Coffee is an integral part of every catering facility. No matter what your goal is and what kind of food you serve, many guests will always want to drink coffee before or after a meal. That is why it is important to find a supplier who will offer quality products and timely replenishment of inventories.
If you have such a business, you probably know how important coffee is, so it is advisable not to make any compromises when it comes to the quality of service. If you are new and still trying to find a supplier, this article will help you focus on the important things and provide quality products for your guests.
Many owners of restaurants and coffee shops have a dilemma about the suppliers of raw materials because it is often based on mutual cooperation. But you may not be satisfied with this kind of cooperation, so you can find someone who does a better job or offers you better prices for the same products. We are sure you want the best for your customers, and consistency is key to consistent quality. That’s why you need to find coffee suppliers who will be your long-term collaborators and from whom you will know that you always get the best products.
Today we will try to help you find such a person or company:
1. Make a List of Potential Candidates
This is really a lot of jobs to start with, but it is a step that will save you a lot of time and money. Find out who the suppliers are near you and focus on what they offer. Contact them and ask for a quote for a coffee bean supplier in the long run. Many of them would be happy to have a long-term customer, who will constantly buy and replenish coffee stocks in their restaurant. So, this is your start point, before you proceed to the next step.
2. Explore Their Portfolio
Every coffee bean supplier should have an information channel, as Auresso have their own website. If suppliers have a rich offer and portfolio, they are serious candidates to become your collaborators.
It is always better to give priority to those who work professionally and offer you good deals than to wait for some who are not yet established in the market. If you have a serious business, then you should not compromise with companies that are still learning how to operate. On the other hand, it does not mean that you should completely ignore them.
It would be best to conduct short meetings and interviews to find out about their way of working and to assess whether it suits you. Of course, be prepared in advance to know how to conduct the conversation and what questions to ask.
3. Request Product Testing
Whether you are buying coffee beans or capsules, you need to test the products. Arrange sampling during the meeting so you know exactly what you have to offer at your restaurant. Be guided by whether you like it or not. You can also invest in a combined offer, knowing that everyone has different preferences when it comes to coffee taste.
You can play it safe and buy brands that are already well known and tried, and you can experiment with something newer. But in any case, you must know exactly what you are offering, so it is good to agree on a taste test. Based on the presentation, you can decide who is a serious candidate for your affiliate and who does not care much about their customers – because there are suppliers in both categories.
4. Visit Other Restaurants and Order Coffee
Most often, the associates of restaurants and coffee shops are publicly displayed. You can tell by the serving cups, the ad above the counter, and the brand of the espresso machine. Many suppliers work on the principle of compensation, ie they advertise for free in your facility, and you buy coffee from them.
By visiting several restaurants, you can actually observe how some of your candidates work, but also try the coffee and see if you like it. Then it is up to you to remember the brand, find their contact details and try to establish professional cooperation with them.
5. Pay Attention to the Price
Browse the catalogs and see what they offer. Very often, the price of the coffee can be negotiated between you and the supplier, especially if you start a long-term cooperation. The restaurant business is expensive and you are constantly procuring new and fresh ingredients for preparing food and drinks. Your guests deserve quality, so it is not advisable to compromise and buy cheap and bad coffee.
At first glance, this may seem like a logical step, but if you think about it, many suppliers will offer you great deals, especially if you use their coffee bean grinder or your brand of coffee mugs and cups. As we have already said, this is the beginning of a long cooperation, which should be profitable for both parties. But this does not mean that you have to accept a higher price for the same product, but that you have to find what is most optimal for you and your service.
Conclusion
Owning a restaurant or coffee shop requires a lot of investment as well as a sense of how a business is run. Many restaurants think that coffee is not a key product in their work, so they do not pay attention to the quality of the beans, or the timely delivery by the supplier.
But many of your guests would really like a cup of coffee, especially with desserts. Do not forget about them, because every customer is important.
Use our guidelines to find the best suppliers near you, with whom you can enter into a cooperation agreement. That way you are always sure that you will have consistency in quality, but also timely delivery. Nobody wants to be able to have no coffee in the restaurant. Do not let that happen to you either.