FedEx Express. Bean and gone and done it.

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Drawing on a childhood fascination for coffee, Steve and his wife Sarah started in business together selling freshly roasted coffee beans.

Beginning with a part-time market stall, their determination to introduce real coffee to the UK evolved into Has Bean, a prosperous internet-based enterprise which has been selling freshly roasted beans from around the world by subscription for over thirteen years.

Shipping between 2-3 tonnes of beans every week, the Has Bean customer base is worldwide and even includes a customer based in Brazil, the biggest coffee-producing country in the world.

Coffee aficionados like Steve and his customers appreciate that freshly roast coffee beans very quickly lose their unique taste and nothing can be done to preserve that distinct flavour. This emphasis on freshness means that Has Bean must have a delivery service that can meet Steve's customers' challenging timescales. Which is where FedEx Express joins the story.

Steve chose FedEx Express because he felt it was an organisation his customers could depend on. They gave him the confidence that whatever Has Bean promises its customers, FedEx Express will fulfil with a delivery that's on time, every time. He's reassured too by the fact that there's someone he can talk to, ready with whatever support, help or advice he needs. It's this personal touch that echoes Steve's approach to his own customers that makes all the difference for him.

”I know that everyone at FedEx Express will do their utmost to make sure everything goes according to plan right from pickup to final delivery. And that when something gets in the way of their usual smooth running, they'll get it sorted and quickly too.

The sort of relationship we have with FedEx Express makes me feel that we're really being looked after. We feel like our business is genuinely valued and that we’re a company FedEx Express wants to work with, which is really supportive.”

Has Bean's customers range from individual coffee lovers ordering a single packet to specialist coffee shops and wholesalers expecting deliveries in double-digit kilograms. Offering them a choice of international shipping services, including express next day, ensures that Has Bean coffee beans always live up to their promise.

Day-by-day reliability is crucial when you're dealing with such a time-sensitive product. As Steve points out ”everything has to get where it needs to be when it supposed to and that’s important whether they’re wholesale customers, coffee shops or direct to the customers - they want to know their coffee is on its way and that it’s going to be there tomorrow. It's essential for us to be able to rely on and trust that what we say to our customers is correct and that their expectations will be met.”

As many of his customers never actually meet or see him, Steve likens FedEx Express to the customer face of Has Bean. In effect they are very much an extension of his business. So the people who turn up with his coffee on customers' doorsteps need to be professional, polite and courteous as well as on time! Which is a blend of qualities that Steve is confident says a lot about Has Bean and its coffee!

FedEx Express