – sharing what they learn, elevating fellow LGBTQ+ business owners like Little Loaf Bakeshop, and proudly expressing their values through action. I recently brought my family to the café and we were all impressed. The coffee and pastries were delicious, and the warm, welcoming atmosphere made us feel right at home. Under Charles and Martin’s leadership, 2 Queens Coffee is more than a business—it’s a community space where everyone feels seen, celebrated, and welcome.”
You’ve got ideas, skills, and passion. Pursuit has financing and more.
“We’ve worked hard to build 2 Queens into the business and brand of our dreams and we couldn’t have done all this without the SBDC and Pursuit. We were undercapitalized for years and didn’t understand how important working capital was for growth. Now, we know we truly have a partner in Pursuit,” Charles says.
Pursuit is a leading small business lender serving businesses across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, and Delaware. We offer loans and a line of credit for working capital, commercial real estate, equipment, and much more. We’ve helped thousands of small business owners get the funding they need to achieve their goals and we can help you, too.