KNOWLEDGE IS KNOWING THAT COFFEE IS A FRUIT –
WISDOM IS KNOWING NOT TO PUT IT IN A FRUIT SALAD!
By
Andrew Tucker, General Manager, Jika Jika Coffee House & Canteen
 Our
journey for Jika Jika began, as many new businesses do – out of
a passion for good coffee and a frustration at the distinct lack
of it being available anywhere near by. Why not do it ourselves
we thought?
My
previous role, working as a barista trainer and account manager
for a small artisan coffee roaster in Cornwall, took me across
the country. I was lucky enough to meet many types of people in
businesses both large and small, from new start-up beach huts to
well established Michelin starred restaurants. Invariably, my
interest in the industry as a whole and my previous work
experience of bar tending, waiting and “barista’ing” all over
the world for the past 12 years meant that I often ended up
getting involved almost in a consultancy/advisory role to the
new start ups, purely out of interest and almost without
realising it. And it quickly rekindled my passion for being
out on the café floor and chatting to the customers on a daily
basis as they strolled in for their morning fix.
So
when I was approached about supplying coffee to Jika Jika, the
new coffee house & canteen business conceived by Bath, England
and British Lions rugby stars Lee Mears & Matt Stevens, it
provided an opportunity to get involved with yet another new
start up with two people that clearly had a passion for quality.
One
thing led to another, and before I knew it, the temptation had
got to me and I ended up jumping ship, packing up my roots in
Devon and moving to Bath to run the project.
Bath as a city is a historic, vibrant and unique place. With the
highest numbers of visitors per city anywhere in the UK other
than London, there’s a strong market for tourism and a seemingly
booming (ish!) economy.
However, the
historical appeal of the city posses a number of obstacles for
new businesses such as ours. Our site is on the ground floor and
basement of a large Georgian terraced, typical Bath stone
building, and it goes without saying that as a world heritage
site the city of Bath is a very difficult place to operate from
when making any renovations or changes to your building.
We’d taken on a
large space of nearly 2000sq ft over two floors in a grade 2
listed building slap bang in the city centre. It was previously
occupied by an estate agents so we have had to do a full
conversion and refurbishment to include the basement, with
damp-proofing, plumbing, electrics, installation for a kitchen,
bar, seating - the whole nine yards.
When taking on a project of this magnitude it’s imperative (as
we’ve come to learn very quickly), that you select very
carefully the people you buy advice and knowledge from, and
that you are patient with those that supply it. These
professionals such as surveyors, architects, solicitors and
builders are absolutely crucial in making sure you get what you
want on budget; and unfortunately as in many industries, there
are always people willing to take advantage of other people’s
naivety.
The other
problem of course is that with any old building such as ours,
you have three government bodies to satisfy: Build Control,
Planning Officers and Heritage/Listed Building Officers. As
helpful as they can
be, unfortunately they don’t often speak each others’ language
so it’s crucial to appoint an architect that is not only
experienced with listed building projects but can also
communicate and understand all that needs to be done to keep
these three parties happy.
Hindsight is a
wonderful thing, and as we near completion on our build
project, with budget pressures mounting, the temptation to have
taken over an existing business that already operated within our
chosen market sector now seems like a wise option.
The going
concern of an existing business is something that can be built
upon and adapted if you know how to do it properly, and
certainly, many of the most successful independent bars,
restaurants and cafès
I know of started life in someone else’s hands operating in a
very different manner.
However, what we
now (nearly) have is
our space. Our concept and our creation of
a beautiful old building turned into a luxurious, comfortable,
stylish and casual coffee house and canteen – and the sense of
achievement from doing that from scratch is not to be
underestimated. It feels great, and by the time we open our
doors in early July, I’m convinced our customers will agree.
The most common
mistake, or at least, cause for concern that I encountered when
doing my previous job and meeting people who were are about to
embark on their own business in the cafe/bar/restaurant
industry, was not a lack of passion – but a worrying lack of
knowledge: Either about the industry as a whole, or more often
than not, about their product.
Taking coffee
as an obvious single ingredient for example, many people get
attracted to the gross profit margins that
can be achieved through
selling it in a café. However, in order to achieve these margins
you have to know your product. Sounds simple I know, but it’s
alarming how many people I came across that literally did not
have a clue; and in this ever increasing market of coffee shops
and café culture in the UK – what really distinguishes you from
the next café? A different interior or an “eclectic” menu
doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. As times get harder – and
people’s wallets get lighter – my feeling is that standards will
rise as we all strive to prove that we can offer a superior
product to our competitors, and that takes a lot of hard
work, knowledge and research to achieve.
My first job was
as a barista at Pizza Express aged 15. Since then I’ve worked in
every type of bar, restaurant and café from ski lodge to silver
service in Europe, America and Australasia. I’ve worked with
some of the industries most highly respected professionals from
owners, operators, roasters, baristas, bar tenders and chefs –
and only now am I starting to feel like I know
just about enough to be able
to deliver what I perceive to be a truly excellent consistent
cup of coffee. and that’s taken me nearly 12 years - but I am a
slow learner!
The UK is
considerably further behind in its growth and maturity than the
likes of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the States in terms
of café culture. Here in the UK, sadly, the “big three” chains
are still the norm for most people when considering where to
grab a latte, but it’s no surprise to learn that last year
Starbucks closed many of its stores across Australia for the
simple fact that the Australian public demands something better.
I don’t believe
it will be long before we get to that stage on our shores;
quality will rise as we become more aware about what goes into
roasting and serving a great coffee. But what the likes of
Costa, Nero and Starbucks
have done for the UK is
create a “café culture”. The experience of wanting to go out for
a coffee is something that is now almost universally accepted
and independents such as you and I can use this change in public
lifestyle to build upon and offer something better. Deliver
something on a much greater scale of quality without having to
charge a premium. You only have to look at the increasing
popularity of the word “barista” in the British media to realise
that there’s and undercurrent of something waiting to happen
here. That word was a virtual unknown 5 years ago here.
Now however, the
UK and Ireland can proudly boast to have produced the World
Barista Champions for the past three years running with James
Hoffman (UK) in 2007, Stephen Morrissey (Ireland) in 2008 and
just recently – Gwilym Davies (UK) in 2009. We are good at what
we do!. We just need to help the general public be a little more
selective and discerning in their choices and realise that
they’re actually not getting quality
and value from most cafes
across the country.
If you are about
to start on the road to opening your own venue, whether it’s a
dedicated café or even if coffee is just a sideline product for
your restaurant, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking
the time to learn as much as you can. Knowledge is free – but
being able to adjust your grinder to extract a perfect espresso
shot every time will, in the long run, do wonders to solidify
the stability your business. You would not believe the number of
Michelin starred chefs across the UK who’s restaurants’
consistently churn out absolutely terrible espresso after every
meal. Why?!!! It costs nothing more to serve a better coffee
than it does a bad one and yet it is the most ignored product on
most menus whilst easily being the most profitable!
Get out there
and meet as many people in the industry as you can. Talk to
roasters, trainers, baristas, cup as many different varietals as
you can, play with as many different machines as possible,
sample espressos’ at different brewing temperatures, take apart
some espresso machines, understand the real significance of a
good grinder and learn the basics about their mechanics, but
above all – seek out advice from people who have tried and
failed, to find out why.
The less you
know, the more you have to rely on someone or something else to
create your business and, ultimately, your income for you. That
is a dangerous situation to be in, especially in today’s
economic climate.
You
have to become a geek in all honesty, and not just about coffee.
Just as you wouldn’t dream of opening a wine bar without an in
depth knowledge of wine, why open a café without knowing the
simple distinctions between Robusta and Arabica for example?
Learn to taste the difference between a Columbian, a Brazilian
and a Kenyan coffee, read magazines, watch a barista competition
– and then, when you feel confident enough to finally embark
upon this incredibly diverse and rewarding industry of ours,
make sure you absolutely buy the best equipment you can afford.
Cheap espresso machines churn out cheap
tasting coffee and you’ll be replacing
it every couple
of years I promise!
When we’ve
finally opened our doors in Bath to the Jika Jika Coffee House &
Canteen, we’d love to have you swing by for a coffee and chat…
Best of luck!
Andrew Tucker
andy@jikajika.co.uk
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