2 Dairy Farmers Have a Side Hustle Revamping a Beloved Pantry Staple — And Sales Average $40,000 a Month: ‘It Was So Simple to Start’

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Florida-based entrepreneurs Dave Temple, 55, and Ed Henderson, 64. Temple and Henderson, both working dairy farmers, started Thunder CoffeeMilk, which sells a lactose-free Australian-style canned coffee, as a side hustle. Currently, Thunder CoffeeMilk averages between $40,000 and $50,000 in monthly sales — and is expected to hit $150,000 a month by the end of this year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
Temple: I grew up in Queensland, Australia, on a small dairy farm. I moved to Florida, where I worked on another dairy farm before starting my own. When we started our side hustle, Thunder CoffeeMilk, we were actively milking cows and raising beef cattle. To this day, dairy farming continues to be a major part of our lives.

Henderson: I am part of multiple generations of dairy farmers. Growing up as a kid, I knew I was going to be a dairy farmer.  I went to the University of Florida and studied dairy science.

Starting a side hustle: Thunder CoffeeMilk

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
Temple: We first started working on Thunder CoffeeMilk on the side around eight years ago. Having grown up in Australia, where our Aussie-style iced coffee is brewed with milk, not water, I wanted to create something similar in the U.S. with my good friend and fellow dairy farmer, Ed. We were initially hoping to develop a coffeemilk using milk from our own dairy farms, but we had to pivot because of the way the product is processed. There are few facilities that produce a final product with coffee and milk together, and because the manufacturing partner for our product was so far away, it was much more economical to purchase local milk closer to them than to ship our milk all the way across the country.

Ed and I have always been passionate about dairy farming and the idea of milk as a food. We believe far too many of the ready-to-drink energy or coffee drinks are simply bad for you. We knew we could do better — and Thunder CoffeeMilk is proof.

Testing recipes for a shelf-stable product

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?
Temple: When we first started the side hustle, we literally made fresh product in Ed’s kitchen. The next step in developing the product was renting the Food Processing Innovation Center (FPIC) at Michigan State University, where we were able to bench test our recipe and run it through the process that makes it shelf-stable. This meant Ed and I would drive 15 hours each way to work on the product. We then put together a business plan and budget that was small and easily funded. Initially, it only required tens of thousands of dollars, but it has grown into something much larger.

Henderson: It’s probably a good thing that we didn’t know how much time and effort this venture would take or how little we knew about what we were trying to do. It was so simple to start. Our kitchen was our R&D lab. Questions led to more questions, which led to searching for people who could help us. As dairy farmers, probably our greatest attribute is perseverance, and the road to expertise requires making mistakes. Not that we’re experts, but we are gaining experience.   

Finding the right network to grow the side hustle

Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this side hustle? 
Temple: Being dairy farmers all our lives meant that we did not have any contacts in the processing, sales and marketing world. We initially relied on our milk co-op to help us make contacts in these different worlds. We also talked to our friends who helped market milk in the state of Florida for advice on how to enter the marketplace. 

Henderson: There are a lot of people who have knowledge they are willing to share; you just have to ask.  So, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.  Keep asking.

If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach to save you time, energy, or just a headache, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
Temple: Like all entrepreneurs starting a side hustle or going down a new avenue, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Looking back, we would’ve saved time and money if we had used a food scientist to help develop our product. Although if we had done this, it probably would not be the simple product it is today with such a clean label.

Henderson: Dave and I are production-oriented people — dairy farmers producing milk. So, producing something is in our wheelhouse. Selling something is not. We should have asked more questions sooner and pushed harder on marketing issues. We didn’t know what was missing because we didn’t even know what to look for. Additionally, we needed a confidant we could trust who was interested in helping us, not in selling themselves.

Marketing challenges in a competitive industry

When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t? 
Temple: Ready-to-drink coffee is a very competitive marketplace. Recognized brands control the space. As a result, for us to get our toe in the door, it has cost a large amount of money to effectively buy space to get our product in stores. This means negative cash flow for what seems like forever.  

Henderson: Marketing. It’s a feeling. I’m not a feeling kind of guy. It’s easy when things are black and white. That makes sense. The problem was (still is) that I didn’t know it. Finding the right person to help you in an area you don’t understand is critical, and the problem is recognizing it. For instance, if you walk into my milking parlor, you could see that cows are milking; therefore, things are working correctly. Due to my experience, I can walk in and recognize every detail and quickly see what needs to be changed to improve the operation. Having experience helps you understand how things should be operating. Without the experience, you just can’t even see what is broken.

Figuring out new recipes and shipping logistics

Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong — how did you fix it?
Temple: We have had many bumps in the road. When we ran our product for the first time through the process that makes it shelf stable, it literally became a solid, and we could not understand what had happened. We were in Michigan and spent the next two days working on a new recipe and better understanding the chemistry to allow us to move forward. 

Henderson: We did not know that the proteins in milk would coagulate when frozen. We had some friends who had Thunder CoffeeMilk in their garage through the winter in Wisconsin. Then in the spring, they took the product to an event to sell, and it was all clumpy. It took us a bit to figure it out. Now, shipping in the winter requires caution, and the boxes are labeled “do not freeze.”

Revenue continues to grow: $40,000 to $50,000 a month

How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
Temple: It has been a slow journey of gradually increasing sales. It was two to three years before the side hustle saw consistent sales. Revenue continues to grow.

Henderson: It has taken a few years to get consistent cash flow. Figuring out which stores and placements, along with the necessary support, has taken too much time. But now we are producing consistent results with stores that we can properly support.

What does growth and revenue look like now? 
Temple: We continue to see an upward trend in revenue and sales. Currently, we are selling between $40,000 and $50,000 of Thunder CoffeeMilk each month, with projections for this to triple over the next 18 months as we expand existing markets and open new ones. We are finally working out the right stores, locations and support needed for us to be successful.   

Henderson: With the side hustle’s sales hitting around $40,000 or more a month, we’re persevering with confidence, and our projected monthly revenue by 2027 is around $150,000. 

Carving out time for communication about the business

How much time do you spend working on your business on a daily, weekly or monthly basis?
Temple: Thunder CoffeeMilk is one of three businesses my wife and I own. As a result, time is precious. We dedicate the time needed each week to remain in constant contact with our sales and marketing teams. Ed and I continue to take care of the production side of the business and its challenges. If we are not attending trade shows, an average week requires 10% to 20% of my time.  We have regularly scheduled Zoom meetings with our marketing and sales teams. In addition, Ed and I talk multiple times each week to be on the same page as we work through issues and look at opportunities.  

Henderson: Dave and I are good about communicating, then we divide and conquer. We each have specific areas, vendors and suppliers that we are responsible for. Try to keep from duplicating tasks.  The time is highly variable.  Some weeks are 10%… Some weeks are 90%.

Positive feedback on a product that makes a difference

What do you enjoy most about running this business?
Temple: With all the challenges we’ve faced and the money invested, I still get great satisfaction out of seeing our product on the shelf in a store. Even more satisfaction from positive feedback from a new customer. It reinforces to me that our product has a place in today’s world.  

Henderson: Dairy farmers get frustrated with the lack of innovative dairy products in the dairy case. It brings great pleasure to see our product on the shelf and feel we’re making a difference.

What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
Temple: Plan for bumps in the road. It is never a straight line between point A and point B. You can never know everything about everything, so build relationships with good people.

Henderson: It is important to realize that it will not go as planned. But perseverance is key. So, all those mentors and support groups are communication links that will help you find the answer to solve the next problem. Someone out there knows the answer you’re looking for.