Support your local (insert producer here!)
I try, I love farmers markets, mom & pop liquor stores, bakeries, and restaurants. But I have a problem with supporting them at the cost of consuming an inferior product.
If the local guy makes beer just as good as (insert your favorite brewery here) but it costs a couple bucks more I buy local. I remember hearing Fritz Maytag talk about the sour disappointing beer he produced when he first bought Anchor Brewing. It took him 3 or 4 years to develop his "Steam Beer" and then another 6 years to finally break even but he stuck to making beer that was as good or better than the competition. Now we know him as the "Father of Micro-brewing."
My point is by all means support your local (insert producer here) but hold them to the same standards as you would the big name whatever!
I went to a bakery in El Segundo this last weekend. They were promoting a local coffee roasting company (I think it was Groundwork) but I'll be honest it didn't even smell good, it smelled burnt! Yes they might have burnt the brew but they acted like that was how it was supposed to taste. As I walked out I could hear someone behind the counter arguing about the choice to switch to the new coffee producer. If he had listened and offered the guy a freshly brewed cup I probably wouldn't have thought twice but he said the that catchphrase that seems to excuse mediocrity, "We wanted to support a local (insert producer here)"
I'll admit I'm a coffee snob, I love Peet's coffee, granted it's not local to you but in my heart Berkeley is still just stones throw away!
I have enjoyed brew from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.I'm planning on getting some more of that soon. (Thanks for the heads up on that one B!)
I love local whatever it may be, but I'll admit I'm spoiled it needs to be good! Don't let that wonderful catchphrase be an excuse to produce mediocre or inferior product. That is what make buying local worth it. It might cost a couple bucks more but it's better than what they get in the next town over!
Hello Roger,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting David Schat's Bakery in El Segundo. We appreciate our customer's feedback and use it to constantly improve our product and services.
I'm concerned about your characterization of our new Groundworks Coffee as "burnt" and "mediocre". We use Fetco microprocessor controlled brewers that brew coffee at a perfect 190 degrees.
Groundwork owner was on hand for three days at our store training our staff and tuning up all of our equipment prior to our roll out.
We feel we have never made better coffee or tea drinks.
You didn't mention if you tried the coffee. We were giving out free samples.
We brew their "Venice" blend which is a dark roast. We grind whole beans daily.
We have had only one Peet's fan express disappointment but said our new coffee is good and will continue to return. We've had several customers comment they liked our new coffee better becuase it is not as "strong" or "bitter" as Peet's.
We think Peet's is a great coffee and good company or we would have not done business with them. We found that we were missing coffee sales becuase of Peet's unique charactaristics.
Groundwork offers locally roasted to order, organic, free trade coffee. Their sales rep lives three block from the bakery. They provide regular support and free equipment maintenance to help maintain our quality and their good name. Please visit their site to learn more. They are coming to be regarded as a premiere Southern California Coffee roaster.
http://www.groundworkcoffee.com/
Kindest Regards,
David Schat
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply. I am saddended that your reply said nothing about the service we recieved or the food!
You can prattle on about the coffee but overlooked the things that I feel that you could control. I honestly never buy coffee from anywhere but Peet's. But I probably would have come back if you had addressed those issues rather than just the coffee in your reply.
The technical aspects of brewing the coffee are irrelavant to the reaction from behind the counter in your shop... The fact that the rep lives down the street does nothing to improve the service at your counter... The three days of training obviously did nothing to alleviate the fact that one employee seemed to be all over the place... And the regular support and free equipment did nothing to improve the soft hash, and un-buttered toast.
To me it seems you feel the need to justify the bad things I heard with the good you feel about what you have done. Sorry it doesn't work that way.
However I will keep you in mind when I write my next blog.
foodiefromfrisco.blogspot.com