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CALI COFFEE

How an Independent Coffee Chain Brewed a 38% Cost Reduction

  • Type
  • Specialty coffee chain
  • Locations
  • 12 cafes across California
  • Monthly Spend
  • $85,000 on supplies and ingredients
  • Investment
  • $99/month

How an Independent Coffee Chain Brewed a 38% Cost Reduction

In the heart of California, CALI COFFEE built its reputation on one promise — serving artisanal, high-quality coffee that customers couldn’t find at big chains. But behind the perfect brews was a growing operational struggle.

Running 12 specialty cafes while competing with national giants came with big challenges: rising costs, complex sourcing, and little time to focus on growth.

The Challenge

CALI COFFEE faced the classic small-chain dilemma:

  • Price disadvantage → Paying 20-30% more than large chains for supplies
  • Complex sourcing → Managing 8 roasters, 15 food suppliers, and 10 equipment vendors
  • Inconsistent pricing → Same products cost different amounts across locations
  • Manual overload → The owner spent 15+ hours weekly on procurement tasks
  • Growth barriers → Expansion plans stalled due to operational complexity

For founder Carlos Rodriguez, it wasn’t sustainable. He started CALI COFFEE to brew exceptional coffee, not to wrestle with spreadsheets. Something had to change.

The Turning Point

Enter ProcurementExpress — a platform designed to simplify multi-location procurement.

CALI COFFEE adopted the system in just three weeks:

  • Day 1-3: System setup via mobile app
  • Day 4-7: Uploaded all supplier catalogs
  • Week 2: Trained all 12 café managers — just 30 minutes each
  • Week 3: Full rollout across all locations

By week three, procurement transformed from a time-consuming headache into a streamlined, automated process.

Smart Features That Changed Everything

These automation-driven tools gave CALI COFFEE complete control over costs, inventory, and margins.

  • ☕
  • Chrome Extension
  • Create purchase orders directly from supplier websites
  • 💰
  • Budget Alerts
  • Notifications when spending approaches set limits
  • 📈
  • Price Tracking
  • Historical data for better supplier negotiations
  • 🥤
  • Recipe Costing
  • Automatic calculation of drink costs
  • 🚚
  • Vendor Scorecards
  • Monitor supplier delivery accuracy & quality

The Transformation

  • Cost Revolution
  • 38% reduction in overall supply costs
  • $32,300 saved annually on coffee beans alone
  • 22% decrease in food costs while improving quality
  • $8,500 recovered from billing errors in the first quarter
  • Operational Efficiency
  • Procurement time reduced from 15 hours → 2 hours per week
  • One-click reordering for 80% of regular items
  • Inventory counts dropped by 50% with better tracking
  • New café setup time shrank from 3 weeks → 3 days
  • Business Growth
  • Opened 3 new locations in 12 months (vs. 1 planned)
  • Profit margins improved from 8% → 14%
  • Launched a wholesale coffee program using freed-up time
  • Employee satisfaction soared thanks to simplified processes
  • Sustainability Wins
  • 25% reduction in food waste through smarter ordering
  • Partnered with 5 local suppliers for sustainable sourcing
  • Achieved B-Corp certification, driven by supply chain transparency

The Voice of Success

“I started CALI COFFEE to make great coffee, not to wrestle with spreadsheets. ProcurementExpress gave me my life back while actually improving our margins. At $99/month, it’s the best investment I’ve ever made. We’re now planning to expand to 25 locations — something that felt impossible before.”
— Carlos RodriguezFounder & CEO, CALI COFFEE

Key Metrics at a Glance

ROI Period
0 Days
Monthly Time Saved
0 hours
Annual Cost Savings
$ 0
  • Growth Enabled
  • 3 new locations, 25% revenue increase

The Takeaway

With ProcurementExpress, CALI COFFEE turned a manual, fragmented procurement system into a streamlined, cost-saving engine.

Even small hospitality businesses can now achieve enterprise-level procurement efficiency at an entry-level price point — unlocking faster growth, better margins, and smoother operations.