🚀 Blasting Off at Our First Flea Market: QCCA Expo Center Launch Recap!

This past Saturday marked a major milestone for Torus Coffee Company — we set up shop for the very first time at the QCCA Expo Center Flea Market in Rock Island, Illinois! And what a day it was. The energy, the people, the smiles — everything came together to make our debut event out of this world. 🌎✨

🌟 Family-Powered Fun

This was a full-on family mission. I’m Sara Jane Shelvock, founder and CEO of Torus Coffee Company, and I was joined by my husband and partner-in-crime Byron Smith, and our amazing daughter, who not only helped run the booth but also added her artistic touch by hand-coloring all our product signs. (They were a huge hit!) Seeing her pride as she handed out snacks and smiled at curious shoppers was a moment I’ll never forget.

🛰️ Our Booth Setup

With a table full of cosmic goodies, our booth stood out like a satellite in orbit. We featured our freeze-dried snack lineup, including:

• Star-Dusted Banana Crunch – banana slices dusted with cinnamon sugar

• Apple Cinnamon Comets – tart apple slices with a light cinnamon-brown sugar coat

• Cosmic Bananas – naturally sweet, crunchy banana bites

• Aurora Berryalis – freeze-dried wild berry candy (no trademarks here, just fun!)

• Apple Zephyr Chips – airy, crunchy freeze-dried apple slices

One crowd favorite — Solar Strawberries (our freeze-dried strawberries) — sold out completely! But don’t worry, we’re already in the kitchen making a fresh batch. They’ll be back on the menu soon for all our berry lovers. 🍓✨

Our hand-drawn, black-and-white signs brought an extra level of fun to the table, especially once our daughter added her coloring flair. Customers loved the homemade, personalized touch — and it sparked lots of smiles.

🌌 Connecting With Our Community

We met so many awesome people! Whether they were curious snackers, space fans, or just local shoppers enjoying a Saturday outing, everyone who stopped by had a smile and a story to share. Some folks even asked when we’d be back and what flavors we had coming next (spoiler alert: coffee is launching soon ☕🚀).

It was clear that our space-themed branding, quality ingredients, and freeze-dried crunchiness struck a chord. The QCCA Flea Market was more than just a vending opportunity — it was a chance to connect with our community face-to-face, build relationships, and spread the Torus mission.

💫 Looking Ahead

With one event under our belt, we’re ready to do it all again. We plan to attend the Coralville, IA Farmers Market this Wednesday from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM at the Iowa River Landing.  Stay tuned to our socials and blog for updates on where we’ll pop up next.

This launch was just the beginning — and we’re grateful to everyone who stopped by, shared kind words, made a purchase, or even just smiled at our signs. You’re helping us grow, one orbit at a time.

Until next time… Stay curious. Stay crunchy. Stay cosmic. ☄️ — Sara Jane, CEO of Torus Coffee Company