THE VIEW

{ The Long View }

KERRI GOODMAN & JAKE LEONTI

CoffeeTalk Magazine

-41.2710849,173.2836756

Someone pointed out to me

recently that CoffeeTalk is the most-established US-based coffee magazine. I hadn't really realized that, but I am officially old now!

We founded in 1994 (though we also purchased another magazine called Hospitality News founded in 1987) and the journey has been quite the rollercoaster. We have participated in the ups and downs of frosts, crises, recessions, mergers, globalization, and now, a worldwide pandemic. The journey has taught me patience and perseverance; and created perspective to know that absolutely everything is temporary.

The world is opening back up and connections are being renewed. Times are a changin, yet our purpose remains steadfast: to create connections between all aspects of the industry. Our job is to provide essential information to help businesses succeed, whether it is the latest in technology trends, or simple introductions between buyers and sellers, we exist to serve. I look forward to continuing the journey and helping to make a difference.

{Spring is here, and the SCA Expo is back in full swing

for the first time since the pandemic. There is a lot of excitement to attend the show as we have all been waiting a long time to come out of hibernation. It's time to reconnect with old friends and look around at what has been happening while we've been asleep.

Despite the strain on resources and supply chain over the past year, there has been incredible innovation and various new companies popping up across the country. People are quitting jobs changing careers, and some are looking to play matchmaker at the show. We are in a period of new beginnings as the world continues to shuffle the deck. This year's show will be a great place to see who ended up where and how.

We will see fresh faces joining us from other industries like tech and marketing. We are also sure to see many that have always dreamed of roasting coffee or starting their café. This rejuvenation serves as a reminder to me of why our words at CoffeeTalk are important. Whether you have been in coffee for years or are just getting started, we continue to share inside information from the most respected and intelligent minds in coffee today. Our catalog of issues may serve as a library of coffee knowledge that continues to inform the next crop of coffee professionals.

BARISTA TOOLS

{ Secrets for Success }

JAKE LEONTI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, COFFEETALK / CEO F+B THERAPY

Baristas and their managers

often focus on the tools that allow the barista to deliver a drink at the proper texture, taste, and temperature yet often neglect the support tools that make that possible. I'm talking about the secondary items that don't get the flash or excitement of espresso machines, tamps, and milk pitchers.

When you are working a "clopen" shift, keys-in and keys-out, you will be on your feet all day long. The simple steps from the register to the espresso machine to BOH to clearing the FOH have you on the move all day long, taking thousands of steps a day. This perambulate predicament is a reality for all baristas, so footwear is essential. Having kicks that support your back and knees and provide comfort is important. There are plenty of options that look good while delivering Posturepedic support; however, I was just as happy to be wearing clunky clogs or nurse shoes. Birkenstocks are big and round, but they feel great when you are at a standstill in front of the machine for long periods. Nurse shoes like Clove and Dansko are made for walking and working long hours. Nobody works harder than nurses, and nobody cares more about their feet except maybe baristas. Birkenstocks are my current clog of choice but suit yourself.

Also, as baristas, we are subjected to many hours of intensive social interaction with many strangers, friends, regulars, and occasional combative customers. It can be an emotionally exhausting experience to constantly respond to requests and put your energy out without much in return. For this, I recommend daily mediation. Whether you engage in walking meditation, a body check-in, or a traditional, legs crossed, breathing meditation, they all will contribute to improved mental health and social resilience. Being an introvert in a very extroverted position was always essential to my success. If you are having trouble getting started, there are tons of meditation apps to motivate you. Here are a few to try out: Aura Health, Calm, and Headspace. At F+B Therapy, I've also created several meditations focusing on increased sensory perception to help improve your pallet when coffee tasting. Check out the Sensory Experience at fnbtherapy.com.

Finally, another often overlooked barista support tool is a good old-fashioned alarm clock. If you're not a morning person or want to enjoy more late nights, it is essential to have a dependable alarm clock. I know we all have one built into our phones; however, late-night notifications and unnecessary radiation are all good reasons not to sleep with your phone too close. A proper alarm clock makes it possible and is there for only two purposes: keeping time and keeping you on time. I love the Dim alarm clock that gently nuzzles you awake with a slow rising light mimicking the sun. For those who need something more akin to a marching band in your room to wake up, I recommend the Sonic Bomb Dual Alarm clock. This clock is not only loud but comes with a "Bed shaker" feature that will rattle you to your feet. Finally, for the minimalist that wants a straightforward alarm clock, I would go with the One clock. Sleek design with pared-down functions, it will get the job done.

I like to consider the 'Whole Barista' when training and encouraging people to stay the course. Barista is a particular profession and requires specific tools, habits, and rituals to thrive and maintain for the long haul.

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CONVEYING MISCONCEPTIONS

{ Cable and Disc Systems Gently Convey Coffee Blends }

KARL SEIDEL | MARKETING DIRECTOR, CABLEVEY CONVEYORS

For specialty coffee roasters,

dispelling misconceptions about coffee conveying can result in optimal preservation of delicate or precise blends. This assessment will address two widely held industry misconceptions about tubular drag cable and disc conveyors.

These conveyors gently move the product through a sealed tube using a coated, flexible stainless-steel drag cable pulled through on a loop. Solid circular discs (flights) are attached to the cable, pushing the product through the tube without air. The tubular drag conveyors excel in transporting delicate, precise coffee blends in versatile layouts and configurations.

MISCONCEPTION #1:

Conveyors Are Not Designed to Protect Coffee Blends

When transporting a coffee blend with a conveyor system, maintaining a consistent mix ratio is essential, whether fine or coarse. However, conventional conveyor systems are not specifically designed to precisely transport coffee blends without changing the mix ratio. Various product material weights, sizes, and shapes can shift and disperse in open systems like bucket conveyors, and vibration can cause the blended product to shift throughout transport. Vacuum and pneumatic systems can cause smaller lightweight particles in a blend to move at different speeds than heavier or larger particulates, resulting in significant blend restructuring when the product reaches its discharge point.

In contrast, tubular drag cable conveyors are engineered to maintain precise coffee blend ratios. As an example, engineers from Cablevey Conveyors, a mechanical conveyor manufacturer that serves the specialty coffee and food markets, have resolved the issue with a completely enclosed, compartmentalized tubular conveyor system. The company has designed, engineered, and serviced enclosed cable and disc tube conveyors for 50 years in over 66 countries.

Not unlike an endless succession of train cars, each space between solid circular discs holds a predefined volume of product. Based on the manufacturer’s specifications and requirements, engineers can calculate the optimal speed of the system, the most appropriate tube angles, and the proper construction design to guarantee their blended coffee product remains consistent from input to discharge, even at high volumes.

MISCONCEPTION #2:

These Conveyors are the Same as a Screw System

Another common misconception is that tubular drag cable and screw conveyors are identical, which is far from the case. Screw systems, also known as auger conveyors, typically utilize a helical blade that moves granular materials within a tube. However, augurs can cause product damage and compromise blends. So, the units tend to be an option when material integrity is not critical, such as when conveying food waste products. The key difference to look for is that augurs convey material with a helical screw. The transfer speed is directly proportional to the rotation speed of the screw.

On the other hand, tubular drag cable conveyors transfer material between two discs pulled by a sealed cable and are specifically designed to reliably protect delicate coffee products and blends. This capability not only reduces potential product damage but also enhances the value of the coffee and brand.

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Coffee Service Corner WHERE NOW?

KEN SHEA | PRESIDENT, KEN SHEA & ASSOCIATES

After a 12-month hiatus

from penning this column, I return to the writing desk to share observations on the current state of affairs within the Coffee Service Industry.

I chose to attend the August NAMA show, ignoring “hot zone” warnings emanating from Louisiana at the time. This was my first face-to-face group gathering in more than a year. Last-minute exhibitor cancellations affected the event, especially within the Coffee Service Pavilion, but all in all, it was a robust exhibit floor. Gleeful is the term that I would use in describing interactive emotions. Our industry has always been a kind-spirited, mutually supportive one. Seeing friends, colleagues, customers, and competitors was a potent elixir.

INDUSTRY FEEDBACK There is a clear dichotomy between operators offering full service… Vending, Micro Market, Pantry and Coffee Service and those operators providing only Coffee Service. In my interactions with operators and suppliers over the most recent six months, most everyone is reporting some level of northward movement in revenue. However, in general, OCS-only operators are reporting only moderate improvement, many claiming that annualized revenue is hovering around 50% of pre-Covid levels. Many operators are reporting revenue well below 50%. The full-service operators as a whole are reporting OCS sales in some instances as high as 80% of pre-covid levels and averaging 60%ish. Rural accounts are reported to be less affected than in urban offices.

Measured optimism abounds. Uncertainty prevails. operators (and suppliers) employed many cost-saving measures to help keep their collective heads above water. Employee rosters were reduced up and down the org chart. Some muscle was cut during the process.

Investment spending, from brewer upgrades to vehicle replacements, was suspended. Market expansion, for the most part, slowed to a crawl. Although there were some acquisitions and divestitures, the activity was minimal. PPP loans and their subsequent forgiveness for those spending at least 60% of the proceeds on payroll costs saved many businesses.

Around the middle of Q3, 2021, the business condition improved, albeit moderately. So what are some of the tactics employed by those operators experiencing this early recovery?

SELL, SELL, SELL While reducing service frequencies, which many operators did during Covid, can expand a route person’s capacity to deliver to more accounts during a given period, there is a likelihood that there will be more out-of-stocks, brewer failures, and overall perception of declining service. During the second half of this year, the net result was a greater interest shown by many businesses in exploring alternative service provider options. In addition, those who added back new business writers reported higher levels of account closes than in prior, pre-pandemic times. And if appropriately structured, sales positions should be self-funding although front-loaded to a certain degree.

Many operators called on their existing customers to explore expanding menus, adding more amenity snacks, cold

beverages, and other consumables to help lure employees back into the office. Some report revenue increases north of 20% compared to offices that previously offered only a basic hot beverage menu. Pantry offerings of many sizes and shapes appear most everywhere. This can also lay the groundwork for expansion into micro-market opportunities should one be so inclined!

EXPANDING THE CUSTOMER BASE The term “OCS Operator” has been a misnomer for quite some time. Many have served classes of trade other than office and industry for decades. During my Standard Coffee Service operator days, we targeted independent convenience store groups, fine and casual dining, and independent hospitality locations. “OCS” was still approximately 75% of our business, but the revenue we derived from these other classes of trade typically generated more revenue per machine than our office accounts. Some operators recognized that their trucks (and new business sales personnel) were driven by many potential customers within their current route geographies. Often, current warehouse inventories were found to be sufficient to sell to these new types of locations. Equipment service time of day commitments, however, needed to be expanded to adequately support the new accounts that in many cases were open beyond traditional office hours.

GROW OR SELL? Expanding one’s geographic footprint is always an option, as is divestiture. December was an active buying/selling month as large and small companies acquired some local and regional operators. Could our historically fragmented industry be seeing rapid, expanded roll-up? Possibly. My good friend, NAMA’s Dean Gilland, who recently passed away, once shared a recurring nightmare in which he awoke to find an industry that had rolled up into a single operator and a single supplier. That would be a bit of a stretch, but I do anticipate that within the next five years, our industry demographics will appear much less fragmented than today.

ON THE HORIZON One of the more interesting products that I have been introduced to recently is Richard’s Rainwater. Yes, real rainwater is captured before it touches the ground and packaged into eco-friendly aluminum cans and glass bottles. The company is building a decentralized network of capture sites with the goal of distributing the rainwater locally, greatly reducing the carbon footprint while supporting the communities they serve. To learn more about this innovative, clean, recyclable hydration choice, contact Katie Journeay at Katie@richardsrainwater.com.

Until next time –Ken

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