Rain/More Join the WAC Team/Temp.Coffee…etc.

It is hard to believe it is almost Easter.  Love the holidays as it presents the opportunity for all of us in the family to slow down and truly enjoy each other. Then there is our annual Easter potluck dinner and plastic easter egg hunt with 100 dollar bills inside (that part is a joke).

I knew after weeks of beautiful sunny warm weather in Portland the rain had to return and it has.  Great for spring skiing  but off the mountains  – we got a bit spoiled driving with our sunroofs open in March.  Of course in reality none of us would live here if we did not actually love this climate.  Rain is good for being inside – I need inside time right now so it comes as a blessing.

Thursday we will open a temporary coffee bar operation in our building here on Water Ave. -  called – what else – “Temporary Coffee”.  Opening in the former Bakery Bar space for about a month.  We are only doing this to offer espresso and pour over to our coffee starved neighbors in the surrounding buildings & neighborhood.  It will also allow those in Portland (outside the inner coffee community)  for the first time experience our single origin WAC coffee’s – roasted by no other than our partner Brandon Smyth (formally with Stumptown).

Pour over master Tom Pikaart (www.pouredover.com) from Visions and master barista Drew Woods from Vivace have re-located from Seattle  to be two of WAC’s first full time baristas.  Both are amazing in terms of their knowledge and passion for coffee.  Below we see them hanging out today in the new “Temp” space with Rita from Albina Press – Dan Baumfeld of Neptune Coffee in Seattle – Matt – Jared Mockli – Jesse Kahn and Sarah Dooley all down from Seattle to say hello.

In about a month or so when Bunk will take over this “temp” space – we  hopefully should be ready to do a soft open in our new 2000 square foot retail space.

Matt & Brandon have been on Craigs list daily for WAC  and the finds have been no less than amazing!  Last week it was 14 – very 70′s – black fiberglass molded chairs that were found in a warehouse in Southeast.  Today we scored a 5 foot sign that says what else “Portland”.

We hope the plumbers will be finished this week as well as the electricians so we can finish the sheet rock.  Counter tops are from 100 year old re-claimed / re-planned wood – two feet wide and thicker than two Chicago phone books or one Chicago deep dish pizza.

Photos will be forthcoming here on the bellissimo blog as we progress.

Today my early mailing of the April Fresh Cup arrived at the office.  It included both the article I wrote on coffee and consulting in Morocco as well as the co- authored piece with Lon LaFlamme on Waves Coffee in Vancouver B.C. a company I consulted with on site last fall.

Today I am submitting a marketing article to Fresh Cup for their May edition – here is a paragraph preview of that piece:

Each month we read about chains closing more and more unprofitable stores. Many experts estimate that retail specialty coffee was “overbuilt” by approximately 20 percent. I totally disagree. I think at least 20 percent had to fail in a tough economy because of poor business practices and because they failed to understand the nature of specialty coffee. The more than 2000 operations that closed in the past two years closed because they had built their businesses on sand, and in many cases did not offer the right product or know who their customers were. In addition, many operations (even chains) chose unbelievably poor locations. Many of the independents that went out of business were trying to copy the chain model and did not understand their community or how to set themselves apart.

————–

Now back to prep for our biggest show of the year in LA -Our annual SCAA  show/ Two weeks from today we will be in Cali with a zillion other coffee professionals.    Chuck Jones will be picking me up from the Burbank AP and then we will tour coffee in LA with a contingent of Anacafe folks from Guatemala that day.

One major highlight for me of this years show is  the Keynote Rick choose – a true hero of mine – Ariana Huffington!

If you are attending Matt & I will be in Booth #2155 – Hope lots of our coffee family from around the world will stop in.

Consultants & Specialty Coffee

Returning last week from NYC -  on the heels of my Morocco trip… I  found my desk piled with  stacks of mail and of course the latest coffee magazines. While reading Roast Magazine – I found Connie’s “From the Publisher” letter.

The title of her column was “Consultants” -  All I can say about her letter to the industry in this issue is “Bravo.”

Anyone that knows Connie – knows -  she is very direct, honest and rarely beats around the bush when she has an opinion on a given subject.  This piece was true to her style.  Here – she spoke her mind and I must admit it mirrored my feelings about the subject 100%.

One quote:  “On paper every consultant seems to have the experience and credentials, but lately I have been hearing the last response (Are they just plain evil?) to make me wonder if the “expert” bar has been set too low in our business?”

I have been a coffee consultant for nearly 20 years and I must admit that there are few areas of the specialty coffee business that are as strange as the world of coffee consulting. Often it seems everyone is a consultant – and many of them are trying to sell you a lot more than “good information.”

There are of course many great consultants in our industry that truly care about the success of their clients but it only takes a few companies and individuals – as Connie put it… “to lower the bar” and shed an ill light on the profession of coffee consulting.

“Thanks Connie” for a well written and timely piece.

We are embarking on two very busy weeks ahead – best of all no major travel on the nearby horizon.  My next overseas trip that was to occur  this month has now been pushed back until after the SCAA show.  And with everything that is happening on Water Avenue – it is important to be closer to home for a while.

Back in the Bellissimo office for a while…

Marrakesh is only a blur now – a wonderful one I must admit. Our work in Morocco has only begun and this project will keep us busy for a all of 2010/2011 for starters. Such a fun and exciting project with wonderful clients – I look forward to returning soon.

Today is Presidents day and the beginning of a week that will have our entire staff in the office extremely busy – We are in the midst of a half a dozen design and layout jobs as well as working on multiple and interesting business plans for companies large and small. Downstairs…The American Barista & Coffee School is full 4/5 days this week training the McMenamins bartenders (a different group each day). McM. truly understands the meaning of quality in their operations and will be taking their staff to the next level in the coffee arena. This is a company that is a legend in the Northwest with pubs, hotels, theaters, even golf courses – They roast their own coffee – make their own whiskey and of course brew some wicked micro-brews just for starters. We feel honored to be a part of their training team.
It is nice to see the classroom full – Next weeks Feb. class has been sold out for some time and our March filled by the middle of Feb. as well. We do have space left in a special 2 day – barista training on March 25/26 – Check out http://www.coffeeschool.org if you are interested in that class – which is a great one to improve ones skills on the espresso machine. And finally @ ABC’s we are proud and happy to announce the arrival next week of a new Dalla Corte SCAE competition machine This machine brand famous around the world is now being represented by Espresso Supply – long time friends of Bellissimo in Seattle. Mike will be personally coming out this weekend to install and train us on the machine. And as a treat we will be taking him to the 18th Year reunion show of the Dharma Bums who will be playing Saturday night at The Crystal ballroom… Best of all Jeremy Wilson – the lead singer and driving force of the group is one of Matt’s and my dearest friends – We are all really looking forward to the show and the insane positive energy that should flow from the 18 year break -Scott McCaughey says they are his favorite live band ever and as a member of The Minus 5 and R.E.M, he ought to know a thing or two about a live show. Other DB went on to join other bands such as The Decemberists, Elliott Smith – etc. etc. Back in the day Kurt Cobain and Nirvana used to open for them.

A great busy week ahead ending with great music and friendship. Ciao