The Past Is Prologue...

Part 1 of 2.  Allow us some license to get nostalgic for a moment...

December 30, 2004. Amy. Andi. Barb. Lois. Meaghan.  The starting five.

None had ever been a barista before.  Then again, neither had the owners. 

Amy could sell tea like nobody's business and owned Sunday mornings. Meaghan was the smoothie queen.  Lois the weekday morning rock that she still is to this day.  Andi went on to compete in Millrock latte art contests and with husband Bill, open Amadeus, a Viennese-styled coffeehouse in Indiana, PA. 

We had planned to open before Thanksgiving.  As the days flew past, realizing we had to open in 2004 for tax reasons, we went into overdrive, even to the point of sleeping in the store. 

Trying to get a final health dept. inspection the Monday after Christmas is something we don't recommend to any entrepreneur.  But we pulled it off. 

We opened with all of our current tables and not a single chair.  

We actually served flavored coffee for the first three months.  If memory serves, we had Snickerdoodle the first day.  We can't tell you how glad we were to get rid of the smell of that stuff by March.  The grinder we used to use for flavored coffee is still in the basement.  Offering flavored coffee probably makes the top 5 stupidest decisions we've made (and that list probably merits its own post sometime in the future!)

The original menu board had both Flat White and Cortado on it.  Nobody ordered those.  It was challenging enough just trying to explain the difference between a latte and a cappuccino, trying to undo the damage the chains had done to espresso drink legacy recipes (not that we didn't add to the confusion with the ridiculous "American cappuccino" we offered for four years - also a top 5 stupid decision).  Those drinks are now part of the "insider" menu.

We made less than $30 the first day, serving espresso drinks at half price and drip for 50 cents, just to get people to duck in from the cold. Had to keep the staff busy doing something.

For quite some time we wondered if we were going to make it.  We heard the grumbles about "Why does Mt. Lebanon need ANOTHER coffee shop?  We already have one two blocks away!"  We were far more popular with people from other parts of town - heck, we were more popular with people from out of state - than we were with locals.  We'd received coverage from the Kansas City Star and Business Week before a word was uttered about us in either local newspaper.

The first year's balance sheet is painful to look at to this day.  Then again, so was the second year's.  And the third.  Pretty much everyone in the industry told us it would take a least three years to start seeing returns. We thought we were smarter and better than that.  We weren't.

If it was just about money, we would've moved onto something else. But it's not. It's about doing something we believe in, which is having an impact on the global market for coffee. Although we're just a speck at the tail end of a huge food chain, we've managed to make a lot of noise (most of it positive, thankfully).

Early on noted marketing savant Hugh McLeod called Aldo Coffee a "global microbrand" - a business that had more influence than its tiny footprint would suggest.  We took that to heart using our position to try and change the Pittsburgh coffee scene through sourcing, education, expertise and community. 

We blogged just about every day on something related to coffee. Most feedback was positive - people visiting our site were learning new things about coffee daily. Some competitors felt it was too much and hinted they'd like us to shut up. We figured as long as we had a passion for what we were doing, talking about it and trying to get others as passionate was the only sensible thing to do.

That pursuit has taken us in a lot of directions, from being the first locals to enter (and win) barista competitions, offering home brewing and coffee tasting education, hosting the first local barista jam, earning a reputation as the premier high-end espresso catering service in the region, working with food professionals on improving the state of restaurant coffee, becoming coffeeshop business trainers ourselves, and creating a new brand of sustainable roasted coffees (the LaVerdad Project) while learning the roasting trade.

Not that everything worked out.  We lost tons of money trying to make a go of staying open late (really, it would've been cheaper to give a latte to every single resident in Mt. Lebanon).  We still think live music is a good idea, but audience turnout didn't support our opinion. And hiring regular customers to work bar sounds like it should work, but almost always ends up with that person becoming a former customer.

In all some 48 different people have been behind our counter these past five years.  Some only lasted l.a couple of shifts. One went out to lunch and never came back.  Some didn't fit in the culture.  A couple crossed the line and had to be let go.  The important ones are the folks who became good baristas and remain part of our extended family.  Lois, Andi, Jenny, Katie, Stephen, Conrad, Lorene (who moved back to  Paris with Stepehn in tow), Cara, Petra, Belle, Lauren, Candace, Frank, Ruthie, Sonja, Johnny C., Michelle and Melinda.  It was their bar skills and customer service that got us to where we are as much as anything we've done ourselves. We'll see how new additions John, Clara, Sam and Jessie stack up.

While Andi was our first true barista to take the profession seriously, it wasn't until Belle's arrival in October, 2005 that the core of the "Pittsburgh's Best Baristas" team began to take shape. Over the following 12 months, Lauren, Frank, Sonja, Johnny C., Ruthie, Michelle (and later, Melinda) came on board to create an amazingly tight and talented staff that could run the place without us (and it seemed they often did).

Belle was our first barista competitor in early 2006.  In fact, she was Pittsburgh's first barista competitor. And she made the finals first time out and made her first trip to the USBC. In 2007, Belle, Melanie and Sonja all entered and made the finals. In 2008 it was Belle, Johnny C. and Sonja making the finals and Belle taking home the championship hardware (a bowling trophy!), also finishing 20th at the USBC .  Out of the first seven baristas we sent to competition every single one made the regional finals. That's a feat no other coffeehouse in the US can claim.  Not bad for a little shop in Mt. Lebanon.

While giving our baristas a chance to shine on the regional and national stage, what's most important to customers is how they shine on this stage, within our four walls. None of our accomplishments are as important as ensuring your drink is delicious, every time and your experience here is always a good one.

On that point, 2009 was, admittedly, not our best year.  In late 2008, Belle went off to open her own community coffeehouse. Johnny C. moved onto Ironstar where he's servicing espresso machines and getting more exposed to other ends of the coffee business. Lauren and Melinda both graduated college and found "real" jobs. Replacing half of such a wonderful team in such a short period proved difficult.

For several months it seemed every time we found that "right person" for the job openings, they'd work a couple of shifts then realize it was harder work than they'd thought and there were more lucrative jobs out there that weren't as demanding.  The remaining staff found it frustrating to be constantly in training mode only to watch the people they were training leave before they could add value - or worse, that the people being trained weren't catching on nearly as quickly as their predecessors. Things got a bit edgy.

But there was a positive side to having a smaller staff - more shifts had to be covered by Melanie and Rich - which allowed us to recognize other issues and make important changes.  Getting rid of some of the sillier drinks and drink sizes on the menu that were both ill-conceived and logistical problems.  Tightening up the lunch offerings.  Eliminating wasted coffee in the afternoons by switching to americanos and custom single-cup brewing.  Adding more baked goods created in our own kitchen.  And bringing in Stumptown coffees to join Intelligentsia on the retail shelves.

Each of these actions has improved the quality of product we're serving. 

As 2009 closes, we're once again excited about where we're heading in the next year.  We believe that with the late year hirings of Clara, Jess and Sam, we've found the core of our next great team (hopefully with one more addition in a couple of weeks).  The addition of Stumptown has re-energized the veterans.  The Abids have been exceptionally well received.  And business has rebounded strongly after being flat for most of the year. 

We're ending on an up note that we look forward to carrying into 2010 and the next five years.

We thank you all for your continued support of our small business and wish you all a Happy New Year - and hope you'll join us New Year's Day for our annual tradition of free mimoas (and hangover soup!)

We'll post Part 2 tomorrow - our New Year's Resolutions.

Comments

[Ruthie]

RIch, great recap. It's nuts it's been 5 years. I'm glad I got to be a part of it. I'm also glad to hear I was as much as a part of Aldo as the skills and friendship I gained there have remained a part of me. Happy new year, and I'll see you soon for a capp!

[Ruthie]

Wow. That was a little confusing. I was talking to Lauren on the phone while typing that. Figures, haha. I'm sure you get the the point though! Much love to all the Aldo crew!

[Amelie]

Rich/Melanie-

It's great that you are sharing your wisdom and experiences of running Aldo for the past 5 years. Having been in business almost a year, it's somehow comforting to both Barb and I to hear and see what you have been through. It also shows your dedication to the craft and how committed you both are. I hope your customers appreciate you and your crew, if not, this post should help in sealing the deal. Congrats again!!

Amelie & Barb

[Larry]

Rich and Melanie-

Congrats on making it to 5 years! You have certainly raised the bar in coffee quality and service in the 'burgh. I'm looking forward to your tastings and education schedule again.