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The Business Of Specialty Coffee
Step into the world of specialty coffee with Maxwell Dashwood's "The Business of Specialty Coffee." Beyond sips and aromas, this book delves deep into the commercial side of coffee.
Structured in eight comprehensive parts, the book begins with an overview of the specialty coffee industry, moving to the nitty-gritty of doing business, understanding wider market forces, values, branding, marketing, strategies, and concludes with Dashwood's thoughts on the future of this ever-evolving market.
With a journalistic approach, Dashwood doesn't prescribe a one-size-fits-all business model but offers a panoramic view of the industry, providing readers with the tools, insights, and understanding needed to carve their niche. Whether you're an entrepreneur thinking of entering the coffee business, an established professional, or just a coffee enthusiast, this book promises a rich blend of information and inspiration.
Structured in eight comprehensive parts, the book begins with an overview of the specialty coffee industry, moving to the nitty-gritty of doing business, understanding wider market forces, values, branding, marketing, strategies, and concludes with Dashwood's thoughts on the future of this ever-evolving market.
With a journalistic approach, Dashwood doesn't prescribe a one-size-fits-all business model but offers a panoramic view of the industry, providing readers with the tools, insights, and understanding needed to carve their niche. Whether you're an entrepreneur thinking of entering the coffee business, an established professional, or just a coffee enthusiast, this book promises a rich blend of information and inspiration.
351 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2023
6 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 16, 2025
I’m so torn on this book… It is probably the most comprehensive guide to the specialty coffee business that has been published to-date. The author answers just about every question you could ask about this industry within these 350 pages. However, the formatting and writing style makes it very challenging to read. It’s broken into 8 “parts”, each of which contains many sections (chapters?) that jump around to different areas of the supply chain as they relate to each topic. Do you want to learn about how you may or may not scale your coffee roastery? Well, you’ll also have to read about scaling your coffee farm, importing business, and cafe. The same goes for marketing, valuation and just about every other topic in this book.
I think this book would be much more helpful and readable if it was broken up into sections focusing on each major step in the supply chain. Those who are curious about the business of coffee importing can dive into that topic if they want, but most people who pick up this book are likely looking for tips on how to run their cafe and/or roastery and don’t need advice on which equipment to purchase for a coffee farm. I’m definitely keeping this book as a reference to help me understand the intricacies of this industry, but it would be so much easier if a skilled editor got ahold of the book and improved upon the layout/formatting.
Additionally, the writing style is very dry and clinical, which often makes it hard to read and process.
Overall, this is a helpful reference for people who work in this industry. Just don’t be afraid to skim sections that don’t interest you or aren’t applicable to your situation.
I think this book would be much more helpful and readable if it was broken up into sections focusing on each major step in the supply chain. Those who are curious about the business of coffee importing can dive into that topic if they want, but most people who pick up this book are likely looking for tips on how to run their cafe and/or roastery and don’t need advice on which equipment to purchase for a coffee farm. I’m definitely keeping this book as a reference to help me understand the intricacies of this industry, but it would be so much easier if a skilled editor got ahold of the book and improved upon the layout/formatting.
Additionally, the writing style is very dry and clinical, which often makes it hard to read and process.
Overall, this is a helpful reference for people who work in this industry. Just don’t be afraid to skim sections that don’t interest you or aren’t applicable to your situation.
Displaying 1 of 1 review