Offer Something Superior

I have always drank coffee since I can remember. The first time I drank a cup of coffee I remember my Papaw Lyles telling me, "Son, if you drink coffee it'll put hair on your chest." That would be followed up with my Mamaw yelling from the kitchen, "You know you can't drink coffee, you're to young." Still till this day I do not understand what she was trying to keep me from. Was it the caffeine? Was it the party that I would want to have 3 hours later? I am not sure but what I do know is that once I drank that first cup I always wanted more...And the chest hair, well that never really happened(Oh well). And here I am 9:30 at night drinking another cup...

Over the years I have come to appreciate a flavorful coffee and can tell right away if coffee has gone stale in the bag. There are various ingredients that will vary the taste of the coffee as it is brewing. Such as the type of water, the oils in the beans, the type of filter used, if ground before brewing how long it is ground for.

I finished up a book this week that I read a year or so ago because it had great parallels. The name of this book is, Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz. For anyone that has visited your local Starbucks you recognize the author as the CEO of Starbucks.

There are great points that Mr. Schultz makes about the beginnings of Starbucks and the passion that the founders all carried.

1. There are two main types of coffee beans Arabica and Robusta.
- The best coffees are arabicas. Especially those grown high in the mountains. Arabicas can withstand the heat, and the darker the beans are roasted the fuller the flavor.
- Packaged food companies prefer robusta beans or light roasts because they allow a higher yield or weight. There is a tenth to half of a percent difference in shrinkage. The lighter the roast, the more money they save.

Mr. Schultz goes on to say, "Starbucks only uses arabicas because they care more about flavor than yields."

2. You must stand for something whether personal or in business.
- "Starbucks stood not only for good coffee, but specifically for the dark-roasted flavor profile that the founders were passionate about. That's what differentiated it and made it authentic."

3. Do not just give everyone what they ask for. If you are best at what they are asking offer them something they are not accustomed to.
- "Offer them something so superior that it takes a while to develop their palates, you will create a sense of discovery, excitement and loyalty that will bond them to you. It may take longer, but if you have a great product, you can educate your customers to like it rather than to appeal to the mass-market."