Introductions

[CultureCafe]

Lisa from Culture Craft Coffee in California. Taking over and trying to do a "reboot" on the store. There has been no inventory control. They have ShopKeep which seems ok. I want to track everything including syrups. I am now trying to get all the items into ShopKeep so we can do an inventory count. Anyone else tracking "raw goods" to see how much syrups, etc. they go through or is that a losing battle?

 

[PeterCoffee]

Tracking raw goods

Lisa from Culture Craft Coffee in California. Taking over and trying to do a "reboot" on the store. There has been no inventory control. They have ShopKeep which seems ok. I want to track everything including syrups. I am now trying to get all the items into ShopKeep so we can do an inventory count. Anyone else tracking "raw goods" to see how much syrups, etc. they go through or is that a losing battle?

No it is not a losing battle in fact the better you track your goods the better it is.
Having control of your inventory knowing how much each drink costs and how much profit you are making allows you to have control. It is very important to know your costs so you can see
How you are going to be able to pay yourself your staff and your bills.
I hope this helps.
PeterCoffee

 

[ForgetMeNots]

Hello Everyone!. My name is Chelsey, I currently run an online store called Forget Me Nots: An online Through-the-Decades Collectibles store, but I used to own and operate 3 coffee shop locations in albuquerque, NM. I still have a variety of equipment that I sell a little of once in a while, such as the grinder listed in for sale, trade, buy NR1400. I forgot that I even had this grinder until the other day when I came across it in my storage unit. I love coffee, and antiques/collectibles. It is a little frustrating to have to post 5 times before even adding my email address to reply to in my postings, but I understand the reasoning behind it. Have a lovely day,
Chelsey

 

[ForgetMeNots]

It is imperative to track EVERYTHING, labor cost is where most miss the mark, but inventory is important as well. Syrups can be done by weight, or by liquid measurement, but weight takes less time. Also, if you have the employees keep an accurate waste log, so you know how much is thrown away or brought back by the customer, or dropped on the floor, etc.

 

[coffeedreamz]

Hello! My name is Karisse. I love coffee. My husband, Jim, and I are planning to open a coffee shop in our little downtown area that is undergoing revitalization (yay!). It has taken me a long time to figure out that I am partial to smooth, deep, dark roasts. I found this forum while doing research for our business plan. ... now on to that sticky!

 

[fbruno69]

Just a coffee drinker

Hi from Brussels,
Just a guy who likes is "bica" and decided to write about it. So I started searching for more information and found this forum.
It looks like I have lots of knowledgeable people around.

 

[Cookumber]

Hello I am Amanuel from Ethiopia. Just joined coffee forums. A professional Baking instructor and coffee lover. I am about to into the business of roasting single origin, speciality coffee from Ethiopia now that it is legal to roast speciality coffee in Ethiopia. In fact I have been think about it for sometime but the law was passed by parliament about two weeks ago.

My love for coffee grew even more after my cousin started coffee farming in Gesha, Ethiopia five years ago and tasting the first harvest hooked me for good. Hope to get so much 'deep' coffee knowledge from all of you at CF and looking forward to share my roasting journey with you all.

 

[ParkForestCafe]

Hi Everybody! I'm Esther and I'm excited to be here. I stumbled upon this site by asking a question on a google search and you guys had the answer. I am looking to open my coffee shop REAL SOON and I have a lot of questions. I live in Illinois and I'm happy to have happened upon this site.

 

[Cookumber]

Very interesting introduction, Amanuel.

I have a deep love for Ethiopian coffees and personally would love to have you here and share some good information with us.

Just curious, how do you define "Specialty coffee" in Ethiopia which you are allowed to roast now?
Before, you weren't allowed to roast and consume or sell within Ethiopia? THAT, I did not know.
would you mind explaining bit more about that?

thanks
Alex from Ensoluna S.A.

Hey Alex, thanks for the welcome message. I am happy to be here.

Speciality coffee for me is all about the climate, altitude and originality of the bean mainly due to the soil type. Finally the expert cupping points must be above 80. That's all I know but i am sure there could be more. As Ethiopia is the land where coffee originated, it's no surprise that there are still new heirloom vaerities like the Ethiopian gesha that was sold for $85/lb, a record for Africa being discovered now and then. If you travel the coffee growing regions, the whole forest is full of naturally grown organic coffee sometimes climbed by no one. When It's harvest season, locals just collect the beans and sell them to mills or stock them for their consumption. It's very interesting.

Coming to the law, yes until now the law prohibits trading or roasting higher grade coffee like yirgacheffe or sidama locally. The aim was to generate much needed foreign currency for the country. Green coffee sells about $3/kg but that is very little compared to roasted coffee which can generate far better currency for the country. After a long delay, the law was amended abut two weeks ago. Under the new law, locals or foreign companies can roast speciality coffee locally but only for export. Now the coffee will be traceable and sourcing and roasting microlots will be much easier.

I am sure it will have a lot of hurdles but if successful, it will be for the good of the framers and the country. I have been waiting for this law for so long. Hopefully I will have my online store up and running next coffee season. Wish me luck.

 

[Cookumber]

Thank you.

 

[Experienceloveatfirstsip]

My name is Lee and I am located in the Florida Keys and have a friend in Nicaragua who produces coffee (see attached) and asked me to poke around regarding importing it into the States. So .... I'm doing that .... poking. Hello, all.

 

[ellamor1993]

Another coffee lover here, my name is Ella and I am from Florida. I believe in the saying that, "All you need is love and a cup of coffee." :coffeemug:
Please pray for America as Hurricane Irma hits us. Keep safe pals!

 

[dragonflycanoe]

I have been lurking here for a while. My name is Dan and I live in the Thousand Islands region of New York State. I love good coffee, especially Costa Ricans, since my wife and I spend a lot of time there.

I am expecting a 1-kg Mill City roaster to arrive at my door mid-November and am looking forward to improving my regions access to fresh roasted coffee.

 

[DickV3636]

Hi folks, My name is Richard from Vermont, U.S. and I am in the process of getting a plan together to create a coffee business designed from the ground up to employ as many mentally and developmentally disabled people as possible. My question is, if there were no rules you had to follow, how would you accommodate workers who have differing abilities? i.e. Does your coffee shop really have to accept cash? Do super-automatic espresso machines really create an inferior product? As a consumer would an ethically sourced, sustainably grown product that you know directly benefits your neighbors with disabilities be a factor when making a decision which coffee to buy in the store or which shop to meet your friends for coffee? Honestly appreciated and thanks in advance! Good to be here, lots of valuable information.

 

[dragonflycanoe]

where in Costa Rica did you stay?

We traveled around a bit on our first few trips, mostly in the north of the country. We have since pretty much made Monteverde our home base while we are there.