Coffee is a global drink loved by so many. From the simple espresso in Italy to the cinnamon added in Mexico, coffee is a global beverage. The origins of coffee date back to the ninth century. Legend has it that in a remote part of Ethiopia, a goat herder noticed his goats dancing about and full of energy. He realized they had eaten some nearby small red berries. Once the herder tried the berries, he too was dancing. The small red berries ushered in the discovery of coffee as a drink we cannot seem to get by without.

With a love for coffee and the thoughts of goats dancing in their heads, husband and wife Larry and Cherie Challain opened their first coffee bar—Dancing Goats in Olympia, Washington, in 1988. But as any coffee entrepreneur knows, a coffee bar is only as good as the coffee it serves. In a quest to serve the freshest coffee in the world, the duo acquired Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters.
Roasting good coffee starts with finding the best coffee beans. The Challains know that to get good coffee beans, it is important to go to the source. By developing direct relationships with coffee farmers, Batdorf &
Bronson is assured of the most sustainable and environmentally sourced beans in the industry.
For example, the Ethiopia Sidamo Guji is a grade 1 natural-processed bean grown on a privately held farm—Kayon Mountain. The farm is owned by Ato Esmael and his family. This organic-certified farm produces all-natural, sun-dried, and fully washed coffee. Sun drying means that once the beans are picked and washed, they are dried on raised beds for 12–20 days.

Case Questions 1.. Batdorf & Bronson is a coffee roasting facility. Dancing Goats Coffee Bars are retail stores. How does the ownership of a retail store help the supplier (Batdorf & Bronson) understand its customer?
2.. Batdorf & Bronson has direct relationships with the family farms that grow the beans it buys, roasts, and distributes nationwide. How does this relationship with the coffee growers benefit its retail partners?
3.. When Batdorf & Bronson provides a master barista to help train and educate retail partners, what is the value proposition it provides to the coffee bars that buy beans from it?
4.. How is Batdorf & Bronson fulfilling the marketing concept?