The Onyx Coffee Bar, Bellingham, Washington, United States

Exceptional Coffee

I grew up in coffee and have been self employed in the industry for almost 20 years. My current focus is on facilitating direct trade relationships between small farmers producing exceptional coffee in Northwest Guatemala and some of the finest roasters in the world. These roasters are often leaders in their part of the world, yet they still have a wish list of things they would like to do, but don't do them because it wouldn't be profitable.

I'm fortunate to work with many people who know the difference between a good idea and one worth acting on. A trend I've found in these companies is that a lot is risked in order to try to make an exceptional coffee more accessible. The key is "a lot", not "everything". This usually involves education. Education is expensive.

Adding Value

In general, the fewer coffees I see on an offering sheet, the more I expect out of them, be it a roaster’s offering sheet or that of an importer or exporter. With fewer selections, the roasters and importers / exporters should be able to give more attention to each item they offer, so more time and energy can go into sourcing their product and adding value to it.

Most of us in coffee do not assume that everyone else thinks the same way we do, yet we constantly share something that we find exceptional with anyone who will listen. As if somehow saying just the right phrase enough times will magically change someone’s mind about coffee. So much that we have lost sight of a non negotiable in retail: Service.

Amazing Service

The concept at THE ONYX COFFEE BAR is simply to bring the exceptional coffee tasting experiences that only happen in the back training rooms of the finest roasters in the world and to humbly deliver them with AMAZING SERVICE to the end consumer - in Bellingham, Washington.

Pure and Simple

We don't offer any cream or sugar which is upsetting to some, and we explain that we have gone to great lengths to source product we find to be absolutely delicious and distinctive in its purest form. If this doesn't intrigue someone to at least explore the possibility of discovering something new, we are quick to kindly make a recommendation of where we feel they could find something with which to be very happy.

Engage the Customer...

Our goal FIRST is to make a customer happy, even if this means we send them somewhere else because we have nothing for them. The more we do this, the better we do. So far this has been where our best word of mouth advertising begins.

...to Create a Postive Experience

To do this well, means to listen and be strategic in asking meaningful questions, to understand what the customer really is looking for and either engage them in a memorable way or move on. There is a lot of time wasted "trying to convince people how delicious our coffee is".

In the customers mind, coffee or the things "we" may get excited about may not be the primary value for which they are looking. There are so many values in the consumer experience and too often those skilled at making delicious coffee are simply not creating a positive experience that prompts the end consumer to further engage coffee.

Uncompromising Values

If we simply compromised just a little and allowed one sugar packet or one ounce of cream into the coffee bar we would begin to devalue the sacrifice we've made. We would cater to an increasing number of happy customers that simply don't GET what we have gone out of our way to offer. There are many great roasters in the world that are delivering amazing goodness that is under appreciated.

We have customers kindly giving advice on how simply offering a little milk and sugar could broaden our customer base. "Especially since you already have an espresso machine, and ...". It is these kind gestures that confirm that what we have to offer is not for everyone.

Great Service + Product = Fanatical Customers

We are not trying to build a large base of good customers, rather a small following of absolutely fanatical customers. Yes, it does make us happy when they drink the Kool-Aid because we find that it is remarkably delicious. Our average order value is 3 times higher than most coffee bars in the United States, we don't accept tips, we love sending people to other nearby coffee houses, we confuse people. Some can't understand why and they have to check it out. A surprising number of the curious actually come back and become regulars. Good marketing gets people in the door. Great service and product get them coming back.

Breaking Rules to Make...

I find most coffee retailers are chasing a means to please more and more people with product rather than with service. To me this dilutes one value in order to increase another. It is much harder to compete on service when your product is not distinctive. You can sometimes get away with mediocre service when your product is exceptional. But what happens to a consumer when they experience excellence in both is truly compelling. This is education. And that is the goal for THE ONYX COFFEE BAR. Education is almost never profitable.

...Education a Core Value

My hope is to develop an economically sustainable retail coffee bar where education is an uncompromised core value. This means we have to break some traditional rules of success in this business. It also means there are some tighter boundaries and limits to what is realistic. For example this model is designed to work only with low overhead. This means a low lease which usually means very little space if the location is decent and it also means it's a one man or woman show. No exceptions.