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/73257
��� ������������, ������ O T�� ���� ����������� ur readers are busy people, so Specialty Coff ee Retailer doesn't get enough feedback to establish a regular letters to the editor feature. But once in a while I do get a letter I'd love to run, which is frustrating, because I have nowhere to put it. It mail")—came from Loren D. Bengston, owner of Mr. Green Beans in Rising Sun, Ind. Th e fi rst one cites a reference in our May cover story ("Prickly Patrons") to an unnamed coff ee shop that adds what we euphemistically relabeled a "jerk tax" of 10 cents to the bill of annoying cell-phone yakkers. Mr. Bengston was not amused, calling this "a disgusting, and probably illegal, practice....By failing to [comment], the reader is leſt to assume that you condone it. I assume you do not. so happens I got several this month, so I'm devoting this space to them. Two of them, in separate envelopes—yes, envelopes, as in real letters (aka "snail it. Mr. Bengston is correct that this "tax" is quite sneaky. But when I'm in a long line next to a cell phone blabber, my own thoughts run toward something a lot harsher. Mr. Bengston's second letter has to do with a news item that also ran in May, Well. Put it this way: You can understand something without exactly condoning " headlined "Hispanics are heavy coff ee consumers." He took issue with the opening phrase: "American Hispanics drink signifi cantly more coff ee than non-Hispanics..." Th e item mentions that Hispanic respondents to a survey drank espresso beverages at nearly triple the rate of non-Hispanics. Since espresso drinks are low in volume, he points out that "more coff ee" is a possible misinterpretation: "It's entirely possible...that Hispanics are drinking an espresso cupful of coff ee seven days a week, while non-Hispanics are drinking a quart of coff ee four days a week." Well. Not having access to the raw data, I'm not in a position to defend the "more coff ee" phrase. So I'm going to take the easy way out, acknowledge that Mr. Bengston has a point, and change the lead sentence on our webpage's version of that item to "...Hispanics drink coff ee signifi cantly more oſt en..." Next is an e-mail from Bill Anstedt, a roast technician with Caribou, taking issue with a reference in the April cover story (State of the Roasting Industry) to Caribou's introduction of light-roasted Starlight coff ee. Mr. Anstedt evidently felt we were implying that light roasting was some new thing for Caribou, which, as he says, is defi nitely not the case: "From the onset of Caribou's foray into roasting, they have always had multiple light roast coff ees in their lineup. Mo., regarding Jack Groot's May column, "Be a Leader, Not a Loudmouth": "I completely agree with your article. I do not understand the attitude by some in but I should have done a better job of establishing context. And I never meant to imply that Caribou is less than exemplary in responding to consumer preferences. Last, we have an e-mail from Randy Austin of Dancing Mule Coff ee in Springfi eld, Well. I never actually stated in the article that light roasting was new for Caribou, " specialty coff ee that we should tell others how to enjoy coff ee..." It's nice to see unqualifi ed praise, even if it's for something I didn't write. 4 | July 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com Membership applied for July 2010 Specialty Coff ee Retailer (ISSN 1077-3460) is published monthly by Bev-Al Communications, 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068. Copyright© 2012 by Bev-Al Communications Inc. Postmaster please send address corrections to: Specialty Coff ee Retailer, P.O. Box 4290, Port Jervis, NY 12771. Periodicals postage paid at Port Jervis, NY and additional mailing offi ces. EDITORIAL OFFICE 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 • (847) 720-5600 Visit us online: www.specialty-coff ee.com E-mail: specialtycoffee@m2media360.com EDITORIAL STAFF E����� PRODUCTION STAFF A�� D������� P��������� M������ CIRCULATION STAFF V��� P�������� �� C���������� & C��������� S������� SALES STAFF S���� M������ L��� R����� & R������ S������� EXECUTIVE STAFF G���� P�������� CONTRIBUTING EDITORS E� A���, J��� G����, M���� K�����, C������� R���, A��� R������, B����� R������, P���� S�������� EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD J���� B�����, ���5702 D������ F�����, Cappuccine J��� G����, JP's Coff ee And Espresso Bar W�� H�����, Th e Woods Coff ee M����� H����, Equal Exchange R�� J�������, North Atlantic Specialty Bag C���� M��, LAMIL Coff ee L�� L�F�����, Dillanos Coff ee Roasters K��� L�P����, Sound Provisions, Inc. J�� M�������, La Marzocco T�� P���, Design & Layout Services S���� S���������, Port City Java® A��� C. T������, Atlantic Specialty Coff ee B��� W���������, TeaSource 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 Corporate Offi ce: PRESIDENT/CEO VP FINANCE & OPERATIONS VP OF CIRCULATION & COLLATERAL SERVICES PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR M����� M���� G����� W����� J����� J���-P������� M��� J� T���� SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION AND REQUESTS Phone (845) 856-2229 Subscriptions: $39 for one year, $61 for two years, U.S.; $48 for one year, $72 for two years, Canada; $110 for one year, all other countries (includes airmail postage). Single copies $10 each; Annual Buyers Guide $25. Payable in U.S. funds only. Customer Service: (847) 763-9565 Fax (845) 856-5822 PRESS RELEASES: Press releases on supplies, services and new products are welcomed and encouraged. Direct them to Specialty Coff ee Retailer. Color print photography is preferred, slides and transparencies are accepted. Specialty Coff ee Retailer reserves the right to edit all submissions. P�� D����������� pan@m2media360.com K������� S��� M��� J� T���� J����� J���-P������� B���� G��� (314) 487-6568 C����� N������� (678) 292-6054 C������ F����� cforman@m2media360.com