I attended your seminar and I am starting a small business importer of
brazilian coffee. I am looking for distributors or sales rep for the
coffee industry. Does anyone can help me on that?
Carol,
Coffee market just gets bigger, but the strategy would be to go high-end, and make more money doing less... What is the problem you experience in coffee consumption? For me, coffee must be in a glass, dark roast, sweetened with molasses, and 12 oz. I call it "cafe creole." Now I don't particularly care about coffee, so it is not my passion, so I could not make money at it, or get customers. You ought to start with the problem you experience, think of the solution, try to "buy" your solution as a customer, and when retailers say "good idea, does not exist..." then you develop the solution with the suppliers.
Later you return to the retailers with your finished product. It is THEN you find the reps, by asking those very retailers who the best reps are.
These reps then get you into countless other retailers....
John
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Carol Checks in On Coffee
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1 comments:
When it comes to commodities, you are forced into the conservator's market, right? There is not much innovation in coffee...or lumber....or oil....or sugar...etc... There would have to be something special about the Brazilian coffee bean.
Here is a link. Starbucks is trying to trademark Ethiopian coffee. Of course, Ethiopia is not too pleased. The coffee Starbucks is trademarking has been growing in Ethiopia since before the dawn of man.
http://tinyurl.com/2llj5t
Also of note, Ethiopia gets $1.45/pound for it's specialty sun dried organic bean, while Starbucks sells the same pound for $26. But it seems all the pain is on the front end; ie picking the beans, stirring the beans in the sun every few minutes for 15 days, shucking the shell, etc... Should I feel guilty the grower is only getting $1.45?
Anthony
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