Platinum Coffee: Chinese Coffee is still in quantitative change

"instead of pulling a barista who knows coffee to open a joint venture, you might as well pull a MBA joint venture. As long as interest is turned into a career, it is a good thing to combine personal value with social value. " -- Qi Ming

Ten years ago, coffee drinkers in China were different from what they are now, and the number of people who opened coffee shops was even less. Now, in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, people who go out for leisure may look up to a cafe in two or three steps.

Although hanging different brands, according to different styles, but also gradually fumbled for a clear Chinese caffeism. Even so, some time ago, an expert from time Commercial Co., Ltd. of Japan came to Beijing for an inspection and said that the density of Beijing cafes is only 50% of that of Tokyo, and there is still a lot of room for development. "Coffee in China is still in the stage of quantitative change, but it is natural for it to move forward." Qi Ming, founder of Platinum Coffee Institute, the country's leading coffee training and education institution.

Coffee is a medium.

When he was still studying Burmese in the Asian-African language department of Beiwai, Qi Ming became interested in European history and learned something about coffee.

In the modern history of the West, coffee is a special thing, and the two are inextricably linked. Many people compare coffee to the product of industrial civilization. In the 18th century, the rise of coffee trend and the emergence of cafes represented the formation of rational public domain; in the 19th century, the vigorous development of civic culture caused a "popular" impact on coffee culture. After two hundred years, the cafe has acquired exquisite, gorgeous and colorful cultural aspects, which are intertwined by the rationality and emotion of human civilization.

In 1683, the first coffee shop in Italy opened in Venice, which started the coffee craze in the country. Qi Ming went to Italy many times. Once, he was doing an interview about coffee when two young Italians suddenly said, "Wow!" You Chinese know too much about coffee! I don't know what you said. All I know is that it feels good to drink coffee and do my own business every day. "

The phrase "drink coffee and do your own business" is an inspiration to Qiming. He admits that some Chinese people do have more knowledge about coffee than senior foreigners, but we respect moral people for our understanding of the spirit of coffee.

"to be fair, coffee is a medium, so you don't have to study it so seriously." He became indifferent. In the cafe, he noticed that the first choice for guests was food and beverage requirements, followed by interviews, chatting, even sending e-mail, in a daze, and so on.

"that's what's right. I just wish my cafe was such a place. This is also the case. The more detached you are and the more you don't care, it will imperceptibly influence your penetration. "

I can't just be an enthusiast.

Now, the storefront of Platinum Coffee has become more of a carrier of training and education, providing venues and services for the famous Platinum Coffee Institute, teaching a large number of coffee lovers from "zero starting point" to being able to open their own shop. Alumni Coffee has also taken root in a number of colleges and universities and earned enough popularity.

In the past, when studying abroad, Qi Ming heard a Starbucks executive say: "We are in the coffee business, not simple coffee enthusiasts." He knows this very well. Too many people start to run their own stores with a petty bourgeoisie sentiment because they love coffee. But among the people he has trained to open a shop, coffee enthusiasts, baristas and other coffee professionals have a much lower success rate than those who do not understand coffee but understand food management.

Last year, Qi Ming met several cadets who used to train in coffee, all of whom were friends who studied to open a shop with him before the Beijing Olympic Games. "when it comes to the ups and downs of their respective cafes, there are a lot of experiences and lessons, but they all point to the core issues of operation and management-- setting rules, grasping implementation, managing personnel, doing training, talking about services, managing processes, reducing costs, and promoting profits. These are the key points, while coffee itself should not be in the top 10."

No matter how elegant or mysterious the coffee itself is, the cafe is an open and profitable place for dining and leisure. Platinum Lan has always stressed that its coffee must be carefully considered on the balance of business operation, taking full account of the surrounding target customer base, innate passenger flow, cost-effective, human capital investment and other factors, to grasp the right balance. And this "degree" is the skill of the operator.

"instead of pulling a coffee-savvy barista to open a joint venture, pull a MBA joint venture, of course, if the partner likes the atmosphere of the cafe, and if he has the possibility of falling in love with coffee, it would be best." Qi Mingxiao said that in the coffee business, the Chinese need to learn from Japan's professional consciousness and spirit of commitment.

Elegant and multi-faceted

Coffee also pays attention to local style. Therefore, there is "microenviroment" in English and "terrior" in French. Foreigners have strict requirements on the growing environment of coffee. Qi Ming is proficient in tea, and he makes an appropriate analogy, "just as we often say that the best Longjing in China is in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and the best in Hangzhou is in Meijiawu on the West Lake."

With regard to the elegance of coffee, he prefers to explain it with philosophical thinking. Elegance does not stick to formality. "when Bill Gates said that Microsoft had donated $10 million to society, I thought it was elegant; when Jobs generously announced on stage that Apple's market rate would increase by another 10% next year, can it be said to be inelegant?" With regard to personalized cafes, he thinks it should be treated with tolerance. "as long as interests are turned into careers, and the combination of personal values and social values is a good thing."

Qi Ming was also busy guiding students in stores all over the country. in his busyness, he found that the cafe industry was growing fastest in second-and third-tier cities, so he was pleased. "first, it is our hope to expose more audiences to coffee; second, it is wonderful that more people can drink coffee to do serious things."

Source of this article: si Jinli, a reporter from the http://epaper.rmzxb.com.cn/2011/20110708/t20110708_399520.htm people's political Consultative Conference

China Coffee Trading Network: www.gafei.com