LITTLE LAMB EARLY ACCESS IS LIVE!
Hi there. I'm Ryan Jean. I'm the owner & creator of little lamb LLC: a mobile espresso shop that will service the creative industry. Welcome to my start-up journey!
A Bit of Background
I grew up riding bikes & horses and generally running a-muck around the towns of Rhode Island. At the age of 20, I made the move to New York City to earn my degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I loved the weird and quirky creative fashion world and worked hard to land the job as assistant cafe manager at Milk Studios during my studies. The role provided me with five years of invaluable contacts, experience, and crazy-wonderful memories!
Today, I reside in sunny Los Angeles and have spent the last six years working as a production coordinator for fashion and lifestyle photo shoots. It's these years on location sets witnessing the same old coffee runs that gave me the idea for little lamb mobile espresso shop!
The Problem in the Market
Time and time again, I've seen drinks that are meant to bring a sense of joy and relief to an often chaotic set environment, fall short due to lack of available options. You see, location sets can often take crews quite far from city centers. So, by the time a crew member has driven to the cafe, ordered, waited, and driven back, the coffees themselves have despairingly melted or gone luke-warm. Creative industry professionals also have a premium standard of design and aesthetic that the current Los Angeles mobile coffee market does not satisfy. How do we fix this?
My Solution
Enter little lamb! Using a converted high top van with a design forward aesthetic, I will serve espresso and remedial tea & smoothie blends on location. Each drink will be served in a handmade ceramic mug (made by me) or an eco friendly to-go cup.
I am [very] excited to be working with an herbalist to create the best blends to solve common on-set ailments such as dehydration, exhaustion, digestive trouble, and anxiety/stress. I was also incredibly lucky to be introduced to the thoughtful humans at Unity Sourcing & Roasting, a local coffee roaster in DTLA that will provide my coffee beans. My menu of tinctures, tonics, and infusions will have a holistic approach to well being. Below I've included a sampling of my menu; a current work in progress!
The Market
Forgive me if I get a bit dry here, but I think it's important to show the potential in my market. Photo and film production is vital to the Los Angeles economy. This remains true even – and particularly – during the current pandemic. As a result, productions and production companies have been deemed essential businesses to continue operations. This shows the longevity and opportunity of little lamb as it enters the market. Below is a chart from Film LA depicting days of filming in 2019 versus 2020. While the number are predictably lower in 2020 as a result of Covid19, it still remains that there were 4,200 shoot days in the third quarter alone. Being the only premium mobile coffee shop in the market, this offers great potential for business growth.
The Pricing Scale
There are two key times for coffee: the morning rush and the afternoon pick-me-up after lunch. Below is the pricing scale for little lamb based off of hours at location and size of crew. Conservatively, little lamb will make $700 per booking.
Financing
I have been working with the Small Business Administration for a start up loan through the Community Advantage Program. This program helps entrepreneurs in underserved markets, such as women. I am currently in need of a 20% injection of my total loan, so I am reaching out for help from you: my family, friends, and the creative community.
Giving Back
One of the best parts about being a business owner, to me, is the platform I get to help others. In that light, 20% of all funds raised for and from little lamb will be donated to Save the Children, a charity that actively believes every child deserves a future.
Thank You
It's already been a wild and awesome ride, and I'm excited to continue this journey with you all. I'll be posting updates here as well as on my instagram @thisislittlelamb and my Kickstarter at (link coming soon!)
Thank you for your support and time; I'll see you on the road soon!