Chosing a Coffee Caterer

This week we continue our series on serving coffee to large groups of people on a budget.  The scenario last week discussed one possible option, where a person was trained to make coffee in conjunction with their role as a greeter, service desk attendant, or a similar role.

This week I would like to explore another option: catering.

Hiring a coffee shop or roaster to make your coffee can be a great option. This is probably the best option for a group that only meets one in a while. A good coffee caterer will allow you to supply great coffee to your event without having to spend thousands on coffee equipment and training staff or volunteers, however there are many coffee caterers out there that won't do a much better job then you would do on your own.

How can you know that your coffee caterer will do a good job?

First: Know your options

There are basically three kinds of coffee catering

1. Coffee Shops that make the coffee in their shop
2. Coffee Shops that make coffee in your context
1. Using their equipment
2. Using your equipment
3. Full espresso bars that create custom espresso drinks at your event

Think about what you will need to have in order to make your event the greatest success.  Having a fully functional espresso bar at your event can be very impressive, but it's also very expensive. Simply picking up coffee from a coffee shop doesn't have the wow factor, but it's the most cost effective option. You will have to make that decision yourself.

Second: Know your coffee

The coffee that is being served can be an indicator of how much your caterer cares about the quality of their coffee. Ask them the following questions:

1. When was the coffee being served roasted? (It shouldn't be served over a week and a half after roasting)
2. Where was the coffee grown? (if they know the country: good. If they know the farm: better. If they know the micro-lot: best)
3. What have you done to assure that the coffee has been bought in an ethical way (it doesn't need to be "fair trade" to be ethical, but they should be able to explain how their coffee buying habits are just.)

 Third: Know their system

There are some things that a caterer can do that are warning flags about the quality of their operation. Here are a few examples of things to look out for:

1. Their coffee should be fairy local. They need to be able to get their coffee shipped to them in enough time for it to still be fresh. This wouldn't be an issue if you use a roaster to cater your coffee. (If they are having it shipped directly from the roaster with 2 day shipping across the country it would still be ok, if it's from Italy or somewhere over-seas it's generally stale).
2. Make sure they are storing their whole bean coffee well.
1. Airtight container
2. Room Temperature
3. No direct sunlight
3. Make sure they are storing their brewed coffee well. If they aren't serving their coffee as they make it, make sure that the coffee is not being stored on a hot pad, burner, or in a percolator. Ideally a preheated "air pot" or another well insulated container.
4. If they are creating espresso drinks at your event make sure they are grinding their coffee individually for each drink, and never resteaming any of the milk

Fourth: Make your expectations clear. The more you communicate with your caterer about the event and your expectations, the better your event will go. Make sure you contact the person who is in charge of managing catering and talk to them about how they do things. Let them know what you are expecting, and make sure you are on the same page.


FYI: If you live in Chicago our partner shop "Ipsento" caters our coffee at many events. Contact them if you're interested call (773) 904-8177.

Making Coffee For Big Groups: Part III

This week we continue our series on how to make coffee for large groups. One way to make better coffee is to turn a greeter or information person into a "barista".

A barista is the person who makes your coffee in a coffee shop. Although technically you would need an espresso machine and an experienced espresso wizard for you to have a "real" barista, having a dedicated coffee person can be a GREAT way to make better coffee and create an environment where people feel welcomed.

Having a dedicated coffee person means you don't have to invest in a huge coffee maker, but can simply be making coffee consistently with quality small coffee brewers. This will guarantee the coffee is always fresh, and will also make sure that people are making connections in your gathering or meeting without the awkwardness of a forced interaction.

If your meeting is happening weekly you can have 4-5 volunteers that rotate once a month in this role.

The total cost of implementing this is very low. All you will need is:

• A Handful of Volunteers
• A Brewing System That Can Make Good Coffee (you may already have this)
• A Place to Brew Coffee 
• Access to water, a trash can,  electricity, and coffee
• Ideally this place would allow for coffee to be made, while still interacting in meanigful ways with people who come to get coffee
• A Kitchen Scale (To Know Why Click Here)
• Some Training to make sure the coffee being made is of the highest quality
• You can get some of that just by reading this blog
• You can take one of the classes we offer HERE

If this idea doesn't appeal to you, don't worry we'll have more ideas next week!

How NOT to serve your group coffee and why

Last week we examined the difficult situation that many leaders find themselves in where there is a large group of people that need coffee, but not a consistant enough need that purchasing a high end commercial system merits the investment that would be required.

I have spent years facing this problem and I can tell you from experience that there are a number of options that people use that are not ideal. The coffee that is used is often poorly made, poorly stored, and poorly obtained.

Cheap coffee reflects a cheap organization. It communicates to those who attend your events that they are not worth the time or the money to offer quality hospitality and can also communicate a lack of ethics since most people now know that the cheapest coffee is often purchased at the expense of poor farmers and laborers.

The amazing thing about coffee is that it doesn't cost very much to improve. Unlike other products you can get some of the best coffees in the world without a huge investment. Taking your coffee from terrible to GREAT doesn't require a lot of money, just a little thought and care.

One of the first things to do, if you want great coffee, is to STOP doing some things that are BAD for your coffee. The following is a simple list of things NOT to do.

1. DON'T use a system the heats the coffee
   There are a lot of systems that keep coffee hot by continually heating the coffee. The longer the coffee is exposed to heat the more the flavors that make your coffee great will be turned into bitter flavors of scorched oils. Avoid percolators or keeping your coffee on a burner. INSTEAD either serve your coffee as soon as it's done brewing OR store it in a preheated themas or air pot. 
2. DON'T buy your coffee in bulkCoffee doesn't stay fresh for very long. If you go out and buy your coffee once a month, EVEN if it were roasted the day you buy it, your coffee will be stale by the end of the month. That doesn't even take into account the fact that most coffee that you can buy in the grocery store are stale before they even make it on the shelf. INSTEAD buy your coffee the morning of your event from a local roaster and only buy as much as you need for the day.
3. DON'T use pre-ground coffeeCoffee starts to oxidize much faster when it's ground. It only lasts a few hours once it's ground. Ideally you should have a quality burr grinder that you can use before you grind every cup or pot. However this is expensive. A cheap way you can get around this is to have the roaster of coffee shop you work with grind the coffee for you right before the event. Having an employee of volunteer pick up the coffee and have it ground on their way to the event is a great way to assure you have fresh ground coffee without spending a bundle.
4. DON'T buy coffee just because it's cheapCheap coffee often reflects loose ethics. The coffee you buy is a moral decision. I am amazed at how many groups I have gone to that talk a lot about social justice but serve coffee that reflects a disregard for ethical buying practices. Do your research, it doesn't cost anything to get informed. Your coffee should be:
1. Bought at a fair wage
2. Environmentally responsible
3. Concerned with the workers who do most of the leg work
4. Sustainable
Anything less then this is irresponsible

Getting Coffee for a Large Group: Part 1

Last week my pastor had the bright idea that I would make coffee for some of the people at my church. I love making coffee, and so I loved the idea. They were having a meeting with about 50 people or so in attendance, so I thought to myself:

"how can I make good coffee for all these people with the inconsistent, unreliable equipment at the church?"

The solution I came up with was to bring a bunch of my own equipment (along with some of our whole bean Coffee which I purchased for the church), and make each cup individually. It look a lot of work, but at the end of the day it worked really well. Everyone got what they wanted: a great cup of coffee, and a lot of fun learning and talking to each other.

Thinking back on the experience I thought that it points to a big hole in the coffee world: Large Group service structures for coffee.

A church is a place that generally has a HUGE need for a ton of coffee ONE HOUR a week. Churches aren't the only places that have this kind of demand bubble. Any organization that hosts large events knows the difficult of supplying coffee for these sorts of things. Most places can't afford the kind of equipment required to make quality coffee on a large scale so they have to explore other options.

Many groups resort to using options that save them money but wind up making the coffee so bad that I sometimes wonder why they bother at all.

THERE IS HOPE!

In the next few weeks I will be exploring ways you can get GREAT coffee to your group without breaking the bank.

Having quality coffee is not impossible for anyone. With a little bit of work and creativity you can bring new life to any gathering with quality coffee. Stay Tuned!

Third Wave Coffee Philosophy

Today we continue our series looking at the three waves of coffee in the United States.

If you remember First Wave coffee is focused on getting coffee to the most people through, commercials, convenience and consistency. It pressures people to drink coffee by highlighting the conventions.
On the other hand, second wave. is about getting coffee that pleases the most people. This is achieved by creating a cup of coffee that focuses on the consumer. Through customization, creativity, and community.


Third wave coffee is focused on the coffee and trying to get the coffee to be treated like a fine wine.
This is driven by crafting with care, culinary art,  and conceitedness


This is about getting coffee that pleases the most annoying people.
This is where I live and where Coffee Ambassadors lives, so don't be offended we implicate ourselves.


Third wave has done a lot of great things for coffee in the world, but the fact remains that in many ways the philosophy that drives much of third wave is a latent sense of superiority. The focus is not on the consumer at all, but on the coffee and the barista that makes it.

Below I have posted a video from one of our friends in the third wave. I really like the video itself, but I want you to notice a few things.

• One phrase in the video that really shows what the philosophy of third wave is when he sets his methods apart says "most people who are preparing [espresso] don't give it [my kind] of respect."
• Notice the personal pronouns. This video uses I and We a lot but doesn't use "you" at all except when he is describing what is "wrong" with the coffee.
• Notice how he sets himself and his coffee apart from the rest of the coffee community saying they serve "a different kind of coffee then what most people are used to"

 

FIRST WAVE	SECOND WAVE	THIRD WAVE
Convenience Commercials Consistency	Customization Creativity Community	Crafting with care Culinary art Conceitedness

A Look at Second Wave Coffee Philosophy

Today we continue our series exploring different "waves" of coffee. Last week we looked at some of the ads at the height of "fist wave" (Folgers, tasters choice etc) coffee consumption. They demonstrated a keen awareness of the power of CONFORMITY. Their power was showing people that they could be "normal" or "successful" if they simply had the right coffee.

 This week look at the philosophy of SECOND WAVE coffee (this is your typical Starbucks or Caribou Coffee). If you watched our video that gave an overview of these forms of coffee you will remember that SECOND WAVE coffee is driven by CUSTOMIZATION.

They focused on coffee that PLEASED THE MOST PEOPLE, not just that was made available to the MOST PEOPLE like we see in first wave coffee. To compare the two:

FIRST WAVE	SECOND WAVE
Convenience Commercials Consistency	Customization Creativity Community

I think that the ad for Starbucks highlights the driving force of second wave marketing.

Examples of First Wave Coffee Philosophy

If you watched our video a couple months back on different coffee "waves" you will remember that coffee culture in the United States Has gone through three "waves" in the last 100 years.

Today I would like to give some examples of how coffee in the first wave worked. First wave coffee is driven by brands like Folgers, Maxwell House, and Tasters Choice.

You may remember that "first wave" coffee was driven by:

• Consistancy
• Commercialization and
• Convenience

It's goal was to get coffee to the most people, and it did a good job of it. Notice the ads below... They are selling coffee as part of a lifestyle rather then as something that can help show the unique you (second wave) or something that has value in itself (third wave).






In the video above almost nothing is said about the coffee itself, but it connects drinking coffee to a lifestyle that OTHER people have. It basically says "drink coffee and you can be like the people you wish you were." This is a typical first wave philosophy.




In This video the lifestyle is almost oppressive. It basically says drink Folgers or you will be a failure as a wife. It uses broad social pressure to push a brand. Like the first ad it pushes you into homogeneity with society as a whole.

We will explore Second and Third wave coffee in future posts