Interview with Emma Markland Webster from NZ Speciality Coffee Assocation
Before you take the plunge and open your own café, empower yourself and your team with training and knowledge. Work in a café! Get the feel of being on the other side of the counter, working alongside the people who make a café run and interacting with the people who will pay your wages.
Another place to explore is the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association (NZSCA), which provides a forum for communication, professional development and coffee excellence.
Emma Markland Webster, NZSCA Event Manager, NZ’s OG barista champion and coffee mentor, explains how investing in staff training and doing your own research will give your cafe the best possible start.
Do your research. Have a plan and a style and stick to it – that will assist you make choices around everything from food, décor and signage to music, marketing and customer service. The process of writing a business plan will help you take a close-up look at the local area, define your customers and research the financials.
“Listen to all the feedback, but don’t take it all on board” says Emma. “You’ll get both positive and negative feedback at all times along the journey. Remember you can’t please everybody so use negative feedback as an opportunity to turn it into something positive.”
Reaching out to people in the industry with your coffee or business questions, will pay off. The NZSCA website has an A-Z of coffee experts and can help you find the best roasters, technicians or suppliers that fit with your business vision and style and help you create a strong business plan. Once you have your plan, your café and vison sorted, it’s time to look at employees and education.
“A café can have several areas that need to be assessed and trained in. First and foremost, I would focus on customer service, both external and internal.”
Training is essential for anyone in the coffee industry – the more knowledge your barista has, the better that person can share experience, make tasty coffee and use the equipment correctly to achieve sales. Knowing how to clean and operate the coffee machine, as well as provide exemplary customer service is the key. A good programme will feature a component of service.
Training can boost your business in the following ways:
Ultimately, there’s lot that goes into a cup. Getting the basics of research, education and networks nailed first will put you in good stead to create an establishment that employees will want to work in and customers spend money in.