What makes Ally Open different from traditional green coffee sales?
Ally Open is a business-to-business (B2B) sales platform specializing in small box green coffee sales for immediate shipment. Ally Open is like any other online store: if we have something in stock that you like, you buy it, and we ship it out. There are no credit card fees, no carry costs for the warehouse, and no expensive freight fees. We’re able to do this by selling coffee in 25 or 50 pound boxes, as opposed to the larger coffee bags we’re all used to in our industry. If you’re a larger business looking to purchase several hundred or thousands of pounds of coffee for a season, it makes more sense to be in contact with an Account Manager and to pull full bags of coffee from the warehouse. But if you’re a smaller business or are just starting out, Ally Open is a great way to buy green coffee while also accessing our learning opportunities and hub of resources.
What coffees does Ally Open sell?
Ally Open offers three categories of green coffee: Core Coffees, Microlots, and Reserve lots. Each of these categories is built to focus on what makes each coffee special, and to help you understand how these coffees might fit into your line-up.
Our Core Coffees are community lots showcasing the best cup characteristic of established coffee producing regions around the world. These coffees are available year round and are highly versatile for your menu. Core Coffees and Microlots ship in 50lb boxes.
Microlots include both community lots and single producer lots, which come from smallholder farms all the way to larger estates. Microlots display standout characteristics, both in their cup attributes and how they were produced, making them something special that warrants being separated into its own lot. Microlots vary from harvest to harvest and once they are sold out they are sold out! We often source microlots from the same farms, producers, and communities from year to year, but the variety, process, or cup notes of the coffee might change from one harvest to the next, given the inherent variability of agriculture.
Reserve lots are exclusive, super-special offerings that ship in 25lb boxes and represent especially unique coffees. These are coffees produced in limited quantities with remarkable cup profiles. They are perfect for spotlight occasions like a special release, celebratory limited-edition roast, or a featured spot on a cafe menu.
What about storage?
Ally Open is designed so that you can order as much coffee as you need, when you need it. Traditionally, a spot or forward green coffee purchase includes a delivery period on the contract. With Ally Open, contracting and releasing are essentially merged together; as soon as you place your order and complete payment in Ally Open’s online store, your green coffee purchase ships directly to your business from our facility via UPS ground. Coffees are shipped in double-core boxes, which means they are easy to stack and store on shelves or in a small space.
Who is Ally Open for?
Ally Open is built for operations that need 25-50 pounds of coffee at a time, those seeking a diverse roster of coffees, or businesses that want to try coffees from new origins or processed in different ways. As a general rule of thumb, if you find your business needs less than half a pallet of coffee at a time, Ally Open is likely the best fit for you. If you think you will order 5 full bags of coffee or more, you may find purchasing through a more traditional channel will be the better option. If you’re not quite sure, don’t hesitate to reach out to us so we can discuss your needs and find the best purchasing channel for your business! Whatever your volume needs, large or small, we have coffees to help your companies succeed. Contact us so we can help you find the best fit.