Case Study: Brisco's Coffee House - Wholesale Coffee Customer

Ordering wholesale coffee is a constant challenge for most coffee shops. It’s difficult to get just the right amount, getting ahold of help is overly-complicated, and supplier warehouses tend to send stale beans.

We sat down with Scott Keys from Brisco’s Coffee House in Burnham, PA to discover how he was able to streamline his coffee ordering process, reduce his stress levels, and satisfy his customers with fresher, tastier beans.

The Problem: Consistency Issues With Coffee Suppliers

When Brisco’s evolved from a gift shop into a coffee shop in 2017, Scott served Rothrock Coffee, a local roaster. Unfortunately, that relationship didn’t last very long.

“We could only stay with them for two months because there was no consistency with their product.”

Scott then switched to a more reputable roaster, Stockton Graham/Dilworth Coffee, from North Carolina. But even though the coffee was higher in quality, there was a major issue: they had to order their beans from a warehouse supplier.

“One week the coffee was one month old and the next week the coffee was three months old. Their warehouse was not rotating stock properly. Having a 3rd party supplying the coffee also meant we had to pay higher prices, which really cut into our bottom line.”

After two years of coffee ordering headaches, stale beans, and difficulties talking to support reps at the warehouse, Scott decided it was time to switch again—and this time, he wasn’t going to settle for less than he needed:

Reliably fresh coffee — Scott wanted high-quality beans that were delivered just a few days after being roasted. These would taste far better, energize his baristas, and satisfy customers.
Direct ordering from the roaster — Scott was burned out on going through a middleman supplier. He wanted to work directly with a roaster to cut costs and develop a more more meaningful relationship.
Fast customer support — Scott was through chatting with warehouse reps who didn’t know anything about the coffee. He wanted to connect with a responsive, passionate coffee professional when he needed help or had questions.

One of Scott’s friends in Minneapolis suggested trying Driven Coffee, so Scott called us up and placed an order for some samples.

The Solution: A Quality-Driven, Customer-Centric Roaster

Scott had tried dozens of roasters by this point—and each time he became a little more disenchanted. The tasting notes were often wrong, the quality of the samples wasn’t consistent, and the communication was awkward.

But when the Driven Coffee samples arrived, Scott had a different kind of experience.

“When we first got our samples from Driven coffee, we brewed them using chemex and the coffee was everything it promised to be. Very few roasters I have sampled have actually nailed it, but Driven certainly has.”

Scott was thrilled that Impact Espresso, our unique blend, tasted excellent in both regular and sweetened espresso drinks. He also decided our Guatemala single origin coffee is his “favorite coffee by far, especially on pour over”.

The Impact: Happier Customers, Happier Scott

Brisco’s didn’t announce when they switched over to Driven Coffee—but Scott’s customers noticed that very first morning.

“Customers have been extremely happy and we are selling a lot more dark roast brewed coffee since we switched to Driven’s French Roast. Our pour over lovers are blown away by the Guatemalan.”

It’s been smoother sailing since the switch, largely due to Scott having a dedicated person to go to when he has questions or wants to try a new coffee.

“The service is amazing. Dealing with Erin Halloran has been awesome, anytime I have a question she quickly gets me in contact with the right person to resolve the matter.”

One challenge Scott ran into after switching to Driven was dialing in the brew on his Fetco coffee maker. The flavors were good, but not great—and Scott wasn’t exactly sure how to improve them. He reached out to Erin, who connected Scott to Matt Vassau, our founder and CEO.

“After looking at our settings, he knew right away we just needed to lower our dose and adjust our grind. After the first adjustment the French roast was perfect. Matt understood the detailed settings we had and was able to tell us exactly what to do to get the perfect cup of coffee.”

Scott found his three must-haves in Driven Coffee, and he’s a lot happier personally because of it. Headaches from ordering stale coffee have been eliminated, the stress of bad customer service is a thing of the past, and Brisco’s is thriving with happy customers.

“Finding someone you can trust and can work with you on brewing the best coffee is someone you need on your side. Driven has given us consistency, quick service, support and great flavor profiles in their coffee. I would definitely suggest going with Driven Coffee as a wholesale partner.”

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