The (Coffee) Chain Gang

"Please show your support for a decent independent going head to head with the chain that is coffee#1"

The above is a quote from a post on a local Facebook page. The poster is setting up a coffee shop in North Street, Bedminster, having failed to get premises on the Wells Road in Knowle, where he would have done well. He will probably still do well in Bedmo, but will be up against stiffer competition (and not just from 'the chain that is coffee#1').

Now, I've never had a coffee in a branch of coffee#1, so I'm unable to comment on their wares but this comment piqued a certain interest in me. Namely: the tendency of thought that says: small business good, big business bad.

Here's the thing: From my viewpoint, the world is not that simple.

Sharp practice, tax evasion/avoidance and poor treatment of staff can all be found amongst small, local, independent businesses as well as large.

On the flipside, some of the largest businesses in the country/world have exemplary approaches to corporate social responsibility and employee relations.

Reducing things to simple binaries is foolish. We all benefit from a mixed economy with different types and sizes of shops/chains, and a mix of differing ownership models. Do I think there is room for change? Hell yes. But do I think large companies have no good points at all? No.

The post above also reminded me of something that has long puzzled me: at what point does a company go from being 'good' (local, independent) to 'bad' (large, corporate, spawn of the devil)?

Whilst many people set up businesses in order to achieve/sustain a certain lifestyle, many more dream of making it big: opening a second outlet, expanding their offering, maybe taking their services to a neighbouring city. Some dream of going national, or international.

Good for them, it's a natural inclination. Sometimes this will be achieved through organic growth, sometimes they will have to seek additional funding: a bank loan, another investor or (cue pantomime boos) private equity investment.

At what point does their bright, shining example of local success become soiled. When do they cease to be a local business with multiple outlets, say, and become a chain?

When they have more than certain number? When they have spread to multiple towns and cities? When they accept funding from unrelated investors?

Here are a few local(ish) examples - where do you think the line to being a big-bad-chain is crossed:

Cafe Grounded - 7 outlets

Caffe Gusto - 8 outlets (including a concession for staff/visitors to The Engine Shed)

Pieminister - 11 outlets (2 'coming soon') plus wholesale distribution to pubs/cafes and supermarket retail.

Boston Tea Party - 17 outlets (2 'coming soon')

Coffee #1 (started in Cardiff, I believe) - 58 outlets

Loungers - 65 outlets, 3 'coming soon', and 13 Cosy Clubs

(For comparison, Starbucks has c. 800 stores, Costa c. 1,800)


P.S. This was going to be a Facebook status update but rapidly grew too large... obviously not good...

Coffee, Coffee, Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink*

*lest it offend my Middle Class, Pinko, Guardian-reading credentials.

This post is, I'm afraid, a bit of a rant. Inspired by this story in the Guardian as well as the recent case of Costa wanting to, and subsequently not, opening in Totnes.

Put simply, there is a strand of thought on the left of politics that is - essentially - big company = bad, small company = good. And that big, bad companies should be STOPPED. Never mind that big companies are often successful because they offer a service and product that people want, at a price they're prepared to pay.

Totnes is a small place that somehow manages to support 42 independent places that sell coffee. 42! Costa wanted to open 1 branch and the locals were up in arms. Local retailers feared that the presence of a familiar chain in a (relatively) large outlet would attract visitors and take away trade. And, of course, they had a point. Some visitors would undoubtedly be attracted by the reliability and reputation of the chain - after all, that's the stock-in-trade of chains: consistency.

But surely competition is a good thing? And if the coffee and service at the numerous other outlets was good, they would survive? The locals would still patronise the local shops and there would still be tourists who came away with tales of "that lovely little place on Totnes High Street, sandwiched between a Crystal Shop and a Vegan Restaurant".

In the end, Costa decided that discretion was the better valour and withdrew. It means, though, that the good people of (and visitors to) Totnes can't choose local:

In the case of Harris and Hoole, people seem to be upset that an (albeit sizable) minority stakeholding by Tesco is not advertised. "It seems like a local business, the coffee was good, it was so brave of them to open next to Starbucks."

But surely any business has the right to determine its look, feel and trading style - if you feel duped, it's because you didn't even think to ask the question. And the fact that you couldn't reconcile the fact that you liked the product with your feelings for the supplier (or at least funder) of said product says more about you than them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for supporting local shops and businesses. Indeed, I've taken my own stand when it comes to coffee, although that is more to do with contrived tax arrangements than anti-globalism. I'm also not in favour of big companies taking advantage of suppliers and producers - as so often happens. I don't believe that Tesco are squeaky-clean - but I don't think that that can be taken for granted with independent shops either.

Ultimately, though, the consumer has choices - and whilst the local and independent may take a bit of seeking out (Totnes is, after all, in deepest, darkest Devon) - if that's what you, as a consumer, want, then go for it. It's your choice, though. Movements like those in Totnes are about people of a certain train of thought preventing that choice for others. Ironic, as that's exactly what they accuse the multiples of doing.

Andrew

P.S. If you're in South Bristol, you may like to choose Acappella's for your coffee.

Coffee as Theatre

Earlier this week I popped into Starbucks (as you do) for a Double Caramel Macchiato to go and I noticed they were advertising a number of drinks branded as "Starbucks Reserve".

The Barista enthused about this select range (there is a choice of three in the UK) of rare coffees and the brewing method used. The range is only available in small quantities in just 10 stores in the UK (six in London, one in each of Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and either Edinburgh or Glasgow). I had, in any case, my heart set on my Caramel Macchiato... but I knew I'd be back!

The following day - having had the idea firmly implanted in my head - I returned to the branch in question, to sample one of the coffees on offer. A different, but equally enthusiastic, Barista was happy to discuss the merits of the coffees on offer before taking my order for a Fairtrade Nicaragua Corcasan.

He then proceeded to make the coffee using the "pour over" method of filtering. This part was pure-theatre; the filter paper (my Barista discussed the merits of cloth vs. paper) is carefully placed in the specially shaped porcelain cup/funnel. This has a hole in the bottom and is placed on a special rack above the cup. He then took a measured amount of my chosen beans and freshly ground them.

Having prepared the beans, he warmed the funnel and cup by pouring some hot water through and discarding. The ground beans were then placed in the filter and water added to create the bloom (i.e. the point at which the grounds become saturated). After letting this settle, he poured the rest of the water through, taking care to continually move the narrow spout so that he "stirred" the grounds with the water stream.

The whole process takes around 4 minutes - and the result is an exquisite cup of black coffee (I wasn't offered milk, but that would have seemed wrong anyhow). More pricey than a normal filter coffee, but cheaper than the "handcrafted" range, this was well worth the cost for the personal service alone.

There's more about Starbucks Reserve range on the UK website here - and on the US site here. If you're lucky enough to live near a participating branch do try it.

Andrew