I spent August deep in the Canadian woods during the coolest, wettest summer in memory, warming myself by our lake cottage fireplace, waiting for the sun.

 

Amid daydreams of landing mammoth muskies, pike and pickerel, I had time to reflect on what I’d learned while compiling the annual State of the Industry report published in last month’s issue. Like the weather, it was somewhat bleak.

Answers to these two questions neatly sum up the situation:

 

Do you believe the retail coffee business is harder now than it was two years ago?

Do you believe it is going to get any better in the next two years?

 

Whether you were asked these questions last year (when times were bad) or this year (as times got worse) or next (as things improve), the answer is the same.

“Yes, it’s getting harder. No, it’s not going to get any easier.”

 

So here’s another question: If the coffee business is not going to get any better in the next couple of years, then who has to get better?

The answer: “You.”

 

If you accept this challenge, then even the most seasoned, efficient operators among us must learn to be better, more profitable retailers. But how?
Coffee industry pollinator Tom Palm offers a solution.

All of our businesses depend on the success of independent retailers, he says. “If the industry’s professionals pool their knowledge, experience, and resources to mentor coffee retailers, all parties benefit,” he says.

 

Educational webinars, tradeshows, roundtable discussion groups and local meetings are great ways we can use to help each other succeed, adds Palm.

He’s right. So let’s establish a Retail Mentors Roundtable to mine and share the expertise of coffee industry veterans, suppliers and association executives.

 

Initially these discussion groups will meet around a table with a moderator, but in time a “Brain Trust” of mentors will assemble online in webinars that can be attended by lots of folks. These sessions will be archived for later use to become an online learning center with practical solutions to thorny problems.

The shop owners, roaster retailers and tea house operators are invited to bring real-world challenges to the table and walk away with real-world solutions.

The effectiveness of the program isn’t evident until later, however, when retailers outline the steps they followed with their candid assessment of what worked. Advice is easily given, but with their sleeves rolled up in the fight, the “ideal” evolves into what works. Truly effective solutions that emerge can be applied elsewhere.

 

This is a great idea taking shape. Help me make it better. I’ve posted this column to the Specialty Coffee Retailer forum as well as this web site. Add your own thoughts, comments and criticism below.

Every facet of the coffee industry shines bright when retailers succeed.