How to Start a Coffee Shop: The Complete Guide

by Business Planning & Opportunities 18 March 2020

how to start a coffee shop

Many of us including me, start our day with a cup of great Espresso. Often you must have tried to look for how to start a coffee shop on the internet. You must have been waiting for the correct guide. Here is the correct guide to How to start a coffee shop from an ardent coffee lover. 

“A yawn is a silent scream for a cup of coffee” 

 I can not survive without a cup of great coffee every day. What all matters to me are in my coffee and the smell of the coffee beans and the amazing feel of the coffee. I believe, it is very important that the smell of the coffee awakens me and makes me alert. At times when I think what would have world seemed to be without coffee I can literally feel the lack of liveliness in my life. Everyone has their own favorite coffee of their own choice, from their favorite shop. 

I am a coffee lover and I thought that there is no point running from shop to shop for your favorite coffee, you can simply start your own business that will get you your favorite coffee and also your customers.  

If we really talk commercially then coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world and about 90% of the world’s population consumes coffee regularly. Millions of people break into their day with a cup of their favorite coffee. So here I  have brought you everything you need to know about how to start a coffee shop. I will explain it to you in a stepwise manner. I will give you a complete guide on how to start a coffee shop.  

The first and probably the most important thing when it comes to opening a new coffee shop is the quality of the beans. If you are sourcing from the right wholesaler, you will get the best price, as well as, excellent quality. Over a period, this is the factor that is going to make your coffee business successful. When it comes to coffee, quality matters over everything else. If you want to start a new shop, check out this coffee wholesaler.

How to Start a Coffee Shop? Know the Unknown Facts About Coffee 

There are people across the world who can not survive without a cup of brewing coffee, such people are often called coffee addicts. In fact, drinking coffee regularly in an adequate quantity is actually supposed to be a healthy habit. Once you get to know everything about coffee, you will definitely want to know how to start a coffee shop. Coffee is so famous that almost every street in any country in the world has a few coffee shops or cafes.  

How to start a coffee shop

“Coffee is not a drink, it is a Culture” 

In the past, the people of North America had some concept that they used to exchange information over a cup of coffee. These people considered coffee culture and not as drink only. Coffee is the second largest traded item in the world, often some different places have different concepts about coffee. The Irish mix whiskey with coffee which is called “Irish Coffee”

How to Start a Coffee Shop? Know the Interesting Facts About Coffee

If you want to know how to start a coffee shop then you will first have to know some interesting facts about coffee which you can pass on to your regular coffee lovers. 

how to start a coffee shop

Hawaii is the only state in America that produces Coffee in the whole of America. The kind of climate and soil that is required for the growth of the perfect type of coffee can only be found in Hawaii. 

Coffee was invented by a goat herder, although that sounds or seems funny it happened actually. A goat harder of the 1500s had seen his heard of goats eating some kind of cherries and after eating them their behavior changed immensely. It was later found out that used to eat coffee beans and the caffeine intake would make them over-excited.

“Coffee does not ask silly questions, Coffee understands” 

Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511. The people over there believed that coffee created idleness which caused them to ban the plantation in Mecca.  

You must have seen most of the cafes use the cream on the topping of the coffee, actually, the cream on top of the coffee keeps the coffee warmer longer than it should remain. It is said that with the addition of the cream the coffee remains at least 20% longer warm. 

According to Arabic culture, a woman could only divorce her husband over a coffee which means only if the husband did not like his wife’s coffee. That sounded too weird, right? But it actually happened like that and hence coffee is a culture, not just a drink.  

Know-How to Start a Coffee Shop? 

how to start a coffee shop

More than 200 million people in the USA consume coffee regularly. Imagine what is the portion of people in the whole world who drinks coffee regularly. Since the trend of coffee consumption is such, it clearly paves a business way. This is the correct time to start with a coffee business hence here we will speak about how to start a coffee shop near you. You must have come across another article on how to start a coffee shop and those might have given you all possible information but here we will just talk about what exactly is required to start a coffee shop

There is no limit to making a budget for your coffee shop but we will give you just as much as it is required. 

“Coffee is a Language in Itself” 

I do not intend to question your interest but I would just like to ask you whether you really want to start a coffee shop or not. You also need to answer yourself with the same question and answer it for yourself. 

Determine If You Want to Start a Coffee Shop 

When you are looking for an article on how to start a coffee shop I believe that you actually want to start with a coffee shop. This business might seem easy but it isn’t that easy, it requires hard work. You may have made plans about how your coffee shop would look and what all would be there on the menu of your coffee shop etc. 

Wait! Take a pause! This is not just this much. There are lots more than this. 

You will also have to decide whether all that you want to do in life is a coffee shop or not. There are many reasons why a coffee shop fails. So it is important that you understand the requirement when you decide to start with a new coffee business. 

Get Your Finances in Order to Start a Coffee Shop

When you start with any business you must know that your personal finance is fine and it is being taken care of. Be sure that whatever you do when you do any business make sure you have enough capital. So that you can at least run your business for no profit no loss. Do not ever try to run your business with your personal asset. It might cost you heavily in the long run. 

Research Properly Before You Start Your Business

If you love coffee then you must be aware of the fact that coffee is the most beautifully complex dring to make. The uniqueness of coffee is such that in different forms of coffee the coffee tastes similar. 

how to start a coffee shop

There are 1000 flavonoids that give the appropriate taste of the perfect coffee. Each of the flavonoids present in coffee would change its color and texture with the research of the property of the business. But when it comes to your shop, you must which the flavor of coffee would make your customers feel the love you have for them.

“Espresso Yourself”

 It is very important for you to find out the best flavor of coffee for your customers so that they know you for your special coffee.  If you want to make the coffee of your favorite style then you yourself will have to be aware of the coffee flavors and experiment with various flavors.

The more you know about coffee will help you do fair business and keep your customers happy. 

Explore the locality to Start a Coffee Shop

When you have decided where exactly you want to start your coffee shop, you can start exploring the nearest vicinity to that area. When you start exploring the nearest areas you will understand the kind of flavor the people of that area are accustomed to and then either you can make some innovations to those flavors or you can bring something absolutely new to your customers.  

It is advisable that you choose a promising location. It must have a good market and everything is available nearby and preferably where there are no more coffee shops nearby. 

Make Your Business Plan to Start a Coffee Shop 

how to start a coffee shop

When you already know the base of the business that you are going to start then you are ready now to make your business plan successfully. Now make a plan, jot down your ideas, and make a budget. Having a correct budget will help you to make a business successful and good to go.  It is very important that you make a plan for what amount you have and what amount are you planning to spend on your coffee shop.

Have An Edible Menu for Your Coffee Shop 

The book will be judged by the cover here. Make sure that you have a deal cracker menu and please avoid giving names that do not explain the food. 

Would you like to eat something which is named as “simmering pool”? Or would you prefer a name like “ hot choco lava donut”? 

The name of the food means a lot, it is important that you use a name that would be loved by name. Often simple names or common names attract people more because it is all about the taste of the food. Do not try to experiment with the names of coffee. But keep in mind that customers would love the combination. It is better than when you have a coffee shop, your menu must also include some beer and wine or some pastries and wraps. 

Know Your Competition Before you Start a Coffee Shop

how to start a coffee shop

When you are about to start off with your coffee and be rest assured that you know all of your competition well. You will be able to hit down your competition only when you know them very well. If possible observe them and try to find out their business approach. If you get to know your competition you will be able to serve your customers better than them. Make your business plan that if compels your customers to visit your shop and they make this decision out of the joy they get in your shop. 

“Life Happens Coffee Helps”

Keep your bank accounts ready and follow the above-mentioned steps along with it there are also some other parameters in the checklist which you must keep in mind. Such as, 

  • Make sure you know all the rules and regulations of business
  • Explore all the equipment options for your coffee
  • Build a budget for coffee
  • Know your break-even point
  • Establish the structure that you decided for your business
  • Explore new partners and vendors for your business
  • Know the Health Department well 
  • Make a business bank account 
  • Determine a coffee shop’s business
  • Make a website for your coffee shop
  • Make your Coffee most unique    

Coffee Related Business Ideas in 2020

If you love coffee and really want to work with coffee then you can definitely start with a business. We just discussed how to start a Coffee shop you can start planning for it from today onwards. But if in case you do not want to start a business for various reasons such as lack of capital or maybe lack of place. But you still want to work with coffee then there are some coffee-related businesses that will keep you doing your favorite job without even spending much. 

how to start a coffee shop

Coffee Related Micro Business Ideas 

I would not spend much time on this portion I would just list down the names of the business for your convenience and later on. I would give you more information about the micro-business which concerns coffee.  

  • Coffee Tasting
  • Multilevel Marketing Market 
  • Consulting Coffee Business
  • Coffee Beans Business
  • Coffee Delivery Service 
  • Roast and sell out coffee beans from home
  • Start a Cat Cafe 
  • Import and Export Coffee
  • Blogging on Coffee 

These are some of the business that is related to coffee, which means directly or indirectly you can work with coffee and be satisfied.  

Now, you know how to start a coffee shop in 2020. We have covered everything that you would like to know about the business here. Read the entire article and start making plans and start making a coffee shop today. Start exploring your favorite food and bring out your signature coffee which everyone will enjoy in your shop. If you liked this article then please comment on it. Let me know your experience with your coffee shop or if you have any queries regarding starting a new cafe. 

Ariana Smith is a blogger who loves to write about anything that is related to business and marketing, She also has interest in entrepreneurship & Digital marketing world including social media & advertising.

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