I write a biweekly coffee column for the local newspaper, the Herald Times Reporter, called "Spill the Beans." I'll be reprinting those columns here, but will generally reprint them as I originally wrote them, that is, without any possible edits that appeared when they were published in the HTR. The only exception to that will be that the blog post title will be the title as it appeared in the HTR, while my title will begin the post proper. Sometimes the HTR used my title, sometimes they retitled it for publication. I may intersperse writings here and there that deal with other aspects coffee knowledge and education. The HTR columns will display the image of that day's front page banner. I'll continue to add past columns as regularly as possible until I get caught up.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

High service coffee roasters do more than just roast coffee

High service coffee roasters do more than just roast coffee


The specialty coffee business seems to draw an inordinate number of entrepreneurs who are driven by issues beyond financial motivation. Social and environmental issues are regularly championed and emphasized by retailers, roasters and coffee-related media. Many retailers and quality roasters go above and beyond the necessary and practical issues of business survival and growth by extending their reach into community enhancing projects, both local and global.


Of course many other (non-coffee) businesses are also intimately involved in helping to make their communities and the world a better place in which to live. But my perception is that the specialty coffee world does a better and more consistent job of heralding and promoting that kind of involvement among its ranks. Several truly high service roasters seem especially devoted to issues beyond their bottom lines.


“Locally,” that is in Wisconsin and the Midwest, there are some quality roasters who not only provide excellent, fresh roasted coffee to their retailers but who also make it known that part of their businesses involve bettering their communities. Alterra Roasters, for example, is a Milwaukee roaster that has experienced impressive growth since opening their first café in 1994. Now with at least nine Alterra cafés and many retail outlets, the company focuses not only on roasting quality coffee but also on partnering with community organizations that promote the arts, education and environmental issues, primarily in the Milwaukee area.


Alterra’s support of Second Harvest of Wisconsin is noteworthy. This organization distributes millions of pounds of food each year to people who need it in our state. The company donates a small portion of their sales to the cause and, perhaps more importantly, has raised awareness for Second Harvest’s efforts to feed hungry people.


On the west coast one company that is in many ways creating the paradigm for high service coffee roasters and is having a direct, positive impact on communities both local and beyond, is Dillanos Coffee Roasters in Sumner, Washington. I got to know some of the fine folks at Dillanos at last year’s CoffeeFest in Chicago. Although we did not develop a business relationship I found myself spending a good amount of time talking to them and absorbing their literature and company philosophy.


Of course everything begins with the coffee, and Dillanos produces an excellent product for a growing army of retail coffee shops across the country. Their company mission statement is as joyful and spontaneous as any company policy I’ve seen: Help People! Make Friends! Have Fun! And apparently that philosophy is more than just a catchy motto. The company makes a point of developing and emphasizing their relationship with the retailers who carry their coffee, working with them to help improve and grow their businesses. This is an especially appreciated attitude in these uncertain economic times. Dillanos also puts their money where their mouth is, so to speak, by donating time, product and money to local charitable organizations such as the Christian Children’s Fund.


As the company has grown so too has their vision of affecting positive change in areas outside of their local community. They began traveling to places like Guatemala and Costa Rica, directly helping coffee growers and their families. By living and working closely with growers Dillanos’ people are able to not only develop strong personal relationships and a shared vision, but also improve farming and processing methods. This has the ultimate effect of improving the quality of coffee produced, which leads to better prices funneled to growers and by extension improves the economic lives of everyone involved.


This philosophy of hands-on support and emphasis on all links in the coffee chain, from grower to roaster to retailer to coffee drinker, is becoming known as “relationship coffee.” It is a business model that is worth emulating, whatever the field.


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