In this week’s episode of Promise, we speak with Ciaran Ardren, founder of Constance Coffee. Ciaran is the man behind multiple award winning coffee roasts at Golden Bean, the world’s largest coffee roasting competition. Constance Coffee is his new micro-roasting business, aiming to bring wine-tasting style quality to those interested.
We have a discussion about how Australia became famous for specialty coffee, communicating the art of coffee, why the best quality roasters stay small, the volatility in coffee supply chains, the power of networking and kindness, and what the world looks like if it all pans out.
You can buy beans including a subscription via the Constance website, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook.
Links
“Waves” of coffee explained (Article | 5 mins)
Just after recording, an Australian took home the top prize at the 2022 World Barista Championship. (Article | 2 mins)
List of 2017 Golden Bean awards (Document | 15 mins), where Ciaran took home Gold in the organic roast while representing Vertue Coffee
List of 2018 Golden Bean awards (Document | 15 mins), where 28 of 33 entries received a medal
Klein Constantia and Vin de Constance (Article | 7 mins), whose history and family footsteps Ciaran is seeking to follow
Missionaries versus Mercenaries, mentioned by John Doerr in this Wharton article (Article | 5 mins) and articulated more broadly in this SVPG post by Marty Cagan (Article | 4 mins)
The “Melbourne Magic” coffee, broken down - no affiliation with this site (Article | 3 mins)
The power of networking and expanding one’s luck surface area (Article | 8 mins) by Sahil Bloom
James Hoffman, 2007 World Barista Champion’s YouTube channel
Show notes
[00:01:54] - [First question] – How Australia came to have a reputation for coffee
[00:03:14] - Australian coffee’s influence around the world
[00:04:01] - The “waves” of sophistication in coffee making and light bulb moments
[00:06:40] - Ciaran’s entry into the industry and recognizing the limitations of working for an established brand
[00:07:38] - Helping to establish a new venture with greater freedom, and learning how to grow that brand
[00:09:40] - How customers want increased communication about quality, and why Ciaran wanted to serve that need through setting up Constance
[00:11:04] - The story and brief list of the awards Ciaran was behind
[00:13:36] - The desire to emulate a very storied family history, by creating a story of his own
[00:15:39] - Why the best coffee comes from very small operations
[00:17:01] - How the flavors of whiskey and wine are communicated, and making coffee similarly understood
[00:17:53] - The “missionary versus mercenary” divide
[00:19:13] - The knock-on effects across the industry of mercantile behavior
[00:20:50] - Leveraging networks to bootstrap Constance
[00:23:30] - The power of networking and importance of being kind when selling
[00:25:41] - Deciding to bootstrap versus accepting a capital investment offer
[00:28:50] - How scaling changes the founder’s role in a business
[00:30:35] - The recent supply chain volatility for coffee
[00:31:39] - How purchase prices are negotiated, and the affect that has on quality
[00:32:59] - How shipping and port charges affect the end-price
[00:36:01] - The factors to consider when establishing a bricks and mortar storefront
[00:38:09] - Why businesses and spaces must be designed to suit one another
[00:39:28] - Beyond bricks and mortar: becoming a coffee “hype machine”
[00:41:27] - What being a good leader looks like
[00:42:25] - Getting in touch with Constance Coffee - website and socials
Episode 3 - Coffee: Staying small and mastering craft