EP1643 Part 3 of 5 | Most Coffee Businesses Aren’t Actually Profitable (Lee Safar) Map It Forward

**Advertising Sponsor** Want to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community by signing up for the "Roasted Coffee" tier for 20 USD per month. Find other like-minded people in the coffee industry. This community is open to all stakeholders in the coffee industry **Episode Description** This is episode 3 of a five-part solo series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward titled Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud. In this episode, Lee Safar examines why so many coffee businesses appear successful while their owners remain unpaid and their margins remain dangerously thin. Many cafés, roasteries and farms generate significant revenue without producing sustainable profit. Owners often work long hours without paying themselves properly, while mistaking money moving through the business for financial success. Lee explores coffee’s low barrier to entry, the difference between revenue and profit, and what she calls the success fallacy—the belief that a busy café, polished brand or high sales figure automatically represents a healthy business. She also distinguishes between the custodians of coffee—the producers, exporters, importers, roasters and cafés responsible for moving coffee through the supply chain—and the businesses built around them, including landlords, banks, equipment manufacturers, software providers and industry associations. While the custodians often operate on razor-thin margins, many of the surrounding businesses continue to profit from them. This episode challenges the industry to stop valuing appearances, branding and revenue over sound financial fundamentals. A responsible coffee business must understand its numbers, pay its owner and employees properly, price its products responsibly and generate enough profit to survive. **Connect with Lee Safar here:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar/ https://www.instagram.com/leesafar If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: [support@mapitforward.org](mailto:support@mapitforward.org?)