2016 - The Year of Craft Coffee
Corporate coffee has officially arrived in the specialty realm
The plot continues to twist and turn and 2016 looks to be a monumental year for many things to unfold in the specialty coffee industry. The jaw-dropping acquisitions of Stumptown and Intelligentsia by JAB Holding Company, a German investment firm that owns Peet’s Coffee & Tea and holds a majority share of Caribou Coffee, definitely sent shockwaves throughout the industry. These acqusitions solitified corporate coffee as a major player in the specialty coffee market. Their plans and motives for what’s to come are still unclear. Perhaps investing in the expansion and reach of Stumptowns cold brew retail operation? Or transforming a number of Peet’s locations into new Stumptown locations? Or even possibly merging all the companies together and forming a juggernaut to go toe-to-toe with their biggest commercial green machine nemesis? I wouldn’t be so quick to call Stumptown and Intelligentsia corporate sellouts just yet. It could just mean they’re financially knuckling up to take on the growing demands facing the specialty coffee market. Regardless, I can’t knock them for creating value in the marketplace. One thing is for certain, the acquisitions undeniably raise the value of many other companies in the industry, and open the doors to endless possibilities in the specialty game. Either way, it’s inevitable somebody will rise up to fill the void.
Starbucks Reserve
Starbucks finally got the memo that burning the shit out of their beans and charging a premium for it won’t be sustainable if they want to stay relevant in the future. The opening of their “reserve” micro roastery is a direct acknowledgment that they’ve been selling their customers a low quality product for years. Is it the announcement to the world that they’re returning to their roots and classic style? Are they gauging towards a more transparent and simplistic approach by shifitng the focus back to making a quality cup of coffee? With their financial flexibility, the possibilities are endless. But is it too late to get out of the way of their own shadow? With 21,000+ stores and being the solidified representitve of fast food coffee, is their commercial model scalable for the craft/specialty model? My opinion: you can never say never but all signs lead to a strong no because they’ll eventually neglect quality for quantity, just as they did before.
Craft Coffee Crossroad
I envision 2016 as the year of immense growth in the craft coffee movement. With the growing publicity of the World Barista Championships, and the evolution of the growing popularity of the craft cafe culture, the industry definitely has everyone’s attention. These two entities are destined for an inevitable meeting with droves of mainstream commercial coffee converters ending up in craft cafes. With that said, some huge and unanswered questions lie ahead. Are new curious arrivals going to get the concept behind specialty? Will they even give two shits about the WBC and all the parameters behind weighing out your shots and timing your shot extractions to arrive to a consistent and delicious espresso? Will they wait patiently while baristas take the time to methodically execute a delicious pour over? They only will on two conditions: 1) It lives up to and exceeds all the hype. 2) The experience is worth the wait in line.
The WBC, Hype or Essential?
The World Barista Championships, I love it, it’s awesome and a great way of gaining street cred in the industry. The craftsmanship behind these competitions allows absolutely no room for error if baristas want a true fighting chance at even sniffing around the top 3. This only ups the ante for everybody within the industry to constantly strive for perfection. I’m definitley a huge fan, and coming from an athletic background, I love the competitiveness and drive behind a practitioners preparation for competition. I also have a deep appreciation for anybody who attempts to pursue mastery within their craft. But I’m concerned. I’m concerned because the focus seems centered more towards flawlessly preparing an espresso rather than preparing a flawless espresso. Or too much focus has shifted to pouring emaculate latte art without regard to the deliciousness and complexity inside the latte. To me, the WBC is the “Iron Chef” competition of coffee and doesn’t necessarily relate to everybody who walks through the doors, nor do they even possibly care, but it’s important. Esthetic is a key component when identifying quality in our culture. It is a necessity moving forward if a cafe wishes to be associated to the top tier echelon companies in the coffee industry. But don’t think for a hot second esthetic trumps the value of flavor. It has to be a harmonious balance of presentation and deliciousness. This will be the challenge for all cafe’s looking to make an impact in 2016, the year of craft coffee.
Edited by: Taylor Glaser
