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/55324
Jack'sBlend Jack Groot owns JP's Coffee in Holland, Mich. He also provides coffee business consulting and training through the Midwest Barista School (MBS). Check out Jack's new blog, "Jack Groot's blog — confessions of a coffee shop owner" at www.coffeegroot.com. Jack can be reached at jack@jpscoffee.com with "Jack's Blend" as the subject line, or at (866) 321-4MBS. W ow, in a couple of weeks I'll be in New York for Coff ee Fest. Why do I say wow? Because the fi rst Coff ee Fest of the year is traditionally in Chicago (every other year), and need I say more? But, this year Coff ee Fest is in Chicago in June! Holy cow, short sleeves on Navy Pier and no sloshing through the snowy sidewalks in one of my favorite cities. But I digress. Let's chat about Coff ee Fest for a minute. Coff ee Fest starte off ering a trade-only venue coff ee world in 1998. Although the show existed before that the switch from "public welcome" to "trade-only" was surely a good one. Coff ee as an industry was on the rise, and as any good coff ee person knows, coff ee and community go together. So I would say Coff ee Fest is the local coff eehouse for coff eehouse folk. about st started e to the at, an uld co ee ou It is a place for the coff ee-obsessed to learn, compete, teach, train, sha meet and mingle. If you are not yet in the business, it e-obses re is in, share, ot ye the most retaiil-l- and coff ee-centric show in the biz and a great place to connect with many roasters, suppliers and vendors to help you get started. If you are already in the business it with do to re dy in is a place to connect with coff ee-compadres, visit with existing suppliers, get your staff inspired and energized, and fi nd new products and new companies you've not seen before. Th ere will be many classes to attend, training sessions to take advantage of and even a latte art competition. And although some of the training classes cost to attend, many are free, as are all the educational classes. Even getting into the show itself is practically free, especially if you get a discount coupon from a vendor or register before Feb. 12. I have attended many Coff ee Fests since the mid '90s and have exhibited at a number of them. Th e crowds are good, the venues typically excellent, the camaraderie great, and it's an event you should not miss. I'll be teaching a couple of classes, February 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com | 9 ny Dates and Venues for 2012: New York – March 9-11 Chicago – June 8-10 Seattle – Sept. 21-23 have a booth at the show, be bringing a gaggle of employees and be networking, meeting, running, schmoozing, drinking coff ee, speeding down the aisles and generally interacting with although it is located close to us, it is Chicago in February… people the whole time. I really enjoy the shows, and although I am exhausted when I get home, it's a good exhausted. Specialty Coff ee Retailer magazine has been a longtime sponsor of Coff ee Fest and always have a booth there. You can meet Pan Demetrakakes, editor, or Brian Grau, sales manager (AKA backbone) of the magazine since its inception. If you have questions, ideas for future issues or just want ons of her ia backb n incept a to buy them a coff ee, you'll fi nd them walking the aisles for three days. I also allow for scheduled meetings at the show, and if you would like to connect, please e-mail me in advance of the show. Lastly, if there is a need your store has and you've been thinking about purchasing a piece of equipment, Coff ee Fest is the perfect place to connect. You can meet face-to-face, see and touch the equipment and "test drive it around the show fl oor." Contact the appropriate vendor ahead of meetin me you e-mail me astly i has ur he eq pm sho endo ah at en time to schedule a meeting so they can give you full time and attention and make sure questions and concerns are answered. If you haven't gone to a Coff ee Fest before, get prepared for the show by checking out who is exhibiting, what classes and workshops you'd like to attend, and sign up in advance to secure your spot (www.Coff eeFest.com). If you've been to a show before, I recommend perusing the website to fi nd new and diff erent vendors to visit, and then any classes you or your staff may want to attend. If you are not planning on attending Coff ee Fest think it over. Th e benefi ts are multifold and you'll have a great time learning, networking and visiting the Big Apple or Windy City! your me