Specialty Coffee Retailer articles from August 2003

Specialty Coffee Retailer archives from August 2003

Moving forward.(Editor's Note)
August 1, 2003... Three months ago, Sue Gillerlain called me to say that she had decided to leave Specialty Coffee Retailer and become a full-time mom, and that she had recommended me as her replacement. I have to admit, my first thought was not, "Oh goody, I...

Coffee Fest Atlantic City New Product award winners.(Brew News)
August 1, 2003... Three products received the Best New Product award at Coffee Fest Atlantic City June 6-8. First prize went to file Smart Cafe Hot Cafetiere by My Coffee Cup LLC. This product was created by European designer Sebastian Conran for William...

Barrington Coffee hosts slow food event.(Brew News)
August 1, 2003... In today's world where convenience and speed are often valued over quality and lingering enjoyment, members of Slow Food USA want to re-implement the importance of sound food production and culinary tradition. Slow Food members and Barrington...

Correction.
August 1, 2003... In the article, "A Splash of Syrup," in SCR's June issue, the phone number for Stirling Foods was incorrect. The correct phone numbers are (800) 332.1714 and (425) 251.9293.

Michaelo Espresso signs deal with starbucks.(Brew News)
August 1, 2003... Seattle-based Michaelo Espresso has signed on to provide Starbucks Foodservice accounts with conventional equipment. Michaelo has supplied Starbucks stores in California, Colorado, Florida, Texas and Washington with its high-quality,...

Allegro pays above fair-trade prices.(Brew News)
August 1, 2003... Ernst & Young LLP recently completed its third audit of Allegro Coffee Company's green coffee prices. Allegro has its prices audited twice a year to ensure that it is paying at least the amount sanctioned as the fair-trade price for its...

Industry voices.
August 1, 2003... Q: Why did you decide to start a coffeehouse/bed and breakfast in Madrid, N.M.? Ten years ago I decided to move out of Santa Fe, N.M., because the rent on commercial spaces was going up so high it was almost impossible for a small business...

Immaculate Baking Co. makes world's largest cookie.(Brew News)
August 1, 2003... On May 17th, Immaculate Baking Co. baked the world's largest chocolate chip cookie. The cookie measures 100 feet in diameter and weighs over 40,000 lbs. It is longer than a basketball court and weighs more than four elephants. The cookie was...

Seattle couple opens neighborhood-centered coffeehouse.(Brew News)
August 1, 2003... As a business management consultant, Carl Robinson often made appointments to meet with clients in local coffee shops. His wife, Nora, a long-time restaurant manager before taking time off to be with family, decided that if Carl was going to...

Why plastic can be fantastic: little plastic cards are the next big thing in the coffee industry.
August 1, 2003... In the fall of 2001, Starbucks Coffee Company launched the Starbucks Card, a stored-value card that can be loaded--and reloaded--with money fur coffee purchases or given as a gift. Since then, a whopping 13 million cards have been activated,...

The natural niche: coffees with conscience are on a roll.
August 1, 2003... Never before have Americans been so concerned about where their coffee comes from. Fears about pesticides and struggling farmers are propelling many coffee lovers toward organic and Fair Trade products. Even if we don't know exactly what...

Bulk bean bins: the right storage and dispensing container will sell more beans--and generate more profits.
August 1, 2003... Bulk bean sales are an important source of revenue for coffeehouses and cafes. "Margins are usually better on coffee," admits Terry Davis, president of Ambex Coffee Roasters & Grinders, Inc., in Clearwater, Fla. "But you have to sell a lot of...

Packaging round-up: specialty coffee retailer offers a brief sampling of the many products out there to help meet your packaging needs.
August 1, 2003... From beans to drinks, from take-out food to gourmet food gifts, if it's sold, manufacturers make a package for it. Retailers of every size have packaging needs in some form or another--here are a few companies that are helping to meet those...

Great machines for great espresso: manufacturers are meeting retailers' demand for equipment that helps improve their espresso drinks.
August 1, 2003... There's a lot going on right now in the espresso equipment arena. Additional and improved equipment is becoming available, innovations are occurring at a rapid rate and equipment design is going through a retro-renaissance. The reasons for this...

Evolution of a coffeehouse: buying equipment.(Special Series)
August 1, 2003... Like selecting the variety of coffee beans and the type of roast, deciding which espresso/brewing and roasting equipment will be used in your coffeehouse is crucial to the end product--a quality cup of coffee. However, choosing equipment...

Coffeehouse destinations for tourists: three lakeside specialty coffee retailers have created unusual concepts to draw locals and visitors all year long.(Coffeehouse Profile)
August 1, 2003... As visitors drive into Duluth, Minn., from the direction of Minneapolis and St. Paul, they crest Thompson Hill and below them the world's largest freshwater lake stretches out into the horizon with 2,800 miles of shoreline. Tourists flock to...

Straight talks: how to become David when surrounded by Goliaths.
August 1, 2003... KEY FACT: Consistent quality is a basic requirement, not a major brand distinction in today's mature quality-demanding marketplace. I can't tell you how many of my retail customers think quality is the big branding idea upon which they are...

Marketing single origins--or not.(Regional Update)
August 1, 2003... Specialty coffee retailers love to discuss the differences in taste between single-origin coffees. Not surprisingly, retailers also love to share this information with customers; their discussions typically go into further details, as well,...

Kaladi Brothers Coffee Company Anchorage, Alaska.(Northwest)
August 1, 2003... Determined to inform his customers about single-origin coffees, Josh Marineau decided to write a tri-fold pamphlet. In about 500 words for each coffee, he discussed the flavor characteristics, how the coffee arrived in the country, and...

Starbucks Coffee Co. Seattle.(Northwest)
August 1, 2003... Tim Kern, Starbucks' product manager for whole-bean coffee, agrees with Marineau's belief that it's generally better for employees to have verbal interaction with customers, rather than handing them written material about each coffee. "I...

Enrico's Tazza D'Oro Pittsburgh, Pa.(Northeast)
August 1, 2003... When it comes to marketing single-origin coffees, Amy Enrico knows the ropes. Enrico, the owner of Enrico's Tazza D'Oro, has only had her store three years, but she's converted most of her regular customers from drinking mostly blends--they...

Areopagus Coffee Phoenix, Ariz.(Southwest)
August 1, 2003... A coffeehouse owner who shares the less-is-more philosophy toward marketing single-origin coffees is Kevin Johnson, owner of Areopagus Coffee of Phoenix, Ariz. Johnson has focused exclusively on single origin coffees, but instead of...

Castle Pines Coffee Cravings Castle Rock, Colo.(Southwest)
August 1, 2003... Randy Thorton, co-owner of Castle Pines Coffee Cravings, a coffeehouse in Castle Rock, Colo., offers his customers four single-origin coffees. His roaster provides a 3-by-6-inch card for each coffee describing the flavor characteristics,...

St. Elmo's Coffee Pub Alexandria, Va.(Southeast)
August 1, 2003... Coffee tastings open to the public are a staple at St. Elmo's Pub in Alexandria, Va. Co-owner Nora Partlow holds them four times per year; most draw anywhere from a handful up to 50 people. But even at those events, her customers, by and...

Gourmet Grind and Gifts Surfside Beach, S.C.(Southeast)
August 1, 2003... Darleen Escamilla's customers had been swooning over flavored coffee for years, but now they are suddenly interested in single-origin coffees, she says. Escamilla owns Gourmet Grind and Gifts, of Surfside Beach, a suburb of Myrtle Beach....

Counter Culture Coffee Durham, N.C.(Southeast)
August 1, 2003... Coffee education is important to Peter Giuliano, the master roaster at Counter Culture Coffee, Durham, N.C., as well. Giuliano's a big fan of single-origin coffees and he always tries to tell his customers as much as he can about the region...

Cafe Fantastico Victoria, British Columbia.(Canada)
August 1, 2003... Many coffee retailers simply refer to their coffees by the country of origin, leaving out the region or estate. Their thinking is that when they have to change estates or regions due to variations in the crop, the customer might become confused...

Beans and Leaves Abbotsford, British Columbia.(Canada)
August 1, 2003... Gregg Clark, owner of Beans and Leaves, a coffee- and teahouse in Abbotsford, British Columbia, disagrees with Taylor in terms of how much the customer needs to know about each single-origin coffee. Clark has a list of coffees and their...

1. Cleaning supplies.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Pacific Espresso's Puro Caff espresso machine cleaning products can he used to clean all your coffee equipment. Pacific Espresso intitiated the work with NSF to develop the NSF protocol and standards for espresso machine cleaning products. Look...

2. Bio-safe gravity bins.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... The BestBins Corporation's environmentally friendly polycarbonate gravity bins were developed specifically in answer to customers' needs and concerns about operating costs, shelf space economy, sanitation and merchandising techniques. ...

3. Vittoria espresso machines.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Mellelo Coffee Roasters, a company known for its small-batch roasted, hand-blended coffees, now offers the high-quality line of Vittoria espresso machines. Mellelo Coffee Roasters sells and services two-, three-and Four-group Vittoria...

4. Visual merchandising.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Walls + Forms Inc. now offers EuroSign[TM] EuroStands, which are simple to use, easy to install, and ready for personalization. They combine style with function and feature a user-friendly "front-loading" design. EuroSign[TM] EuroStands...

5. Organic cleaning.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Urnex Brands, Inc.'s Urnex[R] Urn & Brewer Cleaner Premium is now the only cleaning agent specifically formulated for use on coffee equipment to be OMRI listed. The listing comes after panel review by the Organic Materials Review institute,...

6. Cup of excellence.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Chicago Coffee Roastery, Inc., a small-batch, specialty roaster in Huntley, Ill., is now offering 2002 Cup of Excellence winning Guatemalan coffee. This coffee comes directly from the Filadelfia Estate where it is grown. Located in the Antigua...

Marketplace.
August 1, 2003... BAKED GOODS Arezzo Biscotti Co. (800) 545-7720 www.arezzobiscotti.com Caffe D'Amore (800) 999-0171 www.caffedamore.com Mamma Says Biscotti (973) 283-4463 www.mammasays.com Montione's Biscotti ...