Think back to the last product you bought. It might have been sneakers, or a juice, or a computer. Why did you buy that specific product, and not the one the competition offered you?
There was a reason why that brand attracted us. Sure, it might have just been the price tag.
But there was probably something else. Perhaps the promise of quality. Or how the product would make you feel. How it would improve your life.
And those perceptions have to do with the story the makers of that product told you. They led you to believe that their product was a higher quality or would make you feel better than the competition’s product.
When most people choose a product, they buy the story. It’s why they choose those sneakers, that computer. It’s also why they return to a certain coffee brand over and over again.
Sometimes they’re not even aware of what the story is. But the story guides their choices.
Why do you need to tell your stories about coffee?
In specialty coffee, the story – for both the consumer and the seller – revolves around what’s important to us as individuals.
What we consider quality.
What our values are.
The story can also include how a person can help change the world and make it a bit better for others.
You need to make your story clear so that your customers will understand what makes you and your brand different.
After all, coffee brands are plentiful. If you doubt that, take a quick look at the offer of coffee on Amazon. You’ll find you’re competing with at least 5,000 other coffee sellers just on that one platform!
And really, when a person searches for coffee on the internet, all coffees can look the same. After all, it’s just a bag of little brown beans.
Sure, the bags vary in size and color and design, but online it’s hard for a customer to envision what makes your coffee worth their money. They can’t smell your coffee. And they can’t taste it.
However, they can hear how you talk about it. They can hear why your brand is different. And that involves storytelling.
What makes your coffee different?
Storytelling in the coffee industry involves differentiating what you offer from what your competition offers.
When deciding what stories to tell, ask yourself:
What value do you offer? People want to increase value in their lives.
How do you connect people with the product they’re consuming? In a coffee shop, you want to connect them with the brand you stand for and also what members of your team stand for as baristas, roasters, coffee purchasers, or communicators.
People do not understand where coffee comes from, what daily lives of coffee producers might be like, and how coffee has influenced the history of countries around the world.
They may be curious to know more about women coffee growers, why coffee from different parts of the world tastes different, or how that chocolate taste got in their cup.
They don’t understand the role of a roaster in perfecting their art, understanding the intricacies of beans from different origins and different altitudes. They don’t know why a highly trained barista is a valued professional. And they don’t know how coffee purchasers can influence the lives of the people whose coffee they choose.
It’s our role to help them understand these important factors and see that their cup of coffee is much more than just a cup. It’s a life, a lifestyle, and it does affect people.
As coffee professionals, we obviously want to tell stories that are truthful, give hope, and make people feel connected to the coffee they consume.
When will you tell stories about coffee?
It’s 7.30 am. At the café, there’s a long line of sleepy-eyed customers. You’re one barista short, because she got caught in traffic. You have a killer headache, and the scone delivery guy just arrived.
Will you tell stories about coffee to your customers?
It’s 3pm, and the cafe is nearly empty. One of the regular customers comes in – he just got off work and has some time.
He asks what’s new. What do you say?
“You have to hear how these women coffee growers in Colombia are fermenting coffee. This blew my mind.”
It’s story time.
So yes, you need to be realistic about when you tell stories. You may choose to tell stories when the coffee shop is nearly empty. Or when you cup new coffees with the regulars. And you especially want to tell stories on social media.
In this article we went over why you need to tell your stories about coffee, how stories help you differentiate your brand from your competition, and when you will tell coffee stories.
It’s clear that storytelling, though not well understood in the coffee industry, is essential. Have you found storytelling to be important to your coffee business? Join us in the conversation on Linkedin or Instagram.
Check out our online coffee courses that can help you learn the fundamentals of coffee in record time. To get an idea of what’s involved with growing and processing coffee, check out From Coffee Plant to Your Coffee Cup. If you want to learn to evaluate and discuss coffee quality the way professional coffee tasters do, check out Taste Coffee like a Pro.
And take a look at our Storytelling for Coffee Businesses workshop, where we help you define, improve, and amplify the stories that people need to know about your coffee business.
