Andrew Hetzel and Cafemakers Making Coffee News

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CSP Magazine - June 25, 2008

More Than Beans: Coffee upgrades are the norm, but how much should retailers invest?

Article by Joe Bush explores findings from the first CSP Magazine Hot Beverage Symposium and summarizes the positions recommended by experts and taken by convenience store retailers to improve their coffee offerings.

Removed from the era of "gas-station coffee," the convenience channel today faces a conundrum as it pursues even greater purchases from its coffee loyalists.

With the likes of McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts and other well-heeled titans fashioning total breakfast menus, convenience operators are now questioning how they should respond in this a.m. tit-for-tat.

"You don't have to be a knockoff of one of the retail coffee chains that's out there," cautioned Andrew Hetzel, director of Kamuela, Hawaii-based Cafemakers, who quickly dispelled the notion of one-size-fits-all.

Read the full article here: More Than Beans

CSP Magazine - March 12, 2008

Hot Beverage Brouhaha: Symposium stresses high-end coffee, strength despite sagging economy

Andrew Hetzel recently moderated the first CSP Magazine Hot Beverage Symposium, held in conjunction with the annual Specialty Coffee Association of America conference, this year in Minneapolis. CSP Magazine was there to cover the event:

Convenience store operators can be good Samaritans and boost their bottom lines, all while increasing their legitimacy as a foodservice destination, just by selling high-end coffee. Andrew Hetzel, director of Kamuela, Hawaii-based Cafemakers, a coffee-industry consultancy, told attendees of CSP’s inaugural Hot Beverage Plus Symposium May 5-6 that the specialty-coffee industry needs them as much as c-stores need to upgrade their coffee business.

Read the full article here: Hot Beverage Brouhaha

Associated Press - April 28, 2008

Market Spotlight: Lighter roasts enticing coffee lovers

Andrew Hetzel comments on the growing trend of consumers requesting lighter roasted coffees.

"We're beginning to see a more educated palette," said Andrew Hetzel, a coffee taster and founder of consultant firm Cafemakers, adding that more coffee drinkers are saying "hey, coffee doesn't need to taste like the inside of my barbeque."

Read the full article here: Market Spotlight: Lighter roasts enticing coffee lovers

Singapore New Paper - April 25, 2008

Coffee is art, a performance

Andrew Hetzel is interviewed about barista competitions, including the Singapore Asia Barista Championship.

"Mr Andrew Hetzel, 35, a coffee cupper (professional coffee taster), says: 'These days, coffee machines produce coffee in a very precise manner, correct to one tenth of a degree. A cup of the wrong temperature can ruin that. One tenth of a degree? Why on earth...."

Read the full article here: Coffee is art, a performance

Lodging Magazine - March 1, 2008

Better Than Average Joe

Andrew Hetzel is quoted on current trends in the hospitality industry.

"When it comes to coffee, the old adage "The more things change, the more things stay the same" certainly applies. "There haven’t been many changes in how coffee is extracted since the initial principles were established in the early 1900s," says Andrew Hetzel, founder of Cafemakers, a coffee-industry business consultancy. "You’ve got pressure, heat, water in contact with coffee—and different variations of that formula will change what sort of beverage comes out the other side."

Read the full article here: Better Than Average Joe

Fox Business - February 22, 2008

Coffee Klatch anti-Starbucks promotion sparks indie coffee uprising

Andrew Hetzel comments on the success of the publicity campaign created for client Coffee Klatch Roasting. Over 600 publications carried the story, including the New York Times.

"Independent businesses are smartly seizing this opportunity to turn the tables and spotlight Starbucks' touted 'bold demonstration of commitment,' for what it really is -- an admission of weakness," says specialty coffee industry consultant Andrew Hetzel of Cafemakers. "Local coffee shops everywhere should band together and join in the promotion for maximum impact."

Read the full article here: Coffee Klatch anti-Starbucks promotion

West Hawaii Today - February 18, 2008

Hetzel Makes the Grade

A Waimea-based coffee consultant has become the first Hawaii resident to be certified as a coffee cupping judge by the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

In a five-day series of exams held in January in Waterbury, Vt., Andrew Hetzel of coffee consultancy Cafemakers successfully completed 21 sensory skill and coffee knowledge tests necessary to obtain accreditation. Participants traveled from as far as Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Portugal in pursuit of the certification.

Read the full article here: Hetzel Makes the Grade

Honolulu Star Bulletin - January 31, 2008

To Andrew Hetzel, it does amount to a hill of beans. by Erika Engle

Andrew Hetzel of the Big Island is Hawaii's first certified coffee cupping judge and instructor, after passing exacting testing by the Specialty Coffee Association of America this month.

Certified cuppers can grade coffee "from its green state on through the finished cup," said Ric Rhinehart, executive director of the SCAA. "It is a significant accomplishment, so kudos to him," he said.

Hetzel is one of only 250 SCAA-certified cuppers in the world. He will seek Q Grading certification from the Coffee Quality Institute in March. Its standards are identical, but testing includes an additional 100-question exam.

Read the full article here: To Andrew Hetzel, it does amount to a hill of beans

Delaware Out and About - January, 2008

Coffee's Third Wave

“Most specialty coffee served in coffee shops is over-roasted and inexpertly brewed on automatic machines, which means that you need to add lots of milk and sweeteners to overcome the bitter and sour taste,” says industry consultant Andrew Hetzel. “It’s like with a charred steak, where you taste the char and not the underlying flavor of the steak. Over-roasted coffee hides the inherent flavors of the coffee.”

Read the full article here: Coffee's Third Wave

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