A guide to decisions that affect your business
When you're opening or renovating a coffee shop, you're faced with a huge number of decisions. Location, team, equipment, and menu. But one choice has a bigger impact than it might seem at first glance: coffee supplier.
Why? Because this decision not only determines the taste in the cup, but also:
- Will the guests return?
- how well your team will prepare drinks,
- and whether your business will be sustainable in the long term.
In this guide, we show you what to look for – no fluff, just concrete. This is not an advertisement. This is a tool.
1. Roasting: speed or balance?
There are hundreds of providers on the market. Some roast quickly – at high temperatures because it's cheaper and faster. The taste? Often burnt, sharp.
Others – like Ørin Coffee – go slower. More precisely. Because we believe that the character of each bean is only revealed when we take our time.
What to ask the supplier:
- How many batches do you roast per day?
- Do you use profile roasting?
- Can I try espresso and filter from the same batch?
2. Support: After the sale, you're on your own... or aren't you?
All is well and good until you change the barista or your coffee machine breaks down. What happens then?
Some suppliers send you a PDF. Others come in person. At Ørin, we have our own mentoring and responsive support system – because we don’t believe in “just drop it in and go.”
What to ask the supplier:
- Do you have a team that can help on location?
- Do you offer training tailored to our equipment and menu?
- How quickly do you solve problems?
3. Customized taste for your audience
Your coffee should do the talking. yours guests. A hipster bar with natural wine is looking for a different profile than a coffee shop in the business district.
What to ask the supplier:
- Can you develop a blend with us that fits our menu?
- Do you have a tasting where we can choose a profile together?
- Are your tastes consistent throughout the year?
4. Ethics and transparency
More and more guests are asking: “Where is this coffee from?” And for good reason. Because they support the story, not just the taste.
What to ask the supplier:
- Do you have contracts directly with farmers?
- How do you choose green bean suppliers?
- Is the origin of the coffee traceable to the farm?
5. Partnership, not just supply
Ultimately, you're looking for someone who will grow with you. Someone who will understand your style, your ambitions, your service style. That's why at Ørin Coffee we don't work with everyone. But we give 100% to those we do work with.
Summary
A good coffee supplier for a café doesn't just offer bags of beans. They offer knowledge, strategy, partnership and, above all, consistent quality.
Make a list of questions, go to a tasting, check out support.
If you need help with this, we are at your disposal.
Not as a supplier.
As a co-creator of your story.
