My wife and I stopped at Alterra on the Lake this morning for coffee and a bite to eat – which was a big deal to us since we were kid-free for a few hours (and because I love Alterra Coffee as much as I love my wife and kids).
It was a beautiful morning to be down by the lake so we weren’t surprised to see a huge crowd at Alterra. But as someone in the business of building brands, I’m always inspired when I see customers willing to stand in line for 15 minutes for a company’s “goods and services.” (OK, I have no idea if it was really 15 minutes, but you get the idea that it was busy, right?)
While standing in line I asked myself, “why on earth would I wait in line for a cup of coffee?” It’s not like I couldn’t have just brewed a pot at home or hit the drive-through at McDonald’s – or my personal favorite, the “Morning Blend” at the local BP. I could see if I was standing in line for rations of water after a 7 year drought, but it’s JUST COFFEE!
So again, why wait? Well, I have two theories on this. The first is that Alterra injects a mind-numbing agent into each cup of coffee, taking away my free will and my ability to choose a different coffee source. But since I can’t prove this yet, I’ll have to share my other thoughts on why I choose to wait.
For me, it’s not just about the coffee – although it’s damn good! Alterra has created a brand that is just so easy to grab hold of. They have done a great job of creating a community (or a cult following) so I feel as if I’m part of something bigger simply by sipping their cup-of-goodness! Holding one of their well-designed coffee cups makes me feel like I was just given an all-day pass to hang out with the cool kids.
As a graphic designer I can’t get enough of their packaging, in-store banners, wearables, etc. so I’m willing to wait in line (and even pay a little extra for awesomeness). But for those of you not in the design industry, what keeps you coming back? Is it really just the coffee or have you also been affected by their mind-numbing agent? Leave a comment below as I’m trying to gather evidence to prove my original theory!
