Coffee Quality Education - Spreading Awareness - Barista Exchange2024-03-29T10:10:05Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A726697&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWow. Some great responses. Wh…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-23:1688216:Comment:7281002009-12-23T10:13:19.078ZMike Mhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/MichaelMorand
Wow. Some great responses. Where to begin...<br />
<br />
On the subject of competition, I agree that competition is healthy and is an excellent motivator for businesses to do challenge their paradigms in the face of changing consumer interests and markets. In the long run, customers can look forward to ever-improving products in terms of quality and value as a kind of capitalist Darwinism runs its course.<br />
<br />
The troubling thought is that competition may be so intense between larger businesses that it…
Wow. Some great responses. Where to begin...<br />
<br />
On the subject of competition, I agree that competition is healthy and is an excellent motivator for businesses to do challenge their paradigms in the face of changing consumer interests and markets. In the long run, customers can look forward to ever-improving products in terms of quality and value as a kind of capitalist Darwinism runs its course.<br />
<br />
The troubling thought is that competition may be so intense between larger businesses that it creates significant barriers to entry forged through economies of scale and scope amongst various other benefits enjoyed by businesses who have successfully been in the game for a while. This, coupled with the comforts of familiarity for customers happy with going to Sbux and other corporate coffee destinations sets the stage for a daunting uphill battle for the lone independent.<br />
<br />
I don't mean to paint a bleak picture, as it goes without saying that there are dozens or even hundreds of successful independents here who have built loyal armies of customers here on BX. I suppose I'm really just trying to figure out what the 'secret' is to showing customers the light! ..and by light I'm referring to quality.<br />
<br />
While the focus should always be on quality coffee, the compeition and understanding the perceptions of customers is a significant consideration when getting a feel for the lay of the land. Great gems of experience Mere…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7267082009-12-21T19:07:04.906ZJoseph Robertsonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JosephRobertson
Great gems of experience Meredith...listen up you guys..and me too.<br />
JoeR<br />
<br />
<cite>Meredith said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A726697&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment726697"><div>I'm going to have to agree with everything that has been said so far, especially about competition being your friend, especially when it comes to marketing tactics. Use what your competition has done "wrong" and use…</div>
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Great gems of experience Meredith...listen up you guys..and me too.<br />
JoeR<br />
<br />
<cite>Meredith said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A726697&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment726697"><div>I'm going to have to agree with everything that has been said so far, especially about competition being your friend, especially when it comes to marketing tactics. Use what your competition has done "wrong" and use some of their information on which to base your shop off of. It is really expensive to start your Marketing Research all on your own in a completely unsaturated market. You want the competition around so you can get those purchasing habits, target markets, etc., without having to spend the money on getting that information (or spending more money than you have to).<br/><br/>You do not need the flashy Starbuck's campaigns (generally speaking) as mentioned before. They spend a TON of money on marketing efforts and to try and outrun them would not be reality. Once you get the first few customers in your shop that really appreciate your coffee and your service, word of mouth is HUGE and will do more for your shop than any table topper or flyer ever could.</div>
</blockquote> I'm going to have to agree wi…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7266972009-12-21T18:47:43.610ZMeredithhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Meredith
I'm going to have to agree with everything that has been said so far, especially about competition being your friend, especially when it comes to marketing tactics. Use what your competition has done "wrong" and use some of their information on which to base your shop off of. It is really expensive to start your Marketing Research all on your own in a completely unsaturated market. You want the competition around so you can get those purchasing habits, target markets, etc., without having to…
I'm going to have to agree with everything that has been said so far, especially about competition being your friend, especially when it comes to marketing tactics. Use what your competition has done "wrong" and use some of their information on which to base your shop off of. It is really expensive to start your Marketing Research all on your own in a completely unsaturated market. You want the competition around so you can get those purchasing habits, target markets, etc., without having to spend the money on getting that information (or spending more money than you have to).<br />
<br />
You do not need the flashy Starbuck's campaigns (generally speaking) as mentioned before. They spend a TON of money on marketing efforts and to try and outrun them would not be reality. Once you get the first few customers in your shop that really appreciate your coffee and your service, word of mouth is HUGE and will do more for your shop than any table topper or flyer ever could. Good for you Jared, keep up t…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7266922009-12-21T18:44:28.010ZJoseph Robertsonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JosephRobertson
Good for you Jared, keep up the good coffee work.<br />
"Run Forest Run" <];^) Now Bubagump shrimp is everywhere.<br />
I'm a movie buff, almost as bad / good as my coffee geekness....<br />
You will be big someday Jared, maybe not with shrimp but keep the faith...<br />
We are in this together.<br />
JoeR<br />
<br />
<cite>Jared Rutledge said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A726658&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment726658"><div>re:…</div>
</blockquote>
Good for you Jared, keep up the good coffee work.<br />
"Run Forest Run" <];^) Now Bubagump shrimp is everywhere.<br />
I'm a movie buff, almost as bad / good as my coffee geekness....<br />
You will be big someday Jared, maybe not with shrimp but keep the faith...<br />
We are in this together.<br />
JoeR<br />
<br />
<cite>Jared Rutledge said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A726658&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment726658"><div>re: staying competitive, what i'm finding is that you will continue to have an opportunity to educate your customers if you keep your overhead low. today my shop has been open four weeks and we've hit our daily break even point 4-5 times in the last two weeks. we're about 10 customers a day away from breaking even EVERY day. we did no advertising save handing out flyers to the neighborhood.<br/><br/>while most people who've come into my shop know a bit about coffee already (per Joseph's comments), some don't and i have the opportunity to educate them tactfully on various facets of the craft. in order to keep doing this, i have to be sustainable, and low overhead helps accomplish this.</div>
</blockquote> Paul,
Coffee consumers in gen…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7266762009-12-21T18:24:58.125ZJoseph Robertsonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JosephRobertson
Paul,<br />
Coffee consumers in general are changing, growing, morphing as we speak.<br />
Oh and, "counter Starbucks ad campaigns " "Forget about it" another favorite quote of mine.<br />
Paul, your very presence in the coffee market is a counter campaign. In my and hopefully your business plan *$'s works for us and will continue to as long as they are not in it for the coffee. If it is about corporate $'s then they work for us and drive customers our way. Customers who care more about the quality of the coffee…
Paul,<br />
Coffee consumers in general are changing, growing, morphing as we speak.<br />
Oh and, "counter Starbucks ad campaigns " "Forget about it" another favorite quote of mine.<br />
Paul, your very presence in the coffee market is a counter campaign. In my and hopefully your business plan *$'s works for us and will continue to as long as they are not in it for the coffee. If it is about corporate $'s then they work for us and drive customers our way. Customers who care more about the quality of the coffee than the image they support by buying from the blue mermaid are my target market.<br />
"In our own individualness" This is what Speciality Coffee is all about Paul. You are right on the money here.<br />
JoeR<br />
<br />
<cite>Paul Yates said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A726612&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment726612"><div>Joseph is correct, a competitor is merely an opportunity to let them make you look even better, if you are doing your job.<br/><br/>Regarding the education issue, one of the reasons we haven't as small shops been able to counter Starbucks ad campaigns is the amount of money it would take. Perhaps a glossy counter-campaign, sponsored by the SCAA, and a coop of small coffee shops across the nation, could accomplish what each individual shop could not.<br/><br/>But would that defeat the point? In our own individualness, do we not find that spark that keeps our customers coming back?</div>
</blockquote> re: staying competitive, what…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7266582009-12-21T18:12:12.495ZJared Rutledgehttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JaredRutledge
re: staying competitive, what i'm finding is that you will continue to have an opportunity to educate your customers if you keep your overhead low. today my shop has been open four weeks and we've hit our daily break even point 4-5 times in the last two weeks. we're about 10 customers a day away from breaking even EVERY day. we did no advertising save handing out flyers to the neighborhood.<br />
<br />
while most people who've come into my shop know a bit about coffee already (per Joseph's comments), some…
re: staying competitive, what i'm finding is that you will continue to have an opportunity to educate your customers if you keep your overhead low. today my shop has been open four weeks and we've hit our daily break even point 4-5 times in the last two weeks. we're about 10 customers a day away from breaking even EVERY day. we did no advertising save handing out flyers to the neighborhood.<br />
<br />
while most people who've come into my shop know a bit about coffee already (per Joseph's comments), some don't and i have the opportunity to educate them tactfully on various facets of the craft. in order to keep doing this, i have to be sustainable, and low overhead helps accomplish this. Joseph is correct, a competit…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7266122009-12-21T17:34:23.459ZPaul Yateshttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/PaulYates
Joseph is correct, a competitor is merely an opportunity to let them make you look even better, if you are doing your job.<br />
<br />
Regarding the education issue, one of the reasons we haven't as small shops been able to counter Starbucks ad campaigns is the amount of money it would take. Perhaps a glossy counter-campaign, sponsored by the SCAA, and a coop of small coffee shops across the nation, could accomplish what each individual shop could not.<br />
<br />
But would that defeat the point? In our own…
Joseph is correct, a competitor is merely an opportunity to let them make you look even better, if you are doing your job.<br />
<br />
Regarding the education issue, one of the reasons we haven't as small shops been able to counter Starbucks ad campaigns is the amount of money it would take. Perhaps a glossy counter-campaign, sponsored by the SCAA, and a coop of small coffee shops across the nation, could accomplish what each individual shop could not.<br />
<br />
But would that defeat the point? In our own individualness, do we not find that spark that keeps our customers coming back? "The thing that worries me th…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7262562009-12-21T04:48:27.554ZJoseph Robertsonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JosephRobertson
"The thing that worries me the most is the time it will take to launch such a campaign. In the long run, with the right marketing and planning, I'm 120% confident that a strong independent shop could run Sbux out of business if it opened up a shop right next to them. But in the short run, with a finite amount of operating capital to use before becoming profitable, there is a significant risk."<br />
<br />
Mike #1 or at least very high on the list after your uncontrollable passion for what you want to do,…
"The thing that worries me the most is the time it will take to launch such a campaign. In the long run, with the right marketing and planning, I'm 120% confident that a strong independent shop could run Sbux out of business if it opened up a shop right next to them. But in the short run, with a finite amount of operating capital to use before becoming profitable, there is a significant risk."<br />
<br />
Mike #1 or at least very high on the list after your uncontrollable passion for what you want to do, is "Location" pick it very carefully.<br />
<br />
Mike, forget about "I'm 120% confident that a strong independent shop could run Sbux out of business" this thought, banish it from your mind. Seriously....<br />
Take note of my previous post where I told you how much business *$'s is bringing me and will do the same for you. *$'s and competition are your best friends. It is not about competition, repeat that till you pass out. Competition is good. It gives the public choice, it gives the public a way to measure weather or not you are doing a average job, a good job or better yet a euphoric spasmodic java experience for your customers. Competition brings more traffic to your locale. More traffic to your locale means more possible customers in your door. See the picture here?<br />
A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step Mike. You already took that. Risk? Yes, always, Sometimes and most often the greatest risks offer the greatest rewards.<br />
"Educating the Masses?" they are and will educate themselves. Best to focus on yours for the time being.<br />
Best wishes for now, stay on track, As your passion for what you love grows so will your base of friends and customers who want some of it to rub off on them.<br />
Joseph<br />
--<br />
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.<br />
<br />
<br />
<cite>Mike Morand said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/coffee-quality-education#1688216Comment726223"><div>Simon, I absolutely agree that customers would opt for the superior product, but that's contingent upon them actually knowing the difference.<br/><br/>Again, I'll be the first to admit that I thought Sbux was first-rate coffee, and that I do like some of their products. But given the option between a Sbux and a quality independent shop, it would hardly be a choice!<br/><br/>The thing that worries me the most is the time it will take to launch such a campaign. In the long run, with the right marketing and planning, I'm 120% confident that a strong independent shop could run Sbux out of business if it opened up a shop right next to them. But in the short run, with a finite amount of operating capital to use before becoming profitable, there is a significant risk.<br/><br/>Of course, the simple answer is that adequate preparation is needed. The tougher question is how to speed up the learning curve for customers so that an independent doesn't go under before people begin to see or experience the difference.<br/><br/>Any ideas?</div>
</blockquote> Mike, this is my simple respo…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7262452009-12-21T04:27:24.275ZJoseph Robertsonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JosephRobertson
Mike, this is my simple response without reading any other responses already here.<br />
((::::When the student is ready the master will appear:::::))<br />
<br />
In more plain English, don't worry about the masses. They are already coming around. I was one of them once. Now I am a "Coffee Padawan". As most who know me from my posts I'm past the 1 year mark with our shop and more and more discover us every day. Those of the "masses" that just want a milk drink and a place to use there ipod and talk with their…
Mike, this is my simple response without reading any other responses already here.<br />
((::::When the student is ready the master will appear:::::))<br />
<br />
In more plain English, don't worry about the masses. They are already coming around. I was one of them once. Now I am a "Coffee Padawan". As most who know me from my posts I'm past the 1 year mark with our shop and more and more discover us every day. Those of the "masses" that just want a milk drink and a place to use there ipod and talk with their friends, the mermaid will always be there for them. I can not tell you how many customers the mermaid has brought us because the local largest employer destination resort lodge was serving their coffee. Some did not even stay to eat there because the coffee came from the green mermaid instead of an establishment who lives and breaths coffee everyday. Now they dropped *$'s because of budget reasons and went with a less expensive vendor. My bottom line will no doubt reflect that at the end of the next year. Mike do your best with Speciality Coffee and you should have no problem attracting converts to the new wave in this culinary delight. Share your passion and learn to manage your business and growth.<br />
Joseph<br />
--<br />
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform. Simon, I absolutely agree tha…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-12-21:1688216:Comment:7262232009-12-21T03:44:06.043ZMike Mhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/MichaelMorand
Simon, I absolutely agree that customers would opt for the superior product, but that's contingent upon them actually knowing the difference.<br />
<br />
Again, I'll be the first to admit that I thought Sbux was first-rate coffee, and that I do like some of their products. But given the option between a Sbux and a quality independent shop, it would hardly be a choice!<br />
<br />
The thing that worries me the most is the time it will take to launch such a campaign. In the long run, with the right marketing and…
Simon, I absolutely agree that customers would opt for the superior product, but that's contingent upon them actually knowing the difference.<br />
<br />
Again, I'll be the first to admit that I thought Sbux was first-rate coffee, and that I do like some of their products. But given the option between a Sbux and a quality independent shop, it would hardly be a choice!<br />
<br />
The thing that worries me the most is the time it will take to launch such a campaign. In the long run, with the right marketing and planning, I'm 120% confident that a strong independent shop could run Sbux out of business if it opened up a shop right next to them. But in the short run, with a finite amount of operating capital to use before becoming profitable, there is a significant risk.<br />
<br />
Of course, the simple answer is that adequate preparation is needed. The tougher question is how to speed up the learning curve for customers so that an independent doesn't go under before people begin to see or experience the difference.<br />
<br />
Any ideas?