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Made in the USA: The Anti-Starbucks Revolution
Independent coffee artisans-turned-entrepreneurs have found success by offering an alternative to the big national chains.
Posted 5/ 12 10 at 2:00 PM | Made in the USA, Franchises, Advertising & Marketing, Sales, Leadership, Starting a Business, Consumer Products & Services, Food & Beverage
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As the U.S. economy limps unspectacularly toward recovery, scrappy and creative independent coffeehouses across the nation continue to thrive and flourish. In fact, depending on where you choose to sip that rich, frothy latte or cappuccino (and we're not talking Starbucks, or even Howard Schultz's 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea branding experiment), it's possible the brew never tasted this good.Coffeehouses continue to check in as one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In Washington, D.C., for example, a new coffee shop near Dupont Circle called Filter Coffeehouse & Espresso Bar opened earlier this year to rave reviews from local scenesters. In New York, dozens of new java spots have opened in just the past couple of years alone. Within the walls of the quintessential neighborhood coffeehouse, with its eclectic vibe, social crowd, and Mac laptops galore, enthusiasts-turned-entrepreneurs brew artistry and tradition in every cup. Often with a rosetta on top.
Complex, delicious coffee -- not the flat, watered-down beverage many are used to -- is just part of the appeal. "It's the sense of community that's more important than anything -- the idea that if you go into a certain coffeehouse, you're bound to find people you'd like, or you're like," says Corby Kummer, coffee expert and author of The Joy of Coffee.
That's certainly true at Muggswigz Coffee & Tea Co. in Canton, Ohio, which was founded in 2003. "The store itself started when our downtown was rundown and vacant, and we have watched the downtown blossom around us," says Alexander J. Haas, the 30-year-old artisan barista, roastmaster, and president. "Our store is a community hub for professionals, students and musicians." Many indie coffeehouses make it a point to support local up-and-coming artists, either by adorning their walls or opening the space to troubadours and poets. Jewel and Jason Mraz, for instance, both got their start in San Diego coffeehouses.
Indie coffeehouses also play the role of trendsetter, helping to transform the obscure into the ubiquitous. Latte art originated in Italy, but it didn't take off in the States until David Schomer, founder of Espresso Vivace in Seattle, went to Italy to learn and bring back the technique. Today, latte artists from Tokyo to Los Angeles to London compete in competitions, and customers have come to expect and admire the images sculpted into foam.
That pursuit of perfection may very well be the entrepreneurial coffeehouse's signature. Kummer, who became an aficionado in late 1980s, when he fell in love with Italy and the way they make and drink their coffee, points to these emerging trends among the indies: roasting in small batches, buying direct from growers, and mastering the technique behind pulling the perfect shot of espresso. It all adds up to perfecting a flawless cup of joe. "Find out what customers like drinking and the way they like to drink it -- what style roast, what kind of drink -- and then concentrate your learning on making better versions of that," says Kummer, highlighting an approach that applies to virtually all entrepreneurs. "There's vast room for improvement in almost every style of coffee, and the narrower the rules, the more superbly imaginative your improvisation within them can be."
The emerging green economy demands imaginative business practices, and plenty of small coffeehouses are savoring the challenge. Coffee Break Café in Quincy, Mass., perhaps best known for its iced coffee, has made environmental responsibility a priority. "We have always recycled and composted since way before it was hip to do so, and have always purchased from local companies with like-minded values," says Jenn Ormond, 39, who opened CBC with her then-boyfriend and now-husband Donny in 1996, having since expanded to four locations.
Fair trade and organic -- these are other mainstays of the indies, found at places like The Lost Bean in Tustin, Calif., a haven modern in both design and values founded by Bodie Berg and Zeke Covarrubias. The business donates 30 percent of profits to charitable foundations, buys local, uses energy-efficient appliances, offsets carbon usage by planting trees and recycles whenever possible. And they brew up a deliciously smooth mocha, among other offerings.
You can get fair trade coffee at a growing list of indies across the nation, including The Sentient Bean in Savannah, Ga., which also recycles, composts, and serves the only vegetarian fare in town; the hip Roots Coffeehouse in North Richland Hills, Texas; and Alterra Coffee, a popular Milwaukee-based indie with multiple locations that brews amazing coffee with as little impact on the environment as possible. Wind power, green building practices, eco-friendly products, in-house roasters, and a commitment to community service are just a few of the ways Alterra sets itself apart.
Indie coffeehouses thrive, their keepers say, because they offer something desired yet attainable: affordable luxury. The entrepreneurs behind them provide "true connoisseurship and the best and highest-quality products available at an affordable price, if not every day at least once a week," Kummer says. "And it's a whole lot cheaper than wine."
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
congradulations : your today's winner
I found Ms. Jensen's article both interesting and compelling. Though Fair Trade was mentioned as a "mainstay of the Indies" that has become increasingly more widely available at retail outlets across the country, I would have appreciated more details as to what actually constitutes a Certified Fair Trade product. I encourage everyone to visit the following website for more information about Fair Trade, and to become involved in this worthwhile socioeconomic movement on an individual and household basis. The small steps we take mean so much.
www.fairtradefederation.org
Cheryl Woods, Durham NC
Years ago, never mind how many, when I moved up to Cave Junction, Or, I was introduced to "Dutch Brothers". Much, much better than Starbucks, unfortunately, I haven't found one since. I now live in Iowa, and would love to have a Dutch Brothers open here!!!
I like Starbucks (charbucks), but the cost of coffee for a retiree is a bit steep. After three decades in the military, coffee is a mainstay not a frivoulous extra. Just kidding, but the cost is prohibitive and not just at Starbucks. Most places over charge the customer and make gross profits. I do support Starbucks and their support of constitutional rights here in America.
I dunno... Artsy-fartsy is OK, but I still prefer something just a bit more inclusive, like a Barnes & Noble. There, there is a crossover of pathways, rather than a dead-end street.
yes it is extremely odd. even people who don't like to drink coffee normally like the smell of good coffee.
coffee is antioxidant and a berry -- one of the healthiest drinks you can consume daily until it's cooked 15 minutes on the warming plate. then the oils get to a dangerous and -- i have read -- carcinogous -- level.
plus, if you're a true coffee lover, you don't let it sit. it's just plain nasty then.
you drink it fresh, thick, and preferably roast and grind your own beans.
to your health!
I hate coffee and dont even liked smell of it at all....its terrible and for people like me its odd that people drink the stuff...here is where my story gets better,my wife is colombian and grew up on coffee plantations in colombia and needless to say she thinks Im nuts because I hate coffee so much....oh well,it is what it is I guess.
I've been amused at the marketing genius behind Starbucks. They basically tapped in to people's insecurities, and made it a status symbol to stand in line at and carry around a Starbucks coffee cup. Everyone knew that the patrons of Starbucks must have at least enough money to waste it on overpriced coffee. But that's all they had - enoughf or the coffee. The truly wealthy don't buy that stuff, they don't need the false status symbol.
Even more amusing is tasting Starbucks coffee, and knowing what these status seekers are enduring in the name of looking like they have a little money.
When I was a waiter during college in the 70's in Philly, one Saturday night, and they were always busy in Center City, we ran out of Heineken on tap. My manager hooked up a Miller Lite keg instead, and we sold half a keg after that. Nobody said a thing. Had a friend who put MD 20-20 in an expensive wine bottle once to serve to friends for dinner because he didn't have time to run out and buy a nice bottle, ran around the corner to the drug store to buy the cheap stuff. Nothing, nada, nobody knew the difference. Coffee with whip cream on top.
What is wrong with "the big national chains"? Starbucks was once a small business too.
They do so much for communities, and after all, they employ people in the areas they are located. If a large company is socially responsible, why is there such a terrible attitude towards them? I don’t see anything wrong with supporting smaller business, but come on people why be so brain washed and anti-corporation…anti-capitalization?
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Where do these coffee shops get their coffee beans?