November 17 , 2016 The SEGway News Page 3
November 17 , 2016 The SEGway News Page 3
Personality Eric Blosser : Coffee and ministry entrepreneur
This week we ’ d love to introduce you to a local entrepreneur who has decided to build his community in South East Grant County .
Eric Blosser is originally from Goshen , Indiana , but spent the past 11 years in Ohio before arriving in Upland . The experiences that Eric had in this time have woven together beautifully to shape and influence his goals and passions today .
One thing that Eric remembers about growing up is that he did not like school , “ I always struggled academically while dealing with ADHD — the traditional school systems just didn ’ t fit well with me ”. After painfully making his way up through high school , he agreed to try out one year of college , concluding quickly that it was not the right place for him .
This crossroads gave Eric a chance to change the direction of his life a bit , and he would agree that his next decision was “ a life changing experience ”. Eric asked his older brother if he could spend some time just living life with , and being mentored by , him . Looking back he still is so grateful for the way his brother welcomed him completely into his life — opening up his home , work , beliefs , and even new marriage for Eric to see .
For a year , Eric lived with his brother in Upland during a very transitional and shaping gap year . What was most impactful for him during this time was to have the chance to observe and learn alongside someone who was imperfectly , albeit passionately pursuing the faith he also desired — having the opportunity to see past any “ church façade ” to the ups and downs of a life driven by a value .
One way that Eric ’ s brother challenged him was to get involved and live actively in his community . “ I wasn ’ t allowed to just show up at church , I needed to either get involved in what was already happening , or
start something on my own . He helped me to learn how to invest in people and get away from any isolation mentality ”.
After this year with his brother , Eric worked with a Character and Leadership Development Program called the Navigators , and
eventually did go on to pursue a college education at Wright State University . During his college years , he worked at Starbucks and built an extensive understanding of coffee . This brought him into working on and fixing coffee equipment , where he met his current business partner in his Coffee Business — Rooted Grounds .
Rooted Grounds was begun in December of 2015 . Their niche is in high-end coffee for commercial settings . Their goal is to “ be rooted in the communities they serve by providing locally roasted , caliber , coffee-house coffee ”. “ We want the dollars that we make and spend to be going back into our own community ,” Eric explained . Their coffee is proudly brewed locally in both large scale gatherings , and small businesses including Taylor University , 12th Street Café and Retro Diner of Muncie , and The Bridge Café .
If you have the chance to meet Eric now , you may just see some connecting ties from his influential gap year , to the incredible business and ministry plans he is developing now in Upland . Eric is working on building a ministry called Anchor 41 . His mission is to create a program for young men to take a gap year directly following high-school graduation . He wants to invite students to experience the life-changing opportunity he had .
The program will house 4 students at a time as they walk through a season of living , working , and discovering together . One vital aspect in Eric ’ s mind is to provide a location for reallife learning and serving , and he hopes to manifest this in building a garage into the ministry space . This garage will be used to develop mechanic skills in these students so that they will have the chance to use their abilities to fix vehicles at reduced rates for those in need . Eric shared that his plan is to support the ministry with income from Rooted Grounds , “ I am passionate about great coffee , and it seems like a great fit to help supplement the program ”.
So what is Eric up to in Grant County these days ? Well , while working as an Eastbrook Wrestling coach and continuing Rooted Grounds , Eric has also has been renovating the old Wandering Wheels building in anticipation of Anchor 41 ’ s groundbreaking , potentially this coming spring !
If you would like to get in touch with Eric to hear more of his story , he would love for you to reach out at eric @ rgcoffee . com .
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