predict the outcome for a newbie...

[Redswing]

I'm hoping to find people who have a yard where I could hang a swing close to the sidewalk. So close people would notice it and maybe be tempted to sneak a swing. On the seat, I envision a 4" in diameter woodburned stamp that says my business name and website.

 

[PinkRose]

Hummmm.....I'm not too sure I'm picturing this right.

I think now-a-days, most adults would think twice before they'd sneak a swing on a stranger's swing. They'd be afraid of getting shot, or having a dog sicked on them, or having the swing break mid-air.

Plus, I can't imagine they'd take the time to read your woodburned stamp on the seat, especially if they're trying to quickly sneak a swing.

Maybe donating your red swings to local parks and playgrounds would get a better response. Just a thought. . . .

 

[Redswing]

Come on, Rose! Have you lost your youthful playfulness? :grin: But I hear you, and wouldn't be surprised if that's the typical response. That's part of my idea with it, even if the viewer is too composed to sneak a swing, the swing itself expresses an attitude towards life...something beyond functionality (not unlike coffee). Kinda like an art installation.

 

[PinkRose]

Maybe I have lost my youthful playfulness, because I wouldn't just go up to someone's swing and start swinging on it, unless they were standing there inviting me to try it out. Then I'd try it out, and they'd have a difficult time getting me off of it!

 

[roybwilliams]

Online Sales

Here's my marketing ideas as of now:

1-I'm in contact with a web designer about getting a website going, along with logo design. Pouring over other roasters sites, paying attention to what I like and don't like.
2-I've made a list of about 20 friends and family who I am pretty sure would be willing to purchase around a pound a month. I'm going to encourage them to spread the word if they like their experience.
3-I'm getting things in order to sell and even roast at the local farmers market.
4-My working business name is "Red Swing Coffee Roasting". I like it in part because of the marketing potential. Thinking about hanging simple wooden red swings around town (in approved locations) with a cool woodburned stamp on them that would have my logo and website.

What do you all think?

(my roaster needs about another week till i can pick it up...it's getting more and more real. i'm jazzed!)

Redswing, I am in the process of doing something similar in southern Calif. Are you operatiing under the Cottage Food Operator law (AB1616)? I would be very interested to hear how it turns out for you, and how you are managing it. I'm doing it as a CFO but this method precludes the use of the USPS, UPS, FEDEX or any other delivery method except direct sales to the consumer (or a third party sells directly to a consumer). It creates a major snag in online sales.

 

[Redswing]

roybwilliams, great question...the cfo law didn't work out for me, due to local zoning restrictions...at least not yet. i have learned the state laws are still subject to local zoning, which in our town is up to the planning commissioner. i have a date to appeal the decision of the city planning committee in august to try for a variance, but it's basically up to 4 people from city hall. so besides reading through the bill, that's all the experience i have with it.
one of the major hangups i find with the cfo law is that the roaster has to be in your kitchen, which is perhaps doable. perhaps. but right now, running a new gasline and a venting stack in a home we are renting is just not an option. i've thought of a few ways around the letter of the law, being that it is stated in the bill they will never re inspect unless there is a complaint...for instance getting licensed with my home roaster, while the bigger roaster hides in the garage. guess that one depends on your moral rigidity, eh?
how about we start a thread about the ca cfo law?

 

[HRC]

Here's my marketing ideas as of now:

1-I'm in contact with a web designer about getting a website going, along with logo design. Pouring over other roasters sites, paying attention to what I like and don't like.
2-I've made a list of about 20 friends and family who I am pretty sure would be willing to purchase around a pound a month. I'm going to encourage them to spread the word if they like their experience.
3-I'm getting things in order to sell and even roast at the local farmers market.
4-My working business name is "Red Swing Coffee Roasting". I like it in part because of the marketing potential. Thinking about hanging simple wooden red swings around town (in approved locations) with a cool woodburned stamp on them that would have my logo and website.

What do you all think?

(my roaster needs about another week till i can pick it up...it's getting more and more real. i'm jazzed!)

1-If you are so inclined, there are many options available for building your own website for a monthly fee (shopify, squarespace, big commerce, etc). So they take care of all the backend and you do the front. This can save you several thousand dollars that a web designer might charge you. In fact, you could ask your designer to use that service; lots of them are doing that nowadays. I am building my site through Shopify right now.

2-Cut that list in half and then do it again. Don’t rely on friends or family to keep you afloat. Aggressive advertising/marketing is the key. Many people love coffee and love the idea of it but actually converting that into real, paying customers is a whole ‘nother ball game.

 

[poison]

Redswing, I am in the process of doing something similar in southern Calif. Are you operatiing under the Cottage Food Operator law (AB1616)? I would be very interested to hear how it turns out for you, and how you are managing it. I'm doing it as a CFO but this method precludes the use of the USPS, UPS, FEDEX or any other delivery method except direct sales to the consumer (or a third party sells directly to a consumer). It creates a major snag in online sales.

Go Class B.

 

[Redswing]

Does anyone have any input on sealing coffee bags? (just ordered a box of the 12-16 oz kind from pack plus, $.33 per bag including valve and applied tin tie.) Wondering if anybody out there has good advice on what kind to purchase, and where from? I roasted with another guy who was using a clothes iron in place of his foot press machine that wasn't working at that moment. Ever done that? Since my business is tiny now(20 lbs a week), think that might work?

Here's an update of what's going on in my world as of now: picking up the roaster in less than a week, have a guy working on a web page and graphic design, and just got two bags of green beans from an importer in Oakland: Guatemala (HHT Finca Huixoc RFA) and Ethiopia (Guji Natural Sidamo 4). Think I could use one of those for a single origin expresso? Any other comments on the coffee selection?

 

[poison]

If you roast and deliver fresh, I wouldn't bother sealing anything. I'm confused as to why a tin tie bag needs a valve, since it isn't airtight anyway. You can get kraft or colored bags from Shop Coffee Brewer | Coffee Equipment | Coffee Grinder | Bunn Coffee Makers | Bunn Coffee - Coffee Wholesale USA for cheap.

It's hard to eCup coffees, but I'd bet you can develop a nice single origin espresso roast with either.

 

[Redswing]

Poison (congrats on the SF-6, by the way...you got yours yet?),
I may be shipping some of the coffee, might be a week or two before they open it from roast, so the valve seems to make sense for that reason. The tin tie makes it easy to close it up after they unseal it, keeping things tidy. At least that's the way I see it. But I see your point, the valve is for before unsealing, the tie for after.

As for the bag source, at least for the bags I am going with (12-16oz foil gusseted with valve), Pack Plus beats CW USA by about $.10 per bag. $.27 vs $.38 per bag, $50+ on 500 bags. Plus, pack plus is here in CA for me vs. TX. I like that.

 

[poison]

Haha, I'm anxiously waiting for my SF6. Are you going up for the training? I need to work that out...

There was a discussion on home-barista about sealed bags vs paper tin tie. I had to jump in:

Why paper bag packaging? it's stupid. - Coffees ? Home-Barista.com

Short version is that, IMO, there's so much offgassing going on in the first week that freshness is unaffected by the bag it's shipped in (provided you roast and ship ASAP). The second you open a valve bag, it's no different than paper (again, IMO). I roast to order and ship same day, using 2 Day Priority USPS. There's no way using a sealed valve bag would matter, in my case.

If the coffee is sitting around, sealed, for weeks, for sure the sealed valve bag is superior. Anyway, I didn't check valve bag prices, just paper tin tie. CW-USA is pretty good.

 

[Redswing]

yep, i'm heading to fallon nevada friday the 2nd to roast with Bill, meet the crew, and take it back home. it's a 4 hour drive for me...how far for you?

 

[poison]

It's an 8 hour drive for me. I may fly up and back in one day for training, and just have it delivered. Not sure. I'm excited for you, man! The second is right here!

 

[Redswing]

Since I bought my little SF6 6 months back, I've been roasting out of my garage. I'm currently looking to move it into a shop space so I can get the necessary inspections. I love the idea of a downtown streetfront shop, but the two places I've looked into don't meet the zoning requirements. In my small town(0 other roasters, 15k people), coffee roasting falls under "food manufacturing" and needs to be in a space zoned "light commercial".

I'm curious what the average city position is on this. Have any of you dealt with zoning issues? Are you in a city with more roaster friendly zoning regulations? If possible, I'd like to build up a list of cities whose municipal code would allow coffee roasting on the main drag. I'm wondering if it's worth appealing to the local planning commission.