Need help with where to start.....

[golfgirl1227]

Hi everyone. I'm pretty much a newbie around here. I've been lurking for quite a while- mainly at the Pastry and Baking forums- and decided to join recently.

That being said, my goal is to open a small bakery in a couple of years. Currently I bake/decorate cakes/cookies and would like to expand that into a bakery. I want to be able to serve coffee/espresso/etc. and have no clue about it. I don't generally drink coffee- maybe a latte or something here and there- but I know nothing on the subject.

I need to be pointed in the right direction- where can I get started with the basics, and then move on from there? I need to get info. on equipment and things like that as well, but not immediately.

I would appreciate any and all help that you can give me.

TIA,

Suz

[Beto]

Hi everyone. I'm pretty much a newbie around here. I've been lurking for quite a while- mainly at the Pastry and Baking forums- and decided to join recently.

That being said, my goal is to open a small bakery in a couple of years. Currently I bake/decorate cakes/cookies and would like to expand that into a bakery. I want to be able to serve coffee/espresso/etc. and have no clue about it. I don't generally drink coffee- maybe a latte or something here and there- but I know nothing on the subject.

I need to be pointed in the right direction- where can I get started with the basics, and then move on from there? I need to get info. on equipment and things like that as well, but not immediately.

I would appreciate any and all help that you can give me.

TIA,

Suz

←

My first piece of advice to you would be to go over to Coffee Geek and start reading. There are plenty of knowledgable folks over there who are happy to help expand your coffee knowledge. Once you've done that, seek out a quality-focused coffee shop so you can truly experience how good a properly prepared drink can be. Where are you located? I might be able to point you to one in your relative area.

After you get serious and decide to start getting prepared, you might want to consider using a consultant that specializes in coffeeshop planning and training. The Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup is a respected company that comes to mind. Consultants aren't cheap, but neither is bankruptcy.

Good luck in your journey!

[TopoTail]

Hi everyone. I'm pretty much a newbie around here. I've been lurking for quite a while- mainly at the Pastry and Baking forums- and decided to join recently.

That being said, my goal is to open a small bakery in a couple of years. Currently I bake/decorate cakes/cookies and would like to expand that into a bakery. I want to be able to serve coffee/espresso/etc. and have no clue about it. I don't generally drink coffee- maybe a latte or something here and there- but I know nothing on the subject.

I need to be pointed in the right direction- where can I get started with the basics, and then move on from there? I need to get info. on equipment and things like that as well, but not immediately.

I would appreciate any and all help that you can give me.

TIA,

Suz

←

Two things stick out for me: That you don't personally drink much coffee and that you have a couple of years. Seems to me the first thing on your list is to start experimenting yourself. Coffeegeek.com is a good resource, as is alt.coffee. Lurk in these places for a while and you'll learn a lot. After soaking up information for a couple of months you might want to buy a home espresso machine and grinder and learn about espresso drinks first hand.

If you do this, you'll be well versed in espressodom by the time you start planning your

bakery, and you can work into your plans a quality espresso program that will set you apart from the competition. The vast majority of cafes and small restaurant/bakeries don't have a clue about how to make espresso drinks. There are challenges, to be sure, but it ain't rocket science.

--Richard

[phaelon56]

Plenty of great suggestions already. It's not a bad idea, depending on your eventual start-up budget and the amount of space you'll have available, to consider starting with drip and perhaps even press pot coffee and then adding espresso once the business is rolling. But if you follow that path be sure to have the mechanicals installed when you do your initial build out (water supply, 220V electric, drain line, appopriate height workspace and counter inset etc). It's far easier and cheaper to do them then rather than later on.

And, as others have pointed out, it's a shrewd move to distinguish yourself by offering above average or better yet - exceptional quality espresso and espresso drinks. Starbucks, Caribou and other chains seem to get worse as time goes on relative to drink quality whilst the consumers are getting more sophisticated and more discerning at the same time.

In some markets it may require proactive marketing and educaiton on your part but if you focus on quality the business will build predictably and people will venture out of their way to get drinks from you. I always look for good independent espresso purveyors in my travels and apart from a few select cities it's really tough to good ones.

Roasters who have active wholesale programs and have well established structured support programs for their clients include Stumptown, Intelligentsia and Counter Culture.

But I'd be remiss if I failed to mention Ecco Caffe and Terroir - both of whom have wholesale offerings and consistently excellent bean offerings.