12 Tips for Running a Successful Independent Coffee Shop

Opening 20 cafes doesn’t guarantee success for the 21st, but it certainly can’t hurt. Of course, experience is only one part of a complicated equation that determines whether a given coffee shop will succeed, as veteran Australian coffee retailer Peter Baskerville recently pointed out in a piece for Quora published by Forbes.

Baskerville provides a Top 12 list for coffee professionals who may be opening a new coffee shop or simply want to improve profit on their existing ones. First on the list? Consistently serving the finest espresso, says Baskerville:

It is rare in business to discover a product where consistently offering 100% quality is the best commercial decision you can make. In fact, I am the greatest advocate for the 80% is perfect model. But espresso coffee is one of those rare products where consistent 100% quality matters. Customers will walk past ten other competitors to get the best espresso, which is why this factor alone means you don’t need the highly visible, most expensive location. So buy the best espresso coffee machine (3/4 group Italian made with e61 groupheads and set to the right pump and temperature levels), install it with a water purifier and demineralizer, use a conical grinder, and only buy top quality Arabica or Arabica 90%/Robusta 10% freshly roasted beans, and make sure every cup is made by a fully trained barista who is continually seeking the ‘god shot.’

Click here to read the full story, which includes Baskerville’s interesting commentary on the importance — or lack thereof — of a heavy-traffic location.