One of the crucial success factors of starting a coffee shop is establishing a cafe mission and vision that is relevant and practical for people working in the coffee shop business.

In this article, I’ll give you practical ways to create your cafe mission and vision and turn it into reality by regularly communicating it to your employees.

Let’s get started.

Why Your Coffee Shop Needs a Mission and Vision Statement? 

Most business owners, in general, think that mission and vision statements are ‘cliche’ and are a waste of time.

But the reality is an organization’s mission and vision statement significantly impact the lives of people working for it. It resembles how employees engage in their jobs and how they can be more successful in their field of work, whether as a barista or finance assistant.

Here are some compelling reasons why you need to craft or communicate your cafe mission and vision statement: 

1. It gives direction to your business. 

In the fast-changing times where the cafe business and cafe franchise operate today, many more distractions might affect the focus of the cafe owner and their entire team. 

That said, the vision and mission statement direct the team’s direction.

With it, they may do their daily work and find it exciting to work on the same routine tasks/jobs. 

The mission and vision fire up employees, knowing that they don’t have to be excellent at work to pay their bills but instead go to another level of doing something that matters to others. This means they’re sending payroll reports to their employees (as HR assistants) or being on the front line, brewing coffee – all these work contribute to the entire organization’s mission of impacting the community.

2. It sets the cafe apart from its competitors.

Branding refers to unique differentiation. If you can find the unique characteristics of your products, then you have a branding worth sharing.

What would give you better branding is very internal – your cafe mission and vision statement. This is the core of everything you do. 

The main reason why vision and mission set you apart is the unique impact you can create on other people’s lives. For the most part, the vision could be very personal to the founders themselves. 

It may relate to their personal stories or something in their lives that they want to impart to their customers. 

So, it is not a cliche statement but a form of core values the organization embodies. 

Further Reading: 11 Coffee Shop Promotional Ideas

3. It guides you in hiring the right talents. 

Every cafe will have to hire employees in every stage of its existence. 

Particularly, if you’re opening your store, you want your first set of employees (pioneers) to be the ones who will collectively possess the correct values you want for the organization.

That goes with the values and mission the entire team must pursue daily in their field. This is advantageous for starting teams to identify which job applicant will be the best fit based on the culture they’ve set (“culture fit”).

Culture fit enables cafe teams to work in harmony and teamwork – making it a solid organization that addresses operational issues and serves customers at the highest level (“customer experience”).

Difference Between Cafe Mission and Vision Statement 

The vision statement of your cafe is what your organization wants to become (it focuses entirely on tomorrow). At the same time, your mission statement is what an organization does to achieve your ‘vision’ – targets on your current actions today.

It’s as simple as that. 

So, let’s go to how you craft your cafe mission and vision statement. 

How to Write Your Coffee Shop Vision Statement? 

Your vision statement must reflect the future of your cafe – what your coffee shop wants to become. 

In my local coffee shop, Hills & Valleys Cafe, we (Me and Adrianne De Guzman) crafted our vision statement: 

Hills & Valleys Cafe Vision Statement:

“To be the most loved and respected coffee brand in Bulacan, delivering premium quality yet affordable coffee, friendly customer care, and a vibrant in-store experience.”

Why this vision statement works:

  • It is specific in location (achievable). We only want to be the most respected coffee shop in Bulacan. 
  • Intangible. Though vision must be tangible in numbers, we want to lean more towards our customers. “Most loved” could be measured in both quality and quantity. Quality in terms of the customer experience they have in our stores. Amount in terms of monthly sales we generate each month. 
  • Unique differentiation – branding. Our branding mainly focuses on targeting mid-level customers. This means that we offer premium quality yet affordable. Among coffee shops in the Philippines, most would target high-level customers, those who can pay more than 160 pesos per cup, while others would target low-income customers – those who could spend 70 pesos per cup. Ours targets mid-level customers (those who can afford 100 to 165 pesos per cup). 

A vision statement could also be a vision script. 

Michael Hyatt, a business leadership expert, coined and described the term “vision script”. 

A Vision Script is a robust document, written in the present tense, that describes your future reality as if it were today. The trick is to step into the future and record what you see in four critical areas of your business: your team, products, sales and marketing, and impact.

Returning to your audience targeting is essential when writing your vision statement or vision script. Who will you target in the next 5, 10, or 20 years? Of course, it will change as the market and business landscape change, but you should identify your target market – as that could be part of your vision. 

Describe your cafe’s long-term accomplishments and expectations in writing your vision statement. Do you want to be a leading cafe cart in the Philippines? Or maybe you want to go to the most aesthetic coffee shop? 

Remember that your vision statement depicts your future cafe. 

To help you out, here are five things to consider when writing your vision statement.”

Inspiring

Most importantly, you want your vision statement to inspire your employees to improve their work and personal lives.

As you write your vision script, think if it’s something that can inspire people. And not only employees but when someone walks into your store and sees your vision board. The moment they saw it, there could be an awe from their eyes and a little bit of curiosity in asking why it is your vision statement. 

Realistic

Your vision script or statement is ideal but realistic. It must be achievable in years and could be something your team can execute. 

Any vision statement must give you a reality to look at, either internally among your team members or from an external standpoint, looking at your target market and community. 

Branded 

Your vision statement must include your unique differentiation. Again, what sets your cafe apart from its competitors? The vision must include branding so your customers feel your restaurant is explicitly serving them.

Understanding your customers’ points, challenges, and problems is crucial in determining the branding you need in your vision statement. 

Progressive 

In today’s time, your vision could only last for three years after you accomplish it. In other words, your vision script must be progressive. As you gain more success, you must remember that your vision also changes according to the status and potential of your cafe. 

The more you win as a coffee shop, the more frequently you must change your vision statement. 

How to Write Your Coffee Shop Mission Statement? 

After you craft your vision script or vision statement, write your coffee shop mission statement.

Mission statement is about the “now” – what your cafe currently does. 

At Hills & Valleys Cafe, our mission statement goes like this: =

Hills & Valleys Cafe Mission Statement 

To inspire every customer to live a better life and provide Filipinos with job opportunities.

Here are three primary considerations when writing your cafe mission statement: 

  • What does your coffee shop do?
  • How does your coffee shop do what it does?
  • Who does your coffee shop serve?

If you summarize it, the mission statement is about the “doing part” of your cafe. 

When writing your cafe mission statement, remember to make it short. You should easily communicate it with your team members (baristas, HR assistants, managers, or admin assistants) so well that you don’t have to read it entirely on paper. 

You could also include your cafe’s purpose “why” in your mission statement. This allows your team to be more action-oriented in their approach toward work. 

Overall, you have to reference the present of your cafe. “What it does” is a significant component of your mission statement. 

How to Avoid Mistakes When Writing Your Cafe Vision/Mission Statements

You may be ready to craft your vision and mission statement within a few minutes. But be careful as you could make mistakes when doing it in a rush. 

Here are some tips for avoiding mistakes when writing your vision or mission statements. 

1. Think about it carefully. 

You don’t have to rush ideas. At some point, you may reflect on what you want your cafe to be—other times, you would be blacked out of ideas.

Relax. Be calm. 

It is vital to have a peaceful mind when thinking of your vision/mission statements. 

Ask your team to come with you and collaboratively work on your vital statements. You don’t have to be alone when crafting your vision/mission statements. One of your team members might have a great insight you would otherwise have missed if you didn’t include him in the brainstorming.

2. Simplify.

Refrain from suffering your team from the curse of knowledge, which refers to trying to overload your vision/mission statement with too much information.

The best way to determine if you make an excellent vision/mission statement is when you can share it with a kid.

The simpler your statements are, the better you can communicate them to your teams. Simplify the complexity of your cafe. 

3. Reflect upon your core values.

Your core values are what you stand for as a person. You have exciting moments where you reflect upon certain things that remain your ground whenever challenges, issues, and problems arise.

When writing your vision and mission statements, reflecting upon your core values is best. Your core values would be the foundation of your cafe. And at most, if you know what you stand for, it would be easy for you to see where you are going (“vision”) and what you should be doing (“mission”).

Remember, vision and mission statements are personal in you as a cafe entrepreneur. 

Coffee Shop Vision and Mission Statement Examples

1. Starbucks

Starbucks Vision Statement: To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.

Starbucks’ Mission Statement: to inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.” 

2. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Mission Statement: To create a spirit within our company that inspires our team members to provide our customers with a total quality experience

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Vision Statement: To be “Simply the Best” roaster and global specialty coffee and tea retailer.

3. Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons Mission Statement: There’s more to Tim Hortons than great-tasting coffee. We work hard to deliver the highest-quality products and services and strive to be a leader in everything we do. It’s that simple. 

Tim Hortons Vision Statement: Our vision is to be the quality leader in everything we do.

4. Dunkin

Dunkin’ Mission Statement: To be the leading provider of a wide range of delicious beverages & baked products around the kingdom in a convenient, relaxed, friendly environment that ensures the highest quality product and best value for money. 

Dunkin’ Vision Statement: To be consistently the desired place for great coffee beverages and delicious complementary donuts & bakery products to enjoy with family and friends.

Key Takeaways 

Writing your cafe mission and vision statements isn’t easy. However, building the proper foundation for your coffee shop is crucial. So, make it a goal to brainstorm it yourself or with your team. Communicate these statements with your entire team so you will be working on the same goals.