Dallas Area Roasters

CoffeeBar

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Dec 3, 2005
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Hi All,
I have seen reference in several posts to roasters that provide startup assistance including equipment, training, etc. in exchange for supply commitments. I have yet to find a name for any of these.

Who are these people?
Any of them service the North Texas area?

I'll settle for good tips on search terms/phrases (I've searched every way I can think of but it's pretty much a case of not-knowing-what-you're-looking-for-until-you-find-it ).

Thanks
 

cafemakers

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Nov 3, 2004
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As a general rule, those roaster that know what they are doing avoid these types of arrangements when speaking specifically about espresso equipment. The cost of equipment, expertise and technical service time is prohibitive when done correctly for a roaster to absorb the upfront investment.

Such a relationship is also a bad idea for you. You want to make sure that you can specify the equipment needed for your unqiue business needs and retain the independence to purchase your service and supplies from any other provider, as you see fit, without the looming threat of loosing your primary income-producing machine.

No equipment and services come for free. I suggest that you will be far better off to purchase each element for your shop independently at a fair price and choose you coffee roaster based on the quality of their product and customer service.
 

CoffeeBar

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Dec 3, 2005
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Cafemakers,
Thanks for the response and I appreciate the points you make.

From my admittedly brief study of the specialty coffee business I note that the numerous consultants available to a novice (key word here) startup seem to be geographically centered some place other than North Texas, i.e., the Northwest, the Midwest, and the Southeast mainly.

It seems obvious to me that my endeavor (and I guess this would be true of anyone) would be better served by support at the local level. If that support included some potential financial benefit (like reducing startup costs), well, so much the better.

I guess my original post should have been more general - roasters in the Dallas area - instead of implying that my interest was solely on roasters that provide 'free' equipment/training/support.

Allow me to restate my question:

Any advice on roasters in the Dallas area?
 

cafemakers

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I find that although it is important to find competent technical service locally; so long as your roaster is supplying coffee within a typical 2-3 UPS range, you should have no problems.

For example, I was in Midland, TX setting up a coffee shop last week that is sourcing technical service and some of the heavier consumables (flavoring, dairy and such) locally, but will be working with a roaster in Kansas. We cupped coffees from a number of roasters to find the one best suited for their application, including from Houston, Lubbock and elsewhere, but ultimately the roaster from Kansas had the right flavor for the job.

Similarly, it can be beneficial for you to look in places that your local competitors may not. If there is a dominant roaster in one location, you may find that your direct competitors are using exactly the same coffees and trained to prepare beverages the same way as you, possibly making it difficult to differentiate your business from theirs. Although there are benefits to working with suppliers within your region, I would not limit your search for coffee to the Dallas area alone.
 
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