This one will be shorter, promise.
First off, we're getting a bit of a chuckle how so many bloggers are putting their own spin on Part 1, particularly on how the points we made are some indicator on the entire state of small business in Pittsburgh (or Mt. Lebo, if you wish).
We don't see it.
Our perspective is simply that of an independent coffeehouse with a different philosophy on product sourcing and standards - and how do we get this across and accepted by a wider audience. This isn't a Pittsburgh thing as much as it is a coffee thing. We've received thoughtful emails from coffeeshop owners trying to pursue the same goals from Connecticut to California.
We're just one of the few businesses openly talking about the challenge of doing so. And perhaps talking openly about it is one of the solutions.
We serve some pretty darned good coffee. It doesn't get better than Intelligentsia and Stumptown when it comes to companies that source ethically and are master roasters. These coffees are designed to highlight the myriad of flavors the beans are capable of. Terroir ("taste of place") is a widely accepted concept for wine. It should be for coffee as well. Most people know a Sumatra tastes earthier than a Guatemalan. But there can be wide variations within Sumatra or Guatemala or any other coffee growing region.
Yet every day, along with taking orders for specific coffees or taste profiles from our regulars, we inevitably get the guy (or gal) who wants, "Just plain old coffee."
We have a response for that. It's, "We don't serve plain coffee or old coffee. What kind of coffee do you generally like?" And that gets us labeled as pretentious by some.
As it does for hundreds of coffeehouses nationwide who are trying to elevate the status of the beverage we love. That's not a challenge limited to Mt. Lebanon or Pittsburgh. It's everywhere except perhaps Portland, where great coffee is expected. Americans are not that different when it comes to coffee, no matter where they live.
Yes, our challenge may be more difficult being in a suburb with a population that skews older, but let's stop talking about this as being a local problem.
Although "local" may be part of the solution.
More to come.
Take your pretentious attitude and move to the West Coast. I'll go to someone else who appreciates my desire for a plain old cup of coffee and isn't located where its impossible to find a place to park!
Posted by: LeboJohn | July 16, 2010 at 01:09 PM
See what we mean?
Dude, you're free to go anywhere you want. Potomac Bakery is about 20 steps away and they've got plain old coffee for a buck or something.
Not sure why you'd come in here at all, let alone come in here expecting cheap commodity coffee, then complain across the internet when we don't have that.
Feel free to go where you want. Meantime we'll feel free to pursue something better than that. It's the American Way.
Posted by: rich | July 16, 2010 at 01:23 PM
Wow. There's nothing like putting a laser beam on the fine line between humbly serving quality product to people who appreciate it and catering to that nouveau-uppity-blogerati-this-is-how-they-do-it-in-portland thing that many Pittsburghers just won't tolerate. I love your store. I love how when the high school crew needed some catered coffee for a god-awful event on a windy Sunday in Moraine State Park, you got up at 5 am and delivered the goods. I trust your advice when I'm about to pay way more than I used to for a bag of beans I've never heard of before, and I've never been disappointed. And I love being able to walk to your store. With lots of choices in coffee shops, your coffee knowledge is the best part of what's different about Aldo's. I hope you solve this -- advertising? coffee education parties? coupons? -- Lebo needs Aldo's, if only to keep from sliding back into its caky, cranky, pruny, narrow-minded past.
Posted by: Brad Fisher | July 19, 2010 at 08:04 PM
Brad,
Thanks for your comment. Means a lot.
We try to do what we reasonably can for the community and support interesting activities like yours.
We know we can't do Portland (although Stumptown now outsells Intelligentsia here!) And we're not going to try to outgeek the really geeky shops in town.
Pretty much all we want to do is get across that there are differences in coffee and how its sourced (ethically and sustainably vs. not). How we draw attention to that is contentious, even among the staff.
Glad you appreciate where we're coming from.
Posted by: Rich | July 19, 2010 at 08:24 PM
Rich,
You will invariably find there will be 20% of people who will never be your customers. And that is fine. You can't, nor should you want to appeal to everyone.
As you have found out, serving a niche is really the best way to go for a shop with your size and focus. It's strange that quality coffee is a niche, because you would assume most coffee businesses would like to make good coffee, but that would be a false assumption.
Knowing the "whys" and "whats" of coffee excellence and conveying that to your customers will continue to set you apart. Your customers will care because YOU care. The others... there's always 7-11.
Keep educating by the cup.
And Steelers training camp is starting in less than a week. Good times.
Posted by: John Piquet | July 25, 2010 at 01:37 PM