We have some exciting news to share — and we're still pinching ourselves.

Dr. Sandi Luck, founder and CEO of Bully Brew Coffee and ND Coffee Roastery, has been named the 2026 North Dakota Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This is the SBA's highest honor, awarded annually during National Small Business Week to recognize small business owners who demonstrate outstanding success, leadership, and community impact.

We are beyond grateful, incredibly humbled, and honestly — a little speechless. 

What This Award Recognizes

The SBA's Small Business Person of the Year award isn't just about business growth — it's about the whole picture. Leadership. Community. Resilience. The willingness to take risks, fail, get back up, and keep going.

The award recognizes Sandi's visionary leadership, the sustained growth of her coffee enterprise, and her unwavering commitment to the North Dakota community.

"Sandi Luck embodies the spirit of North Dakota entrepreneurship," said SBA North Dakota District Director Al Haut. "From her roots in Grand Forks to the expansion of her company across the region, she has proven that a small business can be a powerful engine for both economic growth and community connection."

From a Coffee Kiosk to a Coffee Empire

This award represents 18 years of hard work, late nights, big dreams, and a lot of really great coffee.

It started in 2005 when Sandi, then a Marketing and Entrepreneurship professor at the University of North Dakota, purchased four drive-up coffee kiosks. When the economy turned in 2008, she made the difficult decision to sell. But her passion for coffee  and for community, never faded.

In 2010, a small opportunity appeared: a coffee shop inside a Grand Forks nursing home. With the encouragement of a friend and the inspiration of her English bulldog, Elvis, Bully Brew Coffee was born.

Since then, the growth has been remarkable:

• 7 Bully Brew Coffee locations across North Dakota and Minnesota
• 2 Board Room Coffee & Taphouse locations in Grand Forks
• ND Coffee Roastery — roasting 400-500 pounds of fresh coffee daily from our 27,000 sq ft Grand Forks warehouse
• Over 120 wholesale accounts including becoming the official coffee roaster for North Dakota State University
• ND Coffee School — training the next generation of coffee shop owners and baristas

A pivotal milestone came in 2022 when Sandi purchased a 27,000-square-foot warehouse to house the roasting operations and educational programs, allowing ND Coffee Roastery to secure over 120 wholesale accounts.

Community Over Competition

If you've ever visited a Bully Brew location, you already know that this isn't just a coffee business .. it's a community. That philosophy has been the foundation from day one.

From $1 senior coffee specials that bring neighbors together every morning, to co-branded University of North Dakota coffee lines that support student scholarships, to pop-up markets featuring local makers.  Bully Brew shows up for the people and places that matter.

Through ND Coffee School, Sandi translates her classroom expertise into real-world success for aspiring coffeehouse owners and managers, fostering a culture of "community over competition" to ensure that North Dakota's emerging business leaders have the tools and support to thrive.

It Takes a Village — Or in Our Case, a Really Incredible Team

Sandi is quick to point out that this award belongs to everyone who has been part of the Bully Brew journey. The baristas. The managers. The roastery team. Finance.  Accounting. Sales. Marketing. Interns. Every person who has ever worn an apron, pulled a shot of espresso, or driven across the states to open a new location.

As Sandi always says — she does not do this alone. She has a leadership team of women who are movers and shakers, and this recognition is as much theirs as it is hers.

What's Next

As a state winner, Sandi will now represent North Dakota as nominees from all 50 states compete for the title of National Small Business Person of the Year — the SBA's ultimate honor presented during National Small Business Week.

Whatever happens next, we are proud. We are grateful. And we are ready to keep brewing connection, one cup at a time.

Thank you to the SBA, to our incredible community in Grand Forks and across the region, to our wholesale partners, and most of all  to every single customer who has ever walked through our doors or ordered a bag of coffee online.

This one's for you. ☕🏆

Conversations are better with coffee. And today, the conversation is about how far a little dream, a beloved bulldog, and a whole lot of heart can take you.