“You can’t control the waves but you can learn to surf ". Ben Crowe
mycuppa July 2022 Newsletter
Each month, we don the flak jacket and tin hat for what seems like an unwinnable battle to wrestle back control and stability in our business. 2019 feels like a lifetime ago when planning, executing and reviewing with some degree of confidence was possible. Oh, those were the good old days.
It is nearly impossible to plan in a post-pandemic economy, so throw away the strategy tools and keep on tuning those basic adaption skills in a game of Survivor.
It's the same for all other companies and industries in Australia, if not worldwide, as they deal with rampant cost increases and what appears to be more frequent rounds of unpredictable events and surprise obstacles placed in front of us.
Last Friday was 1st July. Usually, it's a quiet and uneventful start to a new financial year.
But this time, I woke to a handful of pre-prepared emails from our suppliers claiming recent cost increases are regrettably forcing them to increase prices again. Those of you in business will have seen similar notifications over the last 12 months and likely again recently, with more to come.
Throughout June, diesel scampered up the price pole to reach an eye-watering level 30 cents higher than unleaded in Victoria. Whilst we are all accustomed to the bonkers price cycles for petrol, seeing diesel climb almost every other day for a month without retreating is an ominous sign of pain ahead. As we all know, diesel is the fundamental fuel that moves goods around our vast country. Freight companies are applying higher and higher surcharges to cover this extraordinary situation.
Secret stuff.
This month's Secret Label involved much work behind the scenes to secure quality lots. It's getting hard to buy good stuff as the brokers have been importing lower grades to cater for what has become a severely price-sensitive industry over the last 6+ months.
Nevertheless, we have crafted an excellent coffee with deep richness and sweetness. We love the silky smooth body and the long finish that lasts forever.
Beware of changes to Sendle's dynamic allocation.
For our Sendle fans, please be aware that we detected a significant change recently (ironically since 1st July) in how Sendle dynamically allocates your parcel to their partners.
Sendle chooses who carries your parcel, not us.
It also means we can't change Sendle's assignment, nor can we block or prevent one of Sendle's partners from being assigned your parcel.
It's frustrating for us as we know what works and what doesn't for our customers!
Over the last two years, around 93% of Sendle parcels were assigned to Couriers Please, with the remainder allocated to Fastway/Aramex. Mostly, this was due to the bulk of our customers who chose or picked Sendle residing within capital city metro areas.
In those areas where Couriers Please needed adequate coverage, such as some regional towns, Sendle would assign those parcels to Fastway/Aramex.
It sounds pretty simple, and for the most part, it worked a treat for customers in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, but not so good for Perth and sometimes the odd Melbourne delivery went pear-shaped.
Sendle's algorithm has recently flipped and is now passing more parcels to Fastway/Aramex with fewer parcels to Couriers Please. We have seen the trend over the last few days, with Fastway/Aramex receiving around 66% of the Sendle packages destination makes a big difference.
The upshot here, folks, is simple.
Things will change if you are fortunate enough to enjoy good service from a local Couriers agent in your area. That change may be a worse or inferior level of service.
Like all algorithms, Sendle's assignment is dynamic; it changes without notice and is a big secret. Sendle changes to suit their cost advantage, never service quality.
We recommend that our customers use Australia Post.
This advice applies if you reside in a multi-tenanted building or have your parcels delivered to your workplace.
AusPost is always the safest and best option. Forget about what happened during 2020 and 2021; they are now faster, more reliable/consistent, and those annoying problems with last-mile failures that make up over 95% (mostly Sendle) of incidents we see, AusPost are better at performing that last mile range.
This change by Sendle will end in tears - please consider our advice and avoid Sendle.
Make no mistake, if it gets painful or we see risk to our customers, Sendle will be disconnected immediately.
Delightful surprises.
It's that time of year again when change is most prevalent, and plenty of new coffee lots are streaming into the warehouse each week.
Many new crops from Central America, South America and Africa have arrived or are on the water due for arrival at our domestic ports in the coming weeks and months.
New season coffees bring hope, excitement, and the inevitable and complex task of integrating into our portfolio. It might surprise you that we only automatically take the next crop for any of our coffees after first analysing pre-shipment sample results and deciding whether to commit.
Sometimes, it might be a quality concern or a pricing/value factor, but whatever the reason, it has to pass structured criteria to gain entry privilege.
Each crop or harvest has unique differences that may be subtle or dramatic. Of course, we have trusted lines that are proven performers, but even our most reliable supply still requires rigorous testing and analysis.
However, there are some coffees we have no choice but to take a gamble as supply will always be tight or complex, and in these cases, it could be 3 to 5 months before the physical coffee arrives. These coffees sell out before they ship, so either get in now or miss out.
Two of the recent coffees we took a punt on have been amazingly delicious - worthy of a mention here and now.
The first is the recent arrival of the new Timor FAIRTRADE Organic, which flew under the radar. Shipment sample notes appeared within our acceptable quality standards, with nothing, in particular, standing out with exceptional potential.
In the cup, this Timor coffee is just stupendous, and it was a pleasant surprise to discover just how well this coffee tastes as black - a reliable indicator of inherent quality. With jaw-dropping sweetness, refined acidity, and silky and syrupy mouthfeel with an almost perfect balance. Perhaps the best I've tasted from Timor. Classy, lovely.
Grab it here - East Timor FAIRTRADE Organic
Tanzania is an origin that tends to fly under the radar. Being close to Kenya, it can sometimes possess all the classic attributes of its more highly celebrated neighbour as the growing conditions and elevations can be similar.
So it's a real shame that Tanzania, like Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, are often viewed by many as a second choice against the more famous Ethiopia and Kenyan offerings. The truth is, an excellent quality Tanzanian will always outclass a general Ethiopian.
We have always loved Tanzanian coffees as they can give you the Kenya or Ethiopian experience at a far better value point. They punch well above their weight, and over the last decade, we have offered some stellar Tanza's.
This new lot continues a winning streak by delivering another exceptional experience.
We have raspberry, green grape, chocolate, and baking spices in the cup. As my darling wife, Dianne, often says when it hits the jackpot......" delicious malicious".
Grab it here - Tanzania.
