Title of article: The Perks of Service
Author: Lynn Rosellini
Article obtained from: Reader’s Digest May 2008 issue, Page 19-21
About this article
In the eleven years since its founding, Jason Araghi’s Green Beans Coffee Worldcafé company has overcome daunting obstacles such as suicide bombers, hijackers, snipers, just so it can offer lattes and mochas to the US soldiers serving in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Araghi began his career as a chiropractor. Once, a Saudi princess visited his clinic in Saudi Arabia and offered him an intriguing opportunity to open an American-style coffee café in a furniture showroom she owned. He enlisted the help of his brother, Jon Araghi. Together, they started selling coffee to Riyadh locals. Soon, American military personnel were flocking in. Within months, their commander asked the Araghis to build a coffee house right on the base.
Because of the shifting troop deployments, their café have to be mobile and innovative. They took shipping containers that were twelve metres long and two and a half metres wide and converted them into fully furnished cafes with wood cabinets and marble counters. Then they put them on the back of a truck and transported them. The cafés made a difference in the overall quality of life of the soldiers.
During the 911, Green Beans café was serving coffee in war zones. It was risky and dangerous but the Araghis insisted to follow the American troop. Jason Araghi said that he could not say that he would go to the safe places and not where it is dangerous. The logistics of shipping supplies into a war zone were nightmarish, not to mention costly. If the containers arrived, they are often riddled with bullet holes. Hijackers would also nab their containers, carrying merchandise worth up to $110,000. The worst thing is that there are no insurance and that there were personal dangers too, resulting in some of the staffs wearing body amours and helmets.
Now, the Araghis have a thriving $20.8 million business with a total of sixty-eight Green Bean cafés, all on or near military bases.
Reflection
To start off, I would like to comment on Jason Araghi’s bravery. I believe that in this world, not many people would be willing to take on the risk to start a business in or near war zones. Many would already be frightened to death just by thinking of the word war. Bombs, explosions, collapsing of buildings, severe destructions and bloodshed are inevitable in war zones. This is what I admire about Jason. He is willing to risk his life for a simple reason that he felt the soldiers would need a place to unwind, to hang out with their fellow mates and have a cup of coffee or two. He did this all for the sake of the soldiers out there in the war. Although he was afraid of losing his life any moment and to bid farewell to his wife and children, he still opened a café to serve the soldiers despite the dangers. In my perspective, if Jason did not operate the Green Bean café in the war zones, no one else would do so and the pathetic soldiers would thus be unable to enjoy such comfort. Taking the risk just to serve the soldiers is definitely a brave act. He knew he could lose his life any moment but yet, he refuse to give this business up just so that he could serve coffee to the soldiers. I think the soldiers should greatly express their gratitude to Jason. If not for him, I doubt that they would be able to have such magnificent place to hang out in.
From the article, I knew that he had done this through his own initiative. He could have refuse setting up his business in war zones because nobody was forcing him to do so, nobody was pointing a knife at him so that he would agree. He could continue to sell coffee in the showroom if he was unwilling to take on the risk or even continue in his old career as a chiropractor. The American military commander had allowed him to choose whether he wanted to be involved in this business and so it was his own choice of doing so. It was all because of his willingness and initiative. Since he had accepted the commander’s request, it indicates that he was willing to take on the risk. He felt that it was his responsibility to serve coffee to his customers. Besides he had promised the American military commander that he would set up a coffee house right on the base as it was in the agreement. Thus, I can conclude that he was a man of responsibilities because since he had agreed to sell coffee to the soldiers, he had fulfilled his responsibility by following the soldiers that are heading towards the war zone and continue to provide coffee for them, risking his vulnerable life. He was indeed a responsible person, when he was told to do something, not only would he manage to accomplish the task, he would also complete it wholeheartedly.
Jason is definitely an innovative person. I think that it was creative to use shipping containers for the café. I believe that he would not need to spend much or even any money on them since I think it should be easy to obtain some unwanted or abandoned containers at the various ports and harbours. This would definitely be beneficial to him since he is a little tight where money is being concerned. Not only would the café be unique, it would be easily recognised by the soldiers too. In this way, the soldiers would definitely remember his café even after their first visit. These could clearly show that he do rack his brains and was a talent in the business industries where moneymaking and profit is an important factor. This could also ensure that his customers are able to recognise his café and would make subsequent visits so as to ensure his business would thrive. Although profit was not that important to Jason, I believe that he do not wish to end his business due to bankruptcy. Since serving coffee is his passion, I am certain that he would wish to carry on with this line for his entire life.
In my perspective, Jason is an extremely thoughtful person. Knowing that the soldiers do not make much money, he decided to sell his coffee at a reasonable price so that all soldiers could afford some coffee. Only a handful of people would be as considerate as Jason because most people are actually being conquered by their own greed. Most businessmen would only consider their profits and not about the peoples’ financial problems. To me there is only a word to describe them, which is heartless. Jason also thought little for himself since he has a family to feed but he actually put the soldiers problems into consideration first. Thus we could also see that he is not selfish in any ways. He thinks about others first. Although Jason’s coffee is considered cheap, his business seems to be in a brisk and he earns quite a lot. I think this is because his coffee are not costly but tastes superb and is worth the money. With this, the soldiers would continue to patronise his café and order cups after cups of coffee. Thus, in the long run a little profit would accumulate to a great amount of profit. The great amount of cafés worldwide is also a factor. Jason is also sincere about selling coffee to the soldiers. This can be seen in the way he renovates his café. The type of materials he uses in his café cost quite a bomb since he has quite a number of cafés that are open for business. This shows that he was trying his best to make his café look as grand as possible although it was nowhere near a high-class café. I think he must have felt that it was only right to furnish the café beautifully even though his coffee was cheap. It might be due to the renovations of the café that the soldiers took the liking to hang out there and take a sip of coffee, thus adding on to his profits.
From this article, there are many values that we could learn from him, such as bravery, commitment, innovative and so on and so forth. Thus I hope that the people out there would treat him as a role model and to learn all these values from him. No words could describe his contributions towards the society, as his sacrifices are much more than anyone could imagine. I hope that God would bless him to be safe while continuing to serve coffee to the soldiers in war zones.
Author: Lynn Rosellini
Article obtained from: Reader’s Digest May 2008 issue, Page 19-21
About this article
In the eleven years since its founding, Jason Araghi’s Green Beans Coffee Worldcafé company has overcome daunting obstacles such as suicide bombers, hijackers, snipers, just so it can offer lattes and mochas to the US soldiers serving in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Araghi began his career as a chiropractor. Once, a Saudi princess visited his clinic in Saudi Arabia and offered him an intriguing opportunity to open an American-style coffee café in a furniture showroom she owned. He enlisted the help of his brother, Jon Araghi. Together, they started selling coffee to Riyadh locals. Soon, American military personnel were flocking in. Within months, their commander asked the Araghis to build a coffee house right on the base.
Because of the shifting troop deployments, their café have to be mobile and innovative. They took shipping containers that were twelve metres long and two and a half metres wide and converted them into fully furnished cafes with wood cabinets and marble counters. Then they put them on the back of a truck and transported them. The cafés made a difference in the overall quality of life of the soldiers.
During the 911, Green Beans café was serving coffee in war zones. It was risky and dangerous but the Araghis insisted to follow the American troop. Jason Araghi said that he could not say that he would go to the safe places and not where it is dangerous. The logistics of shipping supplies into a war zone were nightmarish, not to mention costly. If the containers arrived, they are often riddled with bullet holes. Hijackers would also nab their containers, carrying merchandise worth up to $110,000. The worst thing is that there are no insurance and that there were personal dangers too, resulting in some of the staffs wearing body amours and helmets.
Now, the Araghis have a thriving $20.8 million business with a total of sixty-eight Green Bean cafés, all on or near military bases.
Reflection
To start off, I would like to comment on Jason Araghi’s bravery. I believe that in this world, not many people would be willing to take on the risk to start a business in or near war zones. Many would already be frightened to death just by thinking of the word war. Bombs, explosions, collapsing of buildings, severe destructions and bloodshed are inevitable in war zones. This is what I admire about Jason. He is willing to risk his life for a simple reason that he felt the soldiers would need a place to unwind, to hang out with their fellow mates and have a cup of coffee or two. He did this all for the sake of the soldiers out there in the war. Although he was afraid of losing his life any moment and to bid farewell to his wife and children, he still opened a café to serve the soldiers despite the dangers. In my perspective, if Jason did not operate the Green Bean café in the war zones, no one else would do so and the pathetic soldiers would thus be unable to enjoy such comfort. Taking the risk just to serve the soldiers is definitely a brave act. He knew he could lose his life any moment but yet, he refuse to give this business up just so that he could serve coffee to the soldiers. I think the soldiers should greatly express their gratitude to Jason. If not for him, I doubt that they would be able to have such magnificent place to hang out in.
From the article, I knew that he had done this through his own initiative. He could have refuse setting up his business in war zones because nobody was forcing him to do so, nobody was pointing a knife at him so that he would agree. He could continue to sell coffee in the showroom if he was unwilling to take on the risk or even continue in his old career as a chiropractor. The American military commander had allowed him to choose whether he wanted to be involved in this business and so it was his own choice of doing so. It was all because of his willingness and initiative. Since he had accepted the commander’s request, it indicates that he was willing to take on the risk. He felt that it was his responsibility to serve coffee to his customers. Besides he had promised the American military commander that he would set up a coffee house right on the base as it was in the agreement. Thus, I can conclude that he was a man of responsibilities because since he had agreed to sell coffee to the soldiers, he had fulfilled his responsibility by following the soldiers that are heading towards the war zone and continue to provide coffee for them, risking his vulnerable life. He was indeed a responsible person, when he was told to do something, not only would he manage to accomplish the task, he would also complete it wholeheartedly.
Jason is definitely an innovative person. I think that it was creative to use shipping containers for the café. I believe that he would not need to spend much or even any money on them since I think it should be easy to obtain some unwanted or abandoned containers at the various ports and harbours. This would definitely be beneficial to him since he is a little tight where money is being concerned. Not only would the café be unique, it would be easily recognised by the soldiers too. In this way, the soldiers would definitely remember his café even after their first visit. These could clearly show that he do rack his brains and was a talent in the business industries where moneymaking and profit is an important factor. This could also ensure that his customers are able to recognise his café and would make subsequent visits so as to ensure his business would thrive. Although profit was not that important to Jason, I believe that he do not wish to end his business due to bankruptcy. Since serving coffee is his passion, I am certain that he would wish to carry on with this line for his entire life.
In my perspective, Jason is an extremely thoughtful person. Knowing that the soldiers do not make much money, he decided to sell his coffee at a reasonable price so that all soldiers could afford some coffee. Only a handful of people would be as considerate as Jason because most people are actually being conquered by their own greed. Most businessmen would only consider their profits and not about the peoples’ financial problems. To me there is only a word to describe them, which is heartless. Jason also thought little for himself since he has a family to feed but he actually put the soldiers problems into consideration first. Thus we could also see that he is not selfish in any ways. He thinks about others first. Although Jason’s coffee is considered cheap, his business seems to be in a brisk and he earns quite a lot. I think this is because his coffee are not costly but tastes superb and is worth the money. With this, the soldiers would continue to patronise his café and order cups after cups of coffee. Thus, in the long run a little profit would accumulate to a great amount of profit. The great amount of cafés worldwide is also a factor. Jason is also sincere about selling coffee to the soldiers. This can be seen in the way he renovates his café. The type of materials he uses in his café cost quite a bomb since he has quite a number of cafés that are open for business. This shows that he was trying his best to make his café look as grand as possible although it was nowhere near a high-class café. I think he must have felt that it was only right to furnish the café beautifully even though his coffee was cheap. It might be due to the renovations of the café that the soldiers took the liking to hang out there and take a sip of coffee, thus adding on to his profits.
From this article, there are many values that we could learn from him, such as bravery, commitment, innovative and so on and so forth. Thus I hope that the people out there would treat him as a role model and to learn all these values from him. No words could describe his contributions towards the society, as his sacrifices are much more than anyone could imagine. I hope that God would bless him to be safe while continuing to serve coffee to the soldiers in war zones.
Denyse Tang (25)
No comments:
Post a Comment