The Story of ROCC Coffee
Adam entered China as an English teacher and quickly realized that while the benefits were nice and the experience was OK, this was not his end goal. Mr. Huangshi, as he is affectionately called was able to establish relationships with foreigners who wanted to visit China as well as build upon his relationships with Chinese schools. As with all great businesses, Adam recognized a problem and wanted to be a part of the solution. He was vetted by some of his friends to recruit high quality foreign teachers for China and he graciously accepted the challenge. After doing this for a while and through the counsel of friends Zhong Relations (ZR), a nonprofit recruiting organization was born.
ZR has since dissolved as Adam says “He didn’t want to stay in English long term and he and his wife wanted to be working alongside the Chinese and servicing in a more personal way, while they loved ZR and all of the people involved it was simply not the end goal.”
The end is always the beginning of something new. With the closing of ZR and now having two small children to raise. Adam pondered, “What do I have a natural advantage at and what am I interested in?” Adam looked to his childhood for inspiration, growing up on a farm he’s a natural foodie and being in China where fresh food is abundant he thought why not coffee. Adam says “Coffee is relational. It is natural and from the Earth since it is a fruit, but the process of roasting requires skill and it is a craft.” Adam also thinks about how there is “tradition, history and science” involved in making great coffee. Coffee is fairly new to China and is seen as a “western drink” so this gave Adam an opportunity to capitalize on everything that made him different in China, an American farm boy who loves coffee. This was Adam’s golden ticket out of education and he cashed in immediately.
Adam grew up working on a farm with his grandfather and cousins. Adam credits his father and grandfather as his greatest mentors. He delights in the fact that mentoring is about the daily work experience not “sitting across a table with a notepad, but proclaims it is very actionable.” Although he graduated college with a business degree he attests that growing up on a farm really enhanced his business skills. Adam bought a second-hand roaster off of Craigslist and had it shipped by boat to Wuhan. He had to learn how to install, fix and operate the machine. He attributes his childhood to being able to handle the challenges of owning and operating heavy machinery, because “when the tractor breaks you have to fix it so the crops can be harvested.”
Thus, Roasters of Central China (ROCC) Coffee was founded. When asked how ROCC has been able to sustain and navigate in an overly saturated market, Adam cites ROCC having fresh roasted and brewed coffee. ROCC coffee beans undergo a sustainable purchasing process where green raw coffee beans are selected. The beans are harvested, processed, pulped and dried on the farm then ROCC purchases them as green coffee beans. Adam declares the “differentiating point between ROCC and other roasters is that they clean the beans before they roast them.” This is done to eliminate beans that may be broken, improperly dried, or have some other defect. “This process is labor intensive but it is an act of love” he says this with a slight smile. He also shared with me one of their trade secrets and he has allowed me to tell you. Adam says that ROCC’s biggest secret is “they try to emphasize the pleasing aromas and the sweetness of coffee.” Adam informed me that most people think coffee is bitter, because they have had a bad experience with burnt, overly roasted and poorly preserved coffee.
ROCC has a unique advantage in that they are conducting business to business sales. As the supplier, ROCC aims to educate staff and the businesses they serve on what good coffee looks, taste and smells like. Adam further states that a major issue in China is that there isn’t a “coffee habit” so consumers are confused on how to approach the product, where as in western countries there is a morning coffee routine and coffee houses are seen as “third spaces,” Howard Schultz of Starbucks, coined the term; where the coffee house is the place between work and home, where one can read a book, relax and have a meeting or two with friends.
ROCC is continually growing, but they are not exempt from challenges. Adam shared with me a few of those challenges:
- Internally there is a false assumption that being a foreigner means being special. Therefore, it is important to remember to stay humble and understand that while there is some competitive edge it is fleeting.
- Remain proactive and reactive. Living in a city where the slogan is “Wuhan is different everyday” Adam notices that things are moving at the speed of light and if ROCC doesn’t respond quickly or is left unprepared they could quickly meet their demise.
- Finances are a biggie for every business and ROCC is no exception. Adam says that long gone are the days where the rich foreigner comes to China and multiplies their wealth, noting that Chinese business owners have deep pockets and access to capital quicker.
- Finally, Adam disclosed that not truly understanding the business environment such as the cost of expenses or business practices and censorship has caused problems. ROCC’s website is based in America and often consumers cannot access the portal to make purchases or even view the website.
“When you’re just building the business you need to pour everything into the business, because if you don’t you are short changing your future”
This piece of advice is why Adam is more concerned with cultivating a great group of staff than stretching himself too thin or confusing his brand. While Adam is pouring all of his energy into ROCC he still finds time to give back to an organization called Journey of a Joyful Life that serves orphans who have some form of disability ranging from mild to severe. ROCC is always looking to impact the community and is currently doing this through holding Coffee English and training through local vocational schools.
You can purchase and contact ROCC through their website, Facebook or WeChat by scanning the QR code below. .
