Bruce Milletto Comments on Starbuck's new "Independent" Coffee Shop Concept in November Entrepreneur Magazine
Bruce Milletto, CEO of Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup and a leading industry watcher, thinks the company's motivation is more basic: Starbucks is returning to its roots as a comfortable "third place," a living space that goes beyond the home and the office. "People want to have ‘their' coffee bar, and they want to have ‘their' coffee," says Milletto, who remembers when Starbucks was a hip chain of four or five shops. "Starbucks has realized that's a niche they're no longer filling."
Bruce goes on to say, "Once you have thousands and thousands of stores, it's difficult to have consumers look at you in the same way," Milletto says. "I think in coffee, the small independent will always win out if it's doing a fantastic job."
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Bellissimo differs from other coffee-business consulting firms in that we take a team approach to your project, drawing on the skills of a wide range of coffee-industry professionals in marketing, finance, operations, roasting, graphic design and training. As a result, your business benefits from the multiple perspectives of our diversely talented and experienced team members. After we assess your needs, we will match the right consultant to each phase of your project, giving you optimal impact for your consulting dollar.
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Many consultants can help you with the portion of your business that is
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But what about the behind-the-scene requirements it takes to open and
operate a profitable specialty coffee business: negotiating the best
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Bellissimo's expertise can help make your business profitable.
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Bellissimo does not sell coffee or equipment. The consulting services you receive
from us are unbiased and in your best interest, not ours.
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bellissimo in the news
Bruce Milletto, president of Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup in Portland, Ore., said he's surprised it took so long for Starbucks to get into the drive-through business.
His consulting firm has helped thousands of small businesses open coffee shops and drive-throughs over the past 15 years, he said.
He's gotten used to hearing clients sneer at Starbucks, denouncing the company as a corporate giant that's bound to try to put them out of business. He tries to convince them it's not such a David-vs.-Goliath thing.
"Starbucks is oftentimes, to the small independent coffee entrepreneur, thought of as the devil to the industry. What most people don't realize, is that without Starbucks, the industry wouldn't have exploded as it has," Milletto said.
