Is online coffee subscription the future?
Many people laughed at Amazon.com when they started their online shopping platform with 2-day delivery service. Now everyone is getting in on the action and joining their marketplace. At Banyan Coffee we also offer a coffee subscription service to make life easier and fresher, especially for those connoisseurs, as we discussed in our “5 steps to fresher coffee” blog. Buying fresh coffee online is the direct way to connect the coffee drinker to the coffee roaster. Each roasted batch becomes very personal to both parties. The consumer expects a great batch of roasted coffee, and in return the coffee roaster will satisfy the consumer because they ordered again.
During Covid-19, beside toilet paper and sanitizer being completely cleaned out, you still ran the risk of certain products not being on the shelf. If there is a particular product that you wanted but was out of stock you could just order that item directly. That way, you don’t have to take too many trips to the store. This pandemic has disrupted the global supply chains and now many folks are trying to shop local to meet their needs. We notice in a few stores that carry our coffee people are purchasing more coffee beans. Customers who purchased our coffee in stores are now buying coffee online through our online store as well. We owe a huge thank you to our local Bradenton’s farmers market by starting up an online shop for some of the vendors this last summer. As a coffee vendor, the online coffee shop opened the door to many new customers. We continue to be a vendor at the Bradenton farmers market each year on Saturdays.
This isn’t the only change due to the pandemic. Many businesses that operate in an office setting may scale back on office hours or reduce their office space. In fact many businesses might realize they don’t need brick and mortar space. Employees will be consuming more coffee from home or “grab-and-go” as they work from home. Why go out to get coffee when you can have fresh coffee delivered? The future of our behavior after this pandemic could cause us to use less cash and even go cashless. This could lead to an increase in online orders. The new term “contact-free delivery” is bound to remain a popular option. It’s convenient and safe. At Banyan Coffee we offer “contact-free delivery.” We make this easy by our coffee subscription plan. We call it the “easy button” because you set it and forget it. If you go out of town for a week we can modify your coffee subscription or you can share it with your friends. The easiest way to sign up is by ordering directly at Banyan Coffee Company website (www.banyancoffeecompany.com), and at “SELECT YOUR FREQUENCY” click “MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION BOX” and you are done. If you want more information you can always email us at Banyancoffeeroasters@gmail.com
We recently partnered with Roaster’s Marketplace. It’s a network of small batch coffee roasters from around the country. Roaster’s Marketplace focuses on coffee roasters who do a lot of on-demand roasting. The coffee is more personal to the individual coffee drinker. Plus you get to try other coffee roasters’ products. We are always trying other coffees from other coffee roasters to experience different coffees. We have discovered some great coffee this way, and at times the not-so-great. Sometimes these big coffee roasters can have setbacks. Yes, they have the capacity to fulfill giant orders but sometimes that comes at a cost. A new customer of ours, really enjoys our coffee because it tastes like his previous coffee roaster. They claimed the coffee was great but eventually over the years they noticed the quality and freshness was not present. The customer believed they were getting a dated product and probably that the coffee beans lacked in quality. Sometimes for a business to grow and get into other markets they need to get more competitive, and cost is a starting point. Lowering their cost by roasting more will be more efficient to the coffee roaster. That’s why a small batch roaster can give the consumer what they need.
Is local delivery the next big thing?
We all know that delivery service is a safe and convenient option during the Covid-19 pandemic. But is it here to stay? Well, as long it’s convenient. We started this coffee roasting business with the intention of a coffee delivery service and subscription coffee. One of our missions was to serve our local community with fresh coffee that also roasts their own coffee. We wanted a way for people to have access to fresh coffee because many coffee roasters don’t really want to deal directly with the customer. Many businesses had to adapt to this new delivery model to stay afloat. Fortunately, we were not new to this situation when the pandemic hit. The main change we had was an influx of deliveries, and it continues to grow as a coffee delivery service. To this day, we will continue to offer Sarasota and Bradenton coffee connoisseurs free local delivery. Sometimes folks feel uneasy about a stranger coming to their door with something to drop off. But we do it every day with packages just like Amazon, UPS, or the Postal Service. We approach things the same way with “contact-free delivery” as mentioned earlier. We will place the coffee in a safe place away from weather and not invasive of your privacy. We will message you about the delivery and follow through with any extra steps that you might have for your order. We usually can get our fresh roasted coffee packaged within 48 hours of a placed order.
