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| Nathan Skid |
| Espresso being brewed at the BMW media alcove. |
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One of the best economic indicators of the health of the North American International Auto Show has nothing to do with cars.
Bloomfield Hills-based Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co. will brew nearly 600 pounds of espresso and coffee for the two-day press-preview of the NAIAS. To put that in perspective, a "super busy" coffee bar will go through 100 pounds in a good week.
James Cadariu, roast master for Great Lakes Coffee, says there is a direct the correlation between the number of espresso machines on the show floor and the health of the economy.
In 2007, a time when economic collapse seemed unimaginable, Great Lakes supplied 20 espresso machines during the two-day event.
In 2009, a year after the spark plugs hit the fan belt, it supplied just five.
This year, Great Lakes Coffee is providing 13 Franke Espresso Machines at a cost of $12,000 a pop and two La Marzocco machines with a price tag of $15,000 each.
Last year it had 11 espresso machines on the show floor.
"This is a big deal for us," Cadariu said. "For two days, this is a lot of coffee."
And this isn't your average Holiday Inn continental breakfast coffee either.
Great Lakes Coffee is serving organic espresso, single origin El Salvador Nazareth and an organic house blend.
Great Lakes also trained all 25 baristas on the show floor.
"It's a point of pride for us," Cadariu said as we stood eating lunch in the BMW media alcove surrounded by Europeans in well-tailored suits enjoying Great Lakes' espresso. "Serving Italians and Germans espresso and upending their expectations is really neat."
