How Fresh Cup Grew Its Newsletter 45% in One Year | Garrett Oden | Send & Grow 2.0 Ep. 6

What does it take to revive a decades-old publication, grow its newsletter by 45%, and turn a niche audience into a sustainable media business?

In this episode of the Send & Grow Podcast, Hunter Kallay sits down with Garrett Oden, owner and publisher of Fresh Cup (https://freshcup.com/join-the-newsletter/), a media brand serving the coffee industry. Garrett shares how he brought Fresh Cup back to life in 2022 and transformed it into a growing business with newsletters, resources, courses, and services for coffee professionals.

They dive into the challenges of monetizing a niche publication, why going deep and staying human matters more than ever in the age of AI, and how Fresh Cup is building revenue streams beyond sponsorships—including Roaster Link, a matchmaking service connecting coffee roasters with potential wholesale customers.

Garrett also breaks down the strategies behind Fresh Cup’s newsletter growth, from engaging social media carousels to targeted Meta ads, and shares his hot take on why coffee businesses shouldn’t feel guilty about doing what it takes to make money.

00:10-01:19 – Introduction: Garrett Oden of Fresh Cup
01:19-02:58 – Garrett’s go-to coffee order
02:58-05:31 – Ranking the biggest coffee chains
05:31-07:59 – Garrett’s favorite coffee shops around the world
07:59-09:43 – How Garrett became a coffee marketing consultant
09:43-11:32 – Why Garrett brought Fresh Cup back to life
11:32-13:02 – The challenges of relaunching a legacy publication
13:02-14:31 – Why monetizing a niche media brand is difficult
14:31-15:40 – Fresh Cup’s sponsorships and welcome box
15:40-17:21 – How to build a successful niche publication
17:21-19:22 – Operator Notes: Turning industry expertise into useful content
19:22-21:00 – Why personal opinions and experience matter in the age of AI
21:00-23:06 – Hot take: Why coffee businesses shouldn’t feel guilty about making money
23:06-26:35 – Roaster Link: Connecting coffee roasters with new customers
26:35-27:57 – How Fresh Cup grew its newsletter by 45%
27:57-29:11 – The role of social media and multiple growth channels
29:11-30:39 – Using Meta ads to acquire newsletter subscribers
30:39-31:44 – Newsletter creators Garrett recommends following
31:44-32:31 – Final thoughts: Be friendly to somebody