Where to coffee industry?
Competition or cooperation?
According to a recent article by James Hoffmann, coffee is at a turning point, do we have dog-eat-dog competition or cooperation, all out growth for growth’s sake, or sustainability, slow organic growth?
I had high hopes for London. You might claim they come from a place of misguided optimism, and I’d probably struggle to argue with you. The city and much of the UK seems to be at an inflexion point of coffee industry culture.
This is not a question unique to coffee. We see it with apps for smartphones, too often serfs working for an app, as with Uber or Deliveroo, grow the company rapidly, then before everyone sees it is worthless, what Paul Mason at a meeting at St Paul’s to discuss PostCapitalism described as silly money chasing silly projects, sell out at the peak.
From my own experience of little indie coffee shops, those where quality is everything, they do not see themselves as in competition, their coffee speaks for itself, they cooperate.
I have seen it with a barista from one coffee shop, helping out in another coffee shop. I am seeing it with the launch of a chain disrupter loyalty card, of which I have played a small part.
When the indie coffee shops cooperate, support each other, introduce people to what constitutes good coffee, are prepared to explain the finer points of coffee, where it comes from, it will increase the number of people who enjoy and appreciate good coffee. It may come as a disadvantage to the chains serving overpriced commodity coffee, but that can be no bad thing.
But I am also seeing a different side, in part driven by greed, in part driven by stupidity.
People setting up coffee shops who know absolutely nothing about coffee. I have tried their undrinkable coffee, after one sip, walked out, my cup left still full.
People jumping on a bandwagon on what they see as a get rich quick scheme.
Sometimes I take the trouble to talk to them, ask the roast date, from where they source the beans, explain why roast date is important, that no, a cappuccino is being served too hot.
Sometimes they listen, most of the time they do not because they do not care.
Too often I simply walk in, and walk back out again.
An expensive food shop decided to brew coffee. Yes a pleasant seating area by the window. The guy serving, knew nothing about coffee, thought though he knew everything. Where they buy the coffee from was a roaster I would not touch. The coffee was undrinkable. I walked out leaving it. A sign outside, which makes them look ridiculous, claims the best coffee in town.
I had that experience last year in a coffee shop, the sign outside claiming the best coffee in town. Never a wise move if the coffee served is at best borderline drinkable, as simply make yourselves look foolish. I checked the bags of beans. I could find no roast date. When I queried this, my attention was drawn to a line of tiny digits, which could have been a batch number. I interpreted as October the year before, this was July last year. When I queried this, the manger could not see there was a problem, then went on to inform me I clearly did not know anything about coffee. He also tried to tell me it was normal to dump chocolate on a cappuccino, that it was company policy (he was wrong on both counts).
A new coffee shop opened over Easter. Pleasant decor, but tea pigs promoted as I walked in, the waitress making the coffee, I asked to look at the coffee, no roast date, no source for the beans, no aroma.
Did I have a coffee?
Er, no. I thanked them for their help and walked out.
I cannot understand why anyone opens a coffee shop if they know nothing about coffee. We already have chain stores to serve overpriced undrinkable coffee.
I am seeing the same with coffee roasters. People who know absolutely nothing about roasting coffee, opening a coffee roastery.
I take a look at their beans, I see the large variety on offer, I learn they have had no previous experience of coffee roasting. They know the price of everything, the value of nothing.
Then the links between the two. We will give you a machine, supply you with the beans, provide training. A cheap entry, locked into using over-priced cheap commodity beans, the training worthless.
As James Hoffmann says, a perilous state of affairs.
