Wasted Youth

I remember standing in the checkout line at the A&P in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, my eyes glued to the coffee grinder affixed to its terminus, thinking, "People will pay a lot for the smells that make them happy":

Charlie Bertsch remembers when coffee prices rose from 5-cent instant to 10-cent fresh-ground in the early '70s. 'This was not only exciting but also profitable; it helped to build the company,' he said. Fresh-ground was unknown at the time, but Bertsch, always looking for something innovative, sensed big potential.

Sadly, my parents wouldn't front me the money to make an investment. So I became a burden on the state instead.