Starting A Coffee Shop In The Philippines

Starting a coffee shop is easy as long you have sufficient capital, but what is more difficult is making your coffee shop profitable. If you wish to set up your own instead of getting a franchise, you have much more to learn.

Those who plan to be coffee shop entrepreneurs can begin their research by looking at some of the key factors in putting up a coffee shop:

Determine what type of coffee shop you plant to start. There is a range of options, from simple inexpensive coffee carts to full service sit-in coffee shops that serve meals. Your financial capacity and location will determine what is appropriate for your venture.

Find the most suitable location. There are a large number of factors to consider in selecting a location. Foot traffic/vehicle traffic and visibility are among the most important factors, along with parking. Check, too, if the area already has too many coffee shops. If you want to limit operation to business hours, do not get a location with a significant number of residential customers.

Pick your market. While you intend to cater to all possible customers, you must have a main constituent. This is especially true if you have several competitors in the area. After having defined your target, you can design your operations to the needs and desires of this market. For example, if you have chosen the youth market, you should make sure your décor, packaging and colors are to their taste.

Learn about coffee equipment and purchase those which have the capacity to meet your needs. Coffee shop equipment is very expensive and you must do a lot of research before you decide to purchase. Base your capacity needs on peak hours since this is where the bottlenecks occur. The most critical piece of equipment is the espresso machine. These are usually classified according to group (number of dispensers). There are one-group, two-group and even four-group espresso machines. Consider the boiler size in measuring their capacity. Note, too, that your ice crusher must be able to crush ice into a very fine consistency so that it will not remain after drinking the coffee.

Look for the best supplies for your market. There are some ingredients that have a major impact on taste and quality. First, of course, is the type of coffee beans and the temperature it is roasted. Second is the sweetener. Third is the steamed milk, and fourth, the various flavorings. Learning about the fine details of coffee making could enable you to create a distinctive taste that appeals to your market.

Have a wide variety of pastries and drinks, plus Wi-Fi. Most people are not coffee experts and base their decision more on the availability of pastries that they like rather than the quality of the coffee. There are also many who prefer juices or other drinks. Also, people have now come to expect all coffee shops to have Wi-Fi.

Have loyalty promos. You may have noticed that most leading coffee shops have promos to gain or retain the loyalty of customers. Since they have been doing this for years, it must be having a positive impact. The most common technique are loyalty cards that reward a customer with freebies for hitting a certain number of purchases or visits.

Coffee shops are a very promising business with high margins. However, you need to know many things to improve your chances for success.

To know more about this business, BusinessCoach, Inc., a leading business seminar provider, conducts an excellent seminar on this entitled “Starting a Coffee Shop Business with Barista Training.” Call (02) 727-5628, (02) 727-8860, (0915) 205-0133 or visit www.businesscoachphil.com for details.

Click here to view details of the seminar: Starting a Coffee Shop Business with Barista Training »

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. C-8, Sunday, November 4, 2012. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.