Uncover Your Roastery’s Potential: A 3-Step Guide to Expanding Beyond Your Local Market in Just 7 Days
As coffee roasters, we’re all putting in the effort to keep the dream alive, day in and day out. But sometimes it feels like there’s a gap between what we do and what the bigger roasters are achieving. They’re managing to reach more customers, bring in steady revenue, and go beyond just local sales—all while it seems like we’re running up against employees calling out, keeping the day-to-day running or finding new ways to get some foot traffic.
This guide will show you how the secret that big roasters are using to earn more revenue, and how to implement it without losing sight of what makes our roasteries unique. We’ll look at a few simple strategies you can implement yourself that are tailored to fit what we’re doing on our own scale. No need for big changes, just a few adjustments to help us reach more customers, bring in more revenue, and get more people to find and buy your coffee.
1: Why The Old Roastery Business Model Keeps Business Owners Stuck
Does it ever feel like you're pouring everything into keeping local customers coming through the door, yet still hitting a ceiling? Most roasteries rely on local foot traffic and word-of-mouth, which limits you to customers who happen to be nearby and visit during specific hours. But here’s the truth: the most successful roasters have unlocked ways to build incredible customer relationships, so that they can support their roastery from anywhere, anytime. You probably have experienced this yourself without realizing it, but think of the businesses you likely already support, recommend, and have become a lifeline fan for—perhaps it's your car, gear, or even shoes. Imagine a model where your regulars don’t have to remember to stop by—they’re connected to you beyond just a local visit, helping create steady, reliable revenue that doesn't hinge on daily foot traffic. That is the same feeling we need to create with your business and how you go from just customers to fans for life. This guide will show you how to make that shift.
2: Finding Your Roastery’s Hidden Revenue Streams
Have you ever wondered why other coffee brands seem to thrive while roasteries like yours work just as hard but see less return? It can be frustrating watching any business pull in so much more from what feels like the same offerings. After all, there are only so many bean farms, and most coffee menus have similar drinks—so how do we grow?
The difference comes down to something called lifetime value (LTV). LTV is the total amount a customer spends at a business over the entire time they remain a customer. For example, a company like Starbucks doesn’t just look at one cup of coffee per customer—they focus on how much each customer is likely to spend with them over the years. By creating convenient ways for people to buy their products, from it's merchandise, to a rewards system to online sales, Starbucks will make $15,000 per/customer in total lifetime value. Meanwhile, many smaller roasteries only reach around $1,500 per customer.
The good news is, that you don’t need a huge budget or complex systems to increase LTV at your roastery. Begin by listing out all the basic ideas of how you could earn more from your existing products: a coffee subscription program, gift boxes, limited-time holiday offerings, merchandise, wholesale, etc. With a few simple changes, you can create new ways for your customers to engage, bringing in steady revenue that doesn’t rely only on walk-ins. This guide will walk you through exactly how to tap into these hidden revenue streams, all while staying true to your business and values. Let’s take a closer look at what’s possible and how these strategies can work for you.
3: How To Share Your Stuff Beyond Your Neighborhood & Make It Easy
Once you realize the potential in your current and new customers, the next step is making it easy for them to buy from you. Traditional methods like opening new locations or running events can be time-consuming and expensive. Instead, reach the people who already know and love your coffee by starting with one of the most effective methods: an online store. You'll want to focus on creating an extension of your phyiscal storefront, that looks and feels the same while also providing an easy, effective, and engaging experience for users. Imagine if your regulars could subscribe to your freshly roasted beans themselves or give it as a gift to a friend, wholesalers could buy in bulk anytime, or you could offer up your own branded merch—all from their computers, phones, iPads, and more. Even if just 200 of your customers bought an extra $20 bag of beans each month, that's nearly an additional $50,000 a year, without adding a single new product or having to pay for something else. You'd open your roastery to the entire globe, 24/7, 365.
This shift doesn’t require big changes, just a simple way for your customers to support your business whenever it’s convenient for them. Now, not only would an online store work, but you still need to optimize it and send people to it. The good news is you don’t need to be a tech expert to make it happen. In the video below, I’ll walk you through exactly how to recreate the same online extension we used for your storefront that’s quick, proven, and designed to grow your roastery. Click below and you'll get a step-by-step, no guesswork, no tech skills required process to get your very own online sales engine.
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