Elizaveta Dmitrieva
Stanislav Khudenko
Tatiana Kaverina
Yuri Korinevskii
Ruslan Stoyanov
The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)
Natalia Yankovskaya
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A Cup Coffeeshop employed the innovative technique of coffee cupping, also known as cup tasting. With such technique costumers may taste different batches of coffee in order to get a better understanding of various types of the drink and check the quality. The technique is also helpful in promoting conscious coffee consumption.
This initiative relates to Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good health and well-being) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production).
Previously this experience was reserved only for the professional coffee evaluators, but A Cup Coffeeshop changed that. At a cupping session, the company offers a variety of samples. They are coffee from the same origin but different farms, they may represent different varieties and processing methods, and they may even be from different countries. Many people think they probably will not be able to notice anything and are surprised to discover how different coffees actually taste when you do flavour comparisons.
Such sessions, held every weekend, are a unique experience for children and teenagers who can cast a glance at the work of a barista. Sure enough, adults love it as well since this is a healthy and exotic alternative to the trivial wine tastings that everyone seems to have grown used to.
All in all, this small-scale innovation works to further our common progress in achieving SDG 3 – healthy lives and well-being – by introducing new health-friendly types of educational entertainment. It also promotes conscious consumption because people who have tasted many varieties of coffee during cupping sessions better understand which types of coffee they really prefer. So, they do not impulsively buy shiny packages of coffee that they will drink once, get disappointed and throw away.
Based on the idea of wine tasting and the wide variety of coffees on the market, cupping was conceived as an educational process that allows you to taste different types of coffee from different parts of the world. Subsequently, the idea evolved into the concept of smart consumption.
Mikhail Dmitriev - the founder and CEO of the company and his team of baristas came up with this innovation. They made a purchase of various types of coffee and invited those who wish to taste. Subsequently, cupping became a regular activity of the company.
Mikhail Dmitriev proceeded from the idea that wine tasting is a process, firstly, not accessible to a wide segment of the population, and, secondly, it is still harmful to health. Tea tasting is widespread in China. Why can't we do coffee tasting?
The creators of cupping aimed to raise the cultural level of coffee consumption and instill love for the drink. And the educational process was made by interesting stories related to the history of the origin, cultivation and production of coffee around the world.
«Based on the idea of wine tasting and the wide variety of coffees on the market, cupping was conceived as an educational process that allows you to taste different types of coffee from different parts of the world. Our innovators were very inspired by this idea.»
This innovation is mainly raising coffee culture among participants of the event, broadening their horizons on coffee industry and features of profession, which teaches them to be more specific and conscious in terms of product consumption.
In other words, selectivity of coffee varieties gives not only new experience to consumers in short term prospect, but is also oriented on forming new attitude to the whole industry in the future. As a result, new culture of more reasonable consumption will appear in long term prospect.
The efficiency of innovation can be proven by getting feedback from the visitors who share their opinion and emotions on cupping. For example, due to one such exchange, a client’s desire to consume certain type of coffee was identified. Besides, impact can be demonstrated by the practical reduction in discarded cups of unfinished coffee in a coffee shop.
Cupping sessions are free of charge and anyone can join in. This innovation benefits the business by increasing popularity of the coffee house, as a new original way of interaction with consumers is demonstrated. Moreover, as this innovation is oriented both at clients and the environment, it forms an image of a socially responsible company which develops coffee culture among visitors and changes consumer behavior for sustainable development purposes. Without a doubt such policy will be profitable in long term prospect as consumers will appreciate this attention to both the audience and ecological problems.
This innovation gives people new views on coffee itself, helps them to understand their own tastes, and changes their attitude to coffee consumption, making it more reasonable and healthier. Obviously, new consumption behavior results in reduction of discarded coffee packages such as plastic waste (cups, tubes, lids, coffee packages) and mixed waste (coffee itself, sugar, milk, cream, etc.). At the same time, promoting coffee culture teaches people a reasonable approach to caffeine consumption, as drinking coffee in moderation is key to benefitting from magnesium and potassium and other elements it contains.
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Mikhail Dmitriev, Founder & CEO
A Cup Сoffeeshop is a very young, but corporate socially responsible organization created in 2017. This coffeeshop is located on Velasquez Boulevard, 5c1 in Moscow. Coffee cupping or cup tasting is one of the innovative techniques employed by A Cup Coffeeshop. This is how coffee is tasted by producers and buyers around the world to check the quality of a batch of coffee. This technique helps people raise awareness in coffee and promotes conscious coffee consumption.