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.
