2022 saw an increase of 0.9% in the number of cafés and coffee shops in the United Kingdom from the previous year.
It’s no secret that launching a coffee shop is as tricky as it’s exciting. Add your passion for coffee to this dream, and you’re one step closer to fulfilling it. In a utopian world, however, competition wouldn’t impact you; customers would be all sugar and honey, money would cash in, and you’d find the best coffee provider in the world.
Let’s face it… there are long work hours, struggles, stress, and steep competition.
But nothing is sweeter than when you meet your first customer and see their satisfaction when consuming your company’s products.
So, if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, what’s stopping you from stepping into the world of affairs and striking it rich while enjoying a good cup of freshly ground coffee?
Here are some things you must know before you create your start-up plan.
How to start a café business
With the growing popularity of both sit-in and takeaway cafés, there has inevitably been a rise in the number of new businesses opening up, resulting in a pretty crowded marketplace. You can now see that besides the business plan and funding options, you’ll need to overcome some challenges when starting your café. There’s no generic path to follow in the beginning, but rather some steps that take time. The good news is that proper preparation in the early phases of opening can help secure your coffee shop’s future success.
In the last five years, the number of smaller, independent cafés has risen substantially as the British public has become increasingly concerned about economic sustainability and the necessity of supporting local companies. However, the growing demand isn’t a guarantee for success.
Consider the personnel you hire
You may reach the point when you hire support to operate your firm. It may seem difficult if this is your first time doing this. You’ll need efficient training, management practices, and a disciplinary procedure in case something goes wrong.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs get entangled in bureaucratic details. This doesn’t have to be your case, whatsoever. Some legal experts can help you understand and work with policies and regulations. You just have to reach out to a company like www.legalrecruitmentagencyuk.co.uk, which can put you in contact with a good advisor or consultant.
Note: Besides your products’ quality, your baristas’ will also play a key role in your firm. You want to hire a barista that possesses the following attributes:
- Reliability
- Loyalty
- People skills
- Personality
- Honesty.
Know your coffee
Coffee beans come from a bush-like plant that can grow very tall. It takes around one year on average for the coffee plant to begin to produce white flowers and another up to four years to bear fruit, averaging around ten years before making beans on a commercial level.
Arabica coffee beans and Robusta coffee beans are among the most popular and common choices.
- Arabica coffee beans. These are known for their complex and vibrant flavours and are loved by coffee connoisseurs because they have a softer, sweeter taste, with tones of nuts, florals, fruits, and chocolate, although their acidity is higher. It’s usually more expensive than Robust because it has more specific cultivation and growth requirements (altitude, weather, etc.) and is more delicate. Brazil is the world’s largest Arabica coffee producer.
- Robusta coffee beans. These are usually grown in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Africa and have a lower acidity level than Arabica coffee, giving them a less sweet taste. It’s a popular choice for espressos thanks to the layer of crema it provides and to its rich flavour. Robusta coffee beans are often smaller than Arabica beans, as well as whiter and with a less pronounced centre crease. The acidity is simpler, and the flavour compounds are stronger and more profound.
- Decaf coffee beans. Not offering decaffeinated products can break your business. Some coffee lovers want to enjoy a hot, tasty drink in the evening without getting palpitations from caffeine. However, since coffee beans naturally contain caffeine, there’s no such thing as decaf coffee beans.
Be unique
To entice customers through your café’s doors, you must stand out from the crowd and be more than simply a location to grab a hot drink. There are a variety of methods to add something distinctive to your cafe:
Choose a theme. Choose a theme to add that novelty factor that draws passersby’s attention. Anything from African soul music to a dedicated cat emporium should do the trick as long as your theme is unique and exciting.
Specialise. Giving your cafe a specialisation, whether it’s professional knowledge of the qualities of various types of coffee beans or a specific drink, will give consumers a reason to choose it above others.
Consider your products. Your café’s concept can be based on your products, like vegan-friendly foods, vintage cupcakes, or exquisite, unique ice-cream flavours.
Consider the décor. Customers might sometimes be attracted simply by a strong sense of style. Take, for example, the Egyptian-style café.
At this point, you will also have to consider the mechanics of running your café, such as:
- Will customers order at the counter, or will you offer table service?
- Will your café be primarily beverage-led or offer table service?
- Will your service be table service, takeaway style, or both?
These are all key factors to consider during the start-up phase since they will impact your cafe’s proposal.
Get an idea of who your customers are going to be
It would help if you had an idea of who you will serve to tailor your business proposition to your customers’ tastes. For coffee shops and cafés, this goes beyond one demographic. For example, your café could be visited by youngsters catching up with friends, business owners on their lunch breaks, or older people taking a break from shopping.
It’s, therefore, crucial to determine some customer characteristics, like the following:
- Lifestyle. Your customers’ lifestyle might be a good indicator of the type of café they’re drawn to.
- Intention. Your café can accommodate both friends meeting friends and employees on their lunch break.
- Preferences. A strongly-themed café, like a dog-friendly one, will likely define your core customers.
You’ll spend long days making your café ideas come true. Hopefully, this guide will give you the jumping-off point you need.
