By REY FLORES
In life, there are certain people we meet who make a big first impression on us. With me, one of those people is John Lillis, founder and president of Lifeboat Coffee.
I met The Skipper, as he is known to his friends, at the 2012 March for Life conference where he had a display of his new brainchild. I was across the room with American Life League’s display, so The Skipper introduced himself to me. At one point, I asked him why he was at the conference and he walked me to his display and said this, “The Skipper loves coffee as much as he loves babies, so why not sell the best coffee and help support pro-life organizations and crisis pregnancy centers do so?”
I was sold. Not just because I believe this is a fantastic idea, but because John had a genuineness about him and what he was saying that made all the sense in the world. Yes, there are a couple of “competitors,” but The Skipper is now steering the Lifeboat Coffee company in a new direction.
Early in 2012, while working as a radio station manager in Sioux City, Iowa, John Lillis worked with the local pro-life center to build and host America’s first-ever front-line pro-life radio show.
John led the construction team, and together they built a studio with a large picture window looking directly at the front door of Planned Parenthood, some 25 feet away. The studio was built for the purpose of bringing tens of thousands of people together via radio to pray that the arriving women might change their minds and save their babies and that the doctors might stop killing and that the “mill” would be closed.
While remodeling the pro-life center around the radio studio, he thought to himself: “Almost everyone loves coffee; why not marry my love for life with my near obsession for great coffee and see if we can’t create something to help sustain this place?” And that’s how the Lifeboat Coffee Co. at lifeboatcoffee.com was born.
Lifeboat Coffee is founded on three basic principles: 1. All human life is sacred, beautiful, and deserving of protection from natural conception to natural death. No exceptions & no compromise. 2. Lifeboat’s coffees must be ethically sourced, sustainable, and of superior quality and taste. 3. Lifeboat pledges to give 10 percent of every purchase back to your favorite life-affirming charity.
The Skipper has his own personal story that explains why he does what he does. “I was given up for adoption in San Francisco at the end of August of 1967, five months after the California legislature passed the Therapeutic Abortion Act.”
His then 16-year-old mother had been raped, but through her own bravery and the support of her family, she chose life for her baby boy and gave birth to him. But she was not ready to be a mom, so that is when he was put up for adoption.
I asked The Skipper how the pro-life community has responded to his mission. “Frankly, our number one supporters have been the good people of God, the everyman; Joe Six-Pack, so to speak. The number of those following and interacting with Lifeboat Coffee online is over 20,000!”
He added, “By and large, the pro-life community has been receptive. Every group wants donated coffee and gift boats and most understand the reciprocity of earning 10 percent cash back while flying the Lifeboat Coffee ‘badge.’ Our biggest supporters have been Dan Miller at Pro-Life Wisconsin and Fr. Frank Pavone at Priests for Life; other notables have been Troy Newman from Operation Rescue and Abby Johnson from And Then There Were None.”
Remember the “competition” I mentioned earlier? The Skipper had this to say about that: “Surprisingly, we’ve met the most resistance from Catholic radio stations, who have protested that we are ‘competing’ with the monks” who make coffee to support their monastery.
The solution to that, I say, is to support both, people.
For businesses that were once exclusively doing business online, going brick and mortar is a whole new challenge.
“Doing online sales is hard because it is a guessing game as to how to get people to your website. You can spend thousands — and believe me, we have — and not see any results and then suddenly, without any effort, you’re shipping 35-40 pounds of coffee in a day. On the upside, we have been able to take the hassle out of getting our ultra-premium coffees as everything ships for free now.”
Why brick and mortar now, by setting up shop in Phoenix? “Let’s face it. Bagged coffees generate very low margins. With God’s help and some great partners, Lifeboat Coffee can create a store that helps make money for our family business, our investors, and best of all, pro-life groups here in the Valley and beyond.
“The brick-and-mortar will feature our exclusive ‘Sip-n-Ship’ program, whereby if you love what you are drinking, you can ship a pound to a friend or loved one, anywhere in the U.S., with free shipping! What’s more, our online store has outgrown our home office and garage, so having a space to serve as a fulfillment center was necessary and we would never consider not putting a retail front on it; it just wouldn’t make sense.”
The Skipper adds: “I would like to thank Almighty God for removing all the obstacles in our way, so far! We had been stopped three times by the city of Phoenix during the permitting process, only to be led through it with the help of Our Blessed Lord!
“I also want to thank the families that have joined us with coffee store investments and I want to invite you, dear readers, to prayerfully consider joining our family by purchasing a large up-front subscription of either one or two pounds of coffee per month, per year. We collect much needed cash and you get amazing gourmet coffees and together, we help save lives!”
Please help support one of the best Godly men I have ever met. Despite the many challenges and obstacles he has faced in his mission, he has persevered, knowing well that God blesses those who do what they do for His greater glory. Plus they even sell K-cups!
Drink great coffee, save babies! Visit www.lifeboatcoffee.com to join their terrific program and to order the best coffee for your family, friends, and workplace!
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(Rey Flores likes his coffee black with no cream or sugar. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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