Adaptability and flexibility
By Momoko
[I] am constantly reminding myself that this project is more of a collaborative, cooperative effort. It is not about us immediately trying to solve everything, but more about understanding the main task at hand: how can we best help our client?
It can be so tempting to want to solve all our client’s queries, to present a neatly organized plan with detailed how-to’s and checklists. Here, simply follow this plan and you’ll be all set! All we need to do is research everything, go through the details enough times, and we’ll have it. It’s a seductive line of thinking.
But I am constantly reminding myself that this project is more of a collaborative, cooperative effort. It is not about us immediately trying to solve everything, but more about understanding the main task at hand: how can we best help our client? I am also recognizing my limitations in technical expertise, as I am not a regulatory expert or a lawyer. While diving into the FDA website to parse through details of coffee labeling can feel useful and productive, I am not an expert. And through these ruminations and realizations, I am recognizing the importance of primary research and interviews.
Initially, I had focused on doing market research and finding consumer information through resources like IBISWorld and Mintel. I thought, let’s see how the macro trends play out, see if the pandemic has affected coffee drinking habits (it really hasn’t, except that people drink coffee more at home than buying it at a coffeeshop). But being able to connect to coffee experts, those directly in the industry is very crucial. What are the current trends now? What are coffee drinkers really looking for? Would they buy coffee that’s already roasted and ground at a premium price? Or should our client stick to green coffee exporting? Do things really work the way the FDA lays it out?
It’s been exciting to make those connections, and our team has been able to interview an expert who has worked in the coffee industry for over ten years. We’ve also been able to connect to a green coffee expert, who we’re hoping will provide further insight into the sourcing process in the US. Our next plan is to contact an organization specifically focused on educating Spanish speaking producers and exporters of green coffee to see how they may be able to help the cooperative or what thoughts they may have with regards to strategy.
While I feel we have made some progress, I am eager to talk with our client again and get more feedback. I want to make sure we are still on the right track, that the information we are gathering is useful for our client.
What I am constantly learning is that what helps the client isn’t necessarily what I initially thought, and therefore it’s essential to have a constant feedback communication loop. Never make quick assumptions and instead, continue to ask and question through humble inquiry.