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Robin Seitz VP/GM Coffee Supply Chain and Private Partnerships |
Among the many reasons my co-workers tease me is that I am out on “vacation” all the time as I visit coffee producers at origin. Without a doubt, one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of my career has been this opportunity to travel far and wide chasing a good cup of coffee! I have had the chance to see places, meet people, form friendships, get to know cultures, and live out experiences that I couldn’t have imagined as I grew up in small town Kansas. But while it IS exciting and fun (most of the time), it still is real work. And this isn’t just me trying to justify my travel expenses! There are very real and important reasons that we invest the time, effort, and resources in this travel, beyond my wanderlust.
1. CALIBRATING
Tasting and evaluating coffee can be a subjective thing. Everyone experiences a cup in a little different way, and we all pull out and focus on certain aspects of a cup more easily. When I am seeking out coffees that we need for a purpose: the base of a blend, a broad appeal single origin, a coffee with volume for a private brand project, I have to find JUST the right one. And while we can talk in terms of scores and grades, to us, the most important thing is the actual character of the cup. Those specific flavors, the body, and my understanding of whether it would fit in where it needs to be. Not just numbers on a score sheet. It’s hard to convey that from afar. It is MUCH easier if we get together, taste coffee at the same cupping table, and talk about exactly what I need or am looking for. You can’t beat face to face discussion when it comes to building understanding and communicating needs.
2. UNDERSTANDING
There are a lot of things that happen in our industry, and we are all riding a crazy wave together. In the last 5 years, we have endured huge swings in coffee market pricing. (Did you know that coffee is traded on the same commodity markets as gold, oil, and grains?) Travelling to origin helps me to have perspective and get a bigger picture view of the world. We live OUR struggles every day. But it is always important to try to have empathy: try to understand what the other side of the contract is dealing with. It also allows me to see first-hand the impacts of things like drought, floods, or crop failures. As well as inspiring positivity, such as the positive impacts on communities from the social projects we support.
3. RELATIONSHIPS
Beyond the business, it is important to remember that everything we do is about people. Everyone enjoys doing business more when they know they are working with people they genuinely like and/or care about. And it is somehow easier to overcome our challenges when we have people in our corner, supporting and believing in us. A partnership between us and our producer friends is that: founded on coffee, but developed through real relationship. Coffee has always been about people coming together. When you want to get together with a friend to catch up, we often say, “let’s go get a coffee.” When someone needs comfort, we offer to have them over and brew a pot of coffee. Present at almost all moments of Fellowship are urns of coffee. In my travels, after the business is done, there is a genuine care between our producer friends and me. These trips ARE us getting together to share those honest conversations over a cup of coffee. Through genuine friendship and partnership, nurtured over time, we go through the ups and downs together. And those relationships are the greatest reward.
So yes, while it is really cool to see so many different things in the world and NOT be trapped at a desk, there is a real purpose. There is real benefit in the cup's quality and in the reliability of our supply.
But I have to admit, it’s better than having a “Real” job any day!
This February, I will be visiting several partner groups in Nicaragua. Our VP of Wholesale, David Amos, will be representing us during our visit to Guatemala. Next month, I plan to visit Honduras… It’s a busy time!
Until next time. Cheers!