Selecting the Product
As the coffee shop owner, you can't lose sight of the basic ingredient: coffee. It's what keeps customers in your store and what will encourage them to come back for more. If you have a franchiser, those decisions will be made for you. If not, you will select the coffee to brew and sell by sampling products, working with distributors and negotiating deals. Whether you want to offer organic, fair-trade, domestic, foreign or local beans are just a few of the choices you will have to make and keep making as the industry changes. Researching distributors and finding a product that fits your budget and quality standards will be part of your responsibility. Depending on where you are located, you may want to develop a partnership with a local roasting company to attract customers.