Online company is perking along

A physician turns love of java into a bubbling business.

By Tyler Chin, AMNews staff. July 25, 2005.

Making sidelines pay
Doctors who branched out beyond running their practice tell why they did it, how they did it, and what you should know before you do it. Contribute

Name: Tim Welter, MD

Specialty: Emergency medicine

Location: Waco, Texas

Business: Persnickety Tim's Coffee. The company sells gourmet coffee and biscotti online (www.persnicketytims.com).

Annual revenue: "We're profitable," Dr. Welter said. "One nice thing is that I own all the [coffee-roasting] equipment ... which really helps."

Why he started the business: Dr. Welter began roasting green coffee beans in the 1980s when he was a resident. In 1996, he and his wife, Jo, opened a drive-thru coffee shop. "It was something I really wanted to do," he said. The business did well, but the Welters closed it within a year, Dr. Welter said. "Having a retail store can take all your time and energy, and it did. It was quite stressful for our family, and that's why we closed it."