By David Schwartz, Sales Growth Specialist, SOS
david@sosbusinessdevelopment.com
In the specialty coffee world, we’re conditioned to hunt for the “perfect” multi-roaster café. But while we’re all fighting over the same five cafes in town, massive high-volume opportunities are being left to commodity coffee brands.
I’m talking about “sleeper” accounts: regional dessert boutiques, specialized QSRs, and—as I recently navigated—a 500+ unit frozen yogurt chain.
The Scale Shift
When you move into the 500+ unit territory, the conversation changes. These businesses aren’t looking for a “coffee supplier”; they are looking for a strategic partner who can help them increase their “Average Transaction Value” (ATV) without adding operational complexity.
The Elephant in the Room: Price
The #1 reason roasters shy away from these deals is the fear of being “out-priced.” You’re worried your $12/lb wholesale price can’t compete with an $8/lb commodity bid.
Here is the Secret: Stop Selling the Bag; Start Selling the Margin.
In a high-volume retail environment (like a yogurt chain), the coffee is an add-on. If I can show a buyer that using a premium specialty roast allows them to charge $4.50 for a pairing instead of $3.00, the “extra” $4.00 per pound they pay you becomes a rounding error compared to their increased profit.
Bridging the Gap Without the Overhead
Scaling to meet the needs of a 500-unit chain sounds terrifying to a small to medium size roaster. How do we handle the prospecting? How do we manage the roll-out?
Winning these accounts requires a sophisticated, end-to-end sales “engine”. It requires prospecting that looks more like business development and less like “cold calling.”
Many specialty roasters lack the internal infrastructure to manage this level of outreach, but they also don’t want the six-figure overhead of a full-time Sales Director. This is where my role as a Sales Growth Specialist creates the most value: I provide the top-tier expertise to hunt and close these “sleeper” accounts on a contract basis.
The volume is there. The question is whether your sales strategy is equipped to capture it. Let me know.
David Schwartz
Specialty Food + Coffee
Sales Growth Specialist
Phone 760.636.4559