Heaptalk, Jakarta — As a pandemic struck the world, causing economic turmoil in almost all sectors, leaving the employees were forced to resign. Some people are fortunate enough to continue their career path by joining another company, while others choose to open their own micro-business — one of which is a coffee shop. Unsurprisingly, numerous coffee shops have sprouted up, no longer concentrated on main thoroughfares but appear in small streets and rural areas.
This is what motivate Andrie Wijaya, FnB Coffee Business Consultant and Founder of Halo Coffee, who opened a coffee business development training program in his expectation to empower novice coffee business owners in growing their coffee shop even amidst a pandemic.
According to Andrie during the live session stream at Subsdaily Instagram, the most fundamental factor to consider is knowledge, which consists of two components: a business mindset and technical knowledge in managing the coffee process. “Don’t let the trend of opening a coffee shop become a fad that fades away like the ice cream milo trend previously overtaken”.
Speaking of coffee, it is not a new happening trend, but coffee has a lengthy history that defines them until today. Long before the modern age, coffee had become a commodity with a pretty prominent position, like during the colonial period, Indonesia had become the world’s greatest coffee grower. When it came to coffee, some were served at honor banquets, such as Gourmet coffee, while others were consumed in general, such as Arabica and Robusta.
The essential factors to consider when opening a new coffee shop
According to Andrie , coffee business owners must understand how to brand the value of a coffee brand when it comes to business understanding. The reason for this is that, in terms of the essence of the coffee, the variants between one coffee and another tend to be similar. Coffee menus such as Mochaccino, Coffee Latte, Espresso, Cappuccino, and specific local coffee flavors such as Bajawa, Sidikalang, Gayo, and Toraja are similarly offered.
“In some cases, the coffee market is becoming swamped. As a result, branding it in the most creative ways is required by Coffee owners to leverage their coffee brand. I recommend making use of all available marketing channels, both offline and online to reach the market more efficiently”, Andrie stated.
Additionally, differentiation must be emphasized. As new coffee owners, they must learn how to differentiate their brands. Andrie suggested differentiation could come from many things, ranging from the biggest components like the brand impression added with some aesthetical inside of it up to the smallest things like the quality services that barista gave to the customer.
To strengthen the differentiation aspect, Andrie also suggests on how to make customers feel impressed and special about the packaging. Simple things like ensuring that coffee ordered online from a food ordering application reaches the customer’s hand while it is still fresh and enticing. Thus, factors pertaining to the process of serving the coffee product must be maintained very well. Similarly, when serving dine-in customers, it can be considered providing an interesting experience at a coffee shop that makes customers feel at home for an extended period of time and encourages them to return frequently.
“There are also numerous coffee shop owners who have previously differentiated themselves but are forced to close their doors. This is another point to consider: the idealism of indie-like coffee must be accompanied by the ability to observe the market trends. We will survive as long as we can satisfy the market “Andrie stated.
Followed with a strong passionate
When probed how far this coffee business trend will continue to grow, Andrie projected that it will continue. Furthermore, there is a paradigm in Indonesia today regarding the appraisal of a city or area in which if there are many coffee shop spots, it signifies that the area has developed.
Furthermore, the development of technology that allows coffee owners to reach their clients more readily is expected to ensure the Indonesian coffee shop industry still has long-term viability.
Of course, this situation has triggered the coffee industry’s competitive map for this year, which has grown quite tight. Despite their popularity among coffee enthusiasts, many coffee shop owners have gone out of business.
“Let’s go back to a time when there were only one or two coffee brands, which was in the early – early 2000s. Profits were quite big at the time, therefore the coffee business trend at the time was quite promising. While today, you cannot expect a quick ROI (return on investment) at this time; there are several business phases that must be patiently endured,” Andrie emphasized.
As a result, according to Andrie, the coffee business competition will ultimately leave behind only those who are extremely enthusiastic about the coffee.
“People who are passionate about coffee will enjoy every step of the process. Not only from a marketing or business development standpoint but also from the technical side of how the coffee is processed. Starting with coffee harvested from the farmers, then processed into raw materials by a roaster into coffee beans, then to the barista, and finally to the customer,” Andrie stated.
Meet the Halo Coffee
Andrie also introduces Halo Coffee, a coffee course location for anyone interested in learning the proper way to start a coffee business. 2018, and become a coffee training center in Jakarta, and they have served over 1,200 satisfied participants through both online and offline modes. The training is focused on the satisfaction and development of participants in their respective coffee journeys. Visit the site for the details.
