Devotees of Stump-town Coffee, a high-end roastery with fewer than 10 total locations in four select cities, pride themselves on avoiding mainstream coffee chains. What they are probably unaware of, however, as they sip their mochas and cold brews, is that their favorite spot of individuality may soon be just another chain in the Phoenix airport. What they might suspect even less is that they will have a different shopping experience in the coffee shop.
Stump-town, the iconic small-scale brand, was recently acquired by Peet’s, a chain with a couple hundred locations. Peet’s has been in the news for taking over Intelligentsia, another well-loved and self-consciously indie coffee brand. Stump-town’s sale to Peet’s exemplifies an economic phenomenon not limited to the world of craft coffee. Stump-town joins the ranks of a number of popular brands that went from independent to corporate - then Italian San Pellegrino, now owned by the Swiss giant Nestle (along with its main competitor Perrier), the originally Quaker-owned chocolate-bar maker, Cad-bury, acquired by the U. S. corporation formerly known as Kraft, and The Body Shop, the cosmetics brand synonymous with ethical sourcing, bought by the French behemoth L’Oreal, to name a few.
Stump-town’s story is typical of an innovative young venture becoming a victim of its own success. Founded in 1999 by Duane Sorenson in his native Oregon, it turned into a national phenomenon and was at the forefront of the small-scale retailers that positioned coffee - making, and coffee-drinking, as a kind of art form. Stump-town’s business model rested on providing an intensely personal experience. Coffee-drinkers were treated with top-notch beans and unique brews crafted in Stump-town’s “coffee labs,” But these personal touches don’t fit well in the assembly lines of large-scale operations.
The arithmetic of the “bigger is better” paradigm(范例), or what economist call “economies of scale,” is simple enough. The larger the machine, the more lattes it can spew out. Most of all, scale translates into standardization: the conversion of an unpredictable creative process into a precise and highly economical algorithm(算法)of production. All of this means more profits.
But, based on studies of human behavior in places ranging from blood banks to daycare centers, academics now recognize that the calculus is more complex: People act more responsibly in the context of personal relationships that are meaningful to them than in strictly commercial deals, Loyal customers don’t mind going that extra mile to get the perfect cup of coffee.
Smaller institutions have much to offer - not just sentimentally, but also in terms of pure economics. The idea goes back to the 20th century British economist E. F. Schumacher’s declaration that “Small is beautiful,” a notion fashionable again in the era of institutions “too big to fail.” Since the logic of scale is more attuned to quantity than quality, workers (whose wages are usually driven down), consumers (who enjoy lower prices, but usually get a worse product) and the landscape of the economy (which shows signs of marked decreases in diversity) all suffer from growth that is too rapid. Size is the traditional measurement of a company’s success, but when stability is pursued as passionately as profit, less may truly be more.
【小题1】Which of the following statements about Stump-town Coffee is NOT true?| A．The brand of Stump-town used to highlight individuality. |
| B．The loyal consumers of Stump-town are aware of its intention for business expansion. |
| C．It was Stump-town’s own success that drew the attention of a large-scale corporation. |
| D．Stump-town’s acquisition case reflects a worldwide trend of independent brands going corporate. |
| A．It means bigger companies ensure a better relationship between the brand and its consumers. |
| B．It means economic returns increase with the rise of the cost. |
| C．It means standardized scale is the working model for big companies. |
| D．It means the precisely calculated process of mass production is the profitable model. |
| A．Blood banks offered valid proof for the idea “The bigger, the better.” |
| B．Loyalty of the customers is the central issue in the success of smaller businesses. |
| C．Smaller businesses make people feel emotional attachment, but they will ultimately fail because of their size. |
| D．Smaller companies stand a chance to succeed if they can ensure stability. |
| A．How Badly Hurting Are Those Acquisition Cases? |
| B．Should Every Business Scale Up? |
| C．How Long Will Uniformity Go in Globalization? |
| D．Will Stump-town Coffee Regain Its Identity? |
