News — 3rd Wave
Why the Third Wave Coffee Movement Stalled & How to Kick-start It Again
“Our argument is there are a lot of coffee drinkers that want a better experience than what they are currently paying for, but they don’t want to compromise the customer service and they don’t want to feel awkward or like an idiot when they try to order, otherwise they’re not going to come back,”
Defining Third Wave Coffee Movement and Documenting its Origins in Canada
The third wave coffee movement is an approach to coffee that is obsessed with quality and freshness. It started in Canada during the late 1990s inspired by the 1980s coffee scene in Seattle. It really took hold when Starbucks decided, in 2004, to replace traditional, hand-operated, manual machines with push button, super-automatic machines. Starbucks had a hyper-aggressive expansion plan in its sights in 2004, but in order to pull it off they needed to ensure that consistency, efficiency and speed of service could be maintained between stores. To accomplish this feat they made the bold move of switching from hand-operated,...
Code of Conduct for the Specialty Coffee Business
Walking into any given cafe on any given day, you may encounter anything from a polite and professional well dressed barista, to a scruffily-dressed kid who neither smile’s nor seems to care how you would like your coffee...
First Coffee Experiences and the Third Wave
Introduction I’m 3 years old, at my grandparent’s house. We lived with them until I was 6; a common practice to let grandma chase after me while my mom and dad worked taking care of the family grocery store. I was a hyper curious kid. They tell me I was always lurking and watching, two huge dark brown eyes, on an disproportionately huge head on my tiny chubby body, staring in silence. Observing.. Watching… learning..and plotting. Today’s target was the kitchen table. It was yellow formica, speckled with tiny black, sandy grains, and framed in silver chrome, accented lightly with...
Consumer Coffee, it's History and the Rise of Specialty Coffee
At the heart of third wave is a full-on frontal attack on the myths of coffee that previous waves built their business models on. Dismissed as a fad in the early years, the fact that third wave is still going strong after 15 years is a testament to the trending growth we witness today...