Meet Christine. As the founder of Soul Spire Caf\u00e9, Christine blends her lifelong love of coffee with a deep desire to build community. Her vision is to build a creative hub in Cabarrus County where creatives, artists, makers and musicians can come together over a perfectly brewed cup.<\/p>\n
Raised in Brooklyn in a tight-knit Italian family, Christine\u2019s connection to coffee began early.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone would come over for coffee, and when I turned twelve, I was finally allowed to have some,\u201d she laughed. \u201cFrom then on, I was making it, serving it and experimenting with all kinds of blends. I\u2019ve been obsessed ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coffee fueled her successful career as a corporate consultant in learning design and technical project management, and it continues to inspire her entrepreneurial journey. When she moved from New York to North Carolina, eventually settling in Concord, she found herself owning a small business and selling at vendor fairs and events.<\/p>\n
Christine was drawn to the growing creative community and recognized that coffee was fueling other makers around her, who were also staying up late at night building their products and working on their craft. This was when she started exploring the idea of starting her own coffee business.<\/p>\n
It all began with small-batch roasting at home, giving her blends as Christmas gifts, and later selling them at local markets. When the pandemic hit, her passion project took on new meaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery gathering I\u2019ve ever had revolved around coffee,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to share that experience again, especially when people were craving connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the fall of 2024, Christine applied for the Retail Lab Boot Camp, a six-week business accelerator hosted at the Cabarrus Center and powered by the Rowan-Cabarrus Small Business Center and the Flywheel Foundation. The program helps early-stage and pre-launch retail-based entrepreneurs refine their business models, build brands and connect with mentors and peers. However, right before the boot camp began, she had to leave the program due to a loss in her family. She applied again in the spring of 2025 and was thrilled to be accepted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main reason I wanted to join Retail Lab was for the community,\u201d Christine said. \u201cI wanted to find out what doing business in Cabarrus or Rowan County really looked like and to see what others were doing. It opened my eyes to how much support there is for small businesses here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her experience in the program not only connected her with other entrepreneurs but also reshaped her business strategy. Originally planning to open a physical caf\u00e9, Christine realized the rising costs of real estate made it smarter to focus first on growing her wholesale and white-label coffee business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was floored that I won a grant,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter the boot camp, I shifted gears into wholesale. I stockpiled green coffee before prices went up, which gave me a great start. Now I\u2019m selling to smaller coffee shops that don\u2019t roast their own beans or want to white label.\u201d<\/p>\n
That pivot has paid off. Soul Spire Caf\u00e9 now operates profitably through wholesale and online sales, allowing Christine to reinvest in the business while planning for her ultimate goal: opening her physical caf\u00e9 by fall 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Retail Lab gave me a perspective I couldn\u2019t get anywhere else for free,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the information, it\u2019s the people. There\u2019s something special about being together in person and building that community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christine says the experience was a stark contrast to what she was used to. \u201cWhere I\u2019m from, everything is red tape and nonsense,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was none of that. It was the nicest group of people I\u2019ve ever dealt with in any part of the Charlotte region.\u201d<\/p>\n
With her passion for coffee and connection fueling the journey, Soul Spire Caf\u00e9 is already bringing creativity and caffeine to life in the community.<\/p>\n