Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Regarding Selling Whole Bean vs Pre-Ground

The question was asked...

When selling coffee, does it help to know which of your customers grind?

John Says...

Coffee should always be sold fresh-roasted, and whole bean. Quality is not an inconvenience. Quality=Caring.


If you educate on the pros of fresh ground and the cons of pre-ground coffee, offer grinder suggestions, or sell grinders yourself, that is often a good solution. But, in my opinion, if you grind *only* in order to make the sale, you are missing the point. The owner that doesn't care about how the coffee reaches the customer doesn't care about the customer; they only care about making the sale. And that is sad.


I'm certain some owners may see that as too hard core, but if you care, your customers will care, and follow suit. Does it eliminate a portion of possible sales? Yes. But it's these kinds of principles that will open doors to a whole new array of wonderful customers.