Meet Dana Bunke of Crazy Gander Coffee Company

Michigan native Dana Bunke took a circuitous route to entrepreneurship and putting down roots in Memphis. The daughter of a decorated U.S. Army veteran, she opted for the Air Force directly after high school, a move she calls her primer for becoming an adult. As she moved around the world, she gained the skills needed for her next step into the nonprofit world. A job led her to Memphis, and the warmth of the community called her to stay.

Today, she and her husband, Kevin Crow, celebrate a growing family that includes two daughters, a son on the way, and a warm-and-welcoming downtown coffee shop! Crazy Gander Coffee Company passed the one-year mark in June. She also runs her own consultancy, The Giving Gander, which focuses on helping nonprofits with mass-market fundraising efforts. Meet this dynamic and very busy FACE of Memphis, Dana Bunke!

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What was your childhood like?

I was very much a child of the ’80s and fit squarely in the mold for the Xennial micro-generation. I remember the first computer in the neighborhood and who had a Nintendo. An exciting weekend was renting a VCR and movies from Blockbuster. I loved activities in every season, from pool to sledding. I rode my bike everywhere and knew it was time to go home when the streetlights came on. My mom passed away from cancer when I was nine. My dad was amazing, and I spent countless hours talking with him on the front and back porch.

Let’s talk about your career path — you went from the Air Force to owning a coffee shop. What was the inspiration behind joining the armed forces?

As I look back, I understand that my dad’s service was a part of him and a part of my life growing up. When I was a junior in high school, I realized I didn’t know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go to college, but I did know that I didn’t want to take out student loans.

One night at dinner, I said maybe I’d just join the Army. My dad said, “Join the Air Force; they take better care of their people.” And I did; that was good advice. Being in the service was an incredible experience. I lived in Japan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iraq, visited Guam, and ended up in Arizona.

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After your military service, what came next?

I focused on continuing my education as I worked a lot of different jobs. I waited tables at a Texas Roadhouse; I sold used cars. I moved to Florida and managed an office for a construction company. In 2007, I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s degree in business and began a career in the nonprofit space, joining the Wounded Warrior Project.

In 2013, I moved to Chicago and lucked out with online dating when I met my husband. I moved to Memphis in 2015 to work at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Kevin and I married two years later.

We started planning for a coffee shop in November 2018 when we purchased the building at 150 Madison.

How did you know the time was right to start your own business?

Rarely are things perfect. 2018 was as good as it could have been to move forward with our plan for Crazy Gander. I had just accepted an offer to stay in Memphis, continuing my work at ALSAC/St. Jude, and that meant putting down roots (Kevin and I are a bit nomadic). We started house hunting. Coming from Chicago, we didn’t want a commute, and we’d lived downtown since moving to Memphis. Our hearts were here, and a combination of finding this building, the right partners to help our vision become a reality, and funding opportunities are what it boils down to. At the end of the day, there’s always a reason not to do something big, but we had as many reasons as we needed to go for it.

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Why a coffee shop?

Owning a restaurant is a tough business for many reasons. A coffee shop or a bar became the dream, and our greater passion was with coffee and that coffee shop experience. We love to travel, and part of our routine was starting our day at a great local coffee shop and using it as a hub to plan our adventure. Plus, we were considering a family, and we’re already a little older. Waking up early as opposed to staying up late and the fact that a coffee shop was better aligned with our ongoing corporate life at the time made more sense.

Where did the name Crazy Gander come from?

When we met, Kevin’s email address was Crazy Gander, and he had a cute and funny story about being charged by a Canadian Goose as a child. Kevin is a storyteller. I think Crazy Gander was more this aspect of his personality coming through rather than a traumatic childhood experience. But as we considered names for the coffee shop (and we brainstormed a lot and sought feedback from friends and family), we kept coming back to Crazy Gander. From a personal standpoint and a brand/marketing aspect, we felt Crazy Gander gave us plenty to work with.

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What are your plans for the future of Crazy Gander?

For Crazy Gander, we’d like to open the next store — or four. We established this location and planned for expansion from the beginning. Broadening the menu, more service and merchandise offerings, event space rental, and a location with a drive-thru are some of our goals.

For The Giving Gander, bringing Kevin into the fold allows for consulting on global technology applications and organizational design aspects. Our combined experience in launching a small business could be beneficial to both nonprofits and for-profits who want to launch a business, program, or service.

Where can we find you when you’re not working?

Keeping up with kids! We’ll have three, all under the age of three, in a matter of weeks. It’s a joy to watch them learn and grow. People-watching is a favorite pastime that can be done anywhere and is always a quick, great escape. I try to be outside as much as possible — Shelby Farms is a great place to spend time. Watching downtown be renovated, revitalized, and built up around us is exciting. I love going to the movie theater and love to travel!

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What is your best piece of advice?

My dad had a very simple piece of advice — ‘what was, ain’t.’ Things change; do what you can and decide how best to move forward.

From a favorite quote by Rabindranath Tagore: I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted, and behold, service was joy. Being of service, providing a service can be a joyful thing, a contagious thing.

Aside from faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?

A woman’s right to choose. I had an ectopic pregnancy in 2018 and almost died. Without access to healthcare and immediate treatment, I might not be here.

Stricter gun laws. Kevin and I were in the military. We’ve both had weapons training and have fired guns that aren’t appropriate to even hold without some form of supervision/certification, much less buy off a shelf.

Better plans for climate change. Weather patterns, more frequent and severe storms, and higher temperatures affect the length of seasons. In some areas, we’re past safe levels for ecosystems and humans. Access to clean water is also an issue. More severe droughts and floods impact the water cycle. My generation is aware of all the issues, but it will be our kids that must live that reality, so I want to do what I can to make the change now.

Thank you, Dana!

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