Roger Bright, businessman and coffee bean master roaster, was known to lay awake at night with ‘what ifs’ running through his head in the early days of his Queensland business Supreme Roasters.
His sleeplessness had nothing to do with the caffeine coursing through his veins and everything to do with the risk management and insurance cover.
And with good reason. Australians annually spend about $1400 million is that figure correct? on hot drinks—more than half of that on coffee. It’s a fiercely competitive market with some 1500 Australian roasters vying for consumers who are increasingly discerning about brand loyalty. Plus the Yatala-based master roaster uses a lot of gas in producing its ‘God in a cup’ product.
“I worried about fire, about our operation burning down,” Roger says. “Would we be covered in the event of fire and would we be able to get back to business?”
Enter Morgan Appleby from Alleviate Risk Management and Business Insurance. He didn’t just talk with Supreme Roasters about the business needs: he spent a fair amount of time with us on site and identified a potential insurance loophole that could have cost Roger dearly. Different materials were used in construction of the three units combining to make the roasting plant yet only one was identified in the insurance note. That disparity could have cost Supreme Roasters its claim.
Morgan Appleby also understood that getting back to business was more than plant, equipment and income for Roger. “Six families rely on this business directly and another 150 cafes are part of the Supreme Roasters family, loyal to our product and relying on us for their livelihood,” Roger says. “I needed to know that, if something bad happened and we needed to start over, even if it took 12 months, they’d be okay too.”
Morgan’s eye for detail has ensured appropriate insurance cover is now in place. Likewise Supreme Roasters has the cover needed to return to business with ‘family’ relations intact.
In addition to Morgan’s insurance knowledge, his general business knowledge, breadth of experience and academic qualifications have been invaluable to us.
