plantation_coffee wrote:
for you cafe owners out there , as an independent coffee supplier (me) what would your concern be in changing coffee suppliers weather you're going from a mass market bean to semi-specialty/boutique supplier or from supermarket grade (dirt cheap) dirt coffee to a mainstream blend boutique roasted and my question would be would you prefer an independent boutique roaster that does offer similar pricing to mass market beans but provides a far fresher product ,and more importantly provides expertise in creating an excellent tasting beverage versus a mass market supplier that gives you aged stock , doesnt show you any expert training , just standard training for you and staff . cheers guys
The quality standard provided by most cafe roasters is very high and I believe it is surprisingly far better than most people perceive - and it continues to improve every day. As we have heard many times before, a lot of it comes down to the barista as to the end product. Too many people find roaster bashing an easy sport. It is perhaps a dangerous assumption to think the coffee being supplied by large, higher tier roaster is not as fresh as the coffee from semi-specialty/boutique as is the level of training that can be provided. Some of the larger roasters have barista champions on staff and they are nearly always able to provide better training than a roaster. Customers change suppliers for many reasons and it's not normally the same reasons we think they should. 90% of them will want to have a flavor that is similar to the existing for fear of upsetting the regulars (it's a request I hear often, which is somewhat disappointing). I've found most cafe owners are surprisingly loyal when it comes to staying with their roaster - especially if the service and quality has been good or great. Generally, the relationship is so good you almost become like "family". In most cases, the roaster has "helped out" the cafe owner on numerous occasions when they have forgot or short-ordered......so generally a small pile of kudos get built-up. Primary drivers of change generally occur with new owners/staff, or if an owner wants something exclusive or different to the other brands in the area (yes, they are the smart owners). Secondary factors are when a relative or friend piles on the pressure to the cafe owner to try something new - generally someone knows someone in the industry and they are obliged to do a "favor". Finally, the other ways are via the slick sales person - setting up the cafe owner to think (politely) that the existing arrangement is failing (creating the seeds of doubt, or the burning platform) and then working the angle to create the vision of exceptional value in the future promise with them as the supplier. Over-worked, exhausted and opportunistic cafe owners looking for a big bundle of new freebies generally fall prey to this scheme quite easily. Some even do it dishonestly by staying contracted to another roaster and mixing stock.
