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Creative Summer Drinks

It’s big.  It’s bright.  It’s hot.   Right now, it’s taking it all out on us.

It’s the middle of June, and while it’s not officially summer, you probably wouldn’t know it from stepping outside.

Here in Lubbock, we’ve seen a massive increase in cold and blended beverage sales, and a nose-dive in hot espresso sales.  Like any season, summer is an opportunity to turn a changing demand into an increase in sales.

There are a number of things to implement as “limited time” products, such as shakeratos, affogato, and other common menu items, but why limit yourself?

There is an abundance of seasonal fruit available these days.  Why not make use of them?  Syrups are the common go-to item for many “signature drink” categories,but it doesn’t have to be this way!

Why not try adding blueberries to an iced blended latte made with a single origin Harrar or Sidamo espresso?  Or why not add a hint of mango  to a shakerato made with a chocolate-and-fruit noted espresso?

These are just off the top of my head, but I know there are LOTS of creative drinks out there, and we want to hear about YOUR ideas.  We’d like to hear from customers as well as baristas, on this one.

(photo source)

Random Picture Friday #10: Drinkable

Do you find yourself muttering this while leaving a coffee retailer? I have. Recently, too. Friends, it simply should not be this way. But… at least the coffee was drinkable today.

Have a Great Weekend!

Random Picture Friday #9: BEVERAGE CADDi

http://www.barbco.biz/

Animated version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdcqSAtEn6s

Opening Bell Coffee: Dallas, TX

I received an email over the weekend letting us know about Opening Bell Coffee from Pascale.  He writes,

Hi guys! Love your website and would like to be listed as a coffee retailer in Texas. We are actually celebrating our 6th year in business on March 15 We have 2 locations in Dallas, TX! Thanks so much, Pascale

So, this is the first time I’ve heard of this place, but apparently they were voted Best Liquid Assets(2005), Best Coffee House(2006), and Best Atmosphere(2006) by the Dallas Observer, and Best Coffee House(2007) by D Magazine.

The Dallas Observer website has a description that reads:

Formerly Standard and Pours. What started as a yuppie coffee haunt in 2003 has turned into a pretty happening live music spot for acoustic bands and singer-songwriter types. Adding beer and wine didn’t hurt. New are DJs on Wednesday nights.

The description reminds me of what Ruta Maya was trying to do in San Antonio before they closed (I never did visit the original Austin location, so I can’t comment on that).

The have directions to their location, which you can find on their Website.

Opening Bell Coffee has been added to our List of Retailers.

Opening Bell Coffee (Southside)

1409 S. Lamar Suite #012 (Basement #012)
Free Parking on Belleview Street entrance
Dallas, Texas 75215
Phone 214.565.0383

Opening Bell Coffee (Mosaic)

300 North Akard #300
Dallas, Tx  75201
Phone 214-665-BELL (2355)

The Pearl Cup: Dallas, TX

(Website)

As taken from a Facebook message:

NOW OPEN!!!

Business Hours:

Monday – Thursday 6:30am – 9pm
Friday 6:30am – 11pm
Saturday 7am – 11pm
Sunday 9am – 3pm

Come check us out!

The Pearl Cup
1900 N. Henderson Ave
(On the corner of Henderson Ave and McMillan Ave)

The Pearl Cup is running coffee from Coffee Eiland (no website.. get on that, Clay!) in Dallas, along with Mazzer grinders and a La Marzocco Linea.  Allegedly, they are offering single origin espresso.  At least, that’s what I’ve heard.
The setup (La Marzocco + Mazzer + Coffee Eiland) REALLY reminds me of Gachet Coffee Lounge downtown near the House of Blues.  I was not impressed with the coffee at Gachet, but I’m guessing inconsistency is the fault that plagues us all (including Gachet), as what is to blame.  It wasn’t bad, but I felt it could have been better.

But, this is a whole new beast, headed by a band of three friends bent on bringing better coffee to Dallas. (or so it seems)

They have a website, which can be found at http://thepearlcup.com, and a page on Facebook. (link on their website)

The Pearl Cup has been added to our List of Retailers.

The Pearl Cup

1900 N. Henderson Ave
Dallas, TX 75206

(On the corner of Henderson Ave and McMillan Ave)

Houston Coffee Retailer Doubles Clientele with Twitter

Who knew?

I stumbled across this piece via arizona-coffee.com

Source: Mr. Tweet

When J.R. Cohen, Operations Manager for CoffeeGroundz (@coffeegroundz) Cafe in Houston, Texas first heard about Twitter from one of his customers, he was puzzled but intrigued. Today, he credits Twitter with almost doubling his clientele and with opening his eyes to a whole new way to build Community.

…Shortly after joining Twitter, Cohen started following members of the local Houston Twitterati and in no time had amassed over 1000 followers. Cohen is a naturally charismatic, giving, and friendly guy – traits that make him a natural on a network like Twitter….

…On October 31st, 2008 Sean Stoner (@maslowbeer) was hungry. As a regular customer at CoffeeGroundz he sent the following Twitter to Cohen:

Cohen quickly replied and Sean went through the drive-thru at CoffeeGroundz to pick up his burrito.

This simple exchange got a lot of coverage on Twitter and was hailed as potentially the first time that Twitter had ever been used to place a To-Go Order. more…

I’m not really sure what to think about this.  It’s not direct, but it seems like its saying that a guy increased his business by turning his specialty coffee retailer into a fast food joint, though that’s from an article written by someone who doesn’t work in the business. That having been said, I could be wrong!

Have any of you Houston readers been there?

How many readers are on Twitter?

Random Picture Friday #4: Coffee Straw

Photo:  Think Geek

Okay, so the picture looks like tea.. because it is tea.  But there are two versions!

Suck Your Coffee

Photo:  Think Geek

This gadget is a new materials (and uses) approach to the classic bombilla used for enjoying yerba maté.

How useful is it?  To be honest, I don’t rightly know.  It may be a good way to brew a cup with limited supplies on hand, but I’m not so sure you’d reach the bottom of the before the luscious liquid became bitterly over-extracted.

It might be good if you’ve ever had a glass filter vacuum brewer stall on you.  You can pull up on the filter and let the whole coffee water slurry fall into the lower vessel, pour yourself a cup of the muddy water, and sip away.

If nothing else, it sure makes for a great Random Picture Friday!

Have a Great Weekend!

A Focused Approach for Tough Economic Times

As the recession continues to loom overhead, and even progress further down, it has probably become obvious to many that the sale of higher priced ticket items are on the decline as more people try to economize by sticking with the less-expensive brewed options.

While this may seem on the surface to be a negative hit to retailers, it does not have to be so.

When recessions hit, the smart investors start buying up stock, taking over other companies, and the likes as have been seen recently, as well as what happened in the Great Depression of the 30′s. SOMEONE stands to profit from it. The trick is learning how to work it to your advantage as well.

In the world of coffee retail, many many people have worked their tails off trying to educate their customers, trying to get them to try new coffees, trying to push the COFFEE, rather than the ‘recipe’. Consider the retail phenomenon we’re seeing as a golden ticket of opportunity. If you show your customers that your shop is trustworthy, and is looking out for their best interests, you can survive, and even thrive.

Roasting companies are doing pretty well in these times. That’s been the word from the roasters I have asked about it, and I’m assuming that goes for most others as well, assuming they are doing a decent job with their coffees.

How can a retailer profit from this? Sell more whole-bean coffees, offer different brew methods, hold free classes for consumers, and offer affordable brew-at-home equipment in your stores.

Brewing up batches of coffee is awfully convenient, but when the rush slows in the late morning and into the afternoon, how much of it gets thrown out? If the answer is “none”, is it because it’s not being refreshed with fresh brews, or is it because it’s being sold? If the answer sounds something like the first of those two, then it’s time to change something.

If you have been reading Texas Coffee People for awhile, you may remember our piece about Bottomless Coffee, and why it may not be such a great idea afterall.  If you have read that piece, then what you’ve just read may sound like a repeat of information.  It is.

I am reminded of one famous roaster/retailer’s Black Week, in which no milk-based beverages were served.  The customer response?  POSITIVE.  Here’s a question:  Are we selling coffee, or are we selling “concoctions”?  If you are spending what seems like a lot of cash for your wholesale coffee, then the odds are good that you are trying to sell coffee.  (and that’s as it should be in any “Coffee retailer”)

If you are confident that the coffee you are serving is of excellent quality, I feel safe in assuming that you have more than just a couple of coffees on hand.  Every coffee has its own unique flavor profile, and every roaster has their own unique expression of that flavor profile.  The phrase “taste the world” has been used over and over again to refer to the array of specialty coffee origins, but the fact of the matter is that it’s still true.  Except that most people are now more aware of the fact that there is substantially more to it than “what country it comes from”.

Customers will return to a company they feel they can trust as the experts in their field.  You and your staff should be those experts.  Anyone who has ever gone through any amount of Starbucks training has probably been told that the customers expect the barista to be their go-to advisor for all things coffee (in regards to consumption, anyway).  The independents don’t have the Starbucks image to fall back on, and it seems that’s a very good thing.

Hold customer education events:

Give a class on cupping, on brewing at home, on proper coffee storage, on the differences between origins, on anything and everything that you think your customer base might find interesting.  If you are effective, they will come back to you for advice (and coffee).

Embrace “cup at a time” brew methods:

Sample coffees to customers before they decide on a whole bean to buy.  Does this cost extra?  Sure.. but less than throwing out half of an airpot in the afternoon, and it’s good customer service.  Include proper instructions for brewing, and carry a Bodum C-Mill, at the very least, so your customers can afford to grind fresh, even if they can’t afford a proper burr grinder.  And while you’re at it, you might consider retailing French Presses as well as Melitta Pourovers and Chemex brewers.  Learn how to use them well, and teach your customers.  Check with your roaster to see if they offer any of these.  It’s better than the extra profit would go to a link in your chain, rather than merely to the parent company alone.  If you’d like to carry an electric grinder, I hear from several sources that Baratza is very easy to deal with for retailers to become distributors(not to mention, their products aren’t bad either).

Sell whole bean coffee:

It’s cheaper for the customer, and it’s easy marketing for you.  Just because people are not eating out as much doesn’t mean they’re not getting together.  Wouldn’t you like the coffee being served to come from your store, with the answer to “ooo, where did you get this coffee?” be your company name?  The ecoomy is going to rebound eventually, and just like buying up stocks on the market while they’re cheap in hopes that they will yield a return, this is the time to buy stock in your customers in the prospect of future sales.  If you are like me, you get excited about new coffees, new flavors, and new brew technique discoveries or revelations.  Share this!  Wear your passion for coffee on your sleeve, ans share it with your customers.  (read: do not force it down their throats, but make it known and available for them to tap into)

Market events around the coffee:

Just like Tim Wendelboe held a Black Week, you too can hold a special event that focuses on a specific coffee, a specific region, or a specific brew method.  Keep it tight and focused.  Don’t wear out your arsenal of information on just one event.  Spread it out.  Spread the word.  This can breathe new life into your business, and spark new inerest in your customers.  Hold education classes, seminars, anything and everything to do with the coffee.

Do NOT try giveaway promotions:

Many people may be tempted to try to boost traffic by offering deals.  Like “buy 9, get the 10th free”, or the like.  This devalues the coffee, but more salient to retailers, it doesn’t do a thing for sales!  If it hasn’t become obvious by now, the key is to earn the business of your customers.  Not with freebies, but by honest customer service and education.  It’s simple.  If you invest in them, they will invest in you.  Win-Win.  Both parties are happy, and no-one is taking the hit.  The best marketing tool you have is Word Of Mouth.  This is how that investment in your customers pays off.

Invest in your business:

I have seen more than a handful of retailers eventually fail because they were not willing to give their business the extra financial push it needed in order to break through the line between “afloat” and profitable.  It’s scary, but so is entrepreneurship on the whole.  They don’t call them “risk takers” for no reason, but in a situation like this, it shouldn’t be too difficult to calculate the risk.  If you have a hard time stepping outside of the box when it comes to your own business, consider hiring a consultant to analyze the situation for you.  One of the surest ways to kill a business is to underfund it.  If new equipment is what you need in order to compete, then by golly, you should bite the bullet and take the debt to do what you need to do in order to stay afloat. (a word of caution:  tx-coffee.com, nor the author, can be held responsible for a lack of research or common sense or the results of taking advice from this, or any other article on the part of the reader)  As much as I hate the notion that “tools are to blame”, the fact of the matter is that in a business like this, you simply cannot perform without the right tools.  Whether what is needed is training, equipment(scroll down), more staff, or any combination thereof.. any educator will tell you that the smartest investment is an investment in yourself.  Well, I’d venture to say that the smartest investment your business can make is an investment in itself.

Know When to Cut Your losses:

Some businesses are too far gone to continue, and while a failure plan should have been built into the Business Plan, this is not always the case.  This is the time to go back through the books, and start documenting if you have not done so already.  As much as we don’t want to see any business fail, the fact of the matter is that some do, and it’s better to guide it down before the fuel tank is all the way empty than to keep fighting until the engines die and it crashes.  This is about the financial benefactor of the business, and their financial health, and not so much about the business itself.  Without financial backing, no retailer could get off the ground in the first place.

Hold on Tight:

Watch the market, but don’t listen to the pundits.  Their opinions are.. well.. opinions.  The newspaper doesn’t know which way the economy will swing any more than you do.. becuase they are written by other people.  Sure, there are “experts”, and many “experts” have been wrong.  Use your own sound judgement.  It’s the American way. (at least, it used to be)  It may be a bumpy ride, but hold on if you can!  We here at TX-Coffee.com hope this has given at least some insite or inspiration for ingenuity in surviving the economic recession as a retailer.  We’ve got more articles on the way.  Thanks for reading.

Job – Frosted Java Seeking Manager: Frisco, TX

via email:  Ruchi writes,
I am opening a a new upscale coffee shop in Frisco Tx. Next to stonebrair Mall with a drive thru. Need a manager with experence to run this store and grow with the company. Latte art experience is good but we will train to achiieve it. Reply on e-mail Ruchi_usa@yahoo.com or call for interview – at 214-207-4855. Thanks

This job has been posted to our Jobs page.  Thanks, Ruchi!

DFW Jam 2008! July 19th, Mosaic Cafe.

July 19th, 2008

9:00am

Mosaic Cafe
2435 Kinwest
Irving, TX, 75063
Map and Directions

Hosted By:

and

Click Here for more info.

• Cupping for quality and roasting analysis
• Connecting with the consumer market (customers)
• Creating a Culture of Excellence
• Espresso techniques and free time
• Latte Art Throw Down
• Networking

Sponsors
___________________________________________________________

www.coffeetool.com

Sponsorships Available! (Contact Us)

This project is a work in progress

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