Welcome to the Coffee Wars

My family and I watched Bride Wars last friday night. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  I was reminded how people can get really bent out of shape from silly things that seem important at the time.

Well, move on from Bride Wars to Coffee Wars.  Starbucks, Panera, McDonalds, and Dunkin Donuts seem to be in a hand to throat battle over your coffee dollar.  Don’t you feel important?

It should seriously be a simple thing.  You should go where you like.  But it isn’t that easy, largely because we have become a brand motivated society.  We live in a society where a woman will call 911 to report that McDonald’s ran out of chicken nuggets.  Do you think maybe we are taking ourselves a little too seriously? Maybe we have lost sight of reality?

The honest to God truth is that most commercially brewed coffee is only marginally different and most people will buy coffee where ever it is convenient. If there is more than one choice then most people will go with brand unless they have had a bad experience.  And then they will go with comfort.

Most people will not worry about social issues, fair trade, Rain Forest Alliance, or even taste.  And yet the purveyors of coffee will try everything in the Politician”s Guide to Dirty Tricks to woo coffee drinkers to their side.

Basically it should be pretty simple.  We live in an over-extended economy.  Most coffee drinking should probably be done at home.  If you are going to grab a coffee out you need to consider the local mom and pop place (if there is one) as priority if possible.  Why? Because keeping things local, supporting the local economy is important.  Small businesses create quality products.  The bigger your business the more likely the product will suffer.  To me an ethical small business will know when to stop increasing in size.  They will be happy with enough and not require more.

Do you realize the mark up on coffee?  One pound of coffee beans will make about 30 cups of coffee.  Let’s say a pound of coffee retail costs 8.99, just for a base figure.  That works out to just under 30 cents a cup.  Thirty cents.   Now, what are you paying for a cup of coffee?  1.50?  that is a five hundred percent mark up.  Five hundred percent! Now, you need to figure in overhead and expenses but still..you are looking at a huge mark up.

So, coffee wars? Be aware of what is happening and decide for your self if you want to play. Watch your back though.

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