And I apologize for broaching the topic before the high holy days of the Halloween/Birthday-tide season have passed, but *INSERT WINTER HOLIDAY CELEBRATION OF CHOICE* here is approaching. Talking to the people I was taking money from while playing poker on Tuesday, they made the black cold dread of the imminent holiday shopping creep up my spine.
For Black Blood of the Earth, the concern is somewhat ameliorated by the fact that I am not running at the full 6L/day production capacity right now. I can accommodate some ridiculous coffee demands (although I might make some local roasters upset/happy by rapidly depleting their supplies) but eventually, like Scotty, I’ll be givin’ ‘er all I’ve got, Cap’n. If it gets to that point, I will start snapping some purchasing limits down on the BBotE to make sure that I can meet the production in a timely manner. If you know that you are going to want a large quantity of BBotE, let me know ASAP so I can plan the schedule (hyper-caffeinated holiday parties have to be at least as fun as hep’d up weddings).
For Steins of Science, I normally quote a three week production lead time with first-com first-serve as I build to meet demand, following a good Just-In-Time inventory model. In slow times, I tend to get steins out within the week they are ordered and I have only overrun the three week estimate once. Of course, anyone who has worked a Kanban production line can let you know exactly how fun it gets when the supply lines don’t run right. I have some concerns about a December rush, so I definitely recommend doing steins sooner rather than later just in case.
There, now the cold black dread has been transferred from me to all of you. I’m gonna go hide under my desk again now if you don’t mind.