22 February 2006

Coffee, Coffee Everywhere!

I can't speak for the rest of Washington state ( but I would bet that this applies to it), but Yakima has more than it's fair share of coffee shops and coffee stands. A quick search yields 52 results! In 2000, the population of Yakima was 71,845.
Using conservative values:
  1. Assume 10% of the citizens of Yakima purchase coffee or espresso drinks at these shops (approximately 7,185 Yakima citizens).
  2. 7,185 customers / 52 "dealers" ~ 140 customers per shop/stand.
  3. Let's assume the shops/stands make $2/day*person, 5 days per week. 140*2*5*52=$72,800/yr*shop or all coffee shops = $3.8 million!
  4. After the 8.2% sales tax in Yakima: $3.5 million/yr profit for the coffee shops & stands
I enjoy a cup of coffee or a latte as much as the next Cutler, but this seems absurd for a city of Yakima's size. I actually hope that I estimated something wrong and over inflated the amount spent by Yakima citizens on coffee. Sadly, I doubt it, because of the large number of coffee shops around town.

Below is a Google Earth image showing many of the coffee shops (but not all)![Edited to add] The Safeway locations are displayed because each Safeway contains a Starbucks stand!

5 comments:

Andy said...

Wow, that's really interesting how you could draw a straight longitudinal line across that map separating the green terrain from the brown. Which part has the sagebrush?

Patrick Wellner said...

Obviously, a mosaic of different satellite images (year & season) were used by google earth. The worst sagebrush areas are to the north and south of Yakima. Immediately east and west are very well irrigated... far enough east and you will find more sagebrush... far enough west and you will be climbing the Cascades.

Arnold said...

You know, this morning I had my first cup of Starbucks coffee. The Coffee of the Day was only $90.00. I forget what it was called. Guatemala Mamma-Slapper I think.

Benjamin Cutler said...

I have 1 pound of Kenyan Peaberry, 1.5 pounds of Columbian Peaberry, 5 pounds of Kenyan Peaberry Lot 54 (Tom from Sweet Maria's says that's one of his favorite recent arrivals), and 2 pounds of PNG (Papa New Guinea) all green. I'm gonna have to roast some tomorrow at noon if I get a chance since its suppose to cool back down here Saturday. Was gonna yesterday, but I was unable to, and I was kind of busy today too (until it got dark).

On the note of coffee, there's a new brewer out (kind of like a French Press, but different enough in brewing style to give different results) called the AeroPress (invented by the same guy who invented the Aerobie flying ring). A lot of the coffee guys are giving it good reviews and it's about the same price as a French Press (read $30), so I went ahead and ordered one. Can't have too many ways to brew coffee. Now I just need to order that Rancilio Silvia.

Patrick Wellner said...

Cutler, you would fit in out here sooo well! If you were, god forbid, a Seahawks fan you could easily be though of as a native of Eastern Washington.
1. coffee expert/lover
2. can't handle a nice winter ;)