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Sustaining the Retailer
Morris and Heyer may have been roastingnovices when they opened, but theirexperience running coee carts madeone thing clear: coee retailers can’t doit alone. One o the rst major decisionsthe brothers made was to make sure theirretail customers received more businesssupport than they did—everything romdetailed coee and espresso training toproprietary retail tools to help coeehousesand carts succeed. The support culminatedin 2010 with the opening o a BusinessDevelopment Department that’s ocusedentirely on maximizing prots orDillanos customers. Each retail account isassigned a Dillanos business developmentrepresentative to develop new brandinginitiatives and improve cost/wastemanagement.“We’ll do a step-by-step program orpeople,” explains Morris, “where we’lllook at their menus, their signage, whatthey have on the windows, their customerservice—anything that the customersees, hears, eels, smells and touches. Andwe’ll help them transorm their storesinto a better branding experience or thecustomer.”“There are a lot o roasters out therewho do a great job roasting coee,” addsHeyer, “but there aren’t many who arereally trying to build success or thespecialty coee retailer. ... And the businessis changing, so a lot o things that usedto work in the ’90s aren’t going to work anymore. Ideas need upgrading.” Dillanoseven went so ar as to organize an annualconerence or its top retailers, creating aorum where they can share retail ideasand strategies. As part o this business developmentstrategy, Dillanos is introducing moreand more microlot and auction coeesto its retailers. It isn’t always an easy sell,and it requires retailers to willingly brewsingle cups o coee that might cost up to$5 or $6 each. The rewards, however, aresignicant, especially when it comes tobuilding a more sophisticated, enthusiasticclientele. To support the program, Dillanosholds cuppings at retail shops, walksretailers and consumers through thecoee-growing and production process,and even on rare occasions brings thecoee armer to a store.The key is telling a story that boththe retailer and customer can appreciate.“They like to hear that we sat down todinner [with the armer] and negotiateda price or their coee, as we did withour Las Lajas coee rom Costa Rica,”Morris explains. The bond grows evenstronger when Dillanos’ employees canbring customers with them to origin,as they did to Las Lajas not long ago.“When customers can actually meet thearmers and actually pick the cherries o the coee they buy rom us it’s a reallyunique experience,” Morris continues.“The eedback we’ve received so ar isincredible.” Another one o Dillanos’ businessdevelopment initiatives is to help retailersinteract with the evolving social medialandscape. Dillanos itsel is active onFacebook and Twitter and maintains twoblogs on its website, a company blog andMorris’s personal Coee Maverick blog.However, the company also encourages itsretail customers to create their own onlinepersonas. “It’s a great way to communicatedirectly with customers, whether invitingthem in or a ree latte or promotingupcoming in-store events,” says Morris.
Helping People, Making Friends,Having Fun
With 68 employees, Dillanos no longerqualies as a small roaster. But don’ttell that to the olks at Dillanos, whohave maintained a un, supportivecompany culture through the years.The company—which Heyer describesas oering “a un culture with a highlevel o accountability”—actively solicitsideas rom employees in all departments,believing that sta input is essential tokeeping the business vibrant.Dillanos also oers a number o extrabenets or employees in addition to ullmedical, dental and vision coverage. InJanuary 2009, the company launchedthe Dillanos Family Foundation, whichprovides short-term grants to Dillanosemployees who are victims o disasters orother emergency or hardship situations(nearly 70 percent o Dillanos sta reely contribute to the und). Dillanosalso donates money on behal o everyemployee to the International ChristianChildren’s Fund. And eco-consciousemployees no doubt appreciate Dillanos’green leanings, which include purchasing100-percent green electricity or allcompany operations.The social and environmentalinitiatives help Dillanos retain employees,o course, but also contribute to the amily-ocused vibe that Dillanos has workedhard to cultivate. “We’ve always hiredpeople rom a culture-rst standpoint,”explains Morris. “We believe we can teachsomeone the necessary coee skills, butyou can’t teach someone how to be honestand have a giving personality, or how tot within a un, creative culture. ... It getsharder and harder as we hire more people,but we still manage to keep it un.”Teaching coee skills to newemployees is hardly an aterthought orDillanos, however. All new employeesmust invest a ull week shadowing a staerin every department, giving them a broadintroduction to the industry. Beattie alsoteaches an eight-week Cup o Knowledgecourse that takes students through all theundamentals o specialty coee, romorigin issues to the neries o the cuppingtable. Not only do employees cup all o Dillanos’ coees during the course, butthey also cup the best-o-the-best coeesrom other roasters, giving them a look atthe industry rom several angles.Clearly, Dillanos has guredsomething out. In addition to winningseveral awards or its coee, it wasnamed one o the “best places to work in Washington” in 2007 by the
Puget Sound Business Journal
. As or what the uture holds, Heyeris unequivocal. “We want to continueto grow, but stay ocused on being awholesale roasting company that sellsmainly to specialty coee retailers,”he says. That includes oering privatelabeling to retailers who want to urtherdistinguish themselves rom the pack.“With limited supplies o high-qualitycoee in the industry, I personally think it’s going to get harder and harder orretailers to nd a roasting program thatdoes it right,” says Morris. “We want to llthat niche or retailers and be the roasterbehind the brand.”
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