by niallmccrae4994 | Dec 11, 2018 | Coffee
As we approach the end 2018 its time to reflect a little on the year that was! The reflection of focus for us is what worked well. Those things that we need to continue doing, and then what needs to change as a business going forwards. This got me thinking on personal stuff as well, so here goes, a wee summary on the last 12 months.
Time certainly fly’s. It feels like just last week when we were sitting in the cold office in January looking forward to the year ahead. Both our families had grown at Christmas with the addition of 3 cats (myself with Paddy and Murphy, Niall with Mittens). We found most of the conversations were around how silly it was having kittens. January was naturally quite as the world got back to the hum drum of life post the festivities. We did however welcome a couple of new customers. Plus we launched our retail tins into a high street convenience store which was amazing!
We are both involved at the local rugby club with coaching and developing young players. We have no let up on this with training and fixtures continuing on Sunday morning in minus temperatures. As we started to thaw out into February, 2017 became a distant memory. Business began to get back to some sense of normality as it does this time of year.
We entered 2 of our espresso coffees, Espresso Reserve and for a second year our Bourbon Select, into the “Great Taste Awards 2018”. We delivered coffee training sessions and began work on updating the website and producing product brochures. The cats were still a talking point throughout this time.
Business in March and April
Business in March continued to grow both via our lovely customers organically and new business coming on board. We did unfortunately lose one customer at this time. We are not sure why as we provided the same customer service we do to all our customers.
Products were delivered on the same day when they had forgotten to order. Or the very next day as standard without charge. We provided appropriate free training as and when required, including out of business hours. Responded same day to adjust the grinder on a number of occasions after it had been tampered with to the point of no-return. Offered all the products needed to run the operation and all maintenance when needed. So hey ho, there is only so much we can do and we felt we did our best.
April was again a positive month with a few trade shows to visit. Customers were supported with mystery shopper visits. The end of rugby season arrived. We introduced our coffee bags into the hotel bedroom market. We also introduced Matcha tea and a granulated milk product for the bean to cup machines. All this whist continuing with all the other day to day stuff.
May through to August
The month of May came and went fast. But we did enjoy a Novus tea tasting masterclass with a couple of our customers. We also enjoyed tasting a range of the teas over ice ahead of the summer. June, July & August always seems to be a bit hit and miss in our business, Whilst 9 weeks of sunshine and no rain is delightful to be out and about in, it does effect the hot drinks market. This being said a couple of Conti coffee machines were purchased for new store openings. We introduced a new bean to cup machine into our range and picked up a nice little customer close to the office. Let not forget how we were awarded Great Taste awards for a couple of our coffees, all is good.
A few Hiccups
Unfortunately, in July my two cats became one. Murphy lost his brother which was a real shame and the kids and wife were understandably upset, I fell off a ladder cracking ribs, damaging wrists, knees and face so summer personally was an adventure. Luckily both families did manage a holiday away. Come September the schools are back, the holidays are over. My middle child was starting year 7, big boy school. Then we were back to rugby coaching.
We settled down with some new business that had been bubbling over the summer. Some good sales from existing customers come through. We lost a close friend and one of my rugby coaches which was/is rubbish. October and November is the months when the weather changes. Warmer drinks are being ordered and the hot chocolate sales increase. Christmas shopping starts, black Friday deals and a customer returned from18 months ago. This was great news for us as they were not receiving the levels of service we provide which is wonderful to know. So here we are in December already.
The end is near
2018 has been a good year for developing relationships and working with our wonderful customers, which we are lucky to have. It is always a bonus securing new customers. We are already lining up potential opportunities for the early part of 2019. Plus a potential great partnership with some exiting products to look out for. We are really proud of what we are doing and achieving at Hessian Coffee in 2018 and our continued growth.
Thank you all, Have a great Christmas and all the best for a prosperous and healthy 2019.
Neil.
by niallmccrae4994 | Nov 5, 2018 | Bean to cup coffee machine
The bean to cup coffee machine is not what I would normally be impressed by as I am very much a traditionalist on espresso machines. I say this mainly because of the many years spent in the coffee industry. Knowing through experience what a barista has to achieve manually to produce perfect espresso shots.
It takes time and skills for baristas to master their trade and be consistent. Including an understanding of the origin of the coffees, coffee processes and coffee grind particle size. Plus you also need to include the correct dose, then the correct pressure in tamping the ground coffee level. Flushing group heads is part of their knowledge bases as in the purging of the steam wands. The list goes on with, silently foaming milk to create the perfect texture. Also the correct techniques when pouring out the milk and serving in the correct sized cup. It also includes needing to know what the traditional machine needs to be doing in terms of water pressure at the correct time of dispense. Because water temperature and dosing levels are also important to get the best out of the coffee.
In saying all this I have had my eyes opened this week when it comes to bean to cup machines and what they can achieve.
Bean to cup coffee machine knowledge
My initial knowledge of bean to cup coffee machines comes about because of historic experiences with using this type of equipment. Equipment that was known to regular have faults that even the best engineers and coffee technicians couldn’t resolve. My perception of these old huge chunky machines was they would produce (if you were lucky) a luke warm, tasteless, thin, see-through liquid. Also lets not forget whilst doing this they were also making horrendous clunking sounds for 45 seconds. Various degrees of nasty tasting coffee would emerge with poor end results had been my experience. I think you can see why I may have stayed away from them, well that was until now!
This new era of bean to cup coffee machines drew me in with their slick, modern, peaceful noises. Their new touch pads, fresh beans hopper, eye catching images and a range of drinks winning me over. It kept shouting “come and try me,” “go on, give me a go.”
I was beckoned it to give it a try
So here I was being beckoned in towards the table top, free standing machine. I gingerly chose the espresso selection icon not expecting too much. It then scrolled intuitively to a sliding menu offering me a host of drinks. Previously having steered clear of the bean to cup coffee machine I was now wanting to find out more. So as you could imagine I had to find out more to see if my historic feelings were the same a few years on.
The bright clean lights offered me the option of an espresso. Not only that but a large espressos were an option too. Or maybe it was a cappuccino I wanted! Or was it an Americano or a hot milk, latte macchiato, café latte or did I just want a hot water! How can all this be hidden inside such a compact and sleek looking unit I thought. The only thing protruding was a curved bean hopper that effortlessly blended into the top of the machine.
This is going to be bad I thought, how can it not. So I thought lets go with a milky based drink. This would definitely confirm my previous feelings towards the machines, so I gently ran a finger over the cappuccino icon.
That Doh! moment
The machine screen sprang to life and told me that no cup was present – Doh, as homer would say! How did it know was my next thought, followed by a feeling of stupidity! I should have known a cup is needed to be able to drink lukewarm, taste-less see through liquid. I was secretly impressed that the machine corrected my error as it could have been disastrous!
So back to pressing my cappuccino icon. The screen woke again and informed me with a percentage reading that my drink was being made. Here we go I thought and again knowing what the barista must do to produce great milk I was under no illusion this wasn’t going to be good. As the gentle noise of fresh beans began grinding so did the milk flow. After a few moments the espresso began its decent into the cup cutting through the airy, shiny, glossy milk which was rising. 30 seconds later the liquid stopped at the top of the cup giving a good-looking foamy drink. I was stunned! This is not what I was expecting, however I knew the proof would be in the pudding and it would taste awful and I would be the winner!
Now I admit I was wrong
How wrong was I. Perfect temperature, smooth light airy creamy textured milk, great mouthful with a good tasting espresso coffee in each sip? This was amazing, so much so I pressed Latte Macchiato to see what this would do. It layered a drink with steamed milk followed by the espresso and the foamed milk. I then thought I would press for an espresso and then a hot chocolate and finally an Americano. The machine effortlessly produced quality drink after quality drink. If I had of had a hat on I would have eaten it!
The new Bean to cup coffee machine is impressive
I went to find the manager and asked how it did all that so smoothly and how it produced the drinks so well. He admitted he was like I was. Sceptical on all things bean to cup initially, but laughed as he opened it up proudly and showed me the internals. One fresh bean hopper. Canisters for granulated milk, hot chocolate and decaf coffee. Also included was a removable cleaning system for daily rinsing. A removable brew chamber if ever needed from an engineering requirement and perfect coffee pucks. Programming options were also included for all the things a barista can do. These of course were including the dosage, temperature, brew time and grind size. A USB drive was also part of its mechanics to add video and images and blue tooth connectivity for diagnostics. I was silenced!
How wrong could I have been. Eyes certainly opened wide this week. I am more than pleased that we will be introducing this machine into our estate over the coming weeks with the intention to open everyone’s eyes. This is impressive so keep your eyes open!
by niallmccrae4994 | Oct 10, 2018 | Great Taste Award
What an amazing couple of weeks here and Hessian HQ! Firstly a nomination into the Hertfordshire Life Food and Drink Awards for Best Local Supplier and then we were a finalist! To top it off, our coffee was recognised and awarded a Great Taste Award with the National Guild of Fine Foods.
We must be doing something right! Initially we were nominated by one of our wonderful customers for the supplier award. This came as a great surprise as we are just a couple of families running a business doing what we love to do.
Coffee Award – How it all started!
The process began with the nomination. Because of this, it then encouraged other Hessian customers to complete a form to also vote. So it allowed customers to give comments and give evidence on everything. Everything from products, service, attitude, ethics, standards, consistency and quality. I saw the form and it was by no means a 30 second tick box exercise. Paragraphs needed to be written under the various categories so the judges knew why it was being nominated. We are not sure who out of our amazing customers completed the paperwork but the mystery is appreciated.
Following assessment on the nominations we were visited and interviewed by one of the Hertfordshire food and Life team. This section was based on the comments completed on the earlier forms. It was nice to have a few moments sitting and talking about what it is we do. What drives us, along with what growth plans and aspirations we have as a business. Being reflective on the business during this interview highlighted to me that we do a pretty good job and should be proud of our achievements to date. I have to say it also bought home the need to pause and take stock from time to time. Take time to assess oursevles, ask questions, re-focus and re-energise. I plan to build this into the working week instead of running around constantly.
The next stage in the process
The next stage saw us being invited to the stunning Hatfield House in Hertfordshire for a drinks reception. Next was a 3 course sit down meal and the awards ceremony for finalist. Here we enjoyed stunning food and surroundings awaiting nervously when our category was called.
The Food and Drink 2017 awards are broken down to 12 categories. These range from best pub, café, restaurant, chef, suppler, newcomer, customer service etc, with nominations in each area. An added surprise was that 2 of our customers were up for 4 awards also, one winning many accolades. The lunch flowed into the afternoon with coffee and wine. A great time was had with us getting the chance to meet likeminded people all striving to be the best at what they do. We returned home with goodie bags from the sponsors and a framed certificate which is proudly sitting on my desk as we speak. Not a category winner but proud and honoured to be thought about in such high regards.
The award continues
Hessians recognition continued into the start of August. We had news of a win in the Great Taste award for one of our freshly roasted espresso beans.
Our Bourbon Select was submitted a couple of month ago. We pretty much had forgotten we had done so. At Hessian we know this coffee is simply fantastic and consistent in every roast and something which we are incredibly proud of. It doesn’t just taste great as an espresso or a latte, its also 100% Arabica. The beans being farmed from a single growing area in El Salvador and is certified Rainforest Alliance.
Judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates. Now that is impressive already don’t you think! The palates belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers. Let not forget also that food writers and journalists are also part of the panel. The comments received included “Muted on the nose. A lovely creamy, coffee coloured crema. This has a big, initial mouth hit with good top notes. The level of acidity is pleasing. The sweetness is the result of the acidity and the long finish was enjoyed by the team”
Great Taste Award
Out of over 12,300 products judged we were awarded a 1-star Great Taste award which means judges dubbed it simply delicious. Only 20% of those entered gained an award, so we are blown away again with our recognition. Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product. Products that have been discovered through hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges.
Not bad for a Bishops Stortford, local, family ran company in its seconds year trading!
by niallmccrae4994 | Oct 9, 2018 | Coffee
The Oxford English dictionary definition of the word communication is as follows. “The imparting and exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other form of the medium”.
It doesn’t sound like it should be a hard thing to do, so why is it so hard for some people to do this?
As an example! An inbound business enquiry came into the office. The potential customer found us via a recommendation, good news so far! They ask all the right questions and understood what it is that we do at Hessian Coffee. Also they understand how we could support their business and arranged a meeting within 48 hours of the call. Another piece of positivity! This is going great. Diary re-arranged, meeting planned, preparation done as scheduled to taste 3 different coffees. Time was allocated to re-iterate the conversation we had on the phone allowing us to bond face to face ensuring all their needs are discussed and met. All good and positive wouldn’t you say!
The Big Day Arrives
Big day arrives. Introductions, the coffee tasting goes well, we share knowledge of what we know and what they expect. I ran through the equipment Hessian Coffee can offer, including how we have free barista training for our customers. I also explained our range of freshly roasted espresso beans and filter coffee. We discussed how we do more than coffee with syrups, takeaway cups, award winning teas. Also I let them know we offer next day delivery, 30-day credit, competitive pricing. This is all good once again, so I leave the meeting feeling positive on the all-round good day being had.
As I was leaving I mentioned to the prospective customer I would follow up that afternoon with an email outlining the meeting and the meeting notes. Hessian would commit to what we can do and how we can move forwards. I put a trace on the email to ensure it goes to the correct person and that it is received. Pretty damn good first impressions in my book I feel.
It all goes wrong
Now this is where it goes wrong. A couple of days later not having heard anything, I re-send the email (which I know was received). Once again with a trace on, and once again picked up. Naturally we are all busy people and guess they had forgotten to reply initially, these things happen.
Leaving it a couple of days and still nothing I give them a call on the mobile. Guess what happens, sent straight to voicemail so I leave a positive message. Giving it what I consider appropriate time I give it a couple of days and try again. Once again sent to voicemail.
Where I struggle is at what point do you give up and put it down to arrogance? Surely basic politeness is not hard and its one of the only things in life that is free.
You win some
You win some and you lose some. I understand that and that is not the problem. If you can understand why you have won or lost then this helps us as a business and as an individual to grow, I get it.
The thing I don’t get is the whole lack of communication thing. Surely a one line email, text or heaven forbid returning the phone calls and saying sorry I am not interested at the moment. Or sorry I didn’t like your shoes, I would be content with anything!
So to finish up, I bring you back to the above dictionary definition because I assume that the “or using some other form of the medium” is NOT referring to telepathy!
I will end this by saying; “Let’s not be afraid to communicate”.
by niallmccrae4994 | Oct 9, 2018 | Hessian Coffee Box
NOT JUST ANY BOX! Take a look at our new Hessian Box. Our new espresso boxes, which we are very excited about if you couldn’t tell, are not your usual plain brown boring box. These boxes have been thought about, designed, re-thought about and produced. Then re-designed and re-produced until we were happy to deliver our product out to our customers in them. We decided a box should not be dull, it should reflect the journey it’s taken along the way. Also it should give an insight into what it holds! We think it should also educate and inspire. Lets make it add value, brand loyalty and educate at the same time. After all these are the core values we strive towards at Hessian Coffee and our boxes now reflect this.
What’s inside the box!
Our freshly roasted espresso beans are what’s inside the box. These could include our Espresso Number 1, Espresso Reserve, XTC Blend, House Blend and our Great Taste Award Winning Bourbon Select. Hessian will be delivering all these coffees in our 6 kilo boxes detailing the coffees journey from seed right through to cup.
The coffee Journey
This coffee journey is a long one. It all starts from the planting then moves to the harvesting, this can take up to 4 years! The beans as we know them are initially the seeds from the coffee plant which are nurtured as seedlings. They are watered often and kept shaded from direct sunlight. Once planted and in time, these become the newly grown coffee trees which bear the fruit, commonly known as the cherry, and are ready for harvesting.
This harvesting (picking) is generally done by hand making it very labour intensive. For our Arabica coffees, these are picked at altitudes above 4 thousand feet (this is Ben Nevis FYI). Once the beans are harvested these then go through a process to remove the seed from the plant either by drying in the sun, or by rinsing constantly in water. Depending on the method a different taste profile is produced. The seeds need to be dried once again, either on huge patio beds whilst being constantly turned over in the sunshine, or by large tumble dryers.
Our little seeds then have a further process called Milling to remove the outer skin or “parchment”. They are then polished ready for grading, sorting and filling into Hessian (Jute) sacks ready for shipping.
It’s a long Journey
After the long journey across the seas, the seeds are blended and roasted to our specifications. Next they are tasted and inspected for consistency and quality. Then they are packaged locking in the freshness and the last 4 years efforts. Finally they get delivered direct to our favourite customers doors.
We cannot control a lot of the journey until this stage. Maintaining fresh coffee is key. Also using and maintaining the correct espresso equipment is fundamental. The water needs to be of great quality. Grinding our coffee is as important as that first planting of the seed and if not, a correct extraction we will ruin the last 1460 days of its journey. At Hessian we recommend staff training by a professional is critical. This ensures great coffee is made simple whether it’s an espresso, cappuccino, flat white, latte or americana. If you do this then your customers will return time and time again. Great Coffee made simply!
A box doesn’t just need to be a box but a story and a journey of excitement. Something to give that feeling of opening a present on Christmas day from someone that cares.
