Are you considering opening a specialty coffee business? Do you already own an existing operation? Are you realizing the level of success you had hoped for?

Bean Business Basics is the definitive how-to manual for opening and operating a retail specialty coffee business. The new edition, with a publication date of March, 2002, has been thoroughly updated and expanded to meet the needs of today's specialty coffee entrepreneur. Thousands of copies of the first edition have been sold since the book's publication in 1997.

Bean Business Basics, a 690-page coffee business start-up/operational manual, is unlike any book currently on the market. It is the definitive guide for those starting a retail coffee business and a great manual for existing coffee businesses. Bean Business Basics was written by the professionals who have consulted and trained thousands of gourmet coffee bar employees across the country and around the world. Buying this book is like purchasing tens of thousands of dollars of consulting services.

In addition to updates in each section, this 690-page edition includes a new chapter on expanded beverage offerings entitled, "Espresso Bar Beverages: Beyond the Basics."

Some of the book's 40 chapters include

• Coffee Trends
• Proper Brewing Principles
• Basic Espresso Bar Beverages
• Selecting the Right Coffee & Roaster
• Ordering, Handling & Storing Coffee
• Your Financial Resources
• Finding a Great Location
• Codes, Permits & Red Tape
• Negotiating a Lease
• Design & Construction of your Coffee Bar
• Planning your Coffee Bar Menu
• Choosing & Buying Equipment
• Operational Systems
• Hiring & Managing Employees
• Marketing your Coffee Business
• Record Keeping
• Budget & Cost Controls
• How to Achieve Profitability

The book also includes 26 pages of operational forms and an industry resource appendix and glossary.

Bellissimo received an email from a business and economics professor, Kevin Boyd, who is starting his own espresso business: "Thanks so much for writing Bean Business Basics. While I've never spent that much for a book before, I've never received as much value per dollar spent either. Your book is clear, concise, informative and eye-opening. I honestly can't understand how anyone could even consider entering the specialty coffee business without first reading your "manual" (although I've seen plenty of sad examples of those who have)."

What leaders in the specialty coffee industry say about Bean Business Basics:

Bean Business Basics is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of the specialty coffee industry. This excellent instructional manual should be purchased and carefully studied by anyone investigating the opportunities of opening a coffee cafe, coffee kiosk, or espresso cart. A small investment in your education can yield huge dividends in your operating results.

Ted R. Lingle, Executive Director, Specialty Coffee Association of America

Read it and don't weep! Armed with the information in this manual, success in the specialty coffee business will be a breeze. Whether new, existing, or adding specialty coffee to your food service operation, this book makes great sense. Congratulations to Bellissimo for finally pulling together all the information one needs.

Ward Barbee, Publisher, Fresh Cup Magazine

Finally, the coffee business made clear! Bruce Milletto and Ed Arvidson aren't trying to be coffee gurus...but that is what makes them the common sense gurus of coffee business management. This book is clearly the first choice I would recommend to anyone starting in the coffee business. Before the business plan, bank meetings, visits with equipment vendors, read this book! No existing text is as comprehensive about both the business and the bean, telling you in plain English what you need to succeed. This is the definitive coffee business text.

Kevin Sinnott, Publisher, The Coffee Companion