5 Tips for Surviving the Ups and Downs of the Coffee Business

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Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks all around the world. The United States, especially, has a strong hold on the coffee market. The retail value of the U.S. coffee market is estimated to be $48 billion dollars with specialty comprising approximately 55% value share. However, as the economy rises and declines, coffee sales in the US also follow suit. When financial times are tight, US families enjoy their coffee at home. With this constant fluctuation, how can independent coffee shops keep a consistent flow of customers?

Create a unique product
Independent coffee shops manage to sell 31% of espresso based drinks, while the rest is brewed coffee. Creating a unique product is crucial in demanding customer business. You must create a product that is entirely unique and that is difficult to duplicate at home. This can include trending mixes, favorite flavors, desert coffee drinks, or even non coffee drinks. Things like tea, hot chocolate, and hot cider can be great additions to any coffee shop menu. Consistently change up the menu for an even greater demand of the product.

Use a high quality base coffee
All of your coffee drinks are likely to have the same base coffee. Because this product will be in the majority of items you sell to your customers, it needs to be of high quality. Ensure that your coffee beans are coming from a quality supplier. You can reduce costs with cheap paper cups or white disposable coffee cups, but the specific coffee beans that are used in your product should always be of the highest quality, regardless of the cost.

Offer free internet usage
Offering free internet usage inside of your coffee shop is a great way to encourage customers to stay for a long period of time. The longer that you can get them to stay, the more coffee they will drink. You can further their length of stay by creating a comfortable environment. Place soft music at a low level that still allows guests to communicate with one another. Divide the shop up with different types of work spaces, including open tables and private seating areas. Leave out white disposable coffee cups and plain white paper cups for free water or coffee samples. The more comfortable and convenient of an environment that you create, the more your customers will return, and the longer they will stay.

Consider a lunch menu
Coffee is only one necessity out of the day. While many Americans may be willing to cut out coffee a couple times a week to reduce spending costs, most are not willing to give up lunch or dinner meals. Offering food can increase your business, especially around the slower lunch hours. Serve lunch items with white disposable coffee cups for free samples of your product. The lunch menu does not have to be extensive. Offer simple sandwiches and soup products.

Sell your coffee beans
Sometimes, it is not possible to prevent the switch to home brewing. You can, however, still encourage sales by selling your brand?s coffee beans. This will keep your sales up, remind customers of your product daily, and encourage them to come back when they want a special treat. There are two primary types of coffee, Arabica and Robusta, and the vast majority of coffee used in the specialty industry is of the Arabica type. It can be helpful to sell both to reach the widest variety of customers available.

Coffee sales, although extremely high in the United States, tend to fluctuate quite significantly. Independent coffee shops may see a sudden increase, followed by a severe decrease. Smaller businesses may find it difficult to keep up with these varying times. The best way to supplement business is to provide free samples with white disposable coffee cups, create a comforting and convenient environment, serve lunch menu items, and sell your coffee beans. With these tips, you will be able to successfully make it through the slower business times.