Fresh Cup Magazine | May 2018

C A N N A B I S T E A | B A R I S TA L E A G U E | C O O K I N G W I T H S Y R U P S | F O O D I N T E G R AT I O N L A B

Chicago’s Coffee Scene Heats Up in

LOGAN SQUARE PAGE 16

May 2018 » freshcup.com

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T H E M AG A Z I N E F O R S P E C I A LT Y CO F F E E & T E A P RO F E S S I O N A L S S I N C E 1 9 9 2

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FEATURES MAY 2018 | VOL. 27, NO. 5 | FRESH CUP MAGAZINE

28

36

Syrups are the secret ingredient to save your menu from getting stale.

Effervescent beverages are popping up in cafés everywhere, but there are a few important considerations to dial in before you bubble up.

Small Pantry, Big Menu

BY LEVI ANDERSEN

Make It Sparkle

BY KAITLIN THROGMORTON

44

50

Reflections on inclusivity, diversity, and fairness in the specialty coffee industry.

Coffee Fest seminar prepares culinary programs for success.

BY ANASTASIA PRIKHODKO

BY PETER SZYMCZAK

Cafeminism

8 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

Food Integration Lab

DEPARTMENTS MAY 2018 | VOL. 27, NO. 5 | FRESH CUP MAGAZINE

16

18

#Trending

Nine Bar

Cannabis tea

The Barista League

BY K. ASTRE

BY RACHEL NORTHROP

22

24

Café Crossroads

Caffeination Destination

The Folks, Taipei City, Taiwan

Chicago’s Logan Square

BY LAURA RUSSELL

BY CARRIE PALLARDY

58 Counter Intelligence The Freshest Goods, Gadgets & Gizmos FROM THE EDITOR , Page 12 | CONTRIBUTORS, Page 14 | C ALENDAR , Page 54 | AD INDE X , Page 56

10 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

FROM THE EDITOR MARIQUITA CABLEWAY

COLOMBIA DREAMING

T

his past March I visited Manizales, Colombia. The city is a main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an important hub for higher educational institutions.

Manizales is the capital of the Department of Caldas, which comprises the country’s so-called “Coffee Triangle” along with the departments of Risaralda and Quindio. Much of the country’s commodity coffee comes from this fertile region.

The landscape surrounding Manizales is lush. Verdant valleys and steep, cloudcapped slopes are smothered in the vibrant green foliage of coffee plants, banana trees, and stands of bamboo.

The urban part of Manizales is dense and fast-growing, too, becoming more cosmopolitan every day. Construction is underway on an addition to the bustling shopping hub “Zona Rosa” and looks to engulf the Mariquita Cableway, a tower several stories tall that is a significant relic from Manizales’s coffee past—and that may point to Colombia’s coffee future.

Fifty years ago, the Mariquita Cableway was the central site of production for the region’s coffee industry, serving as a link between the Colombian coffee growing axis and the ports on the Magdalena River. The structure was decommissioned in 1961 but stands to this day. Now in the tower’s shadow is the city’s flagship Juan Valdez Café, Colombia’s version of Starbucks.

12 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

There are 320 (and growing) Juan Valdez coffee shops located throughout Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States. Nestled next to the Mariquita Cableway, the Zona Rosa location is a popular hangout spot for Manizales’s teens, 20-somethings, and young urbanite professionals… Which goes to show, while the times have changed, coffee remains the region’s lifeblood.

English is not widely spoken here, I learned quickly, so my high-school Spanish came in handy during conversations with representatives from La Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC). When words failed, coffee and food served as our common language.

Over heaping plates of bandeja paisa, ajiaco, and lechona. I learned how the FNC is helping support the country’s coffee farmers and how the organization is trying to encourage a new generation of specialty coffee-minded consumers and professionals. The FNC is engaged in science and technology initiatives, such as “Manos al Agua,” which aims to confront Colombia’s sustainability challenge of intelligent water management at the farm and landscape level.

Locally, the Comité de Cafeteros de Caldas provides educational and financial support to farmers through a variety of programs in coffee-farming communities. “Escuela Nueva,” for

instance, is an educational program for rural youth that attempts to bridge the information gap between generations and build a future for them in the countryside.

The Comité’s team of agronomists in Caldas is led by Pedro Gonzalez, specialty coffee coordinator, who works with the cooperatives that purchase, process, store, and distribute green coffee beans. Gonzalez is a Q grader and oversees the “Ritual del Café,” a coffee education and training facility that’s a certified Specialty Coffee Association campus, located on the beautiful grounds of the Recinto del Pensamiento, where I stayed.

In addition to several pounds of coffee from the Caldas region, I brought back a deep appreciation for the people working hard to prove the coffee trade there. Coffee is an integral aspect of life in Caldas, but it’s increasingly at risk, not only because of cultural factors, but also due to climate change and stagnant commodity prices.

As a result, the coffee trade is changing in Caldas. To better compete in a rapidly changing global market, the Comité has launched a new marketing campaign calling for quality (“Caldas es Calidad”) that seeks to tap into the specialty market, a strategy which has proven successful and profitable for coffee-producing regions such as Huila and Tolima.

Great strides are also being made with new Roya-resistant strains that promise

PEDRO GONZALEZ

to revolutionize the industry. The FNC has an ambitious goal of 20/20—20 million kilos of coffee by the year 2020—and 100-percent sustainable coffee by 2027.

PH OTOS BY PETER SZ YMC Z AK

S

eeing coffee from the producer side in Colombia contrasted starkly upon my return home to the States, where a California judge ruled that coffee must now be served with a warning, because a cancer-causing substance (acrylamide) can be found in trace amounts.

On the heels of that bewildering decision came news that the United States will withdraw this June from the International Coffee Agreement (ICA), the main commodity agreement between most of the world’s major coffee-consuming and coffee-producing countries.

The United States was instrumental in the creation of the first ICA in 1962, which set export quotas. The goal then was to stabilize coffee commodity prices worldwide for the benefit of both producing countries (sellers) and consuming countries (buyers).

This isn’t the first time the US has walked away from the agreement. The US was not a member for many years and the coffee industry, led by the National Coffee Association (NCA), compelled the US to rejoin in 2007. The point was not only to have a voice at the table, but also to work collaboratively with producers on challenges facing the entire industry.

The timing of the US’s latest departure from the deal is unfortunate, says George Vukasin, an NCA board member and CEO of Peerless Coffee Roasters in Oakland, California. “While coffee prices are not near historical lows, current levels are at or slightly below cost of production for many coffee farmers including Colombian growers. Now is the time to be engaged, as our farmer partners are facing low prices and environmental challenges like climate change.”

According to Vukasin, “Maybe this would be a good time to review and modernize the ICA’s mission to include more impactful, unique value adds to our community.”

As countries like Colombia create more robust, educated producers and consumers at origin, and as yesterday’s old structures, such as the ICA and Mariquita Cableway, are abandoned and refashioned, change will come, like winter segues into spring.

CAFÉ PINTAO

PETER SZYMCZAK, EDITOR

editor@freshcup.com

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 13

CONTRIBUTORS LEVI ANDERSEN is a barista and former coffee shop owner. Currently, he crafts drinks around the globe as beverage applications manager for Kerry, the parent company of DaVinci Gourmet, Big Train, Oregon Chai, and Island Oasis. In this issue, Andersen lends his firsthand experience and expert advice for turning syrups into profit via a range of culinary applications— see “Small Pantry, Big Menu” on page 28.

K. ASTRE is a California native with an affinity for alternative healing and a global appetite for music, art, and culture. When she isn’t writing about cannabis, she enjoys winding down with tea, naps, meditation and yoga. She surveyed the latest offerings in medicated teas and tisanes for this month’s #Trending article, “#cuppacannabis”—turn to page 16.

Brooklynite RACHEL NORTHROP is communications manager with Ally Coffee and the author of “When Coffee Speaks: Stories from and of Latin American Coffeepeople.” In this issue, she writes about The Barista League, a new form of coffee event that puts the emphasis on community over competition. Read about the League’s visionary creator, Steven Maloney, beginning on page 18.

ON THE COVER

14 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

CARRIE PALLARDY is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she currently lives in the North Side neighborhood of Avondale.

Pallardy writes about a wide range of topics, from real estate and entertainment to education and global travel.

She is an ardent tea drinker and bookworm. Turn to page 24 and read all about “What’s Brewing in Chicago?”

ANASTASIA PRIKHODKO is a freelance journalist covering travel, culture, agriculture, gender, and the hospitality industry—all topics she touches upon in her survey of women working in the coffee industry (see “Cafeminism” on page 44). Her work has been published by Daily Coffee News, Drift, Glory Mag, Paste Magazine, and For the Love of Travel.

LAURA RUSSELL is a writer and recipe developer based in Portland, Oregon, and a frequent traveler to China. Read her profile of The Folks café in Taipei on page 22. Russell is the author of Brassicas (Ten Speed Press, 2014) and The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen, and former associate editor of the cookbook division of Food & Wine. She has contributed articles to Roads & Kingdoms, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, and Fine Cooking.

KAITLIN THROGMORTON lives in Seattle, Washington, and writes about coffee, travel, and books. In this issue, she researched bubbly beverages, from cold brew sodas to effervescent cocktails and draft lattes. Read “Make It Sparkle” starting on page 36.

Sparkling elixirs from Raleigh, North Carolina’s 42 & Lawrence Photo by Food Seen

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE FRESH CUP FOUNDER WARD BARBEE 1938-2006 FRESH CUP PUBLISHING Publisher and President JAN WEIGEL jan@freshcup.com EDITORIAL Editor PETER SZYMCZAK editor@freshcup.com Associate Editor JORDAN JOHNSON freshed@freshcup.com ART Art Director CYNTHIA MEADORS cynthia@freshcup.com ADVERTISING Sales Manager MICHAEL HARRIS michael@freshcup.com Ad Coordinator DIANE HOWARD adtraffic@freshcup.com Marketing Coordinator ANNA SHELTON anna@freshcup.com CIRCULATION Circulation Director ANNA SHELTON anna@freshcup.com ACCOUNTING Accounting Manager DIANE HOWARD diane@freshcup.com EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD DAVID GRISWOLD

ANUPA MUELLER

Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers

Eco-Prima

CHUCK JONES

BRAD PRICE

Jones Coffee Roasters

Phillips Syrups & Sauces

JULIA LEACH

BRUCE RICHARDSON

Toddy

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

COSIMO LIBARDO

MANISH SHAH

Toby’s Estate Coffee

Maya Tea Co.

BRUCE MILLETTO

LARRY WINKLER

Bellissimo Coffee Advisors

Torani

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FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 15

TRENDING

#cuppacannabis

By K. Astre

H

erbal infusions have been used throughout history to help people relieve various symptoms, boost immune health, get a good night’s rest, and even as a lubricant for formal and informal social gatherings. Cannabis infusions are not new; cultures in China, India, and the Caribbean have been using the stems and leaves to make tonics for centuries.

But the availability of cannabis, packaged for sale (where legal) in convenient, single-steep sachets, is a new innovation in the modern marijuana market.

Most people are familiar with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound in the plant. It’s the

substance that makes you feel relaxed, euphoric, and can increase your appetite. CBD (cannabidiol) is another active compound found in cannabis. It is known for its therapeutic, pain-relieving properties, and does not produce any type of high or buzz in the consumer.

When and how you enjoy cannabis infusions depends on what your plans are for the day and the type of experience you’d like to have. For a morning or mid-day mood boost, a CBD tisane can help put your mind at ease and smooth out any emotional wrinkles that might prevent you from getting the best out of your day. Sipping some THC tea can help you tap into your inner creativity and release tension.

HIPPIE BREW GINGER TURMERIC TEA

KIKOKO SYMPA-TEA

Turmeric and ginger are known for

grams of THC per sachet, this tea will

their anti-inflammatory proper-

take the edge off of a stressful day,

ties, acting as an effective

leaving you feel pleasantly serene,

preventative against the flu

like you’ve just gotten a massage. It’s

and colds, or help relieve

packed not only with herbs but also

symptoms once they’ve set

spices, including ginger, turmeric,

in. Paired with green tea

orange peel, black pepper, star anise,

and cannabis, this blend can

cinnamon, and licorice root. Based

boost your immune system

in Emeryville, California, Kikoko also

and keep you feeling your best.

sells Positivi-Tea for enhancing mood

Hippie Brew is a Canadian company

and joy, Sensuali-Tea for passion and

that also makes a line of THC-infused

play, and Tranquili-Tea for relaxation

coffees. www.hippiebrew.ca

and sleep. kikoko.com

16 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

With 20 milligrams of CBD and 3 milli-

UPWARD CANNABIS PIQMIUP CANNABIS TEA Made in Portland, Oregon, this uplifting line combines THC distillate with organic dried aromatics into a medicated powder that is blended with loose leaf tea from The Jasmine Pearl. Piqmiup comes in three floral, fruity flavors: Berry White & Lavender (indica), White Peony, Kaffir Lime Leaves & Lemon Grass (hybrid), and Jasmine Harmony & Lemon (sativa). For those who prefer their tea slightly fizzy and fermented, Upward also crafts a line of cannabis kombucha. www.upwardcannabis.com

EVERGREEN HERBAL CHAI HIGH TEA

MARY’S WELLNESS GREEN TEA

Organic South African rooibos is the

beverages, from apple cider to chai tea, hot

base of this caffeine-free blend of can-

chocolate to cappuccino, and an organic green

nabis oil, cinnamon, clove, cardamom,

tea with a whopping 60 milligrams of THC, so it’s

Mary’s offers a potent range of cannabis-infused

ginger root, and black peppercorn. Based in Washington State, Ever-

not recommended for people who are looking

green Herbal also carries THC-infused Black Assam, Green Jasmine,

for a mild experience or still figuring out their

a PM Formula for bedtime, and Honey Sticks that double the dosage

tolerance levels. marysjava.com

while sweetening the pot. www.forevergreenherbal.com

MEADOW SWEET HERBS VITALI TEA

HIGH ST. ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA

This powerful blend of herbs includes indica and

Think of this as breakfast tea with a twist. It

Cannabis-infused coconut oil gives this lightly

sativa strains of cannabis along with ashwagandha

clocks in at a hefty 25 milligrams of THC per

sweet tea an extra layer of flavor. Two of Honey

root, rhodiola root, schizandra berries, ginger

sachet (10 milligrams is considered the standard

Pot’s other teas, Chamomile Lavender Pepper-

root, astragalus root, dandelion root, burdock

dosage), so plan on kicking back and relaxing dur-

mint Tea and Calendula Guava Mango Black Tea,

root, and sunflower lecithin. Meadow Sweet also

ing a luxurious weekend brunch or whenever you

won Best Edible Awards in the High Times Can-

makes a cannabis-charged hot chocolate mix,

have time to enjoy the effects. Hailing from Hum-

nabis Cup. Aside from teas, Honey Pot specializes

coffee substitute blend, powdered supplements

boldt County, California—America’s Marijuana

in cannabis-infused honey and topical ointments.

for smoothies, and a variety of other tea blends.

Capital—High St. also has an Earl Grey Creme and

honeypotbear420.com

meadowsweetherbs.ca

Rooibos Chai. www.highstteas.com

HONEY POT CRANBERRY ORANGE ROOIBOS CBD TEA

MOTA TEMPLE TEA MOROCCAN MINT

CANNATEA CBD MARION BERRY CHAMOMILE TEA

Crafted on Vancouver Island in

This tisane is likely to trigger

British Columbia, Canada, this blend

drowsiness. Chamomile, a staple

of locally grown peppermint, spear-

in bedtime blends, is combined

mint, cannabis, and hemp results

with CBD from a cannabis strain

in a refreshing tea that can help

called “Cannatonic” to create a

soothe an upset stomach, stimulate

potion that purports to alleviate

the appetite, and alleviate nausea.

pain and lessen feelings of de-

Mota also makes and sells a wide

pression. Based in Bend, Oregon,

range of flower, edibles, concen-

Cannatea also makes ready-to-

trates, topicals, tinctures, capsules,

drink bottles—flasks, actually—of

bath and body products, and even

Honey Ginseng Green Tea, Wild

CBD-only pet products.

Berry White Tea, and Yerba Mate.

www.motacannabisproducts.ca

www.cannateausa.com

FC

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 17

NINE BAR

The Barista League Rethinks the Coffee Competition

C

offee competitions lean toward one of two directions. There’s the hyperregulated, stadium-seating events that time, check, and control every detail. Then there’s the neigh-

18 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

borhood latte art throwdowns, where high-fiving and free beer turn nights into a milky blur.

Somewhere in between is The Barista League, the brainchild of Steven Maloney, an Australian native

and Swedish transplant as of 2012.

Maloney envisions a middle ground where coffee competitions can be interesting, inclusive, quirky, and all-around good times, while still celebrating technical skills.

P HOTOS BY LIV OMS EN

By Rachel Northrop

No stranger to the hyper-competitive side of coffee events, Maloney was the Swedish National Barista Champion in 2016 and 2017. But instead of defending his title again in 2018, he has turned his attention to cultivating a new category of competitive coffee gathering where the focus is on creating community, rather than taking home top prize. (The Barista League does award prizes and trophies.)

“Our goal was to take a very detail-oriented approach to planning a coffee event,” Maloney says. “Having looked closely at what was missing or lacking in other events I’ve attended, I wanted to put together something that addressed those gaps, while still being a lot of fun.”

Skills” challenges taste and smell, often while wearing a blindfold. The “Mystery Round” plays up the fun, handcuffing competitors together or asking them to wear goggles while making an AeroPress. Never taking itself too seriously is integral to the ethos of The Barista League.

“The most rewarding thing is hearing baristas, attendees, and participants saying, ‘This is the most fun coffee event I’ve ever been to—the best vibes, the most inclusive,’” Maloney says.

WE’RE MAKING THESE EVENTS THAT BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER RATHER THAN JUST FINDING A WINNER. IT’S NOT REALLY ABOUT THAT.

The first Barista League event took place in 2015 in Lund, Sweden.

Twelve teams of two competed in three rounds of challenges: “Barista Skills,” “Sensory Skills,” and the “Mystery Round.” The rounds took place concurrently, keeping energy up and wait times down.

“Barista Skills” tests on-the-job dexterities, such as dialing in shots and preparing drinks. “Sensory

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 19

P HOTOS BY LIV OMS EN

NINE BAR: The Barista League

The Barista League provides a stage for working baristas to show off all sides of coffee. Positive feedback from attendees is what gives Maloney the energy to keep hosting Barista League events. “We’re making these events that bring the community together rather than just finding a winner. It’s not really about that,” Maloney says.

In 2018, The Barista League will head out on a US tour starting in Portland, Oregon (August 30); Kansas City, Missouri (September 1); Greenville, South Carolina (September 6); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (September 8). Registration is first-come, first-served, and participation is free. Cumulative points from three different rounds determine the winner, who will receive an origin trip courtesy of Ally Coffee.

But the prize is secondary to the reward of having socialized with peers in the coffee community. FC MORE INFO >> thebaristaleague.com/usa/

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 21

CAFÉ CROSSROADS

TZU-CHI LIN, owner and sole

employee. If The Folks is open, Tzu-Chi’s behind the bar.

The Folks, Taipei City, Taiwan No. 3-1, Lane 208, Siwei Road +886 2 2704 0399 thefolkstaipei.tumblr.com Open 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday–Wednesday; closed Thursday

T

he awarding of 2016’s World Barista Champion to Berg Wu, a barista from Taipei, was overdue acknowledgment of a city that may be most famous for its bubble tea.

Eschewing boba, Taipei’s tamperers created a sophisticated coffee scene that marries quality with design.

For a quick cup of coffee, the options are plentiful. You’ll find convenience stores, plenty of familiar

22 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

Western chains, and a smattering of Australian cafés. Should you make time to wander off the main thoroughfares, the local gems are worth every sip.

One such discovery is The Folks in Taipei’s Da’an District. The shop sits tucked alongside a traditional Taiwanese market and a vitamin store. (On foot, look for Lane 198 to find it.) The outside, unmarked and nondescript, may almost go

unnoticed when the shop is closed, curtain drawn. But during business hours, it’s hard to miss the steady stream of devout regulars making their daily pilgrimage.

Presiding over The Folks is owner and sole employee Tzu-Chi Lin. If The Folks is open, Tzu-Chi’s behind the bar. The space is shoebox-sized but mighty—a mere 12 square meters— and holds all the accoutrements of a much larger space.

P HOTOS BY L AUR A BYR NE R US SEL L

By Laura Russell

TINY GLASS CUPS hold a single ice cube and that precious seven-hour brew.

FOLKS SERVES a few varieties of cake, made on-site by a local baker when the shop is closed (due to space restrictions).

BOLERO cold-drip brewer in action.

The bar, shaped like a backward “L,” seats four along the front, two more at the edge, with a covered patio outside the entrance accommodating just as many. Alongside one wall stands a three-foot-tall cold-drip brewer from the Taiwanese company Bolero. The brewing process takes about seven hours, producing three liters of coffee, one drop at a time, accumulating slowly as the ice melts over the grounds. There are no shortcuts at The Folks.

In such a small space there’s no room for extraneous anything, and Tzu-Chi’s attention to detail shines through at every turn. From the collection of design books on the counter to the tunes playing overhead, his stamp is everywhere. A great lover of music and vintage albums, Tzu-Chi creates monthly playlists spotlighting some of his favorites in Brit-pop, indie rock, grunge, electronic, and folk music. The mood of the room is dynamic, immersing the customer in a very personal aesthetic.

Sights and sounds aside, nowhere is Tzu-Chi’s attention to detail more directed than on the coffee itself. He starts, not surprisingly, by roasting the beans himself, a twice-a-week task on the Diedrich roaster that defies all odds by fitting in the corner.

He picks through the green beans— sourced from local companies Tri-Up, Pebble Coffee, or Linking Coffee—one by one, looking for defects that might throw off the quality of the final brew.

Once again, this meticulous attention to minutiae sets The Folks apart.

Watching Tzu-Chi roast and brew with such focused precision, it’s clear this is a special coffee place. The natural inclination for most business owners would be expansion, but TzuChi says he has no desire to scale up.

“Tending to The Folks each day, owning a single shop, and making it the best it can be is a lifelong pursuit of excellence,” he says, then turns his attention back to honing his craft. FC

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 23

CAFFEINATION DESTINATION >> Chicago, Illinois

POUR OVER at Passion House Cafe

What’s Brewing in Chicago?

By Carrie Pallardy

S

ay “hipster”—code for anyone with a taste for the cool—and most Chicagoans will immediately single out Logan Square. The North Side neighborhood is a jumble of bars, restaurants, and record shops on tree-lined residential streets. So, it’s no surprise a craft coffee scene catering to young

24 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

professionals and artists has blossomed here in the Windy City as well.

These four cafés, all of which source and roast their own coffee, have carved out a niche for themselves in a part of Chi-Town that’s also home to indie chain Intelligentsia and several other coffee shops.

P HOTOS COUR TES Y OF PA SS ION HOUS E C AF E

Meet the roasters and cafés making LOGAN SQUARE a coffee hotspot in the Windy City.

PASSION HOUSE CAFE 2631 N. Kedzie Avenue 847-224-6993 www.passionhousecoffee.com Open Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

Passion House Cafe is the customer-facing side of Passion House Coffee Roasters. The café opened in the heart of Logan Square last year, just steps away from the neighborhood’s Chicago Transit Authority stop and the Centennial Monument.

Owner Joshua Millman got his start in coffee at Starbucks. After college, he delved into the world of specialty coffee, working with several companies. Some questioned whether he had the passion required for a career in coffee, leading him to strike out on his own and open Passion House, which he named as testament to his commitment to coffee.

Michael Kearby (Kurtis), a former roasting department head for Intelligentsia, leads Passion House’s sourcing and roasting program. Passion House has relationships in countries including Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and Ecuador, where Kurtis judged the Taza Dorada competition. Coffee from the Finca Lugmapta farm in Ecuador won the competition, and Passion House’s winning bid brought that coffee to Chicago this past April.

Passion House uses a 1957 German Probat cast-iron roaster that was refurbished in The Netherlands and shipped to Chicago. “That roaster is a workhorse. It is one of the things that sets us apart,” Millman says. “The drum’s seasoning, its thermal energy and heat transfer is unparalleled.”

Millman’s goal is to make coffee accessible to everyone and appealing to Logan Square’s diverse customer base. To make the Passion House brand easy to navigate, the café splits its brews into three genres: Ambient, Mainstream, and Experimental. Ambient offers mindless, easy drinking for casual coffee drinkers. Mainstream brings more variety and complex flavors in the form of seasonal and single-origin brews, while the serious caffeine hound will want to explore the Experimental collection’s micro-lots.

“Ultimately what we want to do is connect the world through this beautiful little seed: coffee,” Millman says.

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 25

LOGAN SQUARE, CHICAGO

Ipsento started out in 2006 as a small, community-focused coffee shop. It closed then reopened under the stewardship of current owner Tim Taylor in 2009.

Previously, the company sourced its coffee from a roaster in Indiana. When Taylor took over, he shifted focus to highquality, direct-trade coffee and took over the roasting process himself. Today, the Logan Square location is triple its original size, and Ipsento has a coffee lab just down the street, plus another location in nearby Bucktown.

Ipsento sources coffee from all over the world. Taylor takes four trips to growing regions each year, and he has cultivated relationships with growers in countries including Guatemala, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

“We work with growers who have similar core values. They treat coffee like it is a craft, not a commodity,” Taylor says. “How they treat their harvesters and the earth— that almost always translates into what is in the cup.”

Ipsento extends its ethical approach to coffee sourcing to all other ingredients.

Milk comes from a local farm and the flour used to make doughnuts in-house is milled right in the basement of the café.

26 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

ROA STING BE ANS AT IP SENTO PH OTO BY C A ITLYN EBY, ALL OTH ER IPS EN TO P HOTOS COURTES Y OF IPSE N TO

IPSENTO 2035 N. Western Avenue 773-904-8177 ipsento.com Open Monday –Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m.

C AF FÈ UM BR IA PH OTO COU RTESY OF C AF F È UM BR IA; HA LF WIT P H OTOS COURT ES Y OF HALF W IT CO FFEE ROA ST ERS

CAFFÈ UMBRIA 2545 W. Armitage Avenue 773-360-8643 caffeumbria.com Open Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

The Logan Square location is the latest outpost of Caffè Umbria, an Italian family business that started in Seattle, Washington, in 2002. The company has since grown to three locations in Seattle, two in Portland, Oregon, and two Chicago spots, one in River North, in addition to Logan Square.

The 9,000-square-foot space is split in two by a shipping container—a nod to the coffee trade.

The back is reserved for storage and distribution to serve its Midwest customer base, while the front features a retail café and 30-kilo roaster made by a company in Bologna, Italy. The location also houses a training facility.

Caffè Umbria sources its coffee from about 15 different countries. “We work with a lot of coops, which tend to be more stable and have ties to the community, especially in places like Costa Rica and Peru,” says co-founder and head roaster Emanuele Bizzarri.

Bizzarri is an advocate of blends. His primary goal is to create high-quality coffee with a consistent taste. “At the end of the day, that is what the customer wants. If you like the product, you want the same thing every morning,” he says.

Bizzarri believes Caffè Umbria fits into Logan Square because the coffee’s flavor and location’s setup give people something different to try.

“We are giving people more choices, and the competition is great. It keeps people honest.”

HALFWIT COFFEE ROASTERS 3431 W. Fullerton Avenue 773-661-2468 www.halfwitcoffee.com Open 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily Sister business to 1980s-themed coffee shop Wormhole in Wicker Park, Halfwit Coffee Roasters has been open in Logan Square for about six months.

“Approachable complexity” is how Amanda Spirito, director of coffee, describes Halfwit’s coffee style. Coffee is sourced from countries including Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador, with a goal of creating drinks everyone can enjoy without brewing anything boring – anything boring would hardly fit with Logan Square’s alternative ambience.

“With specialty coffee, it is important to create a welcoming environment,” Spirito says. “We work really hard to cultivate that type of experience for our customers.” FC

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SMALL PANTRY, BIG MENU

A

s a former coffeeshop owner, I literally used to eat all of my expiring products, otherwise they would go to waste. I was extremely frugal, and saw these ingredients as an expense I had already paid good money for, so how could I let them go in the trash bin?

Sometimes it would actually bring me joy when I didn’t sell a scone because I had been anticipating eating it all day. But you know what is better than scarfing a “free” scone? Selling more and cross-utilizing products so you don’t have to eat your profits.

I learned a better approach from Tom Pikaart, director of training at Bellissimo Coffee Advisors and the American Barista and Coffee School. During a training session, he explained kitchen storage and casually said, “Small pantry, big menu.” It was revelatory statement that made me rethink my business.

Tom explained how most cafés already have tasty things around the shop. Baristas and chefs can get creative with very little inspiration. Just consider all of the styles of lattes you can make with just milk and espresso. This idea was something I could implement tomorrow and save loads of storage and time.

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SEASONAL SYRUPS Being creative with ingredients is especially important when using seasonal “signature syrup flavors,” which most cafés want to use up relatively fast.

“Over the last 10 years, most of my profit can be traced to one tourist month in the summer, so you’d better believe we do everything we can with lavender,” says Teresa Gordon, owner of Hurricane Coffee Company, located in Sequim, Washington (population: 6,964).

Sequim is home to Lavender Fest, an annual event which draws tens of thousands of people. “I’m so grateful for how much it boosts our local economy.

We use food-grade lavender and turn it into a honey simple syrup for signature drinks. That was so obvious for us, a perfect fit for our menu and to stand out. We use the same syrup in lots of drinks, from lattes to a London Fog.” LAVENDER SYRUP 1 cup water 1 tablespoon culinary lavender flower buds 1/2 cup organic raw sugar 1 cup organic raw honey In a medium saucepan bring all ingredients to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes until reduced by about onethird. Take pan off heat and let cool. Use a fine mesh strainer to separate lavender from liquid, and bottle syrup. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

P HOTO BY A NNI E S PR AT T

Gordon also makes a powder out of the same lavender and uses it as a topping for seasonal drinks. “I already have the lavender, so using just a little more is just a few extra pennies,” Gordon says. “The visual enhancement to the drink takes it from delicious to shareable on social media.”

TOP THAT Toppings are another way to maximize syrups. Do you need to drizzle caramel sauce on top of a drink or treat? Not really. But that small drizzle on top is eye-catching and special.

Gordon makes gallons of syrup in advance of the festival, which takes place July 20–22 this year. To satisfy festivalgoers’ appetite for lavender, she adds a splash of the syrup to other menu items, including affogatos and Bundt cakes, breakfast bowls of Greek yogurt and granola, and as a seasonal sweetener for pots of Earl Grey tea.

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SMALL PANTRY, BIG MENU

“When people look to get their regular drink, like a latte, they might see our signature menu and get excited by the lavender. It’s easy to suggest they pair it with a treat as well,” Gordon says. By using the same lavender syrup in beverages and in food items, you can almost guarantee they will naturally pair together.

It’s important to keep in mind that lavender isn’t everybody’s flavor, and neither is making your own syrups for every café owner. If that’s the case, there are a number of commercially available, economical syrups at the ready.

Recipes on the following pages feature a wide range of seasonal syrup flavors. You can—and should—experiment with all flavors at your disposal in search of new, exciting—and profitable—culinary combinations.

Making the most out of minimal ingredients is an easy way cafés everywhere can make bigger profits—and not have to eat the stale leftovers.

RASPBERRY SYRUP VINAIGRETTE Drizzle this dressing on a bed of leafy green lettuce with Gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts for an easy summer salad.

2 tablespoons raspberry syrup 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1/4 teaspoon parsley 1/4 teaspoon marjoram Dash ground pepper Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well. This dressing will separate as it stands, so shake well before each use. Add to your favorite leafy greens.

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CINNAMON SYRUP ICING This easy-to-make icing is the perfect topping for toast or pastries baked inhouse, or for putting a personal touch on brought-in baked goods.

6 ounces cinnamon syrup 1 egg white 1 cup powdered sugar Whisk egg white in a glass bowl until soft peaks are formed. Slowly add powdered sugar, whisking until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Use within 2–3 days.

P HOTOS (CLOCK W IS E F ROM LEF T ) BY R AWP IXEL .COM , JOSEPH GONZ AL EZ , BR ENT PAYN E

MAPLE SYRUP GRILLED CHEESE Perfect for breakfast menus or an afternoon snack, this savory golden-brown, buttery grilled cheese sandwich is complemented by a drizzle of maple syrup.

1 tablespoon butter 2 slices of bread 2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated or shredded 1 ounce maple syrup Heat a pan over medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice of bread in the pan, buttered side down, sprinkle on the cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up.

Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve.

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SMALL PANTRY, BIG MENU

SALTED CARAMEL SYRUP POPCORN Train your staff to suggestive sell a salty snack, such as popcorn or mixed nuts, when a customer orders an iced drink on a warm summer afternoon. Each of these recipes make about 8 cups, but both easily scale up for making bigger batches.

1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped as desired 1/4 cup salted caramel syrup 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Melt butter and sugar together over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and combine with syrup. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl and toss with butter mixture to lightly coat. Spread popcorn on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven and serve.

ROSEMARY SYRUP MIXED NUTS 8 cups mixed nuts (such as cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans)

1/4 cup rosemary syrup 1 tablespoon butter 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and combine with syrup. Place nuts in a large bowl and toss with butter mixture to lightly coat. Spread nuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and freshly chopped rosemary, and serve.

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FC

C AR AM EL CORN P HOTO BY HEF TIBA TOA , N UTS P HOTO BY M ACEY DERYN

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt

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ELIXIR: 42 & Lawrence’s freshly-crafted fizzy beverages.

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MAKE IT SPARKLE

S

PH OTOS CO URT ESY O F GH OST N OT E CO FFE E

ignature drinks that include sparkling or tonic water make up 90 percent of the photos customers share online at Ghost Note Coffee in Seattle, Washington. “We weren’t really expecting our signature drinks to take off and define us as much as they do,” says Christos Andrews, co-owner and coffee/beverage director at Ghost Note. “Our signature drinks became, ‘Oh, this is the coffee shop that makes those crazy cocktail drinks.’”

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GHOST NOTE’S bright and summery drink, the Jhaptal, contains African espresso, tonic water, rose lavender syrup, blood orange shrub, and lime.

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MAKE IT SPARKLE

Sparkling drinks are incredibly popular right now, but they’re not always simple to make. Special equipment and ingredients are often needed, as well as an understanding of the processes behind creating sparkling drinks—whether it’s at the foundational level of recipe creation, or at a more niche level of cleaning kegerator equipment.

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For some shops, the complexity is part of the allure. “It’s that fun challenge of creating something that hasn’t been done before,” says Jeremy Behne, director of coffee at 42 & Lawrence, a coffee lab created

by Larry’s Coffee in Raleigh, North Carolina. “We have all these great tasting notes in these great coffees, so how can you compliment them

without milk? The second you get a group of baristas excited about creating something like that, you’re going to get things coming out of your shop that you would’ve never thought of,” he adds.

Oftentimes, rising to that creative challenge requires commitment.

Ghost Note’s Andrews spent four months perfecting a drink now

P HOTOS BY FOOD S EEN

ALL THAT SPARKLES: Bubbly drinks from 42 & Lawrence include the Ides of March (above) prepared with nitro cold brew and house-made lavender syrup.

known as the “Sun Ship,” made with espresso, smoked grapefruit rosemary syrup, coconut water, sparkling water, and lime.

But his persistence has paid off— fizzy drinks are what set Ghost Note apart. “The fact is, customers can find a good mocha or cappuccino at a million different coffee shops, but there’s only one place they can get a Sun Ship,” he says.

Erica Swanson, CEO and founder of Tea Bar in Portland, Oregon, is tenacious, too. It took her more than two years to perfect a chai that became the base of her sparkling cardamom chai, made with fresh green cardamom, cloves, whole peppercorns, cinnamon, raw turbinado sugar, and organic black tea. The chai is slow-brewed for 24 hours,

chilled then combined with sparkling water.

Occasionally, a recipe just doesn’t work. Swanson has tried to make a sparkling matcha, which she says was “the worst,” though she’d like to figure out how to do it one day.

Recipes must not only be delicious, they must be scalable. “It’s so difficult to make a high-quality chai that you can also mass produce. Making something single-serving is very different than making something for three shops to sell hundreds of a week,” Swanson says.

Having the right hardware helps. To achieve scalability, many cafés turn to the beer industry for pointers. At 42 & Lawrence, six taps push nitrogen, as well as carbon dioxide, to produce nitro cold brew, draft lattes, coffee

sodas, and more. Before opening, the owners spoke with bartenders and brewers, and eventually decided to build their own nitrogenators.

One crucial piece of advice that 42 & Lawrence learned from their research: pure carbonation can’t be added to coffee, unlike beer, as it creates too much acid.

Another important tip: With taps comes the important task of keeping lines clean. “A lot of tap lines are hidden, kind of behind-the-scenes work.

I can’t see what’s going on, but I have to make sure I’m keeping it as clean as the espresso machine,” says Behne.

“Just like in a brewery, you need to clean your tips and taps,” says Chris Garrison, owner of Old World Coffee in Reno, Nevada. For better frothing, Garrison also recommends

P HOTOS COURTES Y OF G HOST NOT E COF F EE

GET IT AT GHOST NOTE: The signature drink Sun Ship includes espresso, smoked grapefruit rosemary syrup, coconut water, sparkling water and lime.

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MAKE IT SPARKLE

under-filling nitro kegs and then shaking them to thoroughly distribute the nitrogen.

A café doesn’t need taps to create fizzy drinks, however. “If you have cold brew concentrate and seltzer, that’s all you need to start experimenting,” says Behne.

To serve bubbly water, there are two main options. Ghost Note Coffee uses a vendor for sparkling and tonic water, and Tea Bar has a filtration system installed in each of their shops, which provides in-house access to carbonated water via a soda gun.

“With tea, it’s so important to have pure, clean water,” Swanson says.

Adding sparkling drinks to a coffee and tea menu involves creativity, persistence, special ingredients, and potentially even new equipment, but there’s tremendous upside—namely, most people love bubbles, whether

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they’re in the form of soda, kombucha, beer, cocktails, or Champagne.

Swanson points out that many people are looking for bubbly alternatives: “Maybe it’s someone who usually drinks soda, but they want something with less sugar and healthier ingredients. And when it’s warmer out, people crave something super-refreshing.”

Besides giving customers something fresh and exciting, carbonated drinks give cafés and baristas an opportunity to experiment. “For so long in coffee, we’ve been dictated by the actual harvest season—you get Kenya when Kenya’s available. Coffee sodas allow us to play with seasonal ingredients that are local to us as well,” says Behne.

For instance, 42 & Lawrence makes a drink called the “Redheaded Stranger,” a coffee soda with hibiscus,

rosehips, and pomegranate. “It’s about crafting recipes you’re passionate about, and doing something creative and amazing that your customers appreciate,” says Swanson.

Recently, Ghost Note started working with a local business that makes shrubs, a flavored drinking vinegar.

One of their newest drinks, the “Rivercane Tonic,” contains espresso, sweet tea syrup, peach–brown sugar shrub, peach bitters, and tonic water.

Old World Coffee offers a simple homage to a gin and tonic—the “Cafe Tonix,” made with cold brew concentrate and tonic water.

Whether it’s a creamy draft latte, a refreshing sparkling tea, an inventive coffee soda, or a classic nitro cold brew, sparkling drinks are the perfect way to surprise and delight your customers this summer. As Behne points out, “Everyone likes bubbles.” FC

TE A BA R P HOTOS COUR TES Y OF T E A BAR , C AF E TON IX P H OTO COUR TES Y OF OL D WORL D COF FE E

BUBBLY LOVE: Tea Bar offers many bubbly drinks including a sparkling hibiscus lemonade (left). Old World Coffee offers its Cafe Tonix with cold brew and tonic water (below, right).

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CAFEMENISM

T

PAULA KOELEMIJ is manager of category management and sourcing for Simon Lévelt coffee and tea

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COLLEEN ANUNU

PAULA KOELEMIJ

P HOTO OF PAUL A COURTESY OF PAUL A KOEL EM I J, P HOTO OF COLL EEN BY M ATHEW M OR AND

he specialty coffee industry is not very inclusive, says COLLEEN ANUNU, whose career includes stints as a barista, roaster, and coffee buyer for New York’s Gimme! Coffee. She now works to support producer empowerment and advance sustainable trade with Fair Trade USA, and also serves on the board of directors for the Specialty Coffee Association.

“It’s very much driven by a certain type of individual who has the capacity, resources, and opportunity to open a business in the first place,” Anunu says. “Those who had the time and money, access to credit, and other necessary resources to be an entrepreneur—and so primarily it’s a white male-driven industry.”

When it came to her own advancement in the industry, privilege played a role, she says. “I was educated, had secondary education, and time. There were resources available to me that I could benefit from.”

Despite the opportunities available to her and strides she had made over a decade-long career, Anunu felt constrained by a “glass ceiling” in the coffee industry—a barrier to professional advancement that especially affected women and members of minority groups.

Discouraged but not beaten, she decided to set off on another path to develop her career. She enrolled at Cornell University and completed a master’s degree in international development.

“This isn’t the standard career trajectory,” she says. “I think that’s the experience of so many people— especially women, people of color, and non-normative folks. They have to forge their own path because the opportunities that are out there don’t really accommodate different perceptions of what values someone can bring to a company.”

stores in The Netherlands. She acknowledges a lack of diversity within the industry, but says human nature is partly to blame.

“There is group culture in Europe, so it makes it very hard to have diversity,” she says. “We stick together in our groups where we share the same ideas, values, and preferences.”

Before starting in coffee in the early 1990s, Koelemij was involved in the women’s rights movement. “When I entered the coffee sector I was shocked. I was looking around at some of the meetings, and I was the only woman. Everyone was male in suits, grey and dull.”

Twenty-five years later, the industry has an ever-increasing number of women baristas, buyers, roasters, and competitors— but the ratio of men to women is still far from equal.

Barista RAHWA GEBREMESKEL does not see herself as a victim.

“I don’t want to have this victim role. You are in control of creating your energy, surroundings, and circumstance,” she says.

This inner resolve helped her when she had to make the tough decision between working at Barsupport, a Rotterdam-headquartered beverage caterer in The Netherlands, and becoming a full-time mother.

“Motherhood is a beautiful thing. But its downside is it makes you choose between career and your children. When I had my first child, I decided to continue working full time,

YOU CAN TALK TO WOMEN COLLEAGUES, AND THEY SAY, ‘I HAVE NO PROBLEM, SO THERE IS NOTHING WRONG.’

“I am convinced it’s a matter of ideology, instead of women’s and men’s problems,” Koelemij says.

“I have known so many men who identify the problem and want to do something about it. And although you expect women to be more engaged and committed to making a change, that’s not always the case,” she says.

“You can talk to women colleagues, and they say, ‘I have no problem, so there is nothing wrong,’ typically in a defensive manner. This is because they wish to ignore it and not see themselves as a victim.”

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and my mum would babysit. I did this for six weeks after giving birth. But I was not getting into the motherhood flow of things and my mum was raising my child. It did not feel right.”

After having a second baby, Gebremeskel decided to quit her job and become a full-time mother. “It was hard. I love my work and the connection with my guests and other baristas.

But I felt I had to do this for my kids.”

RAHWA GEBREMESKEL

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ROSE VAN ASTEN is a mother and a full-time coffee industry consultant based in The Netherlands. “Motherhood shouldn’t be the reason to stop you from working or pursuing your goals—never feel ashamed for making that decision,” she says.

Women have become accustomed to making the difficult choice between having children or a career, though more and more men are also having to confront this dual reality.

“We have these ideas from the past about how mothers are responsible for the children, and fathers are responsible for bringing in the money,” she says. “That’s the easy way to think.”

In van Asten’s family, her husband has taken on more responsibility for the care of their children. “Mothers are often made to feel ashamed for going back to work, and fathers are ashamed if they are the ones taking

ROSE VAN ASTEN

R AHWA PHOTO COURTESY OF R AHWA GEBREMESKEL , ROSE PHOTO BY DE VERBEELDING BV; MICHELLE PHOTO COURTESY OF BAR ATZA

CAFEMENISM

care of the house,” she says. “I know my husband had many issues. He had moments where he was like, ‘What do I say to people?’ He’s fine now and not embarrassed about it, but it took a whole lot of soul-searching. He was feeling bad for not contributing financially, even though he was contributing hugely to the household.”

Encouraging equity is one of several endeavors undertaken by Barista Hustle (baristahustle.com). Part coffee subscription service, part barista education resource, and part online community, Barista Hustle has hired “Chocolate Barista” blogger MICHELLE JOHNSON to communicate about gender, race, and inclusivity in the coffee industry and the café space.

Johnson oversees the website’s marketing and communications, including social media. “Barista Hustle’s dedication to making our educational resources and products as accessible to as many people as possible aligned perfectly with my personal values,” she says. “I knew I could bring on my experience as a coffee social activist to take that to the next level.”

Johnson says it’s great to see this movement gain traction in the industry, but she’s not celebrating just yet.

“I really need to see more focus around folks in coffee who are in the margins of both race and gender. A lot of conversations separate the two—women and people of color—but that can erase the experiences of us who are at the intersection of both. I am no more or less black than I am a woman, and both of those identities affect my experience in coffee, without a doubt. The same goes for someone who is a trans person of color, whose experience is even more complex than mine.”

In Johnson’s experience, the trend is consistent throughout the value chain: women of color are paid less and hold fewer positions of power in coffee. “We need to do more to center their voices so that we can take action to combat these setbacks and increase equity in the industry,” she says.

Johnson has advice for companies who want to ensure their workplace is open, diverse, and inclusive.

“Hiring black and brown people, especially women, transgender, and non-binary folks is a pretty good start. And once you do, do the work to understand our experiences, center our voices, and listen to us.”

MICHELLE JOHNSON

Engaging in conversation with one another encourages greater awareness. Awareness triggers action— and that’s how change happens. As professionals and consumers, all of us can inspire and advocate for a more equitable industry.

“Outsiders are always innovating because they want change,” Paula Koelimij says. “So use your position, because if you don’t, nothing will change.” FC

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P HOTO BY I GOR STARKOV

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COFFEE FEST FOOD INTEGRATION LAB

A

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ERICA TEODORO

About 13 years ago, Erica joined Coffee Fest as a teacher for their hands-on barista training classes.

“I loved teaching hands-on barista skills because you have these people who are so eager to learn. It’s like, ‘Feed me, feed me, feed me!’ I find those same people want to learn about food.”

Erica and her husband currently own and operate two grocery stores called Harbor Greens in Tacoma and Gig Harbor, Washington. A few years ago, the couple reopened an adjacent café that had gone out of business.

“We opened it back up and it was paying the bills, but nothing really above and beyond—until we added food,” she says.

Obviously, Erica points out, she had an adjoining grocery store with food and wine vendors and the ability to buy in mass quantities. But any café can do it, she says. “It can be done. The Lab is a springboard to getting you there.”

Over a fast-paced three hours, Erica explains everything from menu design (“Be the only place that serves _______”) to the value of grab-and-go cases (“If you have a few square feet you can make an extra $100 a day”)

P H OTO OF ER IK A BY P ETER SZ YM C Z AK; AVOC AD O TOA ST BY M AR IA NA MEDV ED EVA

coffee shop will never make enough money to pay the bills from coffee sales alone,” says Peter Baskerville, a serial entrepreneur who has started, managed, and sold more than 30 retail and hospitality businesses.

Chew on that for a second. Coffee alone will never make enough money to cover more than just the bills. Take another second to digest it. Okay, now take another bite of Baskerville’s wisdom—“Coffee may be the prime motivator for customers coming into the business, but they must leave with multiple sales if you are going to be successful.”

Those “multiple sales” come in the form of foodstuffs—sandwiches, soups, desserts, and so on. Food is a natural pair with the beverages you’re already serving. Everyone eats, after all.

But putting that fact of life into action can prove daunting. There’s sourcing ingredients, factoring their cost, bringing on board new staff such as prep cooks and servers. How much should you budget for foodservice equipment and building out a kitchen space? It’s enough to make you lose your appetite altogether.

That’s where the Food Integration Lab can help. Over an inspirational three hours, attendees learn simple strategies for adding a successful culinary program to their café.

Lab instructor Erica Teodoro brings Baskerville’s words to life.

“When food is done well, it can dramatically increase your business,” she says. “You pay the same rent, the same bills, and you’re open already, so you might as well make more money.

You can be successful by adding just a few items.”

Erica speaks from real-world experience. A coffee industry and foodservice professional for 20 years, she has worked as a barista, wholesale seller of roasted coffee beans, and as a consultant.

THE KEY IS CREATING PAIRINGS THAT WILL COMPLIMENT COFFEE AND TEA—AND KEEPING IT SIMPLE.

EGGS BENED IC T BY BABY QB; PH OTO OF K AT E BY PETER SZ YMC Z AK

KATE TEODORO

and food prep tips (“Food that looks good, tastes better”).

All this talk about food makes attendees hungry, so it’s a good thing food is actually served during the workshop! While Erica explains concepts, chef Kate Teodoro (Erica’s sister-in-law) demonstrates the preparation of dishes on equipment that can easily be incorporated in a café setting.

Over four courses, Kate serves us finger sandwiches, a cheese plate, soup, and dessert. “The key is creating pairings that will compliment coffee and tea—and keeping it simple,” Kate says.

“If we can make delicious food here in a convention center without a hood, you can do it too,” Erica echoes.

Mid-point during the workshop, Tom Palm of Design & Layout Services gives a short presentation explaining the services his company provides. Palm provides a brief description of key pieces of basic equipment for the café kitchen. He emphasizes the importance of space considerations and easy advice any small operator can follow.

“Ask your health department,” he stresses, with many of the attendees agreeing based on their own personal experience.

The Food Integration Lab basically offers an overview of the culinary arts and best practices for foodservice—in three short but action and information-packed hours.

“99 percent of the time people walk out of here thankful for the information and feeling it’s what they need to add food to their coffee and tea program,” Erica says. “They’re excited to learn in this class the things that will help them make food and money. It’s a huge win and a lot of fun.”

Whether you have already built out a kitchen and menu, or are just thinking about it, the Food Integration Lab provides much food for thought.

The Lab also affords discussion with other café owners and operators.

“I wish I would have been here for last year’s class, because the information I learned today would have saved me a lot of money then,” one attendee said.

Another attendee was in the planning stages of opening a mobile coffee/food truck. “They had a lot of really easy, simple options, which will give us an edge on our coffee. I’m very excited.” FC The next Food Integration Lab will be held at Coffee Fest Denver, taking place June 8–10 at the Denver Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. For more information, log on to coffeefest.com.

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TRADE SHOW & EVENTS CALENDAR MAY

SEPTEMBER MAY 10–14 CHINA XIAMEN INTL. TEA FAIR Xiamen, Fujian Province, China teafair.com.cn/en MAY 19–22 NRA SHOW Chicago, Illinois show.restaurant.org

JUNE JUNE 8–10 COFFEE FEST Denver, Colorado coffeefest.com

JUNE 12–14 WORLD TEA EXPO Las Vegas, Nevada worldteaexpo.com

JUNE 19–21 WORLD OF COFFEE Amsterdam, Netherlands worldofcoffee.org

SEPTEMBER 5 TEA MASTERS CUP Riga, Latvia teamasterscup.com

SEPTEMBER 6–8 FLORIDA RESTAURANT & LODGING SHOW Orlando, Florida flrestaurantandlodgingshow.com

SEPTEMBER 8–9 MIDWEST TEA FESTIVAL Kansas City, Missouri midwestteafest.com

SEPTEMBER 15–17 CAFE SHOW CHINA Beijing, China www.cafeshow.cn

SEPTEMBER 19–22 GOLDEN BEAN Portland, Oregon goldenbean.com

AUGUST AUGUST 19–21 COFFEE FEST Los Angeles, California coffeefest.com

SEPTEMBER 20–24 LET’S TALK COFFEE Huila, Colombia letstalkcoffee.org

AUGUST 19–21 WESTERN FOODSERVICE & HOSPITALITY EXPO Los Angeles, California westernfoodexpo.com

SEPTEMBER 23–24 CANADIAN COFFEE & TEA SHOW Toronto, Canada coffeeteashow.ca

AUGUST 30–SEPTEMBER 1 EXPO CAFE MEXICO Mexico City, Mexico tradex.mx/expocafe

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SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 1 ATHENS COFFEE FESTIVAL Athens, Greece athenscoffeefestival.gr/en/

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

OCTOBER 10–12 COTECA Hamburg, Germany coteca-hamburg.com/en/

NOVEMBER 7–9 WORLD LATTE ART CHAMPIONSHIP Belo Horizonte, Brazil worldlatteart.org

OCTOBER 16–17 CAFFÈ CULTURE SHOW London, United Kingdom caffecultureshow.com

NOVEMBER 7–11 SINTERCAFE San Jose, Costa Rica http://www.sintercafe.com/

OCTOBER 18–22 CHINA XIAMEN INTL. TEA FAIR Xiamen, Fujian Province, China teafair.com.cn/en

NOVEMBER 8–9 ALLEGRA WORLD COFFEE PORTAL CEO FORUM Los Angeles, California allegraceoforum.com

OCTOBER 25–27 TRIESTESPRESSO EXPO Trieste, Italy triestespresso.it

NOVEMBER 8–11 CAFE SHOW SEOUL Seoul, Korea cafeshow.com

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 7–9 INTERNATIONAL COFFEE WEEK Belo Horizonte, Brazil http://semanainternacionaldocafe.com. br/en/

NOVEMBER 9–18 KONA COFFEE CULTURAL FESTIVAL Kona, Hawaii konacoffeefest.com

FRESH CUP MAGAZINE | 55

ADVERTISER INDEX

Go to freshcup.com/resources/fresh-cup-advertisers to view the Advertiser Index and the websites listed below.

ADVERTISER

CONTACT

ONLINE

1883 Maison Routin

800.467.7142

1883.com

Art of Tea

213.493.6518

wholesale.artoftea.com

Barista Pro Shop

866.776.5288

baristaproshop.com/ad/fresh

31

Brewista

888.538.8683

mybrewista.com

49

Caskai

206.565.1955

caskai.com

43

Coffee Fest

425.295.3300

coffeefest.com

DaVinci Gourmet

800.640.6779

davincigourmet.com

35

Fresh Cup Magazine

503.236.2587

freshcup.com

57

Ghirardelli Chocolate

800.877.9338

ghirardelli.com/professional

60

Golden Bean

503.706.1330

goldenbean.com

Gosh That’s Good! Brand

888.848.GOSH (4674)

goshthatsgood.com

Grandstand Glassware + Apparel

800.767.8951

egrandstand.com/coffee

Huhtamaki

800.244.6382

us.huhtamaki.com

Iberital

34 93 632 64 55

iberital.com

2

Java Jacket

800.208.4128

javajacket.com

7

Malabar Gold Espresso

650.366.5453

malabargoldespresso.com

Monin Gourmet Flavorings

855.FLAVOR1 (352.8671)

monin.com

3

SelbySoft

800.454.4434

selbysoft.com

7

SerendipiTea

888.TEA.LIFE (832.5433)

serendipitea.com

55

Service Ideas

800.328.4493

serviceideas.com

30

StixToGo

800.666.6655

royalpaper.com

30

Toddy

888.863.3974

toddycafe.com/wholesale

31

Torani

800.775.1925

torani.com/foodservice

World Tea Expo

866.458.4935

worldteaexpo.com

Your Brand Café

866.566.0390

yourbrandcafe.com

15

Zojirushi America

800.264.6270

zojirushi.com

59

56 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

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COUNTER INTELLIGENCE

fresh businesses & products

HOUDINI’S BREW The filter process on the Ameri-

WATER TO THE 3RD DEGREE

can Press is truly magical. The

H2O is one of the best things to

contraption features a reusable

nourish the human body—no

metal pod that you fill with coffee

sugars, fats, carbs, sodium, or

grounds and then plunge into hot

gluten to gum up the works. So,

water. Watch closely, because

what if water was super-charged

seeing the plunging motion is

with extra hydrogen? HFactor

believing. As the pod is pushed

claims the infusion of extra

down, water is forced up through

hydrogen to water improves

the coffee pod, brewing along the

athletic performance, reduces

way, then—Abracadabra!—freshly

inflammation from exercise,

brewed java sits on top of the

and delivers antioxidants to the

plunger while the grounds remain

body. Available in pouches and

stowed away in the easy-to-dispense

new recyclable aluminum cans.

pod. itsamericanpress.com

hfactorwater.com

CALLA FLOWER TEA SET Function and form—the shape of calla lily blossoms—inspired notNeutral’s new CALA Teaware collection. The floral-inspired four-piece set includes a porcelain teapot, teacups in two sizes, and a teacup and saucer duo. The collection’s flared rims deliver full expression of tea’s most subtle aromas and flavors. The set comes in white porcelain, and the teapot is also available for special order in silver and iron. notneutral.com

ORGANIC ENERGY Forget everything you know about energy drinks—the poorly lit convenience stores, sugar-loaded recipes, chemical enhancements, neon coloring, and insanely large portions. Tonic & Bloom’s energy-boosting chai teas are made with organically farmed ingredients that are actually visible in the blends, without any added sugar or synthetic ingredients. Whole cardamom pods, cacao nibs, licorice root, orange peel, reishi mushrooms, and espresso combine to make the teas delicious while delivering pep for your step. tonicandbloom.com

SMART SINENSIS FOR SIMIANS Wise Ape teas come in three adaptogenic tea blends for dawn to dusk enjoyment. “Chocolate Hustle” cocoa mint yerba mate promises heightened focus in the morning, “Coconut Warrior” turmeric tea mitigates inflammation after a workout, and Orange Dreamsicle will ease sippers into a good night’s sleep. wiseapetea.com

GRAVITATIONAL PULL You’ll feel drawn to the new Zojirushi Thermal Gravity Pot® Beverage Dispenser for its durable stainless-steel vacuum liner that provides excellent temperature retention and plastic body that resists dents and corrosion.

The 1.5-gallon capacity, NSF-certified design allows for

COMPLETELY SAUCED Ghirardelli’s new Vanilla and Sea Salt Caramel sauces light up coffee drinks, shakes, frappes, ice creams, and desserts. Both flavors are free of high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives, so feel free to pour them on. ghirardelli.com

58 | MAY 2018 » freshcup.com

the base to be detached easily, ensuring ease of use. A 17-ounce drip tray, the industry’s largest, locks in to stay secure. www.zojirushi.com/new_syba60