SCAA 2010 Expo
26 Apr 2010
As much as it rules my life sometimes, Kona coffee is really quite
insignificant. A small business such as Kona Earth is barely a blip on
the overall coffee industry radar. Even Starbucks is only a small part
of a very large coffee industry. Coffee is grown and consumed worldwide
so it's not surprising that there are plenty of conventions, expos, festivals,
cuppings, contest, fairs and other events focused solely on coffee. I
recently spent several days at one of the largest coffee events, the
Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)
2010 Expo. This year it was in Anaheim, California, right next to
Disneyland. No, I didn't get a chance to go to Disneyland. I've
been to Disneyland plenty of times and this trip I had other things to do.
This is not the first expo I've been to nor is it the first SCAA I've attended
as an exhibitor. I am on the board of directors for the
Kona Coffee Council (KCC) and
every year the KCC has a booth at SCAA. This year it was my turn to run
the booth. There were several of us that took shifts but I had overall
responsibility for making sure everything went smoothly.
I had to show up a day early to get thing set up before the show. Because
of inconvenient airline schedules I actually had to leave a day earlier just for
travel. Add on another day for traveling home and a three day show turned
into six days away from the farm. Even with a cellphone and laptop, six days
away means I have to be all caught up on work before I leave and there is a
backlog of work waiting for me when I get back.
Being an exhibitor meant spending hours and hours standing on my feet, shaking
hands, talking business and explaining what Kona coffee is and where people
can get it. We handed out a "Farmer Direct List" to anybody that was
interested in purchasing coffee directly from a Kona coffee farm. We also
served samples of freshly brewed 100% Kona coffee. Even the high powered
coffee professionals, who taste coffees from all over the world, were often full
of compliments after a sample of fresh 100% Kona coffee.
Compared to rural life on the coffee farm, a large trade show like SCAA can
feel glamorous. There are exhibitors and attendees from all over the
world: Brazil, Columbia, Vietnam, Sumatra, Kenya, Uganda... and even
Kona, Hawaii. Our little Kona coffee booth, as nice as it was, paled in
comparison to some of the lavish displays at the show. Large companies
will spend tens of thousands of dollars for a single show. There are
gorgeous women, slick salesman, high powered buyers and wealthy business
owners everywhere. Fancy clothes, expensive hotels and decadent parties
are all part of the scene.
It all seems glamorous but even the fancy parties have a strong overtone of
business. Generating and keeping business contacts is the name of the
game. No matter how many drinks you've had, it's still important to shake
hands and remember names. I actually surprised myself with how many people
I know in the industry. There was barely a moment when I wasn't talking to
someone. Even on the flight there and back, I knew several people on the
plane. Some of whom are very important people in the world of coffee.
Despite the constant hand shaking and business dealings, I doubt Kona Earth
will get any significant sales from the event. So why spend all that time
if I'm not getting any money out of it? Don't ask me that right after the
show when I'm tired and on my way home. It's a question better answered
after a few day's rest. I have to remind myself that there's a bigger
picture. I'm not trying to find sales for my own business, I'm trying to
help the Kona coffee industry overall. Add up all the Kona coffee farms
together and there's still nowhere near enough Kona coffee for the huge potential
worldwide demand so there's no need to compete. The way I see it, promoting
Kona coffee helps all the farmers in the area. Get the world out and
eventually some of those sales will find their way back to me. Competing
against other Kona coffee farms is counterproductive. I'd much rather
stay unbiased and promote Kona coffee in general.
I do get some side benefits from participating in events like SCAA. I get
to hear firsthand what potential buyers are looking for. I see how other
companies manage to sell their coffee. I also go shopping, visiting booths
with products or services that may help my business. I visited a lot of
booths but I didn't buy anything. As much as I'd like a fancy new
automatic coffee packaging machine, the cheapest one is about $15,000.
It's still interesting to look though and maybe someday I'll be able to afford
such shiny new equipment.
After a week of fancy clothes, expensive business meals and carefully worded
conversations, I was ready to get back to the farm with my grubby t-shirts and
well worn work boots. I was happy to see my family and discuss more pressing
matters such as school work, a new batch of baby bunnies and whether or not it's
going to rain soon. It was great to go to the city and talk business with
the big boys but it's also nice to get home to my quite little Kona coffee farm.
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