When a space opened up on the Main Street in Delhi, Iowa, Nancy Preussner began brainstorming what type of business the community needed. Being a coffee-lover herself, Nancy immediately had the idea of turning the space into a coffee shop. Her business idea received positive feedback from the community, so on July 6th, 2021, Nancy officially opened Roast and Toast Coffee and Wine Shop in Delhi, Iowa. 

Roast and Toast has become a popular attraction in Delhi, drawing in regular customers of all different ages. The shop is open seven days a week, serving all different types of coffee, energy drinks, and wine. Roast and Toast also has plenty of food to offer, with a display case that is full of 6-9 different baked goods per day, and soup, salad, and sandwich options for lunch. Preussner attributes a lot of the shop’s success to her wonderful staff. The shop employs several retirees and high school students, who have all been great, according to Preussner.

Aside from the great food and drinks, Preussner also places great emphasis on creating an inviting social atmosphere for all her customers. She loves seeing all the different types of people that stop in at Roast and Toast, ranging from high school students looking for energy drinks in the morning before school to groups of retirees who enjoy staying and socializing for a while. The shop also offers a meeting room space that has been put to great use by a variety of different clubs. Nancy has been pleasantly surprised by the customers who drive from different neighboring cities just to visit Roast and Toast on the weekends. Preussner says, “Roast and Toast brings the community together.”

Preussner makes it a priority to give back to the Delhi Community, making gift baskets and gift cards for different local fundraisers and nonprofit causes. Roast and Toast has also hosted a trivia night for Maquoketa Valley Schools to help raise funds for them. 

Jay Wickham of The Northeast Iowa SBDC has been a great help to Preussner and her business. Preussner says that in the beginning, she had done a lot of market research herself and knew exactly what type of coffee shop she wanted to open, but didn’t feel confident with the business aspect of things. Preussner says that Jay was a great help in the beginning, assisting her in creating a solid business plan, stating, “The SBDC helped me work backward from my goal. You know you want to make money, but you have to work backward and look at all the steps it takes to get there.”  

Preussner’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to look at what you are passionate about and then do a lot of research to create a thorough business plan. She also emphasizes the importance of not being afraid to ask questions and partnering with other like-minded local businesses. In the future, Preussner wants to maintain the inviting, social atmosphere that she has curated at Roast and Toast, as well as continue to add new and exciting food and drinks to the menu.