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BernardRenault
Stevethecoffee
The shop has now been open for 5 weeks, it has been a massive buzz and I've never been so happy. Sales are growing steadily and if that continues I might even reach break-even some time this year. The support and promo we have received from the other quality coffee and food businesses in the town has been heartwarming; co-operation grows the market and increases demand and everyone makes an effort to get along.
The Nitro coffee has been very satisfying - lots of development went into that and I'm so happy with the result. It seems that the customers are too, regular consumers are not aware of it in the market yet and it has a real wow factor when I draw them a sample from the stout tap on the bar, backed up by it being a genuinely delicious drink.
I am no longer roasting coffee for Bella Barista / The Roastery, the conflict of interest became unviable and sadly the relationship ended acrimoniously. We've both lost, they no longer have a qualified roaster and I have lost an income stream which helped to service the shop's current shortfall, but hey ho, we both knew it would end suddenly one way or the other and I think we're both glad to be rid of each other. God it's like the end of a bad marriage!
@Matisse was a massive help in the setup stage generously giving me a framework for my financial planning. What has surprised me most is how close the estimates have been and how important the business plan document is, not just in the setup but since opening the doors to compare the real situation to the forecast and see trends appearing.
Another surprise has been the number of people already very knowledgeable about spesh coffee, it truly is on the edge of going fully mainstream, but more satisfying to me is getting repeat business from people who have no interest in becoming a coffee dork and just want a really nice latte - reassures me that we're getting the tone right.
That is all really, a stream of consciousness I've been looking to get off my chest while walking the dog. It's genuinely a dream come true this.