In The Beginning…
Simply put, I became a coffee roaster because of my love for coffee and the joy that this seemingly simple beverage can bring. Not too far into the journey of learning about coffee, however, I quickly found myself inundated and overwhelmed with the many rabbit holes that this obsession can bring. The pursuit of the perfect bean, the perfect brew method, and ultimately the perfect cup of coffee were all daily quests that consumed my morning ritual. There was never any doubt that the perfection inherited from my father and his father before him would eventually lead me to only ever wanting to roast specialty grade coffee. It is that pursuit of excellence that encapsulates the spirit of specialty coffee that also lives within me.
However, owning a business presents its own challenges beyond my personal beliefs and drivers. I am responsible for meeting financial targets, ensuring rent and utilities are paid, and that employee payroll is met. Especially in the world of coffee delivery, which is a major part of our business, pricing is a critical factor in winning contracts, gaining qualified leads, and ultimately growing our business. There is a reason that most of the coffee office delivery services only sell commodity grade coffee. So, the question is then raised, do we as a business continue to source and roast only specialty grade coffee, or do we relax our standards within the delivery service offerings and roast commodity grade coffees to be better able to compete with lower priced competitors?
What Is Specialty Coffee?
Before we can fully answer this question, however, we need to explain the difference between commodity and specialty coffee. At a high level, the term "specialty coffee" signifies a commitment to excellence at every stage of the coffee journey, from seed to cup. Specialty coffee is defined by its exceptional quality, distinctive flavors, and meticulous attention to detail throughout the production process. It represents the top echelon of coffee, showcasing the finest beans cultivated in specific regions under optimal conditions.
To earn the coveted title of specialty coffee, beans must meet stringent criteria set forth by organizations such as the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). These criteria typically include factors such as bean quality, flavor profile, defect count, altitude of cultivation, and sustainable farming practices. Specialty coffee undergoes rigorous evaluation by experienced tasters, known as Q Graders, who assess its sensory attributes and overall quality. The coffee in question needs to be scored at an 80 or higher on a 100-point scale by these graders at various points throughout the supply chain in order to be considered specialty.
In addition to its unsurpassed flavor characteristics, one of the hallmarks of specialty coffee is its unwavering commitment to quality, traceability, and sustainability. Specialty coffee producers prioritize transparency and traceability, ensuring that each batch of coffee can be traced back to its origin. Moreover, sustainable farming practices, environmental stewardship, and fair compensation for coffee producers are integral to the specialty coffee ethos. By prioritizing quality over quantity and fostering direct relationships with farmers, specialty coffee roasters uphold ethical standards and support the long-term viability of coffee-growing communities.
Commodity Coffee: A Thing of The Past?
Commodity coffee, also known as commercial or conventional coffee, on the other hand, refers to the mass-produced beans that dominate the global coffee market. These beans are typically grown on large-scale, industrialized farms where quantity often takes precedence over quality. Commodity coffee is often treated as a homogeneous product, with little emphasis on flavor nuances or bean provenance. Instead, the focus is on maximizing yields and minimizing production costs to meet the demands of a price-driven market.
Commodity coffee is characterized by its standardized taste profile, uniformity, and lack of distinctiveness. These beans are often grown using conventional farming methods that prioritize volume and efficiency over environmental sustainability and flavor complexity. The cultivation of commodity coffee may involve the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, leading to environmental degradation and soil depletion. Additionally, commodity coffee is typically traded on commodity exchanges at prevailing market prices, resulting in fluctuating prices and limited transparency for producers.
Decisions, decisions….
As you would expect, roasters wishing to provide specialty coffee to their customers must pay a premium, often making it difficult to compete head-to-head with commodity roasters. So, back to our original question. Would our delivery service, The Coffee Run, decide to relax our standards and source commodity grade coffee or would we stick with our founding principles and only source specialty grade coffee. The answer is not as easy as I may have laid it out to be because the price differences can be quite drastic. After much deliberation, we ultimately came to the decision that we would continue to source only specialty grade coffee even at the expense of having to charge a higher price and/or receive a lower margin. This decision came down to two primary factors.
First, I thought back to the original reason I wanted to be a coffee roaster. I loved the joy that coffee can bring, and I wanted to share that with as many people as possible. In order to do that, I felt that I had to sell a product that I could stand behind. Personally, I knew that I could not stand behind a commodity grade, homogenized product. So, if it would not bring me joy to sell, how could I expect my customers to receive joy when consuming it?
Second, when I reflected on my values, I knew that keeping our business focused on the direction of specialty coffee was simply the right thing to do. From providing better wages to farmers, to challenging the norm to ensure more sustainable farming practices, and promoting transparency throughout the supply chain, I knew that sourcing specialty grade coffee was the right thing to do for our business, our customers, and our future.
Specialty Coffee Delivery: Easier Said Than Done?
Ok great, but where does that leave us? We still have a delivery service for which we roast coffee and, as much as we would like to believe in the power of an informed buyer, most customers in this industry are still looking for the lowest price options. Well, this is where both mine and my business partner, McKendrick’s, backgrounds were able to come into play to leverage our supply chain in order to find specialty coffee at optimal economies of scale so that we could come closer to having the best of both worlds. By working with import partners that can both leverage volume and direct trade relationships, we were able to ensure that we get specialty coffee at the best prices possible without sacrificing the positive aspects of this coffee category. We were also very lucky to have built a network of other coffee professionals that were able to help lead us in the right direction for what best fit our business needs.
And that brings us back to today and our current sourcing strategy. We continue to be the only coffee delivery service in the Charleston, SC area that offers fresh, roasted in-house specialty grade coffee, and, because we can leverage both our sourcing and internal manufacturing capabilities, we are able to achieve this while also maintaining competitive pricing with other delivery services offering exclusively commodity options. So, if you are in the market for office coffee delivery, I urge you to consider the impacts of what you are purchasing beyond just the price. Look for a delivery service that offers specialty coffee with a transparent sourcing strategy. These roasters are committed to both ethical and environmental standards that go beyond just being the lowest price on the market. To me, that is a product that I can stand behind and something that I know will bring much needed joy to someone’s morning routine.
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