Fall 2020 Issue by CoffeeTalk Magazine

FALL 2020 | Vol. XXXIII No.7

www.coffeetalk.com

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the Virus m o r f s s ur Busine o Y e v a s al Can Going Vir

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COFFEE ROASTING

Safe, Gentle Conveyance of Delicate Materials 12 ROASTERS ROCK Survival and Adaptation

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Contents

The View

Pivot or Perish

How Going Viral Can Save Your Business from the Virus

10 12

National Survey Shutdown Worries Coffee Roasting with Safe, Gentle Conveyance of Delicate Materials

Enclosed tubular cable conveyors prevent contamination and ease cleaning

Roasters Rock

Survival and Adaptation

Coff-Brew-Nology

For complete and updated show information visit our online calendar: http://coffeetalk.com/industry-calendar/

Calendar November 18-20

Brazil Int’l. Coffee Week (Virtual)

December 17-19

International Coffee & Tea Festival, Dubai, UAE Private Label Week (VIRTUAL)

February 17-19,

African Fine Coffee (AFCA) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

February 21-25,

Gulfood & Gulfhost, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

WHO WE ARE Phone: 206.686.7378, see extensions below Publisher Kerri Goodman, ext 1 kerri@coffeetalk.com Administrative Director Laurie Veatch, ext 4 laurie@coffeetalk.com Web Design Justin Goodman, ext 6 justin@coffeetalk.com Print Design Marcus Fellbaum, ext 5 marcus@coffeetalk.com Mailing Info Mail: HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW Vashon, WA 98070 Phone: 206.686.7378 Fax: 866.373.0392 Web: www.coffeetalk.com Disclaimer CoffeeTalk does not assume the responsibility for validity of claims made for advertised products and services. We reserve the right to reject any advertising. Although we support copyrights and trademarks, we generally do not include copyright and trademark symbols in our news stories and columns. CoffeeTalk considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible. However, reporting inaccuracies can occur, consequently readers using this information do so at their own risk. Postmaster: Send address changes to HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW, Vashon, WA 98070

2021 February 1-5

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Advertisers Index Company...................................Phone................................................Website......................................................Page

Add A Scoop / Juice Bar Solutions Inc................... (415) 382-6535........................................................................addascoop.com..............................................................................................13 AeroPress Inc........................................................... (650) 493-3050.......................................................................aeropress.com................................................................................................13 Bühler Inc................................................................ (763) 847-9900.......................................................................buhlergroup.com...........................................................................................13 Cablevey Conveyors................................................ (641) 673-8451........................................................................cablevey.com................................................................................................... 3 Costellini’s................................................................ (877) 889-1866........................................................................costellinis.com................................................................................................13 Don Pablo Coffee Roasting Company................... (305) 249-5628.......................................................................donpablocoffee.com......................................................................................13 Fres-co System USA Inc.......................................... (215) 721-4600........................................................................fresco.com........................................................................................................ 7 Grounds for Health ................................................ (802) 876-7835........................................................................groundsforhealth.org....................................................................................17 International Coffee Consulting............................. (818) 347-1378.........................................................................intlcoffeeconsulting.com...............................................................................10 Joe - Mobile Order Ahead...................................... (206) 531-3212.........................................................................joe.coffee........................................................................................................15 Leatherhead Coffee................................................ (707) 696-1853........................................................................leatherheadcoffee.com..................................................................................9 NuZee Inc DBA Coffee Blenders............................. (760) 2168-464.......................................................................pourovercopacking.com................................................................................. 2 Primera Technology Inc.......................................... (800) 797-2772........................................................................primeralabel.com...........................................................................................13 Texpak Inc | Scolari Engineering............................ (856) 988-5533.......................................................................scolarieng.net........................................................................................ 5, 11, 18 Fall 2020

THE VIEW Kerri Goodman

Pivot or Perish

have allowed some businesses to survive and even thrive. Hopefully, soon many activities will return to pre-covid conditions, but many more will never be the same. What come’s next is the question of tremendous significance to every business.

020 is quickly coming to a close, and NEVER have I seen so much change compressed into such a short period. The concept of “normal” no longer exists. Remarkable adaptation has taken place to address the need for physical distance and safety. Ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking

On a positive note, this is the perfect opportunity for businesses to try new things, re-create identities, and renew connections. CoffeeTalk is no different. Our mission has always been to create connections in the coffee industry. In 2021, those connections will be more precious than ever! And so, we are taking this opportunity to “pivot” in our industry role and create new ways for you to communicate, connect, and collaborate with your established and new customers. We will be announcing our cutting-edge opportunities in the coming weeks through expanded editorial focus, podcasts, video, and more. Though the magazine will keep its focus on business to business connections and editorial, our website will expand significantly to include information and opportunities to connect to consumers who are passionate about coffee and the related products. 2021, let it be a year of passion, success, and connection!

NewsBites Koia Plant Powered Products Launches Direct to Wholesale Online Platform! Koia is pleased to announce Koia’s Direct to Wholesale online order platform is open and ready for business! This platform was developed for Operators without access to Koia’s Distribution network. According to Pat Reynolds, Koia’s Director of Sales for Away From Home, operators interested in adding Koia’s Plant-Powered Nutrition to their product mix can now easily order any Koia flavor online to have delivered within days! Koia’s Direct to Wholesale minimum orders are 2 twelve packs (24 bottles). Twelve packs will have one flavor only; customers may order different flavor 12 packs. Orders are only fulfilled Monday-Wednesday and currently available in the United States only. If you would like to apply to become a wholesaler, please apply here: drinkkoia.com/wholesale-application - For more information please contact Pat Reynolds - preynolds@drinkkoia. com

Caskai Cold Brew Cascara Launches on Indiegogo Caskai, a producer of upcycled cascara-based beverages, is launching

a new product-line, Caskai Cold Brew Cascara. The new drink is an evolution of Caskai’s first cascara drink, the award-winning Sparkling Cascara Infusion, introduced in 2017. The new cold brew is 5x stronger than the original bringing out even more of the nutritional, health, and energizing benefits of cascara. Additionally, European black elderberry extract was added for both its complementary flavor and immune-boosting benefits. Cascara, the dried fruit of the coffee cherry, has been used in small communities in Africa and the Middle East for more than 1,000 years, and products have been present in the US since 2013, but its nutritional benefits are not widely known. “Little attention has been given to the health and functional benefits of cascara. It was overlooked due to the perception of it as a waste product. The nutritional profile is substantial.” Whole Latte Love Launches Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales “Whole Latte Love launches Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals early, moving into their Holiday sale schedule a full month ahead of time. With Whole Latte Love’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales come the

lowest prices of the year on top-quality espresso machines, coffee and espresso grinders, coffee, and more. Coffee lovers will want to take advantage of this early launch as soon as possible before manufacturers are unable to keep up with recent high demand. Tracy Schafer, Director of Sales & Marketing at Whole Latte Love has this to say: “This pandemic has made preparing for the 2020 holiday season challenging. We’re grateful for our strong relationships with our manufacturers and have worked with them closely since April to secure as much inventory as possible.” NuZee And Farmer Brothers Announce Manufacturing Partnership NuZee, Inc. (d/b/a Coffee Blenders®) (NASDAQ: NUZE) (“NuZee” or “the Company”), a leading U.S. producer of specialty single-serve pour-over pouches and teabag coffee pouches, and Farmer Bros. Co. (“Farmer Brothers”), today announced a strategic partnership under which Farmer Brothers will provide access to manufacturing capacity as NuZee continues to roll out innovative coffee and tea products in the U.S. Under the agreement, NuZee may place up to 50 co-packing machines in Farmer Brothers’ 500,000 square foot, SQF-certified, zero-waste facility in Northlake, Texas. These machines

Fall 2020

would ultimately have the capacity to produce up to 300 million single serve tea bag, coffee pouches, and pour over drip cups. By pairing Farmer Brothers’ sophisticated manufacturing and distribution capability with NuZee’s technical expertise and products with proven demand in Asia, the partnership is expected to accelerate the scale-up in the U.S. and efficient delivery of NuZee’s innovative products to coffee companies and branded businesses. For More Information: www. pourovercopacking.com Scolari Announces Sustainability Breakthrough! Once again, the Scolari Engineering group has come up with another absolutely amazing system, this time for sustainability. We combine elements for pre-heating of the green beans with the use of an RTO AND cold air refrigeration for an energyefficient system. We are able to use hot air from the stack of the roaster to both heat parts of the building when it is cold and cool parts when it gets hot out! More than a theory, we have YEARS of field experience with these critical systems. And along the way, we believe that we accomplish better taste in the coffee! For more information call Howard Weiss at 609-636-9941 for more information.

How Going Viral Can Save Your Business from the Virus by Jake Leonti, CEO F+B Therapy

echnology and humans have always been at odds as it has never been entirely natural to embrace tech. Even at the advent of the wheel, it made the cave-peoples head spin until they figured out the right application… the wagon! or the mill! And so, it continued from there.

Cashless Payment was already starting to happen before the pandemic, and now it is necessary. No one wants to touch a screen or handle money at this point so having a solution for paying online or with a tap of a card or app is instrumental in keeping customers happy.

Today is no different; only the wheel has changed, and finding the right application for the right technology is still the name of the game. Many of us in the coffee business are romantics and are used to working with our hands. We are used to feeling connected to our customers and our products. Going virtual or automating these relationships can feel odd as it disconnects us, or are we just thinking about it the wrong way.

Mobiles Ordering is an extension of this and is similarly crucial. My company, F+B Therapy, outfitted a cafe in Connecticut with mobile ordering solutions before the pandemic hit, and boy, were they glad we did. Even though foot traffic completely stopped, they were able to keep open and serve their community strictly through their app and curbside pick up. As they did more community outreach and time went on, they started growing sales because they were one of the only businesses in the area that could provide mobile ordering. In fact, they were making more revenue six months into the pandemic than they were before the shutdown even began.

Here are some top tech innovations that are available right now that can improve your business’s resilience and provide a boost in sales or efficiency. Far UVC 222 lighting in cafes. Bluestone Lane announced earlier this month that they would be the first national coffee chain to roll out the use of these lights in their locations as a way to provide more protection for guests and workers. Additionally, they will be upgrading filtration and lighting with the following: • Healthe Space®, (formerly known as Cleanse Downlight) is a ceiling light that combines general illumination with Far-UVC 222 sanitizing light to continuously clean air and surfaces. It is designed to replace traditional downlight cans and can be easily retrofitted into existing standard 6” housings. • Healthe Air® (formerly known as Cleanse Troffer), a low-profile troffer that draws room air through a HEPA/Charcoal filter, then exposes the air to UVA and UVC light that targets remaining airborne pathogens, achieving a 99.9% kill rate in the expelled air. The UV components are contained within the troffer to prevent human exposure. These technological advances will help make customers feel more comfortable and welcome to trade with Bluestone and may provide an edge to encourage their business.

Joe Coffee, the number one rated contactless order and marketing platform for independent coffee retailers, mounted a national survey of coffee shop owners regarding the current COVID climate. Not surprisingly, they found that 57% of the shops surveyed were worried about their businesses being able to survive the coming winter. 68% of these businesses are introducing technology that reduces contact. (the complete survey is available on the sidebar) As Joe Coffee CEO Nick Martin said, “…being able to rely on technology to reduce contact and maintain safe operations is critical to their (coffee retailers) survival.” Nick Stone of Bluestone Lane clearly agrees with this sentiment as they went cashless in 2014, “we are trying to create a frictionless experience…. only 2% of sales company-wide (46 locations) are with cash.” These are some of the quick fixes that can instantly adapt your business to staying competitive, now for the long term moves. Let’s look at the elephant in the room, you know, the one that has been there for a decade but hasn’t had a bath or refresh in a very long time… your website!

8 Fall 2020

cont. on page 10

Going Viral Most coffee companies already have a website; however, many are merely a signpost in the middle of an information flood and will not garnish any attention or interest as no attention has been put into them. Like everything, you get what you give. Now is an excellent time to review your website and make sure that it still represents your company and goals. Next step update the images, fonts, and even the layout of your pages. You need to be coding the back-end with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to make sure you’re are giving yourself the best chances of being seen. Finally, update your web sales platform to something that will make it as easy as possible to purchase from you. Shopify or WordPress have great success and are incredibly easy to use. Now that you have set your trap, it is time to lay the bate and get out there start getting attention. Social Media has been a massive factor for more than ten years now, so guess what, it’s not going away. It does not ensure direct sales; however, it does increase visibility, credibility, and connection with customers. It will also cast a wider net for people to get to your website and the ultimate destination, their online order.

Knowing your audience and whom you would like to get in front of is the first step, then offering something valuable or exciting is the next. I’ve never seen so many videos on “how to brew coffee at home” as I have in the last eight months. If someone did not know how to brew coffee before, they surely do now. These can still be a helpful resource but try to push yourself a little further; what is the next step to learn after brewing? How to compost your spent grinds? Recipes for coffee spice rubs? How to make facewash with your spent grinds? Sure, these are ideas that can include your audience and entice them to join you. Essentially, most of these technologies are there to build community, and that is what people are longing for the most right now. As we are sheltering in place and preparing for the next wave in this saga, we are all missing each other and missing connection. The more you can wield this wheel of technology in a way that provides an eternal need for connection, the closer to success you may be.

National Survey Reveals Retailers Worry

Hundreds of companies have already been scrambling to update all their online tech, especially if they are closing cafes. The website has become the storefront, and it has to be open and running on all cylinders to garnish any returns. Many companies are also clamoring to get into Amazon’s program, which I think is a miss. If you weren’t already there and making money, it’s only going to be more challenging now. Amazon already has an enormous catalog of coffees with more significant sales and advertising spends to bring the search results to them. Plus, Amazon takes a chunk from every sale, so the margins become thinner by the day. Rather than fishing in the ocean that is Amazon with the smallest boat, another approach would be moving to a smaller pond with a focused harpoon. Being service and support in your local communities is a strong play and helps build long term loyalty. When Manhattan started its shut down, my brother was opening an Italian eatery in the storied Little Italy neighborhood. They hadn’t even turned on the “open” sign, and they were being told no one could enter. Failure was not an option at that point, so they made a sharp turn and converted their storefront into an Italian specialty market providing freshly baked bread, handmade pasta, wine, and meal assembly kits. Since grocery stores were still closed at that point, they became a real resource to the community and delivered these goods daily all across the city, and it kept them afloat. All this was fueled by Instagram, Caviar, and a 21-speed bicycle.

Access to technology like contactless payments seen as critical to survival

nationwide survey of coffee shop owners and managers found they are leveraging contactless/mobile point of service technology as they prepare their businesses to survive the coming winter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have introduced new technologies to reduce contact in response to pandemic restrictions. They also expressed concern about how their businesses will be impacted as they lose outdoor seating and capacity due to weather. The study of coffee shop owners and managers, jointly conducted by Joe Coffee, and Daily Coffee News found that many small coffee shop owners and managers have experienced declining revenues since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and are worried about their ability to maintain enough revenue to continue operating through the fall and winter.  57% of respondents are worried about being able to maintain enough revenue to continue operating through the fall and winter  Two-thirds of respondents have experienced negative revenue impacts since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and expect continued revenue declines this holiday season (Nov/Dec) versus the same time last year  More respondents (77%) were concerned about the safety of their employees than their ability to attract customers (60%) Many coffee shop owners have turned to new technologies to reduce contact in response to pandemic restrictions. Many of the surveyed coffee shop owners and managers believe these technologies are critical to continued operation of their businesses this winter. Half of respondents also believe big coffee and quick-service restaurant chains have an unfair advantage in dealing with the pandemic because they have better access to technology.  67% of respondents currently use a contactless/mobile point of service technology  68% of respondents are introducing technology that reduces contact  55% of respondents began using a contactless/mobile point of service technology in response to COVID-19 restrictions  86% of respondents say contactless/mobile point of service technology is important to their business this fall/winter “Independent coffee shop owners face a unique set of challenges as they struggle to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joe Coffee CEO Nick Martin. “With winter weather reducing the outdoor option in many places, being able to rely on technology to reduce contact and maintain safe operations is critical to their survival.”

10 Fall 2020

Coffee Roasting: Safe, Gentle Conveyance of Delicate Materials by Karl Seidel

Enclosed tubular cable conveyors prevent contamination and ease cleaning

n every step of coffee roasting and processing, from receipt of raw materials through packaging, keeping foreign matter from entering the process stream, maintaining hygiene, and keeping the system free from unwanted allergens are critical objectives. As such, many coffee roasters are reconsidering the use of “open” conveying systems such as bucket elevators and flat-belt conveyors in favor of enclosed systems designed to prevent exposure to ambient conditions and possible contamination. Additionally, as coffee processors seek to increase production uptime and reduce laborious maintenance, the ease of cleaning such equipment is also a significant concern. “With increased regulation, the primary focus of processors has been on preventing contamination and reducing cleaning requirements,” says Mike Judy, an independent food industry sales representative, and installer of conveying systems. In coffee production, line changeovers have become a focal issue, relative to both cleanliness and changeover speed as companies increasingly run different product lines within a single shift or day. Despite these changeovers, processing plants are expected to maintain rigorous levels of sanitary, allergen-free operation. Also crucial to coffee roasters’ bottom line is the capability of conveying equipment to reduce any potential product damage, to optimize quality and profit. Previously, Apffel’s Fine Coffees, Santa Fe Springs, Calif., used bucket elevators, augers, and pneumatic pressure conveying systems to move beans and ground coffee through the blending, roasting, grinding, flavoring, and packaging processes. The company produces a wide range of custom-blended regular and flavored whole bean and ground coffees and other coffee ingredients for food stores, private labelers, and food-service establishments. “The conveyors also broke the roasted coffee beans and declassified the coffee grounds because of the way they worked,” said Darryl Blunk, Apffel’s president. “This was a problem because we want unbroken beans and a consistent grind distribution at the end when we package the final product.” So, to ensure the safe, clean conveyance of even delicate materials with minimal product degradation, a growing number of coffee processors are turning to enclosed systems such as tubular drag conveyors that help prevent contamination and significantly ease, or even automate, cleaning. The Disadvantages of Open Conveyor Systems Traditionally, bucket elevators and flat-belt conveyors have been the predominant systems used to transport coffee products. However, open systems like these have substantial drawbacks in terms of the potential for contamination and ease of cleaning. Bucket elevators utilize a continuous line of buckets, either attached to each other on a rubber belt or attached by pins to two endless chains running over tracks and driven by sprockets. Centrifugal force moves the food being conveyed out of the buckets into a discharge spout as the buckets pass. This type of conveyor handles coffee products gently but potentially exposes it to contamination from the surrounding environment. Flat-belt conveyors have the same issue, and so some are covered. Unfortunately, the covers can collect residue and must be removed and cleaned between runs, a tedious and time-consuming task. Open conveyors also allow the product (if hygroscopic) to absorb moisture. Such moisture absorption can cause coffee to expand, or clump, which can not only degrade quality but also make conveyor cleanup more difficult. The Advantages of Closed Conveyor Systems Unlike open systems, closed conveyor systems effectively seal off product from the outside environment, and any potential contamination from that source.

Although there are several types of closed systems, one popular example when conveying high-value coffee products prone to damage or degradation

is tubular drag cable conveyors. These systems gently move product through a sealed tube using a coated, flexible stainless-steel drag cable pulled through on a loop. Solid circular discs (flights) are attached to the cable, which pushes the product through the tube without the use of air. The coated cable ensures that no debris accumulates within the strands of the cable, as the cable is totally sealed. The enclosed nature of tubular drag systems ensures no dust escapes: that could lead to an unsanitary and potentially dangerous coating of dust on the floor or process equipment. The result is a safer, cleaner, dust-free work environment and reduced risk of dust explosions. “Closed-system tubular cable conveyors have become popular because once the product is in the tube, it cannot be contaminated. That is critical for a lot of food products today,” says Judy. In the coffee industry, the conveyors are utilized for products such as beans and grinds, and on the broader food industry for nuts, cereal, seeds, and snacks. The systems can convey up to 2000 cubic feet per hour with numerous layouts using multiple inlets and outlets. In addition to avoiding external contamination, coffee processors also increasingly expect conveyor systems to be designed for easy cleaning. When Apffel’s Fine Coffees needed to install a conveying system that would efficiently and gently move coffee beans and ground coffee through its production process without diminishing product quality, it installed eight custom-designed tubular cable conveyor systems at its facility. Each stainless steel, food-grade, conveyor consists of two 4-inch-diameter enclosed tube sections (an infeed and a return tube). The conveyors are installed from “green” beans to mixer, mixer to roaster, roaster to de-gassing silos, to the grinders, flavoring, and finally to packaging. “Their conveying systems have enabled us to consistently produce top-quality products and easily maintain a dust-free, sanitary operation, which is critical from a food-safety standpoint,” said Blunk. In contrast, bucket elevators are particularly difficult to clean in preparation for production line changeovers. To clean them, each bucket must be removed and cleaned inside and out to remove accumulated residue. With closed conveyors, cleaning is also a mixed bag. Pneumatic conveyors are popular, enclosed systems, but cleaning can still be relatively time-consuming. Because high-pressure air is used to convey product, it can create excessive breakage as materials get battered through a course of vertical and horizontal tubing, turns and sweeps. In terms of maintenance, pneumatic conveyors also require filters that must be periodically checked and replaced. “When cleaning is factored in, closed-system tubular cable conveyor systems are actually less expensive to own and operate than pneumatic equipment,” says Judy. In regard to maintaining cleanliness, tubular drag cable conveyor systems also offer more options for dry and wet tube conveyor cleaning. These include brush boxes, urethane wipers, air knives, inline sponges, inline bristle brushes, and multi-step, essentially automated Clean-In-Place (CIP) wet cleaning. Since installing the tubular drag cable conveyors at Apffel’s roasting facility, the clean-out time between product runs and the maintenance and labor requirements have significantly decreased. “The clean-out discs inside the tubes take out just about everything, leaving little to no residue on the tube walls, so it only takes about fifteen to twenty minutes between products,” said Guillermo Contreras, Apffel’s production manager. Cleanliness is also a key consideration when selecting between cable and chain tubular drag conveyors, both of which come into contact with the food during operation. Tubular chain conveyors have more surface area and connection points where residue can accumulate compared to a coated cable, which only has 20% of the surface area.

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cont. on page 13

Coffee Roasting Regarding maintenance, for chain tubular drag conveyors, the chains are known to damage the sprockets in the drive unit and turnaround system, which can cost thousands annually to repair or replace. Tubular cable conveyor systems do not have this issue since the cables do not catch on, or damage sprockets the way that chains do.

as closed system tubular cable conveyors, while also minimizing product degradation. This combination of attributes, along with design flexibility and low energy requirements, make the conveyors worth investigating for coffee industry professionals looking for a competitive edge.

“Once a tubular cable conveyor system is installed, it dramatically reduces the cleaning and maintenance required,” concludes Judy.

Karl Seidel is Marketing Director of Cablevey Conveyors, a mechanical conveyor manufacturer that serves the specialty coffee, food, nut, powder and pet food markets. The company acts as a disruptor to traditional conveying solutions by manufacturing and commissioning enclosed tubular drag cable and disc systems globally.

Although there are many conveying options for coffee roasting and processing, few offer the same capability of preventing contamination and easing cleaning

Whatever your coffee source, style or blend, trust Bühler technology to give you better control over flavor, texture and taste of your final product. Contact us today www.buhlergroup.com

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Roasters Rock

by Rocky Rhodes

Survival and Adaptation

“

Survival of the fittest” is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. – Wikipedia

The first adaptation is not a hard one: Decide you want to be safer, cleaner, and healthier for all you will contact. This simple act gets past the politics of ‘mask or no mask’ and addresses a core human (and business) fundamental: If I take care of you and you take care of others, we will get through this together.

Pandemic. Social unrest. Elections. Natural Disasters. 2020 is undoubtedly ‘one for the books.’ As a coffee company, we hope you have survived. If you are still in business, you certainly admire the industry.

The second adaptation is a little harder and involves investment, but still a simple new operating procedure. Make your business facility, customer interactions, and employee performance safe. Retail stores and others benefit from the National Coffee Association (NCA). They put resources into a guide: https://www.ncausa.org/Industry-Resources/NCA-Guide-to-Reopening-forCoffee-Service-Retailers Many companies shared their ideas online and are very open to others using the ideas.

How did roasting companies adapt and change to survive? To answer the question, we should review the obstacles that have been thrown at the industry. Pandemic effects: Shutdown of the economy. Safety guidelines. New Safety guidelines. Concern for the health of yourself, your family, your employees, and customers. Mounting bills with minimal revenue. Spoiling inventory. More new safety guidelines. Social Unrest effects: Raw emotions of Fear, Compassion, Helplessness, Desperation, and General Anxiety. Desire to support social cause but fear of business being vandalized and or employees hurt. Election effect: Customers, employees, friends are dividing into ‘camps.’ Civil discourse on TV more closely resembles the Maury Povitch Show. There are dangers to speaking politics when representing a business. The cancel culture can rise up against you and the company in an instant. Natural Disasters effects: If you were in the way of the storms or fires this year, you might be questioning your faith at this point. Structural destruction would likely equal total business loss, given all the other obstacles. Friends and community are suffering. Retail coffee shops nationally will be down about 2,200 units or about 7.3% in 2020 based on estimates from Euromonitor International. Overall sales will be down around 12%. This means for the first time since 2011, the number of retail shops is declining. By any measure, the industry has taken a gutshot. But the production of green coffee is strong. Coffee is out there. The ICO says production is only down .5%. All projections for consumption are pointing up in the US. Drinking trends suggest that coffee will rebound to full capacity, and then some, now that people know how to get their fix. The glass-half-full point of view: 92.7% of retail store units will functioning at the end of the year. Some will be new, and some will have just survived the businessperson nightmare of 2020. What did these companies do to stay open, grow, and expand? They adapted! Managing Covid Safety: There are two areas of danger with Covid-19 for a coffee company. First: the virus is real, infectious, dangerous, and scary. Second: The federal and local governments seem to have daily revisions of rules and regulations that allow a business to operate, at least, at some level.

Adaptation of what and how to sell is the entrepreneur at their best! Delivery? No problem! Outdoor seating? Right this way, please! Entertainment while waiting in line? Enjoy the performance! Add additional non-traditional items to assist those shut-in? Here’s your Latte and toilet paper! Entrepreneurs know that there is no option of failure and creativity rages. Just like the first coffee houses, the retail store has become a place of communion and conversation. Managing Social Unrest: The blessing and curse of the coffee house are that people feel free to speak their minds. Hopefully, the emotional dissonance will be lessened after November 3rd. Shop owners have had to thread the needle carefully as customers have been so ‘loud’ about beliefs you risk offending or being canceled if you disagree. Some shops embraced it and found that like-minded people will enthusiastically support each other, and that might make up for losing those offended by the company position. Most Americans resist making themselves a target, but coffee houses can be ‘front lines’ sometimes. Good relationships with the community might just be the thing that gets your windows skipped. Managing Natural Disasters: You can’t dissipate a storm or outrun a wildfire. But when these things happen to a community, it is the brewers of coffee that are the backbone of the first responders. Many coffee shops are struggling with everything else in 2020 but focus shifts to the community when a disaster does come calling. Using the opportunity to help as a way to also help your business is just good business. Donate the coffee to the firefighters while wearing the company logo on your apron. If that good gesture finds its way to the evening news, then so much better. Entrepreneurs that do good for the community get rewarded by the community if they know about it. If we are honest, 2020 has been a pretty messed up year. Just get to 2021, and likely, things will ease up. (It is rumored the virus may be eliminated on November 4th but don’t hold your breath!) Where there is a mess, however, there is an opportunity. Adapt and thrive! Rocky Rhodes is an 18-year coffee veteran, roaster, and Q-Grader Instructor, and his mission now is to transform the coffee supply chain and make sweeping differences in the lives of those that produce the green coffee. Rocky can be reached at rocky@INTLcoffeeConsulting.com

14 Fall 2020

Photo by Trish Rothgeb

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Coff-Brew-Nology by Jen Stone Licensed Quality Grader

he Oxford Dictionary defines technology as “using scientific knowledge for practical purposes… to create ease, solve problems, enhance, and expand possibilities.”

Many companies utilize a reputable scientific formula for brewing a perfect cup of coffee driven by the need to create ease for coffee drinkers, solve problems like time and human error, and enhance and expand our potential coffee drinking experiences. Let’s review a few that stand out.

in an AeroPress. And you can in the Ascent Touch from Concordia Beverage Systems. Plus, with the addition of a little technology, you can grind and brew your perfect tasting Kenya AA in about 30 seconds. Yes, really. Concordia has mastered the art of automating the process of grinding fresh coffee and accelerating the brewing process with a low-pressure mechanism. Their patented ALPS – Accelerated Low-Pressure System, has finally given roasters and coffee providers worldwide the ability to provide, on-demand, a great, fresh cup of coffee! No wasted coffee, no giant urns to tote around. It’s a revolutionary use of technology. Roasters can control the pressure, grind particle size, water temperature, gram throw, even pre-infusion to their desired parameters and to the SCA Golden Cup Standard. Here is a 60-second review. Furthermore, the engineers at Concordia Beverage Systems were the first to automate the process of extracting a perfect espresso along with densely texturized milk at the touch of a button, in 1989! The patented XpressTouch 6 system is best in class and does everything but roll its eyes at you when you ask for whipped cream. It holds six of your favorite brand of syrup flavors and will make the perfect cappuccino, flat white, or iced mocha.

Elemental Beverage Company’s own elixirs and their collab sampler with Dayglow, both available at www.ElementalBeverage.co.

Elemental Beverage Company Elemental founder, Dave Dussault, had a desire for cold coffee and found the problem of chilling or icing great-tasting, high-quality hot coffee bitter and unsatisfactory. He also found the traditional cold brew coffee process eliminated desired aromatics and flavor notes readily apparent in hot coffee. Utilizing his engineering background, he created a practical way to convert a perfect hot cup into a chilled coffee quickly and maintain the desired flavors. Hence, the Elemental Snapchiller. With the help of simple thermodynamics, this Snapchiller can take a piping hot beverage and chill it on demand, which in turn is packaged in a 12 oz., ready-to-drink can. With a nod towards a potential retail machine, Elemental has met the demand of craft roasters who want to provide their auction lot, single-origin coffees in the cold format, including coffees from George Howell, Dayglow, and many others. Dussault spoke to the accessibility and approachable costs of snap chilling, and the innovation has saved or helped more than one roaster during the stress of Covid-19. Hear from the founder at the Coffee Explorer Podcast and a Tasting Review.

The AscentTouch on-demand coffee brewer and XpressTouch 6 superautomatic espresso machine. www.ConcordiaCoffee.com

Concordia Beverage Systems We all know that an intense espresso is brewed at 9 bars of pressure, right? Well, what if you could reduce the pressure and control the extraction so that you could bring out the flavors of a great Kenya AA for drip? You can,

Technivorm has stayed true to its roots and innovated to stay relevant with new colors and styles. www. Technivorm.com Technivorm The veteran of this roundup is from 1968. With over 10 million units sold, the Technivorm Moccamaster was created by a Dutch industrial designer, Gerard Clement Smit. To this day, the principles of water temperature, pressure, and agitation are the fundamental elements automated by the Moccamaster. I find it ironic that in the past ten years, we, the specialty coffee industry, have deconstructed the typical home drip brewer and created separate successful verticals for kettles, filters, vessels, and scales, each using technology in its own way. Yet the automation and simplicity of Technivorm reconnects all those elements, plus it is committed to product longevity, recyclability, ease of maintenance, and energy efficiency. All three of these innovative companies were founded by engineers who had a problem to solve and relied upon the science of brewing. They continue to successfully combine practical science with the art of excellent specialty coffee to create the desired result – a great cup of coffee.

Fall 2020

Jennifer Stone, Licensed Q Grader, Coffee Specialist

Jen Stone

Innovating in the COVID-19 Era

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