Whether you’re a start-up café researching roasters to source your coffee from, or you are running an established café and are changing your Australian wholesale coffee bean supplier for one reason or another, it can be an overwhelming process with all the information available and opinions offered online and from those in your network. The coffee roaster you choose to do business with can have a massive impact on the success, or failure, of your business so it’s not a decision to make lightly. Below are 4 of our tips for choosing the right wholesale coffee supplier for your business:
Beans Origins
It’s critical that you get a deep understanding of the origin of the beans you will be serving to your customers. This means a lot more than just asking the about the region where the beans were grown, you need to ask about how the beans are picked, processed and roasted along with what equipment and techniques are used throughout. Different processing methods the beans may go through (natural, wet processed, honey, washed etc) will have significant bearing on the output. Coffee is a deeply personal experience with most customers easily identifying sweetness and bitterness. A good roaster will develop the bean to maximise sweet notes and minimise “roastiness” and external flavours.
Ask if the beans are ethically sourced, organic or if they come with a Fair-Trade certification, which means that the farmers in the region are paid a fair wage and the roasting company is environmentally responsible. This has a terrific flow on effect, allowing farmers to invest in their crops and improve their methods meaning better coffee. Win-Win!
Consistency
The importance of consistency when it comes to your coffee beans cannot be overstated as your customers will expect the same quality every time as far as their coffee is concerned. Ask the potential coffee suppliers if there are seasonality issues with their coffee, for example single blend coffees may only be available at certain times of the year due to growing conditions in the regions where they are cultivated. On top of this, ask about their delivery schedules etc to ensure you never run out of coffee which could lead to your customers being disgruntled and going elsewhere for their caffeine fix. At Bay Coffee, date management and crop rotation is of utmost importance. Even this season’s crop may not taste the same as last season’s crop, from the same farm. We roast and blend coffee to take into account shifting seasons and crop quality.
Samples
Ask for samples of the blends from potential suppliers. This allows you to get a feeling of exactly how well the blend will taste and feel in your café taking into consideration the vibe of your business and the sort of customers you’ll be serving. Why not even go to a café which is already a client of the potential roaster and ask the staff and customers for their feedback on the coffee!
Something to note though: If your current brewing methods are not sound or your grinder blades are dull, not even the best specialty Kenyan will taste good. Ask for equipment and brewing advice if you need it, we are here to talk you through it.
Testimonials
Any coffee roaster worth their salt should be able to refer you to several of their customers who can vouch for their beans along with their service, response times etc. Here at Bay Coffee, we have testimonials from local Sydney cafes on our website and can easily offer many more if needed!
Here at Bay Coffee, we are one of Sydney’s leading wholesale coffee roasters with over 20 years of experience in the coffee business. We’d love to discuss your wholesale coffee needs and can discuss the best blends for your equipment etc. Call or email us today for a chat with a friendly coffee expert!