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Quality: the customer wants consistency
Your coffee flows faithfully from your machine every day. The smell always seductive, the taste exactly what you expected. How can this natural product be so stable, while the coffee plant is so sensitive to all outside influences? Taste consistency of freeze-dried coffee is a quality factor that Fortune Coffee and TB Brown are working intensively on together.
‘Dagelijks zijn zo’n tachtig bussen van Fortune Coffee op de weg. Het bezit van zo’n groot marktaandeel steunt op vertrouwen in het merk. Dat vertrouwen kan je alleen maar verdienen door betrouwbaar te zijn. Door de beloftes na te komen die wij doen als bedrijf en met onze producten. Al onze koffie is een private label. Op elke zak die wij verkopen staat onze naam én de productnaam die een specifieke smaakbelofte vertegenwoordigd. En die smaak moet het hele jaar door hetzelfde zijn. Dat is een flinke uitdaging, want koffie is een natuurproduct.’
Influences
'Coffee is a sensitive plant that responds strongly to climate fluctuations. Too little sun can make the coffee less sweet. But if temperatures rise too much, a coffee plant becomes more susceptible to diseases. When the influences vary greatly, this has an effect on the harvest. For example, the taste of the coffee bean is different. Or the yield is much lower, causing the price of coffee to rise. We have agreed on flavor profiles with TB Brown. Of course it matters whether the coffee comes from Brazil, Colombia or Uganda. But ultimately, consistency in taste is key. Then you must be able to rely on your producer, knowing that he will continuously respond to this. We notice that TB Brown handles this very carefully.'
Tasting
'We guarantee consistency with taste tests. With the help of our Barista, we regularly conduct a blind test. Then we look: does our range still match the flavors we want to offer? Do you still taste the flavor properly? If we notice a change, we will contact TB Brown to determine the cause. Together we look for the desired factors to get the taste right again. Maybe we should buy the coffee beans from another country. Or can we add other blend. Price and certification are important factors to take into consideration. It is pleasant to work with TB Brown in this process. Their values align with those of Fortune Coffee and there is a strong shared interest in maintaining consistency. We are both prepared to go far for that.'