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/60649
Jack'sJack'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. I Th ey are a critical part of your business and will have a great impact in your business success. So how should we choose a roaster? You may have chosen your roaster because they happened n the coff ee business we have a unique relationship with our roaster. Th ey are, or should be, more than just a supplier. sells. Some roasters select only Cup of Excellence-type coff ees (arguably the fi nest and most expensive coff ees) and charge top dollar for them. Other roasters are trying to build a national brand and get their name and brand known. Still others are decades-old roasters who have added the word "gourmet" to their off erings to be able to sell to specialty coff ee shops along with their restaurant, supermarket and offi ce customers. Each business philosophy will guide the decisions they make, the coff ees they choose, the prices they charge and the services they off er. As a result, there are two things I' 8 | April 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com like you do. You off er certain products in your store with a certain level of service and run your business based on your established business principles. So does your roaster. And here is why this is so important: how your roaster runs their business will aff ect the ongoing relationship between you. Of course the main piece of the puzzle is the coff ees a roaster roaster for a number of things. Great coff ee is important, but it is only part of the experience. Appropriate pricing, great service and people who are great to deal with are also important. Some roasters may also provide equipment, training and other services valuable to a coff ee retailer. But these items, important as they are, are not the focus of this column. All roasters have a business philosophy just to be in the same town and approached you when you opened. Or you may have asked for samples from various roasters and chose the one with the best coff ee. Or possibly you looked at coff ee magazines, websites and other popular coff ee shops and chose one based on what you saw or read. Whatever the reasons, you now have a company supplying you with roasted coff ees. As a retailer, I depend on my TARRAZZU FINCA LA JACK RESERVE ESPECIAL #31 COSTA RICAN First, what is your roaster's business philosophy? If their goal is to get their own brand and name known, how does that aff ect your business? You may enjoy the benefi ts of using a well- known roaster in your shop, but there are downsides. If they go out of business, or start treating you poorly, or the quality or service goes down or the prices go up, you may be stuck with an undesirable partner. Additionally, whether you realize it or not, you pay more for your coff ee because the cost of building their brand is built into the cost of your coff ee, the same as a "free" espresso machine would be. My second thought is: Your store may be the kind that highlights special coff ees. You know, the "Costa Rican Tarrazzu Finca La Jack Reserve Especial #31" that is gone from your roaster's price list in a few months. Nothing wrong with that—it is what it is, but what if you are a coff ee shop that desires great coff ees consistently? Coff ees whose taste may change slightly from year to year, but off er a great year-around coff ee experience? Th ey may not be the most expensive coff ees from a particular region, but they are excellent coff ees and ones that you are best coff ees you are able to for the type of coff ee retailer you are. Th e demand for coff ee takes place at all levels of quality and delivery. Know who you are, what market your business serves, and excel in that category. bar kind of coff ee retailer—one that off ers only brew by the cup, Cup of Excellence coff ees and a small rotating menu of coff ees—you should choose a roaster who fi ts with what you off er. If you serve more of a constant menu of great coff ees, you should select a roaster who provides you with great coff ees, but not necessarily the most expensive, brilliantly marketed and promoted coff ees. Whoever you are, it is critical to select and purchase coff ees from a roaster with a business philosophy that matches or serves yours. Whatever focus your business has, make sure you serve the To summarize, if you are more of a wine proud to serve. d like you to think about: