North Jersey coffee shops brew new ideas to compete with larger chains
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY JANUARY 20, 2014, 3:15 PM
BY ANDREW WYRICH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Local coffee shops can’t compete with the big chains on visibility, marketing and brand-name recognition. But what really counts, they say, is what’s in the cup, and that’s where they think they can hold their own.
North Jersey coffee shop owners are spending more time — and money — focusing on getting better coffee beans, and sometimes roasting their own. And they’re also reaching out into their communities, building relationships, name recognition and their own brand of loyalty with their best customers.
It isn’t easy, in a saturated market where the big name retailers like Starbucks, with 47 stores in Bergen and Passaic counties, and Dunkin’ Donuts, with 50, seem to be on every corner. They’re competing for an ever-increasing number of people seeking their daily caffeine fix. The National Coffee Association’s latest survey last September showed that 83 percent of adults in the United States drank coffee in one form or another, up 5 percent from 2012, and one third of consumers drink a “gourmet” coffee each day — or something other than your average blend.
That’s not news to Terry Jung, co-owner of Ridgewood Coffee Co.
