We’re rounding out our month of nesting today and Wednesday. What’s cozier than a cup of hot coffee? If you’ve ever wondered where your morning cup of Joe comes from, meet John Curry, owner of Buona Caffe, an artisan coffee roaster.
Can you explain what you do for a living?
I roast and sell specialty coffee.
When do you use basic math in your job?
I use math to figure out how much coffee I need to roast for our orders. When coffee is roasted, it loses about 18% of its weight. I have to take that into account in my calculations. On my blends, I have to calculate proportions of coffees, whether it’s for a 12-ounce retail bag or a 5-pound bag for a restaurant. We also use math for brewing coffee – different brewing methods require different amounts of grounds and ratios to water.
We have to consider shipping weights when we order green coffee beans. And I use basic math for running the business – tracking sales and outstanding invoices, forecasting sales, that kind of thing.
I use math is just about every aspect of roasting and selling coffee. Math is a very important part of running your own business. Money is all numbers!
Do you use any technology to help with this math?
Yes. I use a calculator to do proportions for blends. Accuracy is very important.
How do you think math helps you do your job better?
Without it, I couldn’t be sure of any of my measurements. Since we sell a food product, it’s very important that our product weighs what the label says it weighs and that our proportions are accurate. If we don’t do the right math every time, our coffee won’t taste as good as it should!
How comfortable with math do you feel?
I feel relatively comfortable with math all the time. I use it with hobbies as well, such as woodworking. I also use math with spreadsheets.
What kind of math did you take in high school?
That was a long time ago! I know I took geometry. I didn’t take any higher level math. I did not like math, and I was not good at it. I was better at geometry than other kinds of math. I feel more comfortable with math now than I did then.
Did you have to learn new skills to do this math?
I didn’t have to learn new skills to do this math. I do a lot of percentages and ratios.
So what are your big questions about roasting coffee? Ask John!