Little Things that Count Coffee Talk : March 2006
Watch Out all you coffee sellers ….. Consumers are getting wise and the general UK coffee quality is still very poor. In any coffee business the devil is in the detail …..
The first thing that some do in a business crisis is take inventory of all the things that have gone wrong. It is perfectly healthy to examine, and ultimately learn from, our mistakes. However, much can be said for evaluating the little things before they become a big deal.
A lot of people who I speak to are in the first stages of entering the speciality coffee business and are trying to maximise their profit opportunity with coffee. It is amazing just how many people there are who express surprise that there is a lot to learn in establishing a new coffee business. It seems so simple, at first to run hot water through some ground coffee and “bingo” the coffee is on. It seems only natural that two or three hours of training would be all it could possibly take to learn everything you need to know about making coffee. Wrong ! It is not possible to open a new business with little training and education. On the job training is, and always will be, a reality as you embark on a new business adventure.
But it does not take the place of proper planned training and attention to details before opening. Looking ahead at the bumps on the road is far more beneficial than looking in the rear view mirror as parts fall off your vehicle.
The speciality coffee industry is in a definite growth mode in UK where arguably we are 3/5 years behind the latest trends in the US and we are already seeing the high street coffee bars reinvent themselves. Consumers are becoming more aware, and as a result more selective in their choices of where to go for the best coffee beverages. Now, more than ever, it is time to prepare for the certain onslaught of competitor activity and consumer scrutiny as branding is being replaced by Taste.
Here a few steps worth thinking about ;
Step 1 : Research
• Find out as much as possible about what is already being offered in your area, good & bad.
• Check out, wherever possible, the procedures of those serving you.
• Like software & hardware it is a fallacy to think that you can save money by separating equipment and coffee suppliers … they depend so much on each other if Taste is your priority. Ascertain who supplies both.
• Find out who supplied their training and take note of how effective it was in the final product.
Step 2 : Challenge
• Challenge all new information. You will either confirm that your understanding is correct or you will gain new understanding. This will also smoke out miss-selling.
• Portion Analysis is a big issue. When studying espresso & brewing procedures try the various methods that have been suggested and taste the results. If you don’t, your customers will, and you may not benefit from the customers choice.
• Ask all suppliers for referrals. Judge their resource and commitment to doing what they say.
Step 3 : Search
• Search for the right equipment partner. Don’t buy the first thing that comes along. Your first choice may be a good one but you will not know until you compare it. With coffee brewing equipment “The bitterness of low quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price fades away”
• Select coffee by taste. Price is, all too often, the first consideration in selecting coffee. Price is irrelevant if the coffee fails to bring the customer back. Every regular customer is worth £75-£100 per month to your business, so 12 regular customers equals £1,000 plus per month. How many customer can you afford to lose to a substandard product?
• Be choosy about milk. YES! Milk. There is a difference in milk suppliers and in the taste of milk from one source versus another. Blind taste several alternatives in your lattes & cappuccino’s to determine which is the best milk in your locality. The steaming process will be effected by the fat content and protein levels of the milk from different diaries. This can vary sometimes with the same brand. You should also be aware of the differences in water conditions. Water quality will have a definite effect on the taste of the coffee and can benefit from a filtration treatment providing it is maintained. Poorly maintained water treatment is worse than none at all.
Step 4: Training
• Knowledge, Skill & Attitude = Habit. Take time to convert knowledge into skill and this in turn will become habit. Confidence or lack of confidence shows. Your ability to retain the new customers that come through your door is based on the total quality of the customers experience. It is a lifestyle product.
• A thorough understanding of the product is a useful tool in building your customer base. The real value in your knowledge is your ability to pass it on to your customer. There are many ways to do this . . find your favourite ones.
• Ensuring that anybody that comes into contact with brewing coffee knows the benchmark and has an entry level knowledge of what they are doing is one of the most profitable decisions you will make. While a multi-skill strategy has many advantages it is not suited to the speciality coffee business.
Don’t forget that if you currently serve poor coffee you can start again and the above steps can be the heart of your plan. And all businesses need to reinvent their plan every few years.
The success or failure of a business is not always determined by the obvious. Often an accumulation of little things can add up to a disaster. Good intentions and a good location are no match for high quality on a consistent basis. Little things count in a big way, particularly if you ignore them.
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