This is a little off my normal topics of finance and costing but no less relevant to my target reader. My target reader is a barista who wants to own their own shop one day, a family run shop trying to get better, the great majority of shops who serve great coffee every day but lack some technical knowledge, advice and resources to get them there.
For those of you who aren't aware, an association has been launched at the TED Conference in Palm Springs California where the self appointed "creme de la creme" of coffee invite each other to share a space and inform the attendees on how coffee should be experienced. Admittedly I have not witnessed this personally so judging the relative importance of what they are sharing is a mystery, but I believe it is safe to say it is less an educational exercise and more a self promotional one. *I'm sure there'll be a slick black and white video released soon that will shed more light for those of us not attending, so keep an eye out for it!
The reason this is relevant to my target reader is I want to warn you of the pitfalls of believing this is how you build a successful business and make money in coffee. Certainly there is an imperative to constantly draw attention to yourself when you compete for customers in London, Los Angeles or New York City, but not so much in middle America or Canada. Thinking that being part of a self congratulatory "security council" with a veto on who is relevant and who is dismissed will lead to distraction and ruin.
The blurring of lines between some SCAA/Barista Guild executives and the relentless self promotion is becoming hard to ignore, neither of which serve the community as a whole but alienate the supportive base of both organizations. Maybe an unintentional consequence, but a real sentiment felt by thousands of companies who are getting the message "you're not important", but renew anyway.
The main point I want to get across is that it's ok to be a great operator in rural Maine, middle Kansas or Winnepeg Manitoba. The value of what you are bringing to the Specialty Coffee Industry is relevant to all the companies like you, and you are managing to do it without alienating and diminishing your peers. Good on you!
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"The reason this is relevant to my target reader is I want to warn you of the pitfalls of believing this is how you build a successful business and make money in coffee."
ReplyDelete- this isn't at all a goal of coffee common, and such a statement as well as some others are rather misinformed, inaccurate, and come across as rude.
Scott,
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment. My intention was not to be rude, but to point out that there is a complete lack of diversity within the group and that any notion that this group represents Specialty Coffee is not valid. I am also sure there are plenty of folks praising the Coffee Common and I'm certain you can stomach some criticism. I have participated in online discussions with folks from around the globe that feel very disconnected from the SCAA and BGA because of the culture of insiders which exists. I know I have not volunteered near as many hours as you have and I applaud you for it, but this event is not a catalyst for inclusion but instead makes me feel like a fool for contributing my free labour to both organizations. While neither association has endorsed Coffee Common, like it or not, the participation of members of the executive further reinforces my feeling that the both organizations are not always representing members, but a handful of entrenched insiders with agendas that don't mesh with many many members. You can't claim to be collaborative and remain exclusive too, they are mutually exclusive.