Today I spent 2 hours on site with a customer in an attempt to descale their coffee machine. They in turn had spent 4 hours the previous day trying to descale the same machine. What a complete waste of time.
And you know why, the manual which they were following failed to distinguish between a plumbed-in machine and a manual fill machine!
The machine only cost some £3,000, uses the latest in cutting edge technology, is highly user friendly and makes great coffee.
On this occasion it was the world renowned Jura coffee machine company, however I have seen endless examples in a myriad of machine manuals.
Why is it so difficult to get the manual right? When a machine goes wrong, or doesn't function in quite the right way, the immediate reaction of the customer is to turn to the manual for help. If this assistance isn't provided the customer's confidence in the quality of the machine is quickly diminished over what on many occasions is a very simple problem.
So please machine manufacturers take care over your manuals, make sure that they are constantly updated, it doesn't cost much, whereas the cost of failure in doing so is unquantifiable and only gives your competitor an opportunity to take away that next machine sale from you.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
The art of cheap shot politics by Senator Ben Shenton
Senator Shenton is quoted in tonight's Jersey Evening Post as saying that "Ministers are more interested in looking after rich boat-owners than in ordinary pensioners".
Mr. Shenton, I didn't know that you had to be rich to own a boat and I also didn't know that all boats are in fact "floating gin palaces". How easy it is to twist the truth in an attempt to be popular.
I have total sympathy for struggling pensioners, and with all of us living longer the burden on our society when I reach retirement age will be a massive one on our economy.
That is why it is so vital that our economy remains strong. That is why we need to attract as many people to our shores as possible, so that they spend their money in our economy. Yes the economy from which we all benefit, even pensioners Senator.
If these "gin swilling" boat owners come to Jersey and fill up their boats with fuel provided by local companies, what other services might they require? Well they might just spend some of their ill gotten gains in local shops. They might just ask a local marine company to carry out repairs to their boat whilst here.
And if these "gin palaces" don't come to our shores then what? Small marine businesses get shut down. There are fewer profits to be taxed, and I'm afraid those "struggling pensioners" will be in a worse position than ever before.
Why does a relatively intelligent man like Ben Shenton and so many of his ilk always want to bite the hand that feeds?
By the way I don't own a boat, which must make me very poor indeed!
Mr. Shenton, I didn't know that you had to be rich to own a boat and I also didn't know that all boats are in fact "floating gin palaces". How easy it is to twist the truth in an attempt to be popular.
I have total sympathy for struggling pensioners, and with all of us living longer the burden on our society when I reach retirement age will be a massive one on our economy.
That is why it is so vital that our economy remains strong. That is why we need to attract as many people to our shores as possible, so that they spend their money in our economy. Yes the economy from which we all benefit, even pensioners Senator.
If these "gin swilling" boat owners come to Jersey and fill up their boats with fuel provided by local companies, what other services might they require? Well they might just spend some of their ill gotten gains in local shops. They might just ask a local marine company to carry out repairs to their boat whilst here.
And if these "gin palaces" don't come to our shores then what? Small marine businesses get shut down. There are fewer profits to be taxed, and I'm afraid those "struggling pensioners" will be in a worse position than ever before.
Why does a relatively intelligent man like Ben Shenton and so many of his ilk always want to bite the hand that feeds?
By the way I don't own a boat, which must make me very poor indeed!
Monsooned Malabar, exotic coffee from Southern India
A week or so ago I was talking about the discovery of our Costa Rica Tarazzu coffee, today I want to bring your attention to one of the most exotic coffees that we stock, namely Monsooned Malabar.
It's not an obvious choice for a great coffee as when I first tasted this coffee I likened its taste more to a Uganda screen 18 robusta coffee, with its earthy taste, rather than a 100% arabica coffee. Where did this unusual taste come from, and why would someone want to process coffee in such a way that it strays some way from our traditional perception of a great coffee taste?
Well as with all things great, this coffee has a bit of history. When it was originally shipped from India to Europe there was no Suez canal. This meant that ships had to travel all the way round the most southern tip of Africa before making the arduous journey back up to Europe. During this time unbeknown to the Europeans the taste of the coffee was changed dramatically, the beans were bleached and swollen by the sea air, giving the coffee its unique flavour. This taste was highly prized.
However when the Suez canal was built the journey time of the boats was reduced considerably and Europeans detected a change in the taste of this coffee.
Whereas traditionally raw coffee has a moisture content of 12% to 13%, Monsooned Malabar coffee is down around 10% which means that it feels a lot lighter, and has a much paler look to the eye than other raw coffees from other regions. This is what gives it its unique taste, as it roasts completely differently to other coffees.
The problem post Suez was how to retrieve this flavour. The solution was a simple one and is now all carried out at origin. Once the coffee has been depupled and dried it is left to stand in sheds. The sides of the sheds are opened and moist monsoon winds circulate around the coffee making it swell in size and take on the famous mellowed and slightly musty flavour.
That all sounds pretty fantastic, but what do we think of the coffee. I compare it a bit like people's reaction to Marmite, you either love it or hate it.
Anna our wonderful Polish lady who runs my shop, and who has tasted all of our coffees thinks this one is the best, and she's certainly persuaded a lot of our customers to think the same way.
Although only medium roasted its unique characteristics of great body and gentle acidity mean that it makes an excellent base for a Cappuccino. You must try one in our shop one day!
It's not an obvious choice for a great coffee as when I first tasted this coffee I likened its taste more to a Uganda screen 18 robusta coffee, with its earthy taste, rather than a 100% arabica coffee. Where did this unusual taste come from, and why would someone want to process coffee in such a way that it strays some way from our traditional perception of a great coffee taste?
Well as with all things great, this coffee has a bit of history. When it was originally shipped from India to Europe there was no Suez canal. This meant that ships had to travel all the way round the most southern tip of Africa before making the arduous journey back up to Europe. During this time unbeknown to the Europeans the taste of the coffee was changed dramatically, the beans were bleached and swollen by the sea air, giving the coffee its unique flavour. This taste was highly prized.
However when the Suez canal was built the journey time of the boats was reduced considerably and Europeans detected a change in the taste of this coffee.
Whereas traditionally raw coffee has a moisture content of 12% to 13%, Monsooned Malabar coffee is down around 10% which means that it feels a lot lighter, and has a much paler look to the eye than other raw coffees from other regions. This is what gives it its unique taste, as it roasts completely differently to other coffees.
The problem post Suez was how to retrieve this flavour. The solution was a simple one and is now all carried out at origin. Once the coffee has been depupled and dried it is left to stand in sheds. The sides of the sheds are opened and moist monsoon winds circulate around the coffee making it swell in size and take on the famous mellowed and slightly musty flavour.
That all sounds pretty fantastic, but what do we think of the coffee. I compare it a bit like people's reaction to Marmite, you either love it or hate it.
Anna our wonderful Polish lady who runs my shop, and who has tasted all of our coffees thinks this one is the best, and she's certainly persuaded a lot of our customers to think the same way.
Although only medium roasted its unique characteristics of great body and gentle acidity mean that it makes an excellent base for a Cappuccino. You must try one in our shop one day!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Inspiration from everywhere
I had a really interesting meeting with my friends from the Jersey Dairy today. Although we are apparently in completely different industries we've both got similar problems.
The level of capital expenditure needed in both of our industries is high and thus makes it difficult to compete in what is a small local market against much larger external players.
The challenge for both of us is how do we sell more product so as to justify the cost of capital invested?
I used to think that if I had an idea which wasn't already "out there" then there must be something wrong. My thinking was that someone must already have thought of it and for what ever reason discounted it. I was just being slow.
All of this changed when I did a recent business course with the Open University called "creativity and perception in management" Here I discovered that many of the most famous inventions or innovations of our time came out of entrepreneurial frustration. Whilst brain storming and focus groups have their place, sometimes it is just about an individual with an idea. This leads me on to my favourite discovery.
I was on the way to a trade show in Trieste in Italy from London. The flight required a change at Frankfurt in Germany. Whilst waiting in the Airport for the connecting flight I visited a sandwich bar that looked slightly different.
It had a wonderfully natural feel, and of course what caught my eye was the fact that they were making tea using loose tea leaves. I immediately checked out the menu and ordered an Assam tea.
The tea was made in a tea glass, which was novel for me being used to a ceramic tea mug. A portion of tea had been placed in a hand made tea bag over which was poured hot water. When the tea had reached a suitable strength I lifted the bag out of the glass using the tag provided and then added milk and sugar as required. It tasted wonderful.
What a fantastic idea. The UK market is dominated by tea bags because inidviduals don't have the time or inclination to deal with loose leaves. The price paid for this convenience is more processed tea and less choice. Here was an opportunity to reverse all that, as this shop had shown, and it allowed a small business like mine to carry a far wider ranges of teas because we didn't need to carry such great volumes of stock as we do for tea bags.
I took loads of notes and when I got home tried to work out what to do, and where to source the required products. However I came across one stumbling block. If you want to sell an upmarket product, simply placing a tea bag in a glass mug wasn't going to look very impressive. Everything went on hold.
It wasn't until I went to a trade show in Atlanta, Georgia that the solution came to me.
I was sitting at breakfast in my hotel and asked for a cup of tea. The waiter placed before me what looked like an upsidedown light bulb, into which he proceeded to place the ubiquitous tea bag, followed by hot water. There in front of me was the solution to the problem of a vessel into which I could put these hand filled tea bags. The Americans call it a "Hottle".
When I look back on it it's quite an amazing series of events. The first idea came to me in Germany, one of the products, namely the hand filled tea bag is a Japanese invention. The Hottle is actually manufactured in Mexico and the whole lot has come together here in Jersey, allowing my business to sell a whole new and original line of teas and tissanes which are of course available on our website!
This whole episode although not yet particularly profitable has helped to spread our overheads and enables us to continue to develop our core business that of roasting coffee.
To return to my friends at the Dairy this too is their challenge how do they not only sell more of but also add value to their core product milk which in turn allows them to spread their costs for the benefit of farmers, consumers and our countryside?
If you have any ideas or suggestions why not contact them. Don't worry if you think someone has already thought of it, they most probably haven't!
The level of capital expenditure needed in both of our industries is high and thus makes it difficult to compete in what is a small local market against much larger external players.
The challenge for both of us is how do we sell more product so as to justify the cost of capital invested?
I used to think that if I had an idea which wasn't already "out there" then there must be something wrong. My thinking was that someone must already have thought of it and for what ever reason discounted it. I was just being slow.
All of this changed when I did a recent business course with the Open University called "creativity and perception in management" Here I discovered that many of the most famous inventions or innovations of our time came out of entrepreneurial frustration. Whilst brain storming and focus groups have their place, sometimes it is just about an individual with an idea. This leads me on to my favourite discovery.
I was on the way to a trade show in Trieste in Italy from London. The flight required a change at Frankfurt in Germany. Whilst waiting in the Airport for the connecting flight I visited a sandwich bar that looked slightly different.
It had a wonderfully natural feel, and of course what caught my eye was the fact that they were making tea using loose tea leaves. I immediately checked out the menu and ordered an Assam tea.
The tea was made in a tea glass, which was novel for me being used to a ceramic tea mug. A portion of tea had been placed in a hand made tea bag over which was poured hot water. When the tea had reached a suitable strength I lifted the bag out of the glass using the tag provided and then added milk and sugar as required. It tasted wonderful.
What a fantastic idea. The UK market is dominated by tea bags because inidviduals don't have the time or inclination to deal with loose leaves. The price paid for this convenience is more processed tea and less choice. Here was an opportunity to reverse all that, as this shop had shown, and it allowed a small business like mine to carry a far wider ranges of teas because we didn't need to carry such great volumes of stock as we do for tea bags.
I took loads of notes and when I got home tried to work out what to do, and where to source the required products. However I came across one stumbling block. If you want to sell an upmarket product, simply placing a tea bag in a glass mug wasn't going to look very impressive. Everything went on hold.
It wasn't until I went to a trade show in Atlanta, Georgia that the solution came to me.
I was sitting at breakfast in my hotel and asked for a cup of tea. The waiter placed before me what looked like an upsidedown light bulb, into which he proceeded to place the ubiquitous tea bag, followed by hot water. There in front of me was the solution to the problem of a vessel into which I could put these hand filled tea bags. The Americans call it a "Hottle".
When I look back on it it's quite an amazing series of events. The first idea came to me in Germany, one of the products, namely the hand filled tea bag is a Japanese invention. The Hottle is actually manufactured in Mexico and the whole lot has come together here in Jersey, allowing my business to sell a whole new and original line of teas and tissanes which are of course available on our website!
This whole episode although not yet particularly profitable has helped to spread our overheads and enables us to continue to develop our core business that of roasting coffee.
To return to my friends at the Dairy this too is their challenge how do they not only sell more of but also add value to their core product milk which in turn allows them to spread their costs for the benefit of farmers, consumers and our countryside?
If you have any ideas or suggestions why not contact them. Don't worry if you think someone has already thought of it, they most probably haven't!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Importance of Coffee freshness in low volume sites
I was talking to a customer of mine today who runs a tourist centre. They appear to get through a lot of coffee, so you would think that coffee freshness wasn't an issue, yet appearances can be deceptive.
When we looked at the numbers it transpires that of all the coffees he sells only 25 cups a day are espresso based drinks. Now this has huge implications for the freshness of the coffee he serves.
In the first instance a kilo of coffee beans once opened should be used up within 4 days, clearly not the case here.
Next is the problem of filling the grinder hopper with beans and then grinding down enough coffee for two days trade, because the grinder has an automatic on / off switch and it's also more convenient for the staff if they don't have to keep fresh grinding the coffee.
All of the above though leads to a significant deterioration in flavour as the oxygen reacts with the coffee to destroy flavour leaving a stale flat taste in the cup.
So what to do?
If they are to stay with beans, then the grinder hopper should only be filled with sufficient coffee to last for a day. The rest of the coffee beans should be kept in the special barrier bag in which it came and kept in a fridge to slow down its deterioration.
The grinder should only be switched on when the first customer appears in the morning, so that the coffee is as fresh as it can be. It also might mean throwing away the first coffee whilst everything gets up to operating temperature.
All this will help to improve the standard of the coffee delivered.
At the end of the day no coffee should be left in the grinder. Any ground coffee should be disposed of. You'll soon get used to not leaving any ground coffee in the grinder if the boss notices you throwing out the company profits!
The other alternative is to use coffee pods rather than whole beans.These are pre-dosed amounts of fresh ground coffee that are individually foil wrapped. You pay more for the packaging, and the freshness isn't quite as good as for truly fresh coffee beans, but at least the standard will be consistent.
The main thing is to be aware of the issues that affect the flavour of your coffee, after all when you're charging someone £2.00 for a Cappuccino they want to feel that they have had value for money, and you will want them to come back for more.
When we looked at the numbers it transpires that of all the coffees he sells only 25 cups a day are espresso based drinks. Now this has huge implications for the freshness of the coffee he serves.
In the first instance a kilo of coffee beans once opened should be used up within 4 days, clearly not the case here.
Next is the problem of filling the grinder hopper with beans and then grinding down enough coffee for two days trade, because the grinder has an automatic on / off switch and it's also more convenient for the staff if they don't have to keep fresh grinding the coffee.
All of the above though leads to a significant deterioration in flavour as the oxygen reacts with the coffee to destroy flavour leaving a stale flat taste in the cup.
So what to do?
If they are to stay with beans, then the grinder hopper should only be filled with sufficient coffee to last for a day. The rest of the coffee beans should be kept in the special barrier bag in which it came and kept in a fridge to slow down its deterioration.
The grinder should only be switched on when the first customer appears in the morning, so that the coffee is as fresh as it can be. It also might mean throwing away the first coffee whilst everything gets up to operating temperature.
All this will help to improve the standard of the coffee delivered.
At the end of the day no coffee should be left in the grinder. Any ground coffee should be disposed of. You'll soon get used to not leaving any ground coffee in the grinder if the boss notices you throwing out the company profits!
The other alternative is to use coffee pods rather than whole beans.These are pre-dosed amounts of fresh ground coffee that are individually foil wrapped. You pay more for the packaging, and the freshness isn't quite as good as for truly fresh coffee beans, but at least the standard will be consistent.
The main thing is to be aware of the issues that affect the flavour of your coffee, after all when you're charging someone £2.00 for a Cappuccino they want to feel that they have had value for money, and you will want them to come back for more.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Quick guide to buying speciality coffee for the first time
It is quite incredible just how many different varieties of coffee there are available to purchase on the web. Do you, like wine, make your choice on the basis of its colour, its origin, its price?
I know that I've bought a bottle of wine on many occasions based on the floral language printed on the label only to be bitterly disappointed when I got it home. That's the problem with supermarkets, the label is king and expert advice has been discarded for the sake of efficiency and cost.
If you come into my shop, you'll be confronted with at least 12 different pods of coffee, so where do you start?
Well the first question we'll ask you is in what type of coffee maker do you intend to make your coffee?
Once again there are a myriad of devices, however they can be broken down into some overall categories as follows:
Turkish coffee pot
Espresso
Filters and Cafetieres or French press
Percolators
We believe that different infusion methods will show off the characteristics of a particular coffee better than others. Bear in mind this advice is for someone just starting to get into coffee, rather than a seasoned drinker who will experiment with all combinations.
We advise that for individuals who own a Filter or Cafetiere, they should start with a medium roasted coffee that has a good balance of acidity and body.
So I would recommend starting with our Colombian or Daterra "Sunrise" coffees. They're not going to scare you, however will deliver an excellent balanced flavour in the mouth.
If you want to be a little more adventerous you could try a blend of Kenya and Colombian coffees mixed in a proportion of 50/50. The Kenya will bring a higher level of acidity to the taste, whilst the Colombian will deliver the lower notes.
Should you want something that has a darker taste and is more aromatic, head towards our Carribean or Bourbon blends. People tend to think of these coffees as after dinner, as they will compliment other strong flavours such as a strong cheese.
However I'm getting a little advanced here, so my advice is to initially go with my first two recommendations. Personally I find that I need to be in "the mood" for darker roasted coffees.
Turning to Espresso based drinks, that includes Cappuccinos and Lattes and any other espresso based variation.
Our current favourite is the Costa Rican, however the Daterra Bruzzi delivers a good chocolatey taste, whilst our Bourbon blend has a great richness in the cup.
If you wanted to try something a little unusual give the Monsooned Malabar a try, however I would stay away from the Kenya and Ethiopian coffees initially, as these can might have too much acidity for the novice.
Traditionally the Ethiopian coffee is used in the Turkish coffee maker. If you want to go the whole hog throw in a little ground cardamon. However the Ethiopian alone does have a great wild fruity flavour to it.
Finally Percolators tend to need coffees that don't have high levels of acidity. This would again include our Colombian and Daterra sunrise, however I would add our Brazilian "poco fundo" to the list.
There is just one final comment I would like to make, and that is the importance of getting the coffee ground correctly for the appropriate coffee maker. You can have the finest coffee in the world, but if it is incorrectly ground you will struggle to get that great flavour delivered into your cup.
I hope the above helps. I am always interested if anybody out there has a particular favourite, please Blog me and let me know.
I know that I've bought a bottle of wine on many occasions based on the floral language printed on the label only to be bitterly disappointed when I got it home. That's the problem with supermarkets, the label is king and expert advice has been discarded for the sake of efficiency and cost.
If you come into my shop, you'll be confronted with at least 12 different pods of coffee, so where do you start?
Well the first question we'll ask you is in what type of coffee maker do you intend to make your coffee?
Once again there are a myriad of devices, however they can be broken down into some overall categories as follows:
Turkish coffee pot
Espresso
Filters and Cafetieres or French press
Percolators
We believe that different infusion methods will show off the characteristics of a particular coffee better than others. Bear in mind this advice is for someone just starting to get into coffee, rather than a seasoned drinker who will experiment with all combinations.
We advise that for individuals who own a Filter or Cafetiere, they should start with a medium roasted coffee that has a good balance of acidity and body.
So I would recommend starting with our Colombian or Daterra "Sunrise" coffees. They're not going to scare you, however will deliver an excellent balanced flavour in the mouth.
If you want to be a little more adventerous you could try a blend of Kenya and Colombian coffees mixed in a proportion of 50/50. The Kenya will bring a higher level of acidity to the taste, whilst the Colombian will deliver the lower notes.
Should you want something that has a darker taste and is more aromatic, head towards our Carribean or Bourbon blends. People tend to think of these coffees as after dinner, as they will compliment other strong flavours such as a strong cheese.
However I'm getting a little advanced here, so my advice is to initially go with my first two recommendations. Personally I find that I need to be in "the mood" for darker roasted coffees.
Turning to Espresso based drinks, that includes Cappuccinos and Lattes and any other espresso based variation.
Our current favourite is the Costa Rican, however the Daterra Bruzzi delivers a good chocolatey taste, whilst our Bourbon blend has a great richness in the cup.
If you wanted to try something a little unusual give the Monsooned Malabar a try, however I would stay away from the Kenya and Ethiopian coffees initially, as these can might have too much acidity for the novice.
Traditionally the Ethiopian coffee is used in the Turkish coffee maker. If you want to go the whole hog throw in a little ground cardamon. However the Ethiopian alone does have a great wild fruity flavour to it.
Finally Percolators tend to need coffees that don't have high levels of acidity. This would again include our Colombian and Daterra sunrise, however I would add our Brazilian "poco fundo" to the list.
There is just one final comment I would like to make, and that is the importance of getting the coffee ground correctly for the appropriate coffee maker. You can have the finest coffee in the world, but if it is incorrectly ground you will struggle to get that great flavour delivered into your cup.
I hope the above helps. I am always interested if anybody out there has a particular favourite, please Blog me and let me know.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Costa Rica Coffee - new improved
We were talking about favourite coffees at work today, and Stefan was saying how much he enjoyed our Costa Rica San Marcos de Tarrazu in his morning latte.
Now our Tarrazu has a bit of a history.
When I first took over the company we stocked a generic type of Costa Rica, namely Costa Rica SHB, which stands for "strictly hard bean". This is an indicator of quality expectation, but gives no information on where in Costa Rica the coffee is grown. It tasted "ok", nothing to write home about and really lacked any distinctive qualities. My thought then was why would anybody want to buy this coffee?
My views were changed significantly when I went to a trade conference at which Costa Rican coffees were being promoted. I was unaware of the range of speciality coffees available from this country, and just how distinctive each one tasted.
If you want more information on Costa Rican coffees in general visit their website at www.scacr.com
The areas that stood out for me were Tarrazu, Tres Rios and Orosi (apologies for the lack of an accent, limitations of the software). The Orosi is the lowest grown of the three coffees, and this is reflected in the softer cup. Next up was the Tres Rios, with is fine balanced acidity, however the one that did it for me was the Tarrazu, San Marcos. The coffee is grown on volcanic soil and at some of the greatest altitudes in the country; I could really taste the fire (if such a thing is possible) in the coffee. I couldn't wait to stock it in our shop.
However, thinking that I had found a gem I was really disappointed with this coffee when I got home. The "fire" I had experienced in the tasting just wasn't there.
To cut a long story short, I was doing a tasting of coffees from around the world with some new members of staff, and I was struck at just how poor the Tarrazu tasted.
I went away and roasted up some new samples and found that we had been roasting the coffee just a little on the light side and this severely limited the flavour we were achieving in the cup. It shows you that even a pro can get it wrong sometimes!
Now we roast to a full medium colour and that wonderful flavour has made a welcome return, just ask Stefan.
Now our Tarrazu has a bit of a history.
When I first took over the company we stocked a generic type of Costa Rica, namely Costa Rica SHB, which stands for "strictly hard bean". This is an indicator of quality expectation, but gives no information on where in Costa Rica the coffee is grown. It tasted "ok", nothing to write home about and really lacked any distinctive qualities. My thought then was why would anybody want to buy this coffee?
My views were changed significantly when I went to a trade conference at which Costa Rican coffees were being promoted. I was unaware of the range of speciality coffees available from this country, and just how distinctive each one tasted.
If you want more information on Costa Rican coffees in general visit their website at www.scacr.com
The areas that stood out for me were Tarrazu, Tres Rios and Orosi (apologies for the lack of an accent, limitations of the software). The Orosi is the lowest grown of the three coffees, and this is reflected in the softer cup. Next up was the Tres Rios, with is fine balanced acidity, however the one that did it for me was the Tarrazu, San Marcos. The coffee is grown on volcanic soil and at some of the greatest altitudes in the country; I could really taste the fire (if such a thing is possible) in the coffee. I couldn't wait to stock it in our shop.
However, thinking that I had found a gem I was really disappointed with this coffee when I got home. The "fire" I had experienced in the tasting just wasn't there.
To cut a long story short, I was doing a tasting of coffees from around the world with some new members of staff, and I was struck at just how poor the Tarrazu tasted.
I went away and roasted up some new samples and found that we had been roasting the coffee just a little on the light side and this severely limited the flavour we were achieving in the cup. It shows you that even a pro can get it wrong sometimes!
Now we roast to a full medium colour and that wonderful flavour has made a welcome return, just ask Stefan.
Recycling - Some possibilities!
Just to update you on my Blog of the 22nd August, you'll be pleased to hear that we have been advised by Mr. Hague of the Parish of St. Helier that as of today we will be able to take all of our cardboard waste to the Central Market waste collection area, about 50 metres down the road from us, so it does show that if you keep plugging away change can happen.
I am however also advised that the £10,000 plus cardboard compressing machine in this area is currently out of action, and has been for around 6 months, this means that all cardboard waste is now being taken away from this area by truck to another recycling area where it can be compressed. You can't have too much of a good thing now can you.
This operation is run I believe by the Transport and Technical department, a States department and it got me wondering which privately run organisation could afford to have their core machine out of action for such a long period of time before they went bust. It's no wonder Islanders get so frustrated with our Government when even the simplist of things take so long to resolve.
The final twist in the tale of this sorry story goes as follows and for me sums up all that is wrong with our current States structure. The Small Business Group (part of the Jersey Chamber of Commerce), had a meeting with John Rive (the recycling officer for Transport and Technical services) at which was discussed issues to do with cost effective recycling. Mr. Rive promised to research the possibilities of a wider use of the Central Market facility.
When I spoke with Mr. Hague about this, sadly he knew nothing about Mr. Rive's project despite both the Parish of St. Helier and Transport and Technical wanting to achieve the same end, that is recycle more rubbish. Now how insane is that?
If ever evidence for a complete overhaul of States departments was justified look no further.
I am however also advised that the £10,000 plus cardboard compressing machine in this area is currently out of action, and has been for around 6 months, this means that all cardboard waste is now being taken away from this area by truck to another recycling area where it can be compressed. You can't have too much of a good thing now can you.
This operation is run I believe by the Transport and Technical department, a States department and it got me wondering which privately run organisation could afford to have their core machine out of action for such a long period of time before they went bust. It's no wonder Islanders get so frustrated with our Government when even the simplist of things take so long to resolve.
The final twist in the tale of this sorry story goes as follows and for me sums up all that is wrong with our current States structure. The Small Business Group (part of the Jersey Chamber of Commerce), had a meeting with John Rive (the recycling officer for Transport and Technical services) at which was discussed issues to do with cost effective recycling. Mr. Rive promised to research the possibilities of a wider use of the Central Market facility.
When I spoke with Mr. Hague about this, sadly he knew nothing about Mr. Rive's project despite both the Parish of St. Helier and Transport and Technical wanting to achieve the same end, that is recycle more rubbish. Now how insane is that?
If ever evidence for a complete overhaul of States departments was justified look no further.
Order Responsiveness
For those of you who follow my Blogs, my apologies for the lack of postings over the last few days. I've been out of the office on holiday, and all Blogging was banned!
Now I've returned I wanted to start with an apology.
Since the launch of our new website we've seen a marked increase in the number of transactions taking place on a daily basis. I have two areas of concern.
The first is in the speed at which we are turning around your orders. We have been guilty of not dispatching some orders placed with us for a couple of days (because of workload issues) when ideally I would like to see orders dispatched on the same day given that you pay for the goods ahead of us dispatching them. This is being rectified as I write with top priority now being given to all orders to ensure same day dispatch, or if over the weekend next working day dispatch.
The second has been in our delay in advising some customers if we are out of stock of a particular item. Once again we are changing our procedures so that you will be notified if there is any delay in the dispatch of your order on the same day that we are notified of your order.
Should you be concerned with the time it is taking for your order to arrive, please don't hesitate to send an email to admin@coopercoffee.co.uk
Now I've returned I wanted to start with an apology.
Since the launch of our new website we've seen a marked increase in the number of transactions taking place on a daily basis. I have two areas of concern.
The first is in the speed at which we are turning around your orders. We have been guilty of not dispatching some orders placed with us for a couple of days (because of workload issues) when ideally I would like to see orders dispatched on the same day given that you pay for the goods ahead of us dispatching them. This is being rectified as I write with top priority now being given to all orders to ensure same day dispatch, or if over the weekend next working day dispatch.
The second has been in our delay in advising some customers if we are out of stock of a particular item. Once again we are changing our procedures so that you will be notified if there is any delay in the dispatch of your order on the same day that we are notified of your order.
Should you be concerned with the time it is taking for your order to arrive, please don't hesitate to send an email to admin@coopercoffee.co.uk
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Hard pods, Soft Pods, Capsules what does it all mean?
In today's society we are constantly looking for labour saving ideas and in the espresso market the large global corporations have only been too happy to feed our desires.
Nestle through their "Nespresso" system which incorporates the use of dedicated capsules are making a huge impact in the domestic market. They have built a series of domestic machines that will only take their capsules, thereby eliminating competitor offerings. On top of this they only operate a mail order service which means that you can't simply purchase capsules from your local high street store. The range they have developed has been quite incredible, but as with all global brands regional choice gets lost as Nestle attempt to keep the whole market to themselves.
However, they are not alone, Lavazza are another vast coffee business producing capsules solely for their machines. At the last count I believe they were manufacturing 1 million capsules per day.
On the regular coffee front Philips have collaborated with Douwe Egbert (part of the Sara Lee corporation) to offer a single portion "soft pod" machine called Senseo. Once again an attempt to force the consumer to only use the Dowe Egbert product. Thankfully in this case there has been a little more pragmatism on the part of DE, as other manufacturers are now able to produce "soft pods" under licence using their own coffee. On top of this other machine manufacturers, most notably Bunn have now produced their own soft pod machines.
However no sooner does one corporation allow a little choice into the market than along comes another one, this time in the shape of Kenco with their "Tassimo" system who attempts to close it down again.
This then bring me on to the one system which is both convenient and offers choice, namely the "hard pod". A number of manufacturers of Espresso machines now offer an interchangeable system. For convenience you can use a pod, however if you have a preferred local coffee roaster you can also use their fresh ground coffee in the same machine by simply changing the insert in the group handle.
Now that's what I call choice, it benefits both the consumer and the smaller regional businesses. This is why these are the kinds of systems you will find on our website.
We believe that the consumer, the grower, everybody should be allowed to benefit from this business not just a select few with very deep pockets.
Nestle through their "Nespresso" system which incorporates the use of dedicated capsules are making a huge impact in the domestic market. They have built a series of domestic machines that will only take their capsules, thereby eliminating competitor offerings. On top of this they only operate a mail order service which means that you can't simply purchase capsules from your local high street store. The range they have developed has been quite incredible, but as with all global brands regional choice gets lost as Nestle attempt to keep the whole market to themselves.
However, they are not alone, Lavazza are another vast coffee business producing capsules solely for their machines. At the last count I believe they were manufacturing 1 million capsules per day.
On the regular coffee front Philips have collaborated with Douwe Egbert (part of the Sara Lee corporation) to offer a single portion "soft pod" machine called Senseo. Once again an attempt to force the consumer to only use the Dowe Egbert product. Thankfully in this case there has been a little more pragmatism on the part of DE, as other manufacturers are now able to produce "soft pods" under licence using their own coffee. On top of this other machine manufacturers, most notably Bunn have now produced their own soft pod machines.
However no sooner does one corporation allow a little choice into the market than along comes another one, this time in the shape of Kenco with their "Tassimo" system who attempts to close it down again.
This then bring me on to the one system which is both convenient and offers choice, namely the "hard pod". A number of manufacturers of Espresso machines now offer an interchangeable system. For convenience you can use a pod, however if you have a preferred local coffee roaster you can also use their fresh ground coffee in the same machine by simply changing the insert in the group handle.
Now that's what I call choice, it benefits both the consumer and the smaller regional businesses. This is why these are the kinds of systems you will find on our website.
We believe that the consumer, the grower, everybody should be allowed to benefit from this business not just a select few with very deep pockets.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Briel espresso machine maintenance
We've had a couple of machines in recently which if our customer had been more sensitive to the maintenance requirements of their machine, we wouldn't have seen, so I thought it would be a good idea to highlight a couple of things you can do to increase the longevity of your machine.
The following refers in particular to Briel coffee machines, however the principles can be applied to all domestic machines.
1. Maintenance of the group head
When you take out the group handle and inspect the area from which the water eminates, you will notice a large brass screw. Around the edge of the screw there are a series of notches at regular intervals. It is vital that these remain clear of any debris, otherwise the machines pumps will be put under severe pressure, and you will struggle to make a coffee.
The main causes of blockages are ground coffee, and limescale.
When the machine is cold, use a short handled screwdriver to remove this brass screw. It's important that you get the right sized screwdriver, otherwise you are in danger of damaging the screw.
If you experience problems removing the screw, it's sometomes a good idea to descale the coffee machine first. This can help to remove any scale that might be causing the screw to stick.
When you have released the screw you will find that there is a spring and rubber "bung" that comes out at the same time.
This bung helps seal the boiler so that no water escapes into the group head whilst the machine is heating up. The spring helps keep the bung in position. So suffice it to say, don't loose either of these parts.
There are now a couple of things you can do. If you haven't already, now is a good opportunity to descale the machine, following carefully the manufacturer's instructions.
Once you have done this clean the notches that surround the screw with either an old tooth brush or some other tough scarifying material. Wash thoroughly after you have finished.
Once everything appears clean, replace the screw, spring and rubber bung. Hand tight should be sufficient.
Switch on your machine and flush through with water to ensure that any remaining loose material is removed.
If you use your machine regularly then you should look to do this proceedure I would suggest once a month. In hard water areas probably weekly.
Remember, if you do have to switch on the machine at any point during the cleaning process ensure that you leave an appropriate amount of time for it to cool down before you continue working on it.
The following refers in particular to Briel coffee machines, however the principles can be applied to all domestic machines.
1. Maintenance of the group head
When you take out the group handle and inspect the area from which the water eminates, you will notice a large brass screw. Around the edge of the screw there are a series of notches at regular intervals. It is vital that these remain clear of any debris, otherwise the machines pumps will be put under severe pressure, and you will struggle to make a coffee.
The main causes of blockages are ground coffee, and limescale.
When the machine is cold, use a short handled screwdriver to remove this brass screw. It's important that you get the right sized screwdriver, otherwise you are in danger of damaging the screw.
If you experience problems removing the screw, it's sometomes a good idea to descale the coffee machine first. This can help to remove any scale that might be causing the screw to stick.
When you have released the screw you will find that there is a spring and rubber "bung" that comes out at the same time.
This bung helps seal the boiler so that no water escapes into the group head whilst the machine is heating up. The spring helps keep the bung in position. So suffice it to say, don't loose either of these parts.
There are now a couple of things you can do. If you haven't already, now is a good opportunity to descale the machine, following carefully the manufacturer's instructions.
Once you have done this clean the notches that surround the screw with either an old tooth brush or some other tough scarifying material. Wash thoroughly after you have finished.
Once everything appears clean, replace the screw, spring and rubber bung. Hand tight should be sufficient.
Switch on your machine and flush through with water to ensure that any remaining loose material is removed.
If you use your machine regularly then you should look to do this proceedure I would suggest once a month. In hard water areas probably weekly.
Remember, if you do have to switch on the machine at any point during the cleaning process ensure that you leave an appropriate amount of time for it to cool down before you continue working on it.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Espresso machine air lock solution
I spoke to a customer today who had just returned from a months holiday; he went to make a coffee on his newly purchased espresso machine only to find that the water refused to come through the group head despite the water tank being full, and the pump operating correctly.
What happened?
Well I've experienced this on a number of occasions. What's happened is that there is an air lock in the boiler, which means that the pump is unable to transfer the water in the tank through into the boiler. I'm not sure why it happens, but it can occur on both commercial and domestic machines.
What is a little disconcerting is that the thermostat appears to show that everything is ok. On a domestic machine this means the LED light changes from red to green, whilst on a commercial machine, the needle on the dial will show that one bar pressure has been achieved.
The solution with regard to the commercial machine is simple. Simply open the steam wand valve. You get an initial surge of steam, however this rapidly declines to nothing, and the dial needle will quickly fall back to zero, before once again the pressure begins to rise. This time it will be the water that is being heated, and not just air.
Domestic machines are a little more fun! First of all make sure that the machine is switched of, and ensure that the water tank is full. Now open the steam wand control to its fullest extent. Next switch on the machine and immediately press or switch on the control that is used to make a coffee. Rather than the water coming through the group head it will start to pour out of the steam wand. When this starts to happen shut the steam valve; water will now start to come through the group head. Now switch off the coffee making button or switch and let the machine heat up normally.
You should find that everything will now operate properly and you will be able to enjoy that wonderful brew.
What happened?
Well I've experienced this on a number of occasions. What's happened is that there is an air lock in the boiler, which means that the pump is unable to transfer the water in the tank through into the boiler. I'm not sure why it happens, but it can occur on both commercial and domestic machines.
What is a little disconcerting is that the thermostat appears to show that everything is ok. On a domestic machine this means the LED light changes from red to green, whilst on a commercial machine, the needle on the dial will show that one bar pressure has been achieved.
The solution with regard to the commercial machine is simple. Simply open the steam wand valve. You get an initial surge of steam, however this rapidly declines to nothing, and the dial needle will quickly fall back to zero, before once again the pressure begins to rise. This time it will be the water that is being heated, and not just air.
Domestic machines are a little more fun! First of all make sure that the machine is switched of, and ensure that the water tank is full. Now open the steam wand control to its fullest extent. Next switch on the machine and immediately press or switch on the control that is used to make a coffee. Rather than the water coming through the group head it will start to pour out of the steam wand. When this starts to happen shut the steam valve; water will now start to come through the group head. Now switch off the coffee making button or switch and let the machine heat up normally.
You should find that everything will now operate properly and you will be able to enjoy that wonderful brew.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Please don't torture your milk
As much as a great cappuccino is about the coffee, the taste is also influenced hugely by the milk and how it has been prepared. After all if you use traditional measures, a third of the drink will be milk and a third foam, which only leaves.
If you have stood in a coffee shop and watched the Barista chatting to their mate whilst steaming the milk, be very nervous about what is going into your cup. Almost certainly they will have applied too much heat to the product which means that the milk goes from having a natural sweet taste which enhances the taste of the coffee to an almost bitter taste which fights the coffee.
What to do?
Well in the first instance who ever is heating the milk needs to pay attention!
If you're making a cappuccino, the steam wand needs to be full on, and placed just below the surface of the milk. What you want to achieve is a swirling action. The milk appears to be turning over on itself, and a slight hissing noise should be coming from the wand as it drives air and steam into the milk.
Although you can use a thermometer, I prefer to place my hand on the base of the milk jug (stainless steel ones are best). So now I've got two checks, one visual, and one sensory.
My guide is that once you can no longer hold your hand on the base of the jug, the milk is hot enough for the cappuccino. If you're using a thermometer you should stop steaming when the needle reaches 60 degree centigrade, or 140 degrees f.
The milk should have almost a sheen to it with the bubbles being very fine.
Should you have any large bubbles in the milk, you can get rid of these by gently tapping the jug on a flat surface.
For the best cappuccinos, pour the milk immediately into the coffee, before the liquid has time to separate from the foam. If you're adventerous you can start doing a bit of Latte art on your cappuccino, but that's a whole new topic.
Remember, to achieve the best foam, you should always start off with fresh cold milk. Heat breaks down the protein in the milk, and as a result it quickly looses its ability to foam; that includes leaving milk out at ambient temperature.
If you have stood in a coffee shop and watched the Barista chatting to their mate whilst steaming the milk, be very nervous about what is going into your cup. Almost certainly they will have applied too much heat to the product which means that the milk goes from having a natural sweet taste which enhances the taste of the coffee to an almost bitter taste which fights the coffee.
What to do?
Well in the first instance who ever is heating the milk needs to pay attention!
If you're making a cappuccino, the steam wand needs to be full on, and placed just below the surface of the milk. What you want to achieve is a swirling action. The milk appears to be turning over on itself, and a slight hissing noise should be coming from the wand as it drives air and steam into the milk.
Although you can use a thermometer, I prefer to place my hand on the base of the milk jug (stainless steel ones are best). So now I've got two checks, one visual, and one sensory.
My guide is that once you can no longer hold your hand on the base of the jug, the milk is hot enough for the cappuccino. If you're using a thermometer you should stop steaming when the needle reaches 60 degree centigrade, or 140 degrees f.
The milk should have almost a sheen to it with the bubbles being very fine.
Should you have any large bubbles in the milk, you can get rid of these by gently tapping the jug on a flat surface.
For the best cappuccinos, pour the milk immediately into the coffee, before the liquid has time to separate from the foam. If you're adventerous you can start doing a bit of Latte art on your cappuccino, but that's a whole new topic.
Remember, to achieve the best foam, you should always start off with fresh cold milk. Heat breaks down the protein in the milk, and as a result it quickly looses its ability to foam; that includes leaving milk out at ambient temperature.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Sustainable Coffee, what does it all mean?
We've got used to seeing the Fair Trade logo on many products, but would you know what the Rainforrest Alliance logo looked like, or the Utz Kapeh logo, or even what these two certifiers stood for or whether they were ethical marks?
This is a real problem for those farms who can't gain Fair Trade certification, simply because they don't form part of a co-operative.
Last September I had the priviledge of visiting a selection of farms in Brazil, to help me understand what was going on at origin.
We saw some small farms who were part of the Poco Fundo co-operative. A huge farm called "Monte Alegre", and finally a medium sized farm called "Daterra".
Before I went to Brazil I hadn't grasped that to become "Fair Trade certified" you had to be part of a co-operative, that was a fundamental criteria of getting the certification.
Of course this leaves large stand alone farms out in the cold. They may well be behaving in a perfectly ethical way, but from our perspective because they don't have a "Fair Trade" logo they can't be truly ethical, can they?
Well nothing could be further from the truth, it's simply a case of in terms of certifiers, that the Fair Trade foundation got there first, and as a result all other certifiers appear second rate.
If you ever have the privilege of visiting the Daterra farm, you'll start to understand how crazy the situation is. Their attitude is one of total respect for the environment. They compost as much waste from the coffee processing part as possible. In fact because they need more compost than they can produce, they bring in waste from a nearby sugar cane processor.
They recyle old broken pieces of furniture. They have a crech facility for the children of their workforce on the farm. They even have a plant nursery of indigenous plants which they plant out around the farm so as to preserve the biodiversity. I use the word "awe" too much in my blogs, however I was in awe at the amount of effort that they put into building a truly sustainable farm.
Yet not a Fair Trade certificate is to be found. Why? because they are a stand alone farm, which brings me back to the other certifiers. They are not second rate, they each stand for slightly different aspects when it comes to sustainability and as a consumer you should be able to use this knowledge when looking to purchase ethically traded coffee in the future, and not simply be just looking out for the Fair Trade logo.
This is a real problem for those farms who can't gain Fair Trade certification, simply because they don't form part of a co-operative.
Last September I had the priviledge of visiting a selection of farms in Brazil, to help me understand what was going on at origin.
We saw some small farms who were part of the Poco Fundo co-operative. A huge farm called "Monte Alegre", and finally a medium sized farm called "Daterra".
Before I went to Brazil I hadn't grasped that to become "Fair Trade certified" you had to be part of a co-operative, that was a fundamental criteria of getting the certification.
Of course this leaves large stand alone farms out in the cold. They may well be behaving in a perfectly ethical way, but from our perspective because they don't have a "Fair Trade" logo they can't be truly ethical, can they?
Well nothing could be further from the truth, it's simply a case of in terms of certifiers, that the Fair Trade foundation got there first, and as a result all other certifiers appear second rate.
If you ever have the privilege of visiting the Daterra farm, you'll start to understand how crazy the situation is. Their attitude is one of total respect for the environment. They compost as much waste from the coffee processing part as possible. In fact because they need more compost than they can produce, they bring in waste from a nearby sugar cane processor.
They recyle old broken pieces of furniture. They have a crech facility for the children of their workforce on the farm. They even have a plant nursery of indigenous plants which they plant out around the farm so as to preserve the biodiversity. I use the word "awe" too much in my blogs, however I was in awe at the amount of effort that they put into building a truly sustainable farm.
Yet not a Fair Trade certificate is to be found. Why? because they are a stand alone farm, which brings me back to the other certifiers. They are not second rate, they each stand for slightly different aspects when it comes to sustainability and as a consumer you should be able to use this knowledge when looking to purchase ethically traded coffee in the future, and not simply be just looking out for the Fair Trade logo.
Recycling, the impossibilities are endless!
For those of you who don't know, our shop is located in the centre of St. Helier, some 200 metres away from the Central Market cardboard recycling depot. Can we get our empty boxes recycled here? well maybe, but then again maybe not.
It is not a case of simply taking your cardboard waste to the facility and asking for it to be recycled, no, first you have to get permission, but from whom?
This part of the market is run by the "Transport and Technical" department and not the Central Market as I understand it.
Some months ago now I contacted my first point of call, namely the Constable of St. Helier. Although he's not part of "transport and technical", I thought he might know the name of a man who was. He assured me that he would talk to the Minister, namely Guy de Faye who heads up "Transport and Technical". Months have gone by and nothing has happened.
So I chased it up again, this time I was told to speak to Dave Leguyader. Fine, he told me that he just needed to have a word with the people who run the Market to check that everything was OK, he didn't envisage any problems. He would come back to me later to let me know what he had done. That was last week, I 'phoned again yesterday, only to find that Mr. Leguyader was on two weeks holiday, however I was then put through to someone else they thought might me able to help. So Philip Hague came into the loop, he too assured me that it was simply a case of talking to the relevant party in the Central Market and everything would be sorted.
You've guessed it, I now await a call from Mr. Hague, who when I called last was on ansaphone!
The famous catch line should become in Jersey - Recycling the impossibilities are endless!
Will there be a happy ending? Keep reading this blog!
It is not a case of simply taking your cardboard waste to the facility and asking for it to be recycled, no, first you have to get permission, but from whom?
This part of the market is run by the "Transport and Technical" department and not the Central Market as I understand it.
Some months ago now I contacted my first point of call, namely the Constable of St. Helier. Although he's not part of "transport and technical", I thought he might know the name of a man who was. He assured me that he would talk to the Minister, namely Guy de Faye who heads up "Transport and Technical". Months have gone by and nothing has happened.
So I chased it up again, this time I was told to speak to Dave Leguyader. Fine, he told me that he just needed to have a word with the people who run the Market to check that everything was OK, he didn't envisage any problems. He would come back to me later to let me know what he had done. That was last week, I 'phoned again yesterday, only to find that Mr. Leguyader was on two weeks holiday, however I was then put through to someone else they thought might me able to help. So Philip Hague came into the loop, he too assured me that it was simply a case of talking to the relevant party in the Central Market and everything would be sorted.
You've guessed it, I now await a call from Mr. Hague, who when I called last was on ansaphone!
The famous catch line should become in Jersey - Recycling the impossibilities are endless!
Will there be a happy ending? Keep reading this blog!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Foreign Workers 1
As the owner of a small business here on Jersey, it has become increasingly difficult to find "locals" to work for me. The competition from both the Finance sector and the State sector has resulted in full employment and so in a lot of instances the only individuals available are those who have recently arrived on the Island.
My experience has been very positive. I am not one of those who advocates that they are paid just a minimum wage. I believe that if they are doing a good job, they deserve to be rewarded accordingly because they are in turn making a success of my business.
Half my workforce is "foreign". They include Portuguese, Swedish, and Polish individuals, and what a team we have. So it was quite funny when at our last Christmas party they gave me the present of a book entitled "Bloody Foreigners" by Robert Winder.
It's the story of Immigration to Britain or the last 1,000 years. What is so interesting is how each generation voices its concerns over the number of Foreigners coming to these shores, and still we allow them to come. As a result some of the greatest British institutions such as "Marks and Spencer" have come into existance.
We must always remember that foreign workers do not leave their homelands lightly. It's usually the most able individuals who take the huge step, and it is in turn our economy that benefits over time.
Yes there is only so much space available, but don't blame foreign workers for problems not of their own making.
My experience has been very positive. I am not one of those who advocates that they are paid just a minimum wage. I believe that if they are doing a good job, they deserve to be rewarded accordingly because they are in turn making a success of my business.
Half my workforce is "foreign". They include Portuguese, Swedish, and Polish individuals, and what a team we have. So it was quite funny when at our last Christmas party they gave me the present of a book entitled "Bloody Foreigners" by Robert Winder.
It's the story of Immigration to Britain or the last 1,000 years. What is so interesting is how each generation voices its concerns over the number of Foreigners coming to these shores, and still we allow them to come. As a result some of the greatest British institutions such as "Marks and Spencer" have come into existance.
We must always remember that foreign workers do not leave their homelands lightly. It's usually the most able individuals who take the huge step, and it is in turn our economy that benefits over time.
Yes there is only so much space available, but don't blame foreign workers for problems not of their own making.
Jersey Dairy, a response to the "Entrepreneurial" blog
Having read my blog about the Quenault's, my friend Kevin from the Jersey Dairy whilst admiring what they are trying to achieve pointed out to me that come rain or shine they will always buy their surplus milk.
As he says "Farming is hard work, so not all farmers want to go into the manufacturing business as well. Most of them seem happy to leave it to the business they own (the Dairy) to get on and process their milk".
It is a highly capital intensive business, and on an Island the size of Jersey, the economies of scale simply aren't there, so it makes economic sense to operate as a co-operative. The arguement goes, that if you don't, those herds that are left will simply reduce down further, and many more farmers will loose their livelihoods. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out what the environmental consequences of that would be.
It just shows you that the arguements as to whether the Jersey Dairy industry should be protected are very complex. No matter which path you choose there is a consequence.
Ultimately the right decision is the one that benefits most stakeholders, and in an Island, that's all of us.
As he says "Farming is hard work, so not all farmers want to go into the manufacturing business as well. Most of them seem happy to leave it to the business they own (the Dairy) to get on and process their milk".
It is a highly capital intensive business, and on an Island the size of Jersey, the economies of scale simply aren't there, so it makes economic sense to operate as a co-operative. The arguement goes, that if you don't, those herds that are left will simply reduce down further, and many more farmers will loose their livelihoods. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out what the environmental consequences of that would be.
It just shows you that the arguements as to whether the Jersey Dairy industry should be protected are very complex. No matter which path you choose there is a consequence.
Ultimately the right decision is the one that benefits most stakeholders, and in an Island, that's all of us.
Briel Espresso Coffee machines
This manufacturer's machines have proved to be the top selling brand in our shop for a number of years now. Briel were given a great boost when, following a "Which" report on domestic espresso machines, their "Versatile due" was voted the best value for money machine. Quite some achievement when you look at the amount of competition out there.
We have however experienced one small problem that appears across the Briel range, and that is the special "valved" insert in the group handle doesn't always function as well as it should.
The most common complaint is that when our customer places coffee in the group, the water fails to pass through the coffee, and instead forces its way out over the top of the group handle. A classic sign that the valve has not functioned properly.
This problem is easily rectified by simply replacing the insert. Usually the company you purchased the machine from will be able to get a replacement.
Just to briefly come back to the valve concept. The idea is a good one, as it only releases liquid coffee when the correct pressure has been achieved, thereby guaranteeing (assuming all other factors are ok) a great crema and flavour into your cup. This can make up for coffee that hasn't been particularly carefully ground.
Please Briel pay more attention to these inserts, they're a great idea but they have to work consistently to back up the reliability of the rest of the machine.
We have however experienced one small problem that appears across the Briel range, and that is the special "valved" insert in the group handle doesn't always function as well as it should.
The most common complaint is that when our customer places coffee in the group, the water fails to pass through the coffee, and instead forces its way out over the top of the group handle. A classic sign that the valve has not functioned properly.
This problem is easily rectified by simply replacing the insert. Usually the company you purchased the machine from will be able to get a replacement.
Just to briefly come back to the valve concept. The idea is a good one, as it only releases liquid coffee when the correct pressure has been achieved, thereby guaranteeing (assuming all other factors are ok) a great crema and flavour into your cup. This can make up for coffee that hasn't been particularly carefully ground.
Please Briel pay more attention to these inserts, they're a great idea but they have to work consistently to back up the reliability of the rest of the machine.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Race to the Pole on BBC 2
Some time back a company called KEO films contacted me to say "was I aware that a company called Cooper & Co. had supplied tea to the Scott expedition way back in 1911." They had an inventory of all the suppliers, and our company name appeared on it.
They were organising a re-run of the famous race between Scott and Amundsen using the food and equipment of the time; could we once again supply the tea?
My initial reaction was to be very sceptical, however they subsequently sent further details which stated that a company called Cooper, Cooper & Co. based in London had in fact been the suppliers. They no longer existed and we were the only Cooper & Co. nationwide who went back that far and seemingly were the only link.
The early years of our company are extremely hazey, however we do appear in an advertisement on the front page of the first edition of the local Jersey Evening Post back in 1890, so we know that we existed at that time but sadly nobody knows where the name Cooper came from; we could well have been part of a larger organisation as the Cooper name appears around the UK in places like Liverpool and Bristol in connection with Tea and Coffee. Sadly all of these businesses have since closed.
Anyway to cut a long story short we supplied 20 kilos of English Breakfast tea to the expedition, however were unable to change the historical result. The Norwegians won the rematch once again with their faster dogs and no matter how much tea they drank the British team still couldn't even get close!
They were organising a re-run of the famous race between Scott and Amundsen using the food and equipment of the time; could we once again supply the tea?
My initial reaction was to be very sceptical, however they subsequently sent further details which stated that a company called Cooper, Cooper & Co. based in London had in fact been the suppliers. They no longer existed and we were the only Cooper & Co. nationwide who went back that far and seemingly were the only link.
The early years of our company are extremely hazey, however we do appear in an advertisement on the front page of the first edition of the local Jersey Evening Post back in 1890, so we know that we existed at that time but sadly nobody knows where the name Cooper came from; we could well have been part of a larger organisation as the Cooper name appears around the UK in places like Liverpool and Bristol in connection with Tea and Coffee. Sadly all of these businesses have since closed.
Anyway to cut a long story short we supplied 20 kilos of English Breakfast tea to the expedition, however were unable to change the historical result. The Norwegians won the rematch once again with their faster dogs and no matter how much tea they drank the British team still couldn't even get close!
Friday, August 18, 2006
Entrepreneurial spirit!
Today I visited a local farm run by Mr. and Mrs. Quenault in St. Peter in Jersey.
They have been in the local press for their strong views about how the local Dairy is run. The idea on Jersey is that if you have a herd of cows you sell all your milk production to the Milk Marketing Board who in turn pay the farmer a set amount per litre.
They are not very happy about the return that they are getting on their milk, and although it's a lot better than a number of their UK counterparts, they still believe that they can do better if they sell their milk themselves directly to the public.
Now a number of people aren't very happy with this so I went to see them for myself to try and find out what they wanted to achieve. Well I have to say I was in awe of what they are doing.
Julia gave me a tour of the cheese processing area, and showed me where they intended to build their farm shop and told me about all the other products they wanted to sell.
One can't help but feel humbled by this sheer determination. They have spent £100s of thousands on building a proper facility, yet they don't know if people will like what they do or if they'll ever see a return on their massive investment.
At the moment Julie works in a local finance company, because she can't afford to give up the day job, yet to hear her speak, she is in no doubt that they will succeed.
Brave or totally mad? I don't know, but you have to give it to them for sheer passion alone and I do hope and pray that they succeed. If they do they might just start a return of a new younger generation to farming, something Jersey desperately needs if we want to retain our wonderful countryside.
Our community needs these kinds of people, so next time you're in a local supermarket give them a try.
They have been in the local press for their strong views about how the local Dairy is run. The idea on Jersey is that if you have a herd of cows you sell all your milk production to the Milk Marketing Board who in turn pay the farmer a set amount per litre.
They are not very happy about the return that they are getting on their milk, and although it's a lot better than a number of their UK counterparts, they still believe that they can do better if they sell their milk themselves directly to the public.
Now a number of people aren't very happy with this so I went to see them for myself to try and find out what they wanted to achieve. Well I have to say I was in awe of what they are doing.
Julia gave me a tour of the cheese processing area, and showed me where they intended to build their farm shop and told me about all the other products they wanted to sell.
One can't help but feel humbled by this sheer determination. They have spent £100s of thousands on building a proper facility, yet they don't know if people will like what they do or if they'll ever see a return on their massive investment.
At the moment Julie works in a local finance company, because she can't afford to give up the day job, yet to hear her speak, she is in no doubt that they will succeed.
Brave or totally mad? I don't know, but you have to give it to them for sheer passion alone and I do hope and pray that they succeed. If they do they might just start a return of a new younger generation to farming, something Jersey desperately needs if we want to retain our wonderful countryside.
Our community needs these kinds of people, so next time you're in a local supermarket give them a try.
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