Dear Coffee Buyer

CONTENTS

Foreword vii
Preface ix
Introduction xiii

PART 1

1 Coffee Buying
What is coffee buying? What is a coffee buyer?

2 Your Offering Philosophy
How do you decide what should be on your menu? What would you like your selection of coffees to accomplish?

3 The Long-Term Value of Investing in Relationships
How do you build meaningful working relationships with your suppliers?

4 The Importance of Being Responsive and Crystal Clear
How do you avoid miscommunication and confusion when working with suppliers?

5 Making Nice with Your Suppliers
How do you keep your suppliers informed and eager to do repeat business with you?

6 When to Give Advice to Suppliers
How do you communicate your broad learnings to your valued suppliers?

7 Forecasting
How do you determine how much coffee to buy? Is it better to err on the side of buying too much or buying too little?

8 Samples
What are the different types of coffee samples? What do they represent?

9 Processing Samples
How do you manage and prepare samples?

10 Taking Notes and Sharing Results
How do you communicate the cupping results with your coworkers and suppliers?

11 Pricing
How much should you charge for your coffee?

12 Negotiating Price with Suppliers
How do you proceed to purchase a selection?

13 Direct Trade
What is direct trade? What should it mean to you and your coffee buying?

14 Exporting
How do you deal with exporting and shipping?

15 Quality Control
How do you ensure that you will receive your coffee in its proper condition and set your roasters up for success?

16 Storytelling
How do you communicate important details to customers about your coffees?

PART 2

17 Processing Methods and Their Cup Characteristics
How do various processing methods affect the flavor of coffee?

18 Cultivars and Their Cup Characteristics
How do the various cultivars affect flavor?

19 ECG
Which coffee-producing origins rise above the rest?

20 The Best of the Rest
What are the other standout coffee-producing origins?

21 Seasonality
What is seasonality all about? When is a coffee in season?

22 Storing Coffee
How should you store green coffee?

23 Packaging
What is the best way to package and move green coffee?

24 Defects
What’s wrong with your coffee?

25 Decaf
How do you handle decaf in your coffee buying?

PART 3

26 From Scratch
What if you’re just getting started as a coffee-buying business?

27 Learn from the Best
What can you learn from experienced buyers?

Glossary
Acknowledgments