The Country Runs on Coffee
Posted: Monday, April 19, 2010
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
At least that is what you might think if you spend time with one of the many purveyors of the dark brew in Prescott and Prescott Valley in Arizona where my husband and I live . If there is a recession-proof business, this just might be it. Add donuts or a muffin and how could you go wrong? If you drive by The Donut Hole in Prescott Valley any day of the week at any hour, you will see that they are always busy. Could have something to do with the donuts, though.
The story of its discovery goes like this: An Ethiopian goatherd, named Kaldi, was out one day tending his flock when he noticed that after eating the berries of a certain plant, his goats were exceptionally frisky and cavorting happily about. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, he tried some of the berries and got a boost in energy and an uplift of spirit. But there is little documentation to support this story. The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking is from the middle of the 1400's in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen .
The word "coffee" entered the English language in 1598 from the Dutch "koffie." This in turn came from the Turkish word "kahve." As for how coffee made it to America , it is believed that Captain John Smith introduced it around 1607 when North America was first being colonized.
There are so many places where Bernd and I live to get a cup of coffee that it would be hard to count them all. But if all you want is a coffee shop without a lot of frills or a full menu, the number becomes more manageable.
In Prescott you will find Wild Iris Coffee, Raven Caf, Starbucks Coffee, Prescott Coffee Roasters, Cuppers, and Pangaea Bakery. In Prescott Valley there is Step One Coffee House (benefits the Stepping Stones charity for abused women and their children), Starbucks (inside Safeway), Yellow Leaf Coffee (a true coffee shack), and the Pony Espresso Caf (with a locomotive out front, I've never quite understood that; shouldn't there be a horse out front?). Dewey-Humboldt has one listing with the Blue Hills Caf. And finally, Chino Valley sports another Starbucks, CD's Caf, and the very cleverly named Cupp-A-Chino. These four cities, well actually one city and three towns, comprise what we fondly (and inaccurately) refer to as the Quad Cities. It was once just the Tri Cities, but Dewey and Humboldt combined forces a couple of years back and incorporated.
It's an impressive list. And with this many coffee shops all looking for their piece of the coffee "pie," one would think that business must indeed be good. And of course this doesn't even take into consideration all the fast food outlets and restaurants and book stores like Barnes and Noble that also sell coffee.
I got curious in general and because I consider the polling function on SearchWarp to be a wonderful tool that more people should take advantage of (hint, hint), I put a poll out there for two weeks. It received 118 responses in that time and the results are as follows:
How many times each week do you purchase a specialty coffee and/or regular coffee drink?
Never 60%
Once 15%
Twice 10%
Three times 1%
Four times 6%
Five times 2%
More than five times 6%
I was wondering one day if there was a recession-proof business (I'm always looking for an angle) and selling coffee came to mind. My husband, Bernd, came up with the wonderfully layered title for this article. It could be taken in a number of ways. The caffeine in coffee gets a lot of folks going first thing in the morning (and keeps them going all day) and because so many people drink it, it helps to fuel the economy (it's pretty bad when you feel you have to explain your title). I don't think there is any kind of serious movement afoot to get the entire population of the United States to stop drinking coffee tomorrow and forever thereafter. But then I don't pay all that much attention to the news. It's just too darn depressing.
So, is the business of brewing pick-me-ups recession-proof? I don't know. I haven't talked to any of the above listed businesses to see if their sales are up, down, or about the same. But judging from the results from my poll, maybe it's not so recession-proof after all. Oh well, back to the drawing board for me. But hey, all those folks who responded that they never purchase ready made coffee must be making it themselves (or they are like me and don't drink coffee ... I know ... how un-American), so sales of coffee in general (whole beans, grounds, instant) are probably still pretty good. Have you noticed the coffee isle in your grocery store expand and begin to specialize in exotic brews and flavors? I have. But I don't see me becoming a coffee grower or importer anytime soon.
Here in the Prescott , Arizona area, a lot of businesses have closed and there are many business buildings sitting empty waiting to be leased. I have not heard or seen of any coffee houses closing down, though. So with the economy down, the less expensive thrills still seem to be popular and coffee seems to be one of those. It's considerably cheaper to indulge yourself with a fancy coffee now and then than to buy a new car (with a little imagination, the thrill could be the same okay maybe a lot of imagination). Americans love their coffee, donuts, fast food and beer. I think people may cut back but not quit indulging altogether. So I ask again, is the business of providing hot and steaming or iced energy recession-proof. Maybe.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)I love my morning coffee, afternoon coffee and after dinner coffee. Although after reading another article on SearchWarp recently, I may try switching to Green Tea. (again). To answer your question, I think coffee and donut places are recession proof. Tim Horton's here are always lined up around the corner.Hi Brianna.I've heard about Tim Horton's from other Canadians. Is it something like our Dunkin Donuts?My husband tried switching to green tea and made a valiant effort of it for some months. But he still likes his coffee. Though he does drink mainly Swiss Process decaf. His medication gives him irregular heartbeats in conjunction with too much caffeine. He's had to cut back on the concentration of his green tea as well.Our big dream has always been to have an art/book/coffee shop. Think that would work?Thanks for reading and commenting,Hugs,DianneYes our Tim Horton's is like your Dunkin Donuts, always busy. As for the art/book/coffee shop? I think you could probably make anything work, that you put your mind to Dianne! You should go for it!
Interesting article Dianne. It amazes me how many people complain about how broke they are as they purchase their fancy cup of coffee.Hi Linda.Well, I guess they could say they are helping to support the economy. That's what Bernd and I tell ourselves every time we shell out more money for something than we wanted to.But yes, if someone is that broke, they have no business spending four bucks or more on a cup of coffee. As you can see, I really don't know what a fancy coffee drink costs. Could be more, could be less.Anyway ... thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.Dianne
Love it, Dianne! Jean and I have actually talked about retiring someday and starting a coffee shop of our own. I don't know how recession proof it would be, but it would probably be better to run a coffee shop somewhere colder than Texas or Arizona.Hi Bruce.That's what iced coffees are for, right? My dad was bit of a nut. He'd drink hot, hot, hot coffee in the middle of summer in Southern California. He said being so hot on the inside made him feel cool on the outside. I never really got it.As for retiring ... I'm not sure retiring to run a coffee shop is really retiring. :)Thanks so much for reading my article and for commenting too!Luv ya'Dianne
You have my vote on this one. I was one of the people who voted no, only because of budget, but I make sure there's space in my budget to make it and drink it at home. I'll sacrifice other things for it. In my house it's definitely recession-proof!Thanks for this article, Dianne!JenniferxxxHi Jennifer.I was surprised at the number of "no" votes, but then I realized that folks were probably just making their own. You verify that.Probably I should have titled it "The Country runs on Caffeine." But it doesn't sound so good. I didn't even look at all the caffeinated soft drinks.I know that your financial situation is tricky and that you don't give up your coffee is a testament to its allure.Be well and be happy,Dianne
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