|
|
|
Who We Are
Grumpy Mule is, in essence, a brand with a difference. The
idea for Grumpy Mule had to be entirely holistic so that it
would become an entity in its own right, rather than simply
being a product range with added cachet. It would encompass
a way of working, a set of values and a whole new approach
to customer commitment. And, most importantly of all, it had
to be about really great coffee.
We began with an idealistic principle. We must source coffees
whose aromas and flavours are markedly better and more complex
than the majority of those currently available for retail,
regardless of how much they cost.
We had been exposed to such coffees over the past few years
and knew they existed, but were frustrated to discover that
they were either not readily available to day to day coffee
drinkers or that when they were, the inflated price was the
only information provided hinting that the coffee might just
be better the cheaper alternative.
The coffees that we would source would come from farms, estates
and cooperatives where there is a drive to improve quality,
but never at the expense of the local environment or communities.
And to ensure optimum quality, they must be sourced in line
with the varying harvesting seasons that exist between coffee
growing origins.
In return for this improved quality of coffee, we had to be
prepared to tell the story of the coffee ís a journey
from tree to cup and reward the farmers by raising the profile
of their speciality coffees whilst offering a sustainable
price for it.
We also had to understand and convey the message that variations
in Arabica varieties, harvesting and processing techniques
also strongly affect the way the coffees taste and enhance
their uniqueness. These are distinctive - not novelty - coffees.
We would then have to roast the coffees to suit their individual
characteristics, and ensure the highest standard of freshness
through immediate packing into state of the art packaging,
and direct delivery to the consumer.
However, we also realised how important it would be to make
these coffees as accessible as possible and that to achieve
this we would need to work alongside retail outlets with an
equal dedication to the cause, who would also be prepared
to spread the message about distinctive coffee.
None
of this would work unless we were passionate about coffee
ourselves, and were dedicated to a transparent, sustainable
and customer driven approach. Everyone's input would be vital!
|
Grumpy Mule -
as legend would have it:
Having carried two heavy sacks of coffee down the steep mountainside,
the mule was less than impressed.
Grumpy Mule the reality:
The Mule demonstrates the hard work and labour that goes into
the cultivation and harvesting of the coffee the type of commitment
and graft that produces such a high quality outcome.
It is also a light-hearted way of reflecting the generalisations
and misunderstandings in the coffee industry and in its perception
by the consumer - mules are often dismissed as grumpy or stubborn
whereas the reality is much more complex. Again, we want to
break down such misrepresentations and show what coffee really
is and how it arrives in your cup.
The Mule also symbolises the exploitation that has clouded
the coffee industry over the years, and been the flip side
of people ís genuine affection for the drink. Itís
time for a new chapter where the emerging speciality coffee
sector leaves behind the traditional commodity coffee market
to guarantee and sustain the future of great coffee.
And ultimately this is the positive aspect - a chance to really
show-off high quality, distinctive coffees that will be both
memorable in taste and story. This is the only way to make
the Mule truly contented.
|
|
