Barista Magazine is your home for the worldwide community of coffee and the people who make it.
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/68541
ciently together in order to succeed at getting coffee from seed to cup." Indeed, importers can be your best friend, and this relationship should be managed carefully. Challain provides practical advice on maintaining a good relationship with importers: "Paying for your green when due really matters and is one of the most important things you can do to ensure access." Challain has been sending Batdorf 's green-coffee buyers to origin six or seven times a year for 20 years, to visit producers they already work with, cup new-crop coffees, negotiate prices, and search for exceptional new coffees. "We want to see for ourselves where our coffee is grown and milled and under what conditions, both environmental and social. It helps a roaster build positive relations with producers, exporters and your importer. And it can provide access to the coffees one desires." But again, bite off what you can chew. For a roaster or retailer, the due-diligence reasons to go to origin are to deepen your understanding of specialty coffee and the challenges faced by farmers who are trying to produce it. "We have found that these types of trips often allow customers to understand why we pay a premium for quality, and to see that attempt- ing to produce high-quality coffee often comes with great risk, large investments and hard work," says Namowicz. "Seeing the tough cash-flow cycles farmers deal with and the dirty work that goes into getting a coffee processed, milled and on a container for export helps roasters and retail- ers convey to their customers why they should pay more for good coffee. " Should every coffee professional try to go to origin? "For a retailer or barista, the return to your company is not direct to the bottom line, but going to origin will be of value for building coffee knowledge, enthusiasm and if shared with your customers, sales," says Challain. If you're not a green buyer, the best way to visit origin might be with an industry-organized trip. "At least one visit to an origin country is quite valuable for anyone who has a real passion for specialty coffee, especially owners, serious baristas and others not usually involved with the green coffee, " says Challain. "You will gain a renewed appreciation for the efforts that many hands make in bringing great coffee to you and learn about current conditions farmers face in the region you visit." But despite needing it to fit into a profit-and-loss statement, all coffee professionals are naturally curious about their supply chain and the peo- ple who work in it, which is what makes traveling to origin so attractive. We want to speak to the producer growing our coffee and understand where it comes from. Robbie Britt is one such professional. He owns Dynamite Coffee, a mobile coffee cart in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and also does equipment sales and support for Espresso Parts, based in Olympia, Washington. He's been in the industry for nine years and has never visited a coffee farm, though he's itching to go. "Just like I' d try to build a relationship with a customer at my cart, I want to pursue relationships across the board in my business. It's a matter of philosophy and perspective, being aware and educated as a business owner, and valuing not just the bean but the people in the process." Britt's goal is to make it to origin in three-to-five years, so he can bring back firsthand insights to his colleagues and customers. "It's messy and expensive, but a lot of things are. As a small business owner I'm trying to be realistic. It feels like a miracle that I have my little coffee cart off the ground. I have a lot of pride in it, " he says. "So I'll work hard, take it a day at a time, and hope that doors will open." The finest in Italian styling and engineering Plus 4 You The first eco-espresso coffee machine • Learns heavy and light work times and adjusts to save you up to 47.6% in energy costs • Intelligent temperature regulation • Innovative self-diagnostics and programmable settings • U.S. service and distribution network quickly responds to any needs To find out more about our wide array of espresso coffee machines call 1-888-3ASTORIA or visit usa.astoria.com. Astoria Plus 4 You SAE 2 Automatic 66 barista magazine