Nothing quite goes like it's supposed to.
Everything seems to take longer than it needs to.
Starting a business is not for the feint of heart. The learning curve is pretty steep. Stress levels get pretty high. Every day is a new obstacle. Some of the obstacles are external - venders who don't return your call - landlords who... don't return your call - coffee roaster manufacturers who... don't return your call - stuff like that. Some of the obstacles are internal. It's pretty overwhelming having to get good at about 10 things at once, knowing that about 9 of them I have never done before. It can get paralyzing if you are not careful. There is a reason why accounting, finance, marketing, real estate, sales, and web design are all professional jobs for professional people. I am in one of those "Am I in way over my head?" stages of life. It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time.
I made an important decision today though. I ordered my first shipment of coffee. I am super excited; we have some great coffees coming in. We have been sample roasting and cupping coffee after coffee over the last 3 weeks. Our goal was to start out with a manageable handful of coffees - with a good mix of Central and South America, Indonesia and Africa. We also want a good flavor mix of: mellow and balanced, buttery and sweet, fruity, deep and dark, along with a great tasting decaf. Above all of that, who we buy the coffee from and under what terms is an issue that is very important to us. We have had the privilege of beginning the process of relationship building both with our buyer who shares our values and the farmers whose coffee we'll carry. Each of our coffees were purchased at or above Fair Trade prices. And, there are some exciting stories of what's going on in those regions as a result of the premiums these fine coffees are fetching - schools being built - standard of living increasing. Cool stuff.
Here are the coffees we will be carrying. You will hear more about these coffees - and the stories that surround them soon. And, when our web site is done - there will be much more there.
1. Guatemala Huehuetenangeo Rio Azul - This is a wonderful, smooth and balanced coffee. It has a gentle nutty flavor that makes you just want to drink it all day.
2. Brazil Mogiana Natural Yellow Bourbon Fazenda Cachoeira - Wow - this coffee is awesome. It is naturally sweet and buttery - like an oreo cookie dipped in heavy whipping cream.
3. Ethiopia Natural Sidamo Gerbichu Lela. Starbucks carries a Sidamo - and it's a crying shame what they do to that coffee. The Ethiopian Sidamo has one of the most prized and distinct coffee flavors in all the world. When roasted right a good Sidamo should taste like a cup of blueberries. We roast it right - it's blueberries forever, dude. If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'. This coffee is flat out incredible. Starbucks roasts theirs so dark that those delicate blueberry notes are burned and (literally) go up in smoke. It's real shame. If you have never tasted a good Sidamo, I can't wait for you to taste ours.
4. Sulawesi Torajaland. This is a deep, dark, heavy, and powerful Indonesian coffee - a good coffee to brood by. It has a long aftertaste on the back of tongue. This coffee has some meat on its bones.
5. Tanzania Peaberry Songea. Grown in the acidic soil and shadow of Mt. Kileminjaro, this is an exotic flavor that we just had to carry. It has a subtle tart fruitiness - like a dry red wine. It's really a great coffee.
6. Peru Mountain Water Decaf. This is an all natural and organic decaffeinating process - not too dissimilar to Swiss Water process. Having cupped them side by side, however, I think the Mountain Water process they do in Latin America retains far more subtle coffee flavors than Swiss Water. Swiss Water decafs have always tasted a bit "thin" to me - like the flavor left with the caffeine. Not so this Peru. This is a wonderful coffee that you would swear was not decaffeinated.
That's what we are starting with. They should be here in a week or so. I'll let you know when we are open for business.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Wow! I think I'm going to get an education. I'll have to start with the Guatemala Huehuetenangeo Rio Azul, since I'm already known at work as the gal who drinks coffee all day and who has to have "special coffee" just because I bring mine from home instead of drinking the nasty stuff that's been cooking in the break room all day.
Oh and just wait until you start encountering the "customer who owes you money on a past due invoice & won't return your phone calls." Here's hoping you won't encounter too many of those.
I can hardly wait to try them all! :)
Can I get a "sample pack" pound of each?
Joe,
Absolutely. We'll have some good deals for multiple pound orders like that.
Thanks for your support.
Add me to the list of folks wanting to start off with a sample-pack list! But drop the decaf off my shipment ... :-) I need the caffiene.
Ray,
You bet. My coffees are coming in tomorrow. My roaster, early next week. Once it is installed we will need some final permiting ok's from the city. Hopefully, we will be ready to ship in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for your support, Ray. I look forward to catching up with soon. Sorry I haven't until now. There are a vareity of reasons for that. I appreciate you, though - and the ministry you are doing. Thanks for your friendship. Talk to you soon.
You can add the Dvergsten's to your list of "sample pack people". I'm excited for all that the future hold for Mark's Bros!
I must also say "Wow!". We would definitely like to order some coffee too! And you'll be happy to know that we have a new coffee pot with a grinder (burr I might add)! So let us know when you are open for business!
Post a Comment