Adding Coffee to Menu....Need Ideas, would like to carry Organic Coffee

[smoothieguy]

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Short info on what I do now. I own a successful fresh juice and smoothie bar which I use about 70% organic fruits and veggies for everything that we serve. So the only thing currently being sold are fruit smoothies, green smoothies, fresh fruit and veggie juices. We also carry a limited number of raw food dishes and fresh made salads.

On a daily basis I have at least 10-15 people that come in for coffee on their own or a group comes in and 1 person out of the group would like a coffee and not a juice or smoothie. I hate seeing a potential customer walk out the door not being served and walking over to McDonald's for a coffee and then coming back to drink it with their friends....I don't have a problem with people bringing in coffee from elsewhere since I don't sell it.

I don't personally drink coffee or tea so i don't know anything about taste or what makes it good or bad in the eyes of the drinker(so many variables I know).

What I would like to do is carry a high quality organic coffee at a self service spot located on counter space that is not being used as of right now.

I am looking for ideas of brands of organic coffee that you use or drink now. I would not be making special drinks out of them...different roasts would be fine or sell it just black. I would have honey, sugar, cream and other things people would like to add to them....but to be honest I am not really sure what all those things should be...

Does anyone think I would be getting in over my head trying to sell coffee on a small scale since I don't drink it or have any knowledge of it. I won't claim to be a coffee house....just a place that a person can go to if they want a cup of great organic coffee.

Obviously part of the reason I want to serve coffee is do to simple business numbers... At minimum I am missing out on 10 sells a day and 300 a month...not sure of the exact margins, but I assume I could make at least .50 a cup on each purchase.

I would have happy customers and another profit stream if it worked....a win/win for my business.

Thanks for taking the time to read the post.

Alan

 

[eldub]

We sell organic coffee and teas in our shop. There IS a market for organic beverages, imo.

Due to the low volume you are projecting, I would consider doing pour overs or using clever drippers to prepare fresh coffee for those wandering into the shop looking for a coffee fix.

 

[John P]

Since you are cross posting from Barista Exchange, I will echo my reply,

My Thoughts:You really are not missing out. Some may disagree, but you are a juice and smoothie bar, adding coffee erodes your core, and since it's really not your thing, the coffee you serve will never be the quality of the smoothie and juices you serve. It erodes your base.

It's like a coffee bar having people come in and ask for smoothies.

There's a reason why you are running the business. Don't fall prey to the ideas that a few random people put in your head. Note, I did not say customers. Were they your customers, they would be frequenting you for your awesome juices. Diversification isn't really extra revenue, it's usually a business killer.

Maybe you need to raise your prices, maybe you need create some new smoothie blends, but for your business, adding means subtracting.

 

[CanadianBrian]

I also agree that you are not missing out on much. You would have to do a pour over style because if you tried to brew a pot of coffee you would end up having to waste more coffee than you are selling. Pour overs or french pots can be done relatively cheap and the equipment outlay would be inexpensive so you could try it and see if there is enough business to warrant offering the coffee.
Brian