As a small business owner in Australia finding the right coffee bean wholesaler to meet your specific needs and requirements can be a daunting task. There are many different wholesalers that offer inexpensive mass-market solutions to boutique wholesalers that offer training, custom blending and equipment contracts that meet your requirements. How should you decide which supplier receives your business?
Coffee around the world is a growth industry and especially in Australia which is a worldwide industry leading barista nation. Australia’s professional roasters and baristas have been winning worldwide competitions and awards for years. Coffee is now the number one drink in Australia with over 2.1 billion cups served per year. More than 50% Australians drink coffee in a week with almost 55% visiting Café 5 to 7 times per week. Profit margins on this growing business is also increasing as consumers demand better coffee, more variety and custom roasted blends from high-end cafés.
Bean Supply
The green coffee bean supply chain is complex and spans the globe. Almost all coffee beans are grown in the equatorial region from Columbia to China. Accessing these beans, farming them, producing them, roasting and importing them is a complex process. Furthermore green coffee beans are a commodity that is priced daily on the world commodity exchanges. Supply and demand can greatly affect the end-users price for a cup of java. Ensuring that you have a coffee bean wholesaler that can meet the demands of you and your clients is of utmost importance. There is a wide variety of coffee bean suppliers that provide varying levels of service, product and training. Finding one close to you that can meet all of these various levels to your specifications is important.
Finding the Right Supplier
When looking for a coffee bean wholesaler here are some tips, tricks and things in the trade that you should be aware of:
– Not all suppliers are the same
– Are you looking for a base level coffee or quality bean that can entice higher revenues and better clients?
– Find a supplier that can offer custom coffee solutions including roasting, blending and custom packaging.
– Your supplier should also offer a quality assurance guarantee on their product for freshness.
– Coffee should be supplied fresh to your establishment within 48 hours of roasting and packaging.
– The right supplier will also offer equipment advice, emergency maintenance service with a guaranteed service time and offer preventative equipment maintenance.
– The supplier that also offers specific training on equipment, tasting, and other barista training should be your number one choice.
– Be careful of suppliers that offer equipment for free and long-term supplier contracts. Although it is great to get your equipment for free, being tied to one brand of coffee can limit customer base and revenue stream.
– The perfect supplier will be able to provide multiple varieties of coffee beans and can custom deliver blends to meet your specific client’s tastes.
Wholesale coffee beans sellers are not all the same. Large conglomerates can often offer free equipment and cheap prices but are unable to provide custom blends, custom barista training, and the large varieties of beans. Small coffee bean wholesalers should be well vetted to ensure they can meet your demanding specifications.
