Tips For Beginning the Search for Cafe Vendors.
Coffee Smarter Pro with Alden Hozouri of Crossings Coffee
Tips For Beginning the Search for Cafe Vendors.
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Topic: Seeking out vendors for your new cafe.
Guest: Alden Hozouri
Title: Founder & Head Roaster at Crossings Coffee
Connect: www.crossingscoffee.com • @crossingscoffee
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PODCAST
Start with an online search!
Make lists, and GET QUOTES!
Vendors will have suggestions of things you need. That’s their job, but don’t get to sucked to far into a sales contract before actually running your shop.
Some of the things you think you need, you won’t. Or the quantities you think you need will be more, or less.
There will be things you forget. It can be an asset to remain flexible upfront.
A good vendor will work with you to make your business a success.
You will need more than one vendor.
You might choose to buy things from a nearby warehouse store like Costco or Sam’s Club or Restaurant Depot. If it isn’t costing you labor hours to do so, it might be worth it for price or flexibility or to fill that one weird need.
BUT be aware if doing your own shopping is cutting into the time you need to run your business successfully.
Be sure to Price Check (continually)
Ask about minimum orders.
If you choose a smaller vendor be sure to talk to your sales representative about their future plans to determine if they’ll be able to grow with you.
LEARN CRAFT COFFEE ROASTING WITH A COFFEE SMARTER PRO
San Diego’s Mira Costa College is teaming up with former Coffee People guest and current R!WC Coffee Smarter Pro expert Lily Quiros a.k.a. Lil’ Coffee Geek for a three day coffee roasting course in March 2024. Class details at the link below and stay tuned for upcoming CSPro episodes featuring Lily, where we discuss traveling to origin, coffee roasting software, and how a coffee consultant can help you develop foundational skills, and improve efficiency in your roasting.
“Are you ready to awaken your inner coffee connoisseur and explore the art of craft coffee roasting? Join us for an exciting journey into the world of craft coffee
roasting, where you'll sip, savor, and roast your way to coffee perfection…This is a hands-on course where you will learn to roast your favorite types of coffee and also discover the origins, history, and diverse flavors of coffee from
around the globe.” -MiraCosta.edu
FUN FACTS ABOUT CROWS
Per Lesley The Bird Nerd:
- Crows are a lot like humans.
- Crows are beautiful.
- Crows are fun.
- Crows are helpful.
- Crows are very smart.
I should note that I really like crows. There are several that live near my home in Southern California. They are all named Charlie. We’ve lived here quite a long time, and the crows have gotten to know us enough to walk (or hop and fly from fence post to garbage can) along with us as we make our daily walk through the neighborhood.
At first, their engagement freaked me out, but the more I learned about crows the more I appreciated their company. They aren’t big fans of our pup, but I try to sit out on the porch with a cup of coffee at least weekly. They often stop by to say, “Hello.”
ELSEWHERE IN COFFEE
Listwithclever.com—a real estate website—has been making waves with a recent blog post listing The Best (and Worst) Coffee Cities In The U.S. (2024). Beyond the click-bait headline,* There were some interesting stats in the post:
- The American coffee economy is worth 11,000,000,000 dollars annually (billions), but…
- Per their survey, 32% of respondents cut back on coffee shop visits in 2023, and 31% say they will in 2024.
More interesting than some of the arbitrary data collected from surveys and Yelp reviews, was the financial information breaking down the average prices for a cappuccino and how many coffee shops a metro area had per 100,000 residents.
San Diego, where this newsletter is based, ranked 3rd on the Best list behind San Jose, CA, and Portland, OR. Some surprise cities (to those who don’t live there) in the top 10 include Providence, RI, and Hartford, CT.
Topping the worst list is Houston, TX. If you’re in Houston and disagree, shoot us a message on social media or directly to roastwestcoast@gmail.com
Check out the full lists at: https://listwithclever.com/research/best-coffee-cities/#ranked
*It worked. I clicked on it.
R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS
R!WC podcasts and newsletters continue to be free because we have some amazing industry partners and supporting listeners.
A huge, on-going thank you to this show’s industry partners. Click these links!
Roastar • Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters • Hacea Coffee Source • Crossings Coffee • Acento Coffee Roasters • Sivitz Roasting Machines
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