Starting a coffee shop or growing an existing coffee business is no small task. Though it can be very rewarding in a variety of ways. Whether you’re dreaming of running a roastery, opening a café, or cultivating your own coffee farm, having the right partnership can make all the difference. Partnerships allow you to leverage a variety of skills, spread out responsibilities, and ensure that all aspects of the business are well-managed.
Let’s dive into how to evaluate your strengths, find the right partners, and establish roles that help your coffee business thrive.
1: Assess Your Strengths and Talents
Before looking for a partner, you need to evaluate what you bring to the table. Are you:
- A visionary decision-maker who thrives on big-picture planning?
- Someone with capital or access to funding who’s ready to invest?
- A detail-oriented operations expert who loves running day-to-day activities?
- Willing to knuckle down and handle tedious or repetitive tasks consistently?
Your self-assessment will guide you in finding the right partner(s) to fill the gaps. For example:
- If you’re great at roasting coffee but hate sales, look for a partner with a knack for marketing and customer engagement.
- If you excel at leading and strategizing but lack capital, consider finding an investor or financier who believes in your vision.
The key is to focus on complementing your strengths—not duplicating them. Whether you’re launching a roastery or starting a coffee shop, understanding your role is crucial.
2: Seek Partners Who Fill the Gaps
Your journey will look different from anyone else’s, so don’t waste time comparing your business to others. Instead, build a team that complements your unique situation.
For example, if you’re starting a coffee shop small and growing organically, your needs will differ from someone who’s buying into an already established business. And if you’re lucky enough to have both decision-making authority and the capital to fund your vision, your experience will look nothing like that of someone bootstrapping their way to success.
In my own experience, I stepped into a roasting role at a small, established business. The roastery had a loyal base of coffee shop clients and a strong relationship with its original owner, which allowed for organic growth. What made our setup unique was that the roaster’s new owner also owned a coffee farm in Colombia.
This partnership created a powerful synergy:
- The roasting operation had a consistent supply of quality beans.
- The farm team focused on cultivation and exporting while the roasting team perfected the craft and built local relationships.
- The roaster’s original owner also had a partner who hit the pavement, actively selling coffee and growing the customer base in our local area.
This division of roles allowed the business to thrive over time, with both sides working in tandem to achieve long-term growth.
3: Explore Scenarios Based on Your Business Model
Starting as a Roaster
Starting small as a roaster is a practical option for many entrepreneurs. If you’re roasting from home, here’s what to consider:
- Equipment: You’ll need a commercial-grade roaster that’s small enough for home use but powerful enough to handle production. Electric roasters (around $7,500) are a good choice, but you might need to upgrade your home’s power panel to accommodate the machine. I couldn’t recommend more the Coffee Crafter’s Artisan XL series. Take a look at their website here. The XL series is on sale as they transition into a better designed and quieter series called the Valencia. This option would be absolutely perfect if you planned to start a coffee shop with roaster in house since you could roast and serve without a noisy machine interrupting and changing the atmosphere.
- Green Coffee Supply: Secure a supplier who offers consistent quality at an affordable price. Your margins depend on getting this right. There are so many options in this area so the competition works in your favor. If you don’t even know where to begin here then head to the Genuine Origin website and take a look at what they have to offer. If you already know that you want to roast Colombian coffee but would like to support a small business then head to the Rock Top Coffee website here and get in contact with their operations team. They can get a consistent supply shipped to you straight from the port of Colombia. You cut out a lot of middle men with this option and are giving better than market value prices to the growers which elevates their community all the more.
- Pre-Selling: Talk to friends, family, and local businesses to gauge interest. Can you secure pre-orders or small accounts to build momentum?
- Approach Local Coffee Shops: Many shops are loyal to their roasters, but if a shop doesn’t have a local partner, it’s an opportunity worth pursuing.
Startup Costs for a Roaster:
- Commercial Roaster: ~$7,500
- 75 lbs of Green Coffee: ~$500
- Packaging: ~$100
This setup allows you to grow at your own pace while creating consistent cash flow. With the right marketing and partnerships, your business can scale significantly over time.
Starting as a Coffee Shop Owner
If you’re opening a coffee shop, consider whether you’ll roast your own beans or partner with a roaster. Partnerships with roasters can give your shop a unique edge, especially if they can offer consistent quality and educate your staff on the coffee’s story and origins.
- Leverage Local Connections: Build relationships with other small businesses to create a network of mutual support.
- Focus on Differentiation: Whether it’s your ambiance, your menu, or your sourcing practices, make your shop stand out in a crowded market.
Starting as a Coffee Grower
If you’re looking to cultivate and export coffee, partnerships are critical to success. You’ll need:
- A team on the ground to oversee cultivation and harvesting.
- A partner with expertise in export logistics and compliance.
- Strong relationships with roasters or distributors to move your product.
Cultivating coffee is a long-term investment, often requiring years of effort before seeing significant returns. As of writing this the US Dollar is performing quite well against foreign currencies and in some places a relatively small amount of money can buy a large amount of land. In this case too, finding the right partnership for international real estate is absolutely essential. There are so many factors to consider here but it is doable and should Colombia ever be on your radar, might I suggest partnering with Finca Perija as your regional coffee farm managers.
4: Define Roles and Responsibilities
To avoid confusion and conflict, clearly define the roles of each partner. Here are some common roles:
- Decision-Maker: The visionary who drives strategy and key decisions.
- Financier: The partner who brings capital or secures funding.
- Operations Manager: The person who ensures daily tasks are completed efficiently.
- Laborer: The hands-on worker who handles roasting, brewing, or farming.
- Consulting: If you don’t already know the right answers to coffee questions then you better get with someone who does. This can cost money or you can keep reading here and outsource this job for free.
Having these roles clearly outlined from the start helps ensure everyone knows their responsibilities and can focus on what they do best.
5: Sales
Sales are the backbone of any coffee business. Whether you’re selling roasted beans, café drinks, or wholesale coffee to businesses, having a solid sales strategy is key. Focus on building strong relationships with customers, offering product samples, and leveraging customer feedback to improve offerings. Consider direct sales through your café or e-commerce platform and explore wholesale partnerships to expand your reach.
6: Marketing
Effective marketing helps attract new customers and retain existing ones. Utilize social media to showcase your brand story, promote special offers, and engage with your audience. Content marketing, such as blog posts and email newsletters, can educate consumers about your coffee’s unique qualities. Hosting events, collaborating with local businesses, and offering loyalty programs can also boost brand awareness and customer loyalty.
7: Scale it and Growth
Once your coffee business has established a steady revenue stream, it’s time to focus on scaling. Growth can come through opening new locations, expanding your online presence, or increasing wholesale distribution. Streamlining operations, improving efficiency, and investing in automation can help manage increased demand. Always analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure growth is sustainable and aligned with your long-term vision.
8: Profit
Can you make this coffee business successful? How do you make this profitable? That is really the question here because if you can’t do this then it is going to feel 100% like wasted effort. Let me just tell you that it absolutely can be profitable but you are likely going to have to work your ass off. The good news is that you may end up working totally for yourself which I must say is one of the most rewarding feelings in life and I could not recommend it enough. Anybody that can be a self-starter and get out of the rat race I would encourage to do so and I hope some of these insights do help.
Profit is obviously more income than expenses but what does success look like? Well as a coffee roaster that means weekly and monthly orders which looks like you or your employee(s) consistently running the machine processing and packaging coffee.
As a coffee shop it means daily sales and labor. You may love the daily grind here but it also might burn you out.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right partnership for your coffee business is about balance. Know your strengths, fill the gaps, and create a team where everyone is working toward the same goal. Whether you’re starting as a roaster, a shop owner, or a grower, the right partners can turn your vision into a thriving business.
Would you like to dive deeper into any of these business models or discuss specific strategies for partnerships? Let me know!