Specialty Coffee Retailer

Specialty Coffee Retailer December 2013

Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/225720

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PIQUET'S PRINCIPLES By John Piquet John Piquet is a roaster, barista, and siphon brewing specialist at caffe d'bolla in Salt Lake City, which he co-owns and operates with his beautiful wife Yiching. An Introduction H i, my name is John Piquet, and I make coffee. I roast. I brew. I taste. Sometimes I pull shots of espresso, and other times I make coffee by the cup on a coffee chemistry contraption known as the siphon. I am quietly hidden in the vast coffee metropolis known as "Salt Lake City." Yes, that Salt Lake City. After nine years as an owner-operator, I would like to share what I have learned and give you a realistic perspective on what it takes to be successful as a small coffee shop owner in today's market. Allow me to begin by sharing my philosophy with you so you can have an understanding of what to expect in future articles. This way, we can share a common journey. There are two things I know. You would think I have learned more than two things over the years, but the truth is that concepts are simple, but it's putting them into practice that separates the bean from the chaff. The first thing is: quality matters. Everything must manifest the concept of quality, with the coffee as the soul of your operation. The second thing I would say is, "Have principles, and stick to them." The moment you change your principles in order to make a sale or appease a customer is the moment you have no principles. It is the ability to clearly articulate your principles, to be honest with your customers, and take pride in what you do that will show your character, reveal your integrity, and 12 set you apart. Your quality will define what you do, and your principles will define who you are. And if there was a third point, it would be to remember that no matter how good you think you are, or how many accolades others give you, you can always improve. It is your continuous engagement in the process of dynamic innovation that will allow you to strengthen and improve the skills you already have. It's not always about learning something new. Sometimes the greatest improvement in product or service quality comes from perfecting the basics. The stronger your foundation, the less you will falter. I believe that whatever mindset you have from the moment you begin planning your coffee business will permeate everything that you do. Uncertainty should never be part of your psychic vocabulary at any stage of your business. Don't know something? Ask. Learn. Think. Experiment. Always make decisions from a position of strength. If you begin to make decisions from a position of fear or weakness, the cracks will eventually show. Whether you wear a confident smile and speak with authority does not matter; you cannot hide from the genesis of your decisions. There you have it. There's nothing more to learn. Everything else is just details. Funny thing though, it's the details that matter. So let's explore them together. SCR

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