Jonathan Bass, EVP Marketing & Communication at Bellwether Coffee
We welcome Bellwether Coffee's EVP of Marketing and Communication Jonathan Bass to the Coffee People Podcast.
Full video posted below, or watch and/or listen to Coffee People on:
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Title: Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communication
Company: Bellwether Coffee
Location: Berkley, CA
Find online: https://bellwethercoffee.com/
What they drink: Variety is the spice of life.
Why does a company, especially one with a product that seems to showcase its own value, need marketing? I admit it is an aggressive question to come out of the gate with, but Jonathan Bass didn't shy away from it.*
According to him, marketing is an intersection between what the company does and what a customer needs. A lot of his work is amplifying what Bellwether customers are doing and sharing what they've done with the machines the company manufactures.
By sharing the stories of the people using Bellwether Roasters or working within their green coffee marketplace, he's also creating a roadmap for others—future customers—thinking about going down the same path.
We should disclose that we've previously partnered with The Pinery Coffee Co. to create a charitable coffee supporting The Ice Age Trail that was roasted on their in-house Bellwether machine. That coffee is no longer available online, but stay tuned for more collaborations in the future.
ABOUT THE BELLWETHER COFFEE ROASTERS
They now offer two variations of their all-electric, ventless, and automatic machines—a 1.5kg and a 20kg. One fits on the counter, creating opportunity for a cafe to become a functioning (albeit small) self-contained roastery almost overnight. The other enables any business to roast hundreds of pounds of coffee per week.
The 20kg roaster isn't countertop-friendly but about the size of a soda vending machine, if not a bit smaller and sleeker. It easily fits into a cafe space, allowing customers to not just observe, but experience, the roasting process. Since the roasters are electric, generally, no major construction, permitting, or gas lines are needed.*
*Disclaimer: Check with your landlords and follow any local ordinances to ensure roasting is allowed! Do that due diligence.
ABOUT THE BELLWETHER COFFEE MARKETPLACE
The marketplace is effectively a green buyer and distributor that exclusively serves the users of Bellwether roasting machines. For the new roaster, the value comes not just from the green coffee, but from the work done at Bellwether to create roast profiles and dial in the roasting details to offer preprogrammed roast operations.
For those looking to tweak and customize the coffees to meet the preferences of themselves or their customers, the roast profiles offer a starting point, and Bellwether will work with those roasters to create new profiles on their machines.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE POD
- Joining Bellwether returned (somewhat) Jonathan from his tech industry roots back to an industry where he had always found joy—hospitality.
- A big misconception or missing piece of the Bellwether story that the marketing team is working to grow awareness for is that the company will help customers with every element of their coffee program—if they want it. They have the roaster machines, they have the green coffee, the have roast profiles pre-programed, and will help a cafe set up a roasting program.
There is a full-service-ness to it that isn't always conveyed. It isn't always needed or wanted either. That's okay. At Bellwether, they'll meet you where you are. - A lot of Bellwether roaster customers are first-time roasters. This is, in part, because the machine is designed for cafes and small spaces. The machine can be plugged into a fairly standard electrical system without requiring permits or major construction.
Plus, profiles for the coffees from their green marketplace are already built into the machine. It's can be a plug-and-play operation. The machine profiles are also very customizable. - It's not enough to be an activist, an environmental activist, you need to bring your audience along with you. Our (in the general sense) response to ethical quandaries evolves over time as our experience, knowledge, and circumstances change.
- Jonathan believes an ethical cup of coffee IS possible, and the Bellwether roaster customers are are the best positioned to do so.
- Pear Tree Coffee Roasters "roasts coffee to create a community of people who bring their diverse abilities together." They are a coffee roaster charitable organization providing opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. Jonathan shouted them out on the show.
💡
Advice for entrepreneurs:
1. Stay in the moment. Enjoy each stage of life for what it brings.
2. Listen to your customers. No matter how good your ideas are your customers will use your products in ways that you'd never imagine. you're coming up with ideas on their behalf.
3. Taking a break can be a healthy way to take stock of your life.
1. Stay in the moment. Enjoy each stage of life for what it brings.
2. Listen to your customers. No matter how good your ideas are your customers will use your products in ways that you'd never imagine. you're coming up with ideas on their behalf.
3. Taking a break can be a healthy way to take stock of your life.
THE INTERVIEW WITH BELLWETHER COFFEE FOUNDER RICARDO LOPEZ
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Over 15 years, Roastar has seen some things. The focus has been on coffee, but sometimes products overlap. Their resealable hook-to-hook zippers make their stand-up pouches an option for all kinds of packaged goods, including dog treats.
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