Share This
For many coffee lovers out there who live in Manchester, many would remember a quaint and fairly popular coffee shop called Grindsmith that closed down about 4 years ago. Noted for it’s unique and artistic environment it makes one wonder why this particular coffee shop failed to survive like many others such as Nexus Art café or Teacup.
Now, a new Grindsmith has reached out to kickstarter with different founders, concepts and so on, the only thing that seems to be the same between the two business besides the name is their focus on using coffee as its starting point. The question that I shall address is whether the same fate shall befall this new business or whether it will power through as a startup, taking into account the better economy.
First, Grindsmith created by Luke Tomlinson began this coffee startup journey with a mobile coffee business in 2010 where he had braved through the ever-unpredictable Manchester weather whilst perfecting his barista skills over the last few years. His business partner Pete Gibson who joined him later on had started talking about evolving the business and so the idea of an independent, eco-friendly coffee pod emerged.
The idea is meant to be a key factor in attracting customers as they described it as “modern day oasis” that will lure even time-pressured city dweller with its woody charm and country vibes. In comparison to the previous Grindsmith it certainly has its own brand of uniqueness to it that allows many people to just enjoy the their time there instead of feeling the pressures of the outside world so frequently found in other coffee shop chains such as Starbucks.
This being said, we need to evaluate the threats that this business will face; as stated by the both Luke and Pete they have gone through the whole nine yards plus another fifty that have blindsided them. Analysing some obvious threats is the fact that the pod is small to give customers a cozy feel but with limited space to sit it may drive customers away from the business because there is not enough room to provide the customer with the relaxation that they aimed to gain.
Another factor that both partners have pointed out is that with any startup, one hopes that from day one there will be an influx of customers. This obviously is not true but the extra money that the project has gained from kickstarter is said to help them during the colder months when people are less likely to make a trek outside for a cup of coffee.
Therefore, with a brief analysis of both the pros and cons of the business; with the better economic situation we see that the possibility of survival for this startup is higher. This is because with less people worrying about saving and the economy, consumers will be more willing to spend on something that gets them through the tiring day of any nine to five job. Also, their future prospect, using their kickstarter success as a basis for this prediction seems to be bright especially, with the extreme cold and hot spells of the weather many people will need a place to be able to find solace outside the bustling streets of Manchester.
