I’m going to be roasting for the new wholesale arm of a coffeehouse in Fremont.

I agree that an invitation-only business model doesn’t look good for the long run. If he can make it work the way I described in the post, well, it’s a free country. But it’s hard not to look at it like a self-proclaimed kung fu master who, when asked to demonstrate his power, says “oh no, I could never show you how skilled I am, it’s too dangerous”.

-a

If someone feels like they and/or their product are so great that their business can survive on “by invitation only” – more power to them. I don’t really understand it – and don’t believe they make as much money as they could be marketing other ways (if their product is actually good and/or marketable).

I guess that my new business as an Escort / Traveling Companion could be by invitation only. But then again the ladies wouldn’t be telling each other about me – they’d all want to keep me a secret.

I agree. I can’t spend that much on something that won’t even be around a few days (and if it is its value drops exponentially).

Of course, it’s also a question of diminishing returns. Is a $100 bottle of wine better than a $10 bottle? Usually, yes. But is it ten times better? Not even close. Same with this. Miguel might roast a damn fine Yemen but I’m still not paying 10x the cost of another Yemen that’s “merely” very good.

Moreover, I think the chances of him definitively producing the best Yemen possible (to continue the example) are very slim. Lots of roasters score 90+ from Kenneth Davids. (Of course, many don’t.) Miguel is asking us to believe not just that he’s very good or even among the best, which I can accept, but that no one can roast nearly as well as he can and that this extra level of ability is worth a 1000% markup, and that’s demonstrably untrue.

This doesn’t even take into account that most of the work of a quality bean happens in the growing phase. Are there any farmers getting paid a commensurate 10x the market rate for Miguel’s green coffees? I doubt it.

-a