If you’re looking for the most successful small business ideas, opening a coffee franchise might not seem like a probable choice. However, statistics show that coffee shops have a 7% international growth rate, making cafes one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. This level of success is due to the prominent place this hot beverage has found in modern society, which has caused many scientists to invest significant time and research into discovering the secrets of a perfect cup of coffee. Can their research help you take advantage of one of the most successful small business ideas? Read on to find out!
Temperature
Most people know how hard it is to brew a cup of coffee that is hot enough to taste delicious without burning the drinker’s tongue. For that reason, researchers at the University of Texas at Tyler had a pool of 300 researchers sample coffee at different temperatures to find the optimal range. Their answer? 136 degrees Fahrenheit, or roughly 57.8 degrees Celsius. While this factor might be hard to control in a coffee van or cafe, striving to hit that perfect temperature might be worth the results.
Taste
While the way the coffee beans are grown, roasted and blended largely determines how the brew tastes, researchers have found that how the coffee is served also has an impact on this feature. If coffee is served in a white mug or cup, for example, researchers have found that the color contrast between the beverage and the container will cause our brains to interpret the taste as more bitter. In contrast, if coffee is served in a clear, glass mug, it will taste sweeter.
Time
The average person likely drinks their coffee first thing in the morning, hoping that the caffeine will help kickstart their day. However, researchers have pointed out that because of our body’s circadian rhythms, or the points when our cortisol levels are low, this may not be as effective as we might hope. Instead, we should drink coffee in the late morning, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and again in the afternoon, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Because of this, it might be preferable to run a mobile cafe business, which will let you move to more populated areas just in time for these prime business periods.
While coffee shops and mobile cafes might not seem like the most successful small business ideas at first, the high demand for this product and rapid growth of the industry makes it clear that it is one of the best investments you can make. Moreover, thanks to all of the research on coffee, it is simple to use the information available to further improve your business. Should you open a cafe? Contact a coffee franchise today to find out.