coopetition

so i'm thinking of this word and what it means, could mean, in the world of coffee. i think of a couple roasters (most of whom are far and away larger, more established business than me) and i think there are some prime opportunities for us to collaborate. sure, we are "competitors" in the ethereal sense that we are both competing for the same types of dollars though probably not the same actual customers. but geography being what it is i find myself drawn to the idea of working with some of my direct/indirect competitors--fish of about the same size in our little pond--to further our mutual cause of presenting excellence in coffee to our customers. (these, by the way, are not to be confused with the general coffee consuming public; they are not our customers, in my opinion. i'm refering to people who can appreciate differences and finer distinctions in the world of coffee and have preferences against things like supermarket shelf shopping for coffee.)

anyways, i guess the center of this vacuous post is to say that, in the name of our goals i am very comfortable "coopeting" with others like myself. many, sadly, are too territorial to enter into such arrangements, to their loss, i think. but there are so many more benefits to be realized through coopetition than through mere direct competition. the frozen greens project is a prime example.

just a thought. anyone who has collaboration/coopetition ideas, you can always count me in as a willing participant.

btw, i'm not posting about the frozen greens project to toot our horn about the project. i couldn't care less about the "fame" aspect of it. i think it's a fascinating project to undertake and i'm happy to learn where it may lead, and definitely could not have undertaken it alone. coopetition.