Welcome to the best smelling blog around! Hopefully, you've got a steaming mug of your favorite freshly brewed gourmet coffee in hand. Inhale the aroma, take a sip, and join me.
As a specialty coffee roaster tucked into this scenic corner of Vermont's Green Mountains, I get to see all the trends that accompany gourmet coffee beans and other specialty products. I think the most interesting incarnation of this that I see daily in our local roastery is the demand for gourmet coffee beans as both party favors and marketing tools.
In the last year, I've had local folks order and label fresh roasted coffee beans to give as party favors at their wedding and to advertise their businesses. For weddings, we put the coffee beans into small bags that we label with the standard "Melissa and John, 2009". For the business application, it's similar. Local businesses order the bags and labels and pass out bags of gourmet coffee rather than business cards. It's the business card they don't throw away. They say the response is impressive.
Well, of course! Would you rather get another business card to lose amidst the vast paperwork of your overflowing office (am I projecting here?), or a mouth-watering bag of Vermont gourmet coffee beans that you can enjoy over several cups of fresh brewed coffee? It's a no brainer.
Gourmet Coffee Industry Trends
The conventional wisdom among owners in the specialty coffee industry is that, during this economic downturn, consumers still drink their coffee, they just change some of their habits surrounding it. Some drink less $4 lattes and more plain coffee, some grind coffee beans and brew at home more often, and still others start to buy their gourmet coffee by the pound instead of by the cup to get the bargain of bulk. (Just remember to buy only what you can consume in a week or two at most, so it will remain fresh!)
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
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