Cafe Culture Magazine - Issue 32

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magazine MAY 2009 ISSUE 32

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

TASTING THE LIFESTYLE OF THE CAFÉ SECTOR

nd a st it n ure u lt Ro cu 4 e e 4 th aff n E t si t C o Vi a

GOURMET

SYRUPS AND SAUCES

SINGLE SOURCE FLAVOUR PROVIDER UK AGENT T : UCD – For all Routin 1883 188 83 products products Contact sales@ucd.uk.com sales@ucd.uk.com or call 01233 012 233 840296

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INSIDE

CONTENTS NEWS

ARTICLES

4 Costa’s first national ad’ campaign woos Starbucks customers.

11 Difficult times, but still growing – the latest market research from Allegra Strategies.

28 A Fresha approach – Exeter’s Fresha café.

20 Massaro’s new image – an espresso bar and deli gets a brand makeover.

42 Panama’s coffee plantations – the Armadillo Café & Deli’s Victoria Bishop concludes her South American trip.

5 Gwilym Davies becomes World Barista Champion.

6 Costa’s third UK training academy.

8 Homecoming tea launched at the Willow Tea Rooms.

EVENT PREVIEW 12 Caffè Culture 2009

Welcome!

FEATURES

Once again, our congratulations go to Gwilym Davies, who, after becoming the UK Barista Champion 2009, has now become this year’s World Barista Champion!

It’s time for the Caffè Culture show (20 and 21 May, Olympia, London). As ever, this is the place to come up to date with the latest innovations in the sector, as well as get some top coffee making tips from those in the know (for a show preview, details of the informative Caffè Business Theatre programme and workshops, turn to page 20).

There is a ‘to go’ emphasis to this issue as we look at food that can be taken away, and the ‘green’ packaging to go with it.

The Armadillo Café & Deli’s Victoria Bishop concludes her South American trip notes, and we hear about the Fresha Café in Exeter.

31 Going for green – functional, but environmentally-friendly, packaging.

22 Food is on the move – trends in café food ‘to go’.

36 Blends for success – the importance of choosing the right blends of coffee.

REGULARS 40 Subscription form.

41 Coffee Clinic – your maintenance queries answered.

44 New products.

46 Product listings.

47 Checkout.

Clare Benfield Editor Editor Clare Benfield, Tel: 01291 636336, Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: clare@jandmgroup.co.uk Advertising Manager Paul Steer Tel: 01291 636333 Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: paul@jandmgroup.co.uk Production Manager James English, Tel: 01291 636339, Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: james@jandmgroup.co.uk Subscriptions and Customer Service Suskia Bollen, Tel: 01291 636338 Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: suskia@jandmgroup.co.uk Editorial Address Café Culture, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 5DB Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: cafe@jandmgroup.co.uk www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk Opinions expressed in Café Culture are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of J&M Group Ltd or Café Culture. No responsibility is accepted for the opinions of contributors. Café Culture is published by J&M Group Ltd. and supports Café Society. It is circulated to managers, executives, buyers, retailers and traders in the café industry. © 2009 J&M Group Ltd When you have finished with this magazine please think of the environment.

DON’T MISS YOUR COPY. SUBSCRIBE NOW! CALL 01291 636338.

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 3

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NEWS

Costa’s first national ad’ campaign woos Starbucks customers fter research conducted by Tangible Branding revealed that some seven out of 10 of people who defined themselves as being “coffee lovers” preferred Costa cappuccino to that of its leading competitors (Starbucks and Caffè Nero) in a series of blind taste tests across a number of British cities, Costa have deployed their first national advertising campaign.

Launched on March 9, and running throughout the UK in national press and online, as well as regional outdoor and breakfast radio promotions, the messaging is also featuring heavily in store. The integrated campaign was created by Karmarama (ATL) and Meteorite (BTL), with media planning undertaken by Zenith, and Costa will have spent £1.5m through-theline in March and April.

“It is extremely rare to win a head to head blind taste test by such an emphatic margin. When you consider that most coffee drinkers currently think that all coffee is broadly the same, the time is ripe

A

for us to agitate discussion about our product superiority. In fact I think we’d be letting our skilled baristas down if we didn’t!” said Costa marketing director, Jim Slater.

The reason for Costa’s large margin of victory is down to the chain’s focus on the ‘three Bs’, believes Gennaro Pelliccia, Italian-born master of coffee, responsible for all coffee products at Costa. “Delicious coffee comes from having great beans, a great blend, and great baristas,” he says.

334 coffee shop users in Sheffield, High Wycombe and Glasgow were asked to indicate a preference between Costa, Nero and Starbucks. In blind, head-to-head paired comparisons, Costa was the preferred cappuccino at the 95% confidence level (meaning that if the test was repeated 100 times, the same or very similar results would occur at least 95 times, claim Costa).

Preference for Costa's cappuccino is remarkably strong in comparison to competitors among those who identified

Starbucks in an instant Starbucks has announced the launch of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew into select London Starbucks coffeehouses.

Described as a breakthrough innovation and over 20 years in development, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is 100% natural roasted coffee featuring no byproducts, chemicals or processing aids, and is made from the top 3% of the world’s highest quality arabica coffee beans, say the company.

In creating Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew, Starbucks says that they had to invent a proprietary, patent-pending micro-grinding technology that finely grinds the beans to release their fullest flavour. Unlike traditional instant coffee, which is often made with lower quality beans and is lacking in the essential oils that give coffee its flavour, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew has been produced to deliver the same rich body, acidity, aroma, freshness and mouth feel you’d expect from Starbucks.

The Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew ritual is simple, and will enable customers to experience Starbucks coffee at home by simply tearing the sachet, adding the contents to a cup, then adding hot (or cold) water. Stir, and Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is ready in an instant, say the company.

“The arrival of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is extremely exciting,” said Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director, Starbucks UK & Ireland. “It took time, effort and dedication to develop the Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew flavour and we believe we’ve created a way to enjoy the quality and great taste of a freshly brewed Starbucks coffee, in an instant. Consumers have increasingly sophisticated tastes when it comes to coffee and Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is uncompromising as it delivers the filter coffee taste in an instant format.”

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew became available in 32 Starbucks coffeehouses in West London as of March 25. Portioned into single-serve packets, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew will be packaged in packs of three or twelve and is available in two flavours – bold, nutty Columbia and smooth, rich Italian Roast (the suggested retail price for the UK will be £1.20 for three and £3.95 for twelve).

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Above: The ‘seven out of 10’ message has been at the heart of a national advertising campaign for Costa. themselves as “coffee lovers”, with seven out of 10 preferring Costa (72% preferred Costa versus 28% Starbucks, and 69% preferred Costa versus 31% Caffè Nero).

Costa also report that the research showed that coffee drinkers who prefer Caffè Nero and Starbucks as their main outlets, actually seemed to prefer Costa cappuccino over their ‘usual’ retailer’s product.

Coffee Nation’s new commercial director Coffee Nation, a UK selfservice, gourmet coffee company have announced the appointment of a new commercial director - Ken Piercy (pictured) - following an intense period of growth for the company which saw the launch of over 250 new sites in the last 11 months.

With more than 25 years experience in the service, retail and leisure industries, Piercy has been appointed to capitilise on recent growth and lead Coffee Nation in increasing its offering in target leisure sectors. Moving into areas such as universities, hospitals and offices is part of Coffee Nation’s strategy for expansion in the UK following a consistently strong demand for its vended barista style drinks in the forecourt and retail sectors.

“Coffee Nation has seen substantial growth in the last year, especially in the forecourt and retail industries, and we are ready to launch our products into new sectors,” said Scott Martin, CEO of Coffee Nation. “We believe Ken’s expertise and management of our brand development division will help successfully lead our entry into new leisure markets and continue to drive this expansion in the future.”

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NEWS

Caffè Culture to host a packed programme Caffè Culture, the industry’s leading event, will feature a full seminar and workshop programme over the two days of the exhibition (20 and 21 May 2009), hosting over 200 first-class international exhibitors, and featuring thousands of products and services specifically designed to meet the needs of the UK’s coffee bar industry.

This year’s extensive programme of talks, industry debates, practical demonstrations and workshops will focus on helping visitors create and maintain a successful business during the recession.

Sessions will deal with everything from developing a business and financial strategy to ensure survival, to understanding and capitalising on your customer profile, as well as maintaining quality of service and products whilst maximising profits, and creating customer loyalty.

Building a robust brand and creating an attractive and welcoming environment on a budget will also be under consideration (turn to page 12 for a full show preview and details of the Caffè Business and SCAE Workshop programmes).

In addition, the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe’s (SCAE) stage will once again see the UK’s leading baristas test their Latte Art, Cupping and Coffee in Good Spirits skills, as they battle it out in front of a live audience to secure their place at the World Championships in Cologne in June. Caffè Culture 2009 takes place on 20 & 21 May at Olympia, London.

To register for free admission visit www.caffeculture.com.

Gwilym Davies becomes World Barista Champion wilym Davies, an independent barista running coffee carts in central London, took the much coveted title of World Barista Champion in Atlanta, USA, recently.

Gwilym gained one of the six places in the final after competing against 52 countries, and then, even with going over the allocated 15 minutes by 17 seconds, took the top place to become the UK’s second World Barista Champion in the space of three years (the other finalists were from Canada, U.S, Hungary, Ireland, and Korea).

“I felt much more relaxed during the final performance at the Worlds, and wanted to do something that shows what drives me to still make coffee each day, even after 11 years of doing so,” said Gwilym Davies after his win. “It’s been lovely to make coffee for my peers, and I felt privileged to make coffee for and in front of people I have a lot of respect for.

But it’s really about all the people in the chain including the farmers and the roasters – I’ve simply tried to do justice to the coffee.”

Gwilym had one of the most impressive and also dangerous signature drinks ever to show up at the World Barista Championship. He assembled a collection of 16 ingredients - four that represent the sweetness he finds in the coffee, four that represent the texture he finds in the coffee, four that represent the fruitiness he finds in the coffee, and four that represent the flavours he finds in the coffee.

Describing them as the “best bits of my coffee and they really show the possibility of the espresso”, Gwilym added, “I just

G

Gwilym Davies is the UK’s second world champion in three years.

want to have fun.” He asked the judges to each choose an envelope, then combined the chosen ingredients - nuts, butter, notes of orange - with the espresso. For his espresso and cappuccino Gwilym selected the Del Obispo coffee from Huila, Colombia, and for his signature drink, which was constructed with the assistance of the judges and the envelopes, he served the Colonia San Juan from Bolivia.

Gwilym, who runs a coffee-cart business in two East London street markets, took the world title by a mere three and a half points, beating Canadian Sammy Piccolo who has been very near to becoming the world’s barista champion on several occasions now. Gwilym’s success would have been by a wider margin, had he not run seventeen seconds over his allowed time, incurring a very heavy points penalty, but he still won. The American entry came third by one single point, and the well-regarded Irish contestant, Colin Harmon, scored an admirable fourth. The 2010 World Barista Championship will now take place in London.

BT serves-up Wi-Fi at Starbucks BT has announced a new relationship with Starbucks Coffee Company to provide Wi-Fi across more than 650 Starbucks coffeehouses in the UK and Ireland.

The first stores have already had the service installed, and the roll out will be completed by the end of the summer 2009, enabling some 4.6 million BT broadband customers, including those with inclusive BT FON Wi-Fi minutes, plus BT Openzone users, to email, surf the internet or make VoIP calls at Starbucks.

O2 iPhone users will have access included within their contract, and millions of customers from iPass, Boingo and

other BT Openzone roaming partners will also be able to use the service, say BT. Starbucks says that it will use the network to support both its public customer hotspots and store operations systems.

“At Starbucks, we are continually looking for new ways to develop our in-store offerings for our customers, and this new relationship with BT, provides an enhanced customer experience,” said Robert Teagle, EMEA IT director Starbucks.

“As we continue to develop our technology strategies this relationship will strengthen the Starbucks Experience and amplify our stores as a must-go location for our customers.”

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 5

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NEWS

Costa’s third UK training academy Costa says that it has invested over £150,000 on a third Training Academy due to the rapid growth of its global business in the last two years.

The new facility, which opened in Newbury in April, will support Costa's existing Training Academies in London and Leeds where its baristas are currently coached in the art of coffee making.

Last year, say the company, the business trained approximately 2,500 delegates and this year, with the opening of its third academy, this number will increase to approximately 4,500 delegates.

The Training Academy in Newbury will offer baristas, particularly in the south and south west of England, the chance to master every precise factor that combine to make the perfect cup of coffee with

flair, efficiency, speed and consistency. Their skills will be fine tuned in milk frothing, espresso tasting, dosing, grinding, tamping, cleaning, extraction and presentation.

A team of just three Costa Core Skills Trainers, who are all Italian Accredited Espresso Tasters, will operate out of the three UK academies, delivering Costa’s Barista Maestro programme (weekly), Train to Train course (weekly), Shooting Stars programme (monthly) and Rising Stars programme (monthly).

The Barista Maestro programme and Train to Train courses are focused around coffee excellence and achieving, measuring and training to Costa brand standards whereas the Shooting and Rising Star programmes are management development programmes

Ward takes the helm at N&W N&W has announced the appointment of Dave Ward to the position of managing director.

“Having been based in Germany for eight years and before that in Switzerland, I’m delighted to be moving back to the UK and especially to the Midlands, where both my wife and I have our family roots,” said Mr Ward.

Acknowledging today’s business climate as ‘tough’, David Ward accepted that it is perhaps not the easiest time to take on a new role’ but added, “we have a strong portfolio of products and we’re planning the introduction of some exciting additions to the range. I think that there’s a great deal for us to be optimistic about.”

Above: Dave Ward has succeeded Carl Bjorkstrand as the new MD of vending company, N&W.

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CAFÉ CULTURE

which promote team members to assistant manager level or assistant managers to store manager level.

Each academy is mocked up to incorporate the look and feel of a typical Costa store and set up to include a classroom area (which accommodates up to 16 delegates), break out areas for group tasks, technical coffee training areas equipped with two and three group coffee machines all supplied by CMA and grinders supplied by Mazzer.

As the man responsible for the taste of the 108 million cups of Costa Coffee enjoyed in Britain and around the world each year, Gennaro Pelliccia, Costa’s master of coffee, who was at the opening of the new training academy, has recently had his tongue insured by the company for £10 million at Lloyd’s of London.

Cooper’s Coffee appoints trainer The independent coffee distributor, Cooper’s Coffee, has appointed Lisa Huntingdon to the position of barista trainer.

Lisa brings with her over ten years experience in the hospitality industry, having worked as bar and restaurant manager in cities across the UK including London, Brighton, Birmingham, Glasgow and Nottingham.

Most recently she spent five and a half years working for coffee roaster Matthew Algie. As both trainer and training manager she was responsible for providing barista training to clients across the north of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Lisa joins Cooper’s after maternity leave and will replace existing trainer Danielle Hadley who is taking some time out from the industry.

Right: Lisa Huntingdon, the new barista trainer at Cooper’s Coffee.

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NEWS

Homecoming tea launched at the Willow Tea Rooms Master blenders for Glasgow’s Willow Tea Rooms have created a Homecoming Scotland tea to celebrate the country’s historic trading links with Asia.

The tea is exclusive to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed Willow Tea Rooms in Sauchiehall Street (the new tea room in Mackintosh's Scotland Street School and the Mackintosh inspired tea rooms in Buchanan Street) and uses the finest Indian leaves, famed for their malt colours and fruitiness, to form the base of the blend. It is complimented by the citrus aroma and fragrance of Golden Ceylon, from Sri Lanka and is finished with Chinese Keemun, a unique leaf with flowery hints

of pine and plum.

Made with fresh local water and milk, the tea combines ingredients from across the world for a refreshing cup of Scottish tea with an international twist.

Served in its own individual pot, it is also available as part of the afternoon tea experience at the Willow Tea Rooms. The tea is also available loose and can be taken home to allow the experience to continue (www.willowtearooms.co.uk).

As part of Homecoming Scotland, the Willow Tea Rooms are involved in Mackintosh 100. From April until November, over 100 events take place in the build up the centenary celebrations

City & Guilds barista qualification from Rombouts Rombouts are offering the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Barista Skills, a course which teaches students how to produce a range of specialty drinks to a high consistent standard – specifically espresso based coffee drinks (cappuccinos and lattes), filter coffee, teas, hot chocolate, juices and smoothies.

Perfect for anyone opening their own coffee shop or budding championship baristas, say Rombouts, the course offers skills and knowledge to help make you and your staff stand out from the competition.

The three-day City & Guilds courses are held at the Rombouts training centre in Crowthorne, Berkshire and cost £350 per person. The course is a mix of classroom-based teaching and caféenvironment practical training, concluding in a short written exam and practical examination.

Upon completion, successful candidates will be awarded the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Barista Skills qualification and receive their nationally recognised certificate from City & Guilds (in the unlikely event that a candidate fails to meet the required standard, Rombouts are happy for them to retake the written and practical exams free of charge at their Crowthorne training centre).

Course dates for the rest of 2009 have just been announced, including June 10 to 12, July 15 to 17 and August 12 to 14, but places are limited (www.rombouts.co.uk).

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CAFÉ CULTURE

Above: Homecoming Scotland Tea is being served at the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow. of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s architectural masterpiece the Glasgow School of Art (www.glasgowmackintosh.com).

“The original owner, Miss Cranston, would never have been able to open the teashop

without the Scots who took to the seas to develop links with other countries,” said Anne Mulhearn, proprietrix of the Willow Tea Rooms. “It is fitting we have a tea to toast these relationships in Homecoming year.”

New self-service coffee bar Sielaff, a manufacturer of vending machines and glassfronted merchandisers, has announced the launch of the Barista Uno, a stylish, fully automatic, purpose-built selfservice coffee bar, aimed at self-serve takeaway locations such convenience stores, petrol forecourts and motorway service areas.

The Barista Uno is a bean-to-cup coffee machine that dispenses a menu of speciality drinks including espresso, cappuccino, lattè, hot chocolate and many other variants – all made with fresh milk. Included in the standard specification is a 20-litre fresh milk cooler, integral cup holders with the choice of two cup sizes, coin mechanism, built-in telemetry and PC software.

Above: The Optional extras include a separate hot water tap Barista Uno is and add-on modules for waste disposal and simple to use product storage. guidance is given “The Barista Uno is a potential goldmine as our on cup size appetite for takeaway speciality coffees increases,” selection by said Sielaff UK’s general manager, Karen Nash. “It means of flashing will appeal to outlets where hot drinks are not the LEDs and drink main source of customer visits. I’m thinking of selection is made corner shops, petrol forecourts and convenience using the easystores. Here coffee ‘to go’ can easily become an to-read product important source of additional revenue – an added menu. value opportunity with good profit potential.”

Environment award for Dairystix Single Source Limited has scooped the prestigious Foodservice Packaging Association Environment Award which recognises the significant environmental contribution Single Source and its joint venture partners in Dairystix Limited have made to reducing foodservice packaging waste and reducing CO2 emissions through its innovative Dairystix ‘milk in stick’ range.

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NEWS

SHORTS New rewards card Starbucks Coffee Company UK and Ireland has launched Starbucks Card Rewards for new and existing Starbucks customers. The new rewards programme offers Starbucks Card holders extra value and benefits – such as an extra espresso shot, free flavoured syrups (regular and sugar free), soy milk and whipped cream - whenever they use their registered card.

Steaming hot tea a cancer risk?

According to Iranian scientists, drinking steaming hot tea can result in an increased risk of oesophageal (food tube) cancer. The Golestan Province in northern Iran has one of the highest instances of this type of cancer, but with rates of smoking and alcohol consumption being low, and women as likely to have a diagnosis as men, tea drinking, which is widespread, is felt to be the cause.

Home is an Internet café With the economic crisis affecting most countries in the world, Japan in particular has seen a rise in the levels of homelessness with some Japanese setting up home in their local Internet café where a small room can be rented out for roughly £10 per night. Residents can eat, sleep, and shower at the cafés, and even use the location as their job-hunting contact address.

Most used According to an opinion poll carried out by Dante Alighieri Inc. (www.ladante.it) in which around ten thousand European citizens voted, the word ‘pizza’ is claimed to be the most used Italian word in Europe, followed by ‘cappuccino’, then ‘spaghetti’ and ‘espresso’, with all of the words having become accepted as part of the languages of the 27 members of the EU. Nominations sought The Soil Association is inviting the UK food trade to nominate its favourite products for assessment in this year’s Organic Food Awards. The organisers are eager to encourage the producers of the highest quality organic food and drink to enter, but many continue to hide their accomplishments under an organic bushel, so tip-offs from the wider industry are being welcomed (e-mail fhorrex@soilassociation.org with your nomination).

Online ordering Dairy Crest Foodservice, the largest supplier of dairy products to the foodservice sector, has announced plans to launch an online ordering service for its 28,000 UK customers later this year. Ahead of the launch the company has unveiled a new user friendly web site and brochure, designed to make it easier for customers to select from its range of dairy, chilled and grocery products (www.dairycrestfoodservice.co.uk).

10 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

Don’t rubbish recycling Despite negative reports that thousands of tonnes of recyclable rubbish is being stockpiled in warehouses around the country, instead of being recycled, businesses in the hotel, catering and leisure sectors are being urged by workplace equipment supplier, Slingsby to maintain their 'Green Agendas' in order to avoid paying landfill taxes which are increased in April.

Various recent news articles have reported that the downturn in the economy has hit the market for recyclable waste and it is no longer viable to export waste materials, including paper and plastics, to countries such as China, which reuse them when making new products and packaging. However, say Slingsby, with the standard rate of landfill tax having risen from £32 per tonne to £40 per tonne, businesses that don't recycle will face significantly higher charges to dispose of rubbish in landfill sites.

“Negative press about recycling combined with pressures for businesses to reduce costs could lead to some companies choosing to cut back on or completely abandon, their green credentials,” says Lee Wright, marketing

Stackable coloured boxes can help outlets separate waste items for recycling. director of Slingsby. “However because landfill tax is increasing, this is likely to be false economy and businesses in the hotel, catering and leisure sector that have significantly reduced their environmental impact in recent years should be continuing to build on this progress.

“Despite the short term concerns, over a longer period of time there's no denying that recycling will be worthwhile and have a positive impact on the environment. It's also important to bear in mind that recycling programmes don't have to be over-complicated and can be very quick and easy to implement.”

Reducing the amount of waste that is placed in landfill sites lowers the amount of methane and other gas emissions that landfill sites emit. WRAP, the government recycling agency, worked out that recycling in 2006 saved 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (the equivalent of taking five million cars off the road).

Hopper the show-stopper Juice Brewery has been crowned a winner in IFE 2009’s Fresh Ideas Awards, for their groundbreaking new drink, Hopper.

Hopper was recognised as the very first of its kind – innovatively brewing hops and malt with fruit juice to create a ‘soft brew’. Complete with frothy head, fruit tang, all-natural ingredients, no alcohol and low calories, it offers the first sophisticated alternative to alcohol.

Taking place at the recent IFE exhibition at ExCel London, the Fresh Ideas Awards acts as a platform for the UK’s most innovative new food and drink products on the market and Hopper was selected by a panel of independent industry leaders.

“We are thrilled with our win,” says Neville Portelli, creator of Hopper. “It does go to show that people want a genuine alternative to alcohol. With health and drink driving so high on the government agenda and so much at the forefront of the collective consciousness, we wanted to create a new way of drinking for society’s new way of thinking. Our win at the IFE suggests we have succeeded in that!”

Right: Hoppers are currently available in three flavours - apple, citrus and blackcurrant (www.juicebrewery.com).

Emmi launches new UK look The Swiss dairy brand, Emmi, has unveiled new packaging for it’s Caffè Latte iced coffee drinks for the UK market, featuring a simplified new font and layout, and the removal of multiple European languages from the back panel.

The 230ml cups have a RRP of £1.09 to £1.19 and now feature a fresh, sophisticated new look – a coffee bean on the front strengthens the product’s emphasis on fresh espresso, which is added to fresh Swiss milk to produce a delicious and refreshing iced coffee drink.

The new packaging additionally includes integrated sipping holes in the lid for maximum convenience and reduced spillage, making drinking on the go much easier for the consumer, say Emmi.

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MARKET RESEARCH

DIFFICULT TIMES, BUT STILL GROWING The popularity of coffee shops with UK consumers continues to defy economic predictions as green shoots in the economy may be on the way, say the market researchers, Allegra Strategies.

On track Their latest report predicts that the number of branded coffee shops will reach 4,000 UK outlets this year, representing an industry growth of more than 5% in the past 12 months, despite the UK being in deep recession. While many sectors of the economy have faced their worst trading period for 60 years, branded coffee shops remain on track to record a 15th consecutive year of sales.

Interviews conducted in April 2009 with more than 130 senior coffee executives and key suppliers reveal that trading has been difficult over the past six months, yet branded coffee shop operators have weathered the storm well and remain firmly optimistic about opportunities ahead.

Nearly two-thirds of branded coffee operators have shown flat or growing like-forlike sales performance in the last two quarters. The industry remains on track to reach £2billion in consumer spend by 2012.

Nonetheless, the largest operators Starbucks, Costa, Caffè Nero and Pret A Manger - remain under intense competition as consumers decrease their average spend in coffee shops and many reduce their number of visits.

Continued growth in outlets by the larger players, as well as firmly entrenched consumer eating-out behaviour, are the main reasons why the sector is holding up well in the economic downturn, believe Allegra Strategies. Consumers may be trading down when they can, and they are certainly more demanding with their choice of outlet, but few British consumers, it seems, are prepared to forgo the luxury of their daily or weekly cappuccino or latte. Moreover, in these difficult times 'affordable' treats are an important way for many to get through the recession, and what Allegra calls the 'I'm worth it' factor.

Resilient Other reasons for resilience of this sector, say Allegra Strategies, include the greater availability of speciality coffee products in a variety of venues nationally, and the growing importance of coffee venues for socialising and conducting meetings - and yes, in today's climate, as a place for high flying

financial executives to surf the Internet and to polish their CVs. Despite increasing competition in many high footfall locations across the country, the two largest operators (Costa and Starbucks) have recently made announcements to accelerate their growth plans in the UK. With property vacancies rising and greater availability of suitable sites for coffee shops, the larger well-funded players are now able to negotiate better terms and lower rents with landlords who would otherwise be left with empty premises, report Allegra. Also, previously reluctant councils are now taking a more favourable view of branded coffee shops in light of growing retail vacancies on their high streets.

Opportunities for independents?

Allegra's research has identified a growing trend towards more authentic individual coffee shops serving hand-crafted quality coffee and, increasingly, a trendy beverage called a 'flat white' - developed in antipodean territories such as Australia and New Zealand which are believed to be several years ahead in terms of latest café culture. The 'flat white' can be enjoyed at the very edgiest coffee venues in London’s Soho, Brick Lane and Broadway Market.

Allegra's research indicates that today's consumers are increasingly looking for higher quality coffee real 'experience' and localness. Large, branded, ubiquitous chains frequently do not fully cater for the needs of the most progressive consumers.

The key business challenges for the industry as a whole firmly relate to the flailing economy, as consumers become much more cautious with their discretionary spend. More than 80% of industry executives surveyed believe that it will take 12 to 18 months before the trading environment recovers fully.

"While we are not predicting economic recovery in 2009, there is some evidence that green shoots are beginning to appear in some areas of the economy,” says Jeffrey Young, managing director of Allegra Strategies.

“Certainly this is the case in the branded coffee shop sector, with 50% more executives predicting recovery within 12

months than those forecasting that recovery more than 18 months away. This is encouraging, because economic activity is heavily dependent on the psychology of the market. Furthermore, the branded coffee chains are extremely well placed to enjoy sustained growth in sales and profitability once the economy returns to full force."

Market facts • 15 consecutive years of revenue and likefor-like sales growth.

• Total branded market estimated at 3,721 outlets in 2008.

• Total market turnover to grow by at least 3% in 2009 with stronger growth forecast for 2010 and 2011.

• The largest players in the market are Costa, Starbucks, Caffè Nero, Pret A Manger and BB's Coffee & Muffins.

• The top three players control more than 50% of the branded coffee shop market (Costa alone added more than 110 outlets in the past 12 months).

Industry leader perspectives - highlights • 70% of executives believe there is still plenty of growth for the UK coffee sector.

• 50% believe that branded chains will gain over independent operators.

• 62% of industry players observe decreasing spend per visit as consumers cut back on spending.

• 83% believe customer expectations have risen as a result of the economic downturn.

• 58% view ethical coffee options such as Fairtrade certified and Rainforest Alliance as growing in importance despite the economic downturn.

Industry recognition Caffè Nero is rated in Allegra’s 2009 survey as the industry's 'Most Admired Brand', being admired by executives for its quality coffee and authentic feel, followed by Whitbreadowned Costa, food-led Pret A Manger and Starbucks.

Monmouth Coffee House was voted as the industry experts' 'Favourite Independent Coffee Shop' in 2009.

The recently launched, Starbucks VIA(tm) Ready Brew instant coffee was chosen by peers as 'The Most Innovative Product this Year'.

The full results of Allegra’s latest research will be presented at Allegra's UK Coffee Leader Summit at the Waldorf Hotel, Aldwych London on 19 May 2009. Speakers will include Darcy Willson-Rymer (VP of Starbucks UK and Ireland), Rebecca Hemesley (head of coffee at Pret A Manger), James Hoffmann (founder Square Mile Coffee and World Barista Champion 2007), and Matthew Clark (founder of Sacred Cafés). www.ukcoffeeleadersummit.com.

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PREVIEW

Caffè Culture 2009 Now in its fourth year, the Caffè Culture exhibition (20 and 21 May 2009, Olympia, London, www.caffèculture.com) has become an established, if not the must-see trade event of the coffee year. It mixes major international brands with small, independent suppliers, and provides visitors with a complete overview of the current market.

Broader appeal According to Allegra Strategies Project Café8 report, the UK branded coffee shop market is estimated to have 3,721 outlets with a turnover of £1.53 billion for the calendar year 2008. Long term prospects remain highly

positive with the market expected to reach some 5,000 outlets by 2012 when consumer spend is predicted to be above £2 billion.

Thus, this year's show, say the organisers, will feature an even broader range of products from coffee machines to tableware and technology,

in short everything that successful catering operations need to thrive in what is a highly competitive market.

New for this year is the Caffè Launch Pad where visitors will be able to see and sample at first hand innovative product launches from a selection of the show’s exhibitors.

Beverages Belvoir Fruit Farms (Stand E10) produce a range of cordials,

still fruit drinks and sparkling presses all made using real fruits, flowers and spices blended with pure water from the Belvoir Spring. All their drinks are described as “100% good” with no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. They have recently launched two new twists on elderflower to their range - Belvoir Elderflower, Gooseberry & Muscat cordial and Belvoir Pear & Elderflower Pressé.

UK chai latte company, Drink Me Chai (stand G5), has clinched exclusive sponsorship of this year’s UK Coffee Leader Summit held at the Waldorf Hilton, London, which will be held on the day prior to Caffè Culture, and will also be at the show itself. In addition to live sampling, Drink Me Chai will also be launching its

There’s a new look to DrinkMe Chai.

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PREVIEW

The DaVinci Gourmet range of flavoured Coffee Syrups, Sauces and Powder taps into the growing trend for speciality drinks. Produced

by Kerry Foodservice and distributed by the Italian Beverage Company, the range is aimed at independent operators looking to drive their drink sales. Flavours include Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel and Almond. Also available in the DaVinci Gourmet range are Caramel, Chocolate and White Chocolate Sauces designed for drizzling over cappuccinos, lattes and iced frappes, an indulgent Ready-to-Serve Premium Chocolate Drink, and Dairy Frappe Mixes. To sample them first hand, visit the Italian Beverage Company (Stand G24).

Right: The Vibiemme Chimaera Espresso machine from Capital Coffee Roasters. successful Spiced and Vanilla Chai Latte to the foodservice/hospitality market in sachet format which is available in boxes of 50, in addition to the existing 1kg tubs.

“We have recently undergone a complete rebrand and new lifestyle-feel web site re-design to increase the brand’s shelf draw with a heightened visual impact, and an enhanced message to convey what the product is,” says co-founder, Amanda Hamilton. “Caffè Culture has always been a great platform for us to launch new products and raise our profile, and those who come to our stand this year will not be disappointed.”

Cruz the Juice (Stand M27) will be showcasing their range of soft drinks and beverages, as will James White Drinks (Stand B11) and Shotz Health (Stand D36), who lauched their BigShotz drink at last year’s show.

Coffee machines and related equipment Capital Coffee Roasters (Stand F40) will be showing the newly launched Vibiemme Chimaera espresso machine. The Chimaera has movable groups with separate boilers enabling flexibility of service. Each of the groups in a two group machine can be moved to a different height at the push of

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a button to accommodate, so the requirements of both a take-away trade using tallcups as well as the in-house coffee customer drinking from traditional chinaware can be catered for. No more precarious balancing of paper cups or pouring from espresso cups into take-away cups, say the company!

La Spaziale (Stand P32) will be launching a new range of traditional espresso machines, featuring models from the new Special range which is designed to offer good value for money together with established products from their S1 and S5 ranges, including the stunning 3-group S5 in gold.

The new Special range still offers everything that is expected from a La Spaziale traditional espresso machine (good design, solid engineering, high-specification and excellent build-quality),

but at a fiercely competitive price, say the company, enabling it to compete in today’s challenging market conditions.

Horeca Ltd (Stand D28) will be showing ‘the first celebrity coffee machine’ by focusing on Necta’s K Range of coffee machines, including the new Korinto ES 2IN and Kobalto, the machine that famously took on high street coffee in a live-on-TV taste test - and won, say the company.

Kobalto will be on the Horeca stand in two versions, one designed for front-of-

Left: La Spaziale’s Special machine. Right: The Bravilor Advanta.

house use and the other designed to be ‘back stage’. In addition to the first celebrity coffee machine, the spotlight will fall on the brand-new Korinto ES2IN, a new version of the Korinto bean-to-cup with the addition of a topquality hot chocolate drink as part of the offer (if haven’t seen the showdown yet it, you can catch the taste test on You Tube at www.youtube.com/ watch?gl=GB&hl=enGB&v=Oko63BGyBIk).

Operators looking to boost their beverage sales should hot foot it over to the Bravilor Bonamat (Stand F13) to view a wide selection of beverage making equipment including the new HWA40 and HWA70, and the Advanta.

At the touch of a button, the HWA40 and HWA70 high capacity machines can produce large quantities of hot water, at the correct temperature for tea, soup and other hot drinks. The new Advanta thermos is suitable for every location and features

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PREVIEW a gauge glass and a cup stand which is large enough for cup and saucer. Manufactured from stainless steel the Advanta is equipped with a double walled vacuum inner container that ensures that the temperature and quality of the beverage stay optimal for as long as possible. Also on display will be a selection of other popular products from the Bravilor range including the SCS Bean To Cup machine; Freshmore; FreshGround; and Solo hot chocolate machine.

Caffè Society (Stand C30), the UK’s sole importer of Brasilia coffee and espresso machines, will be showcasing the Brasilia Opus Sublima espresso machine, which caused quite a stir when it was first previewed at Caffè Culture 2008. Fitted with Brasilia’s new state of the art brewing system, it boasts features such as fully adjustable timing for pre-infusion, 14 bar pressure (resulting in both excellent extraction of the espresso giving up to 50% more crema), 30% faster frothing/steaming of milk and only ± 0.5oC temperature variance which enables the user to serve consistent espresso every time. The machine is available in both two and three group models and in two versions, the Opus Sublima Easy, featuring one normal steam wand and Brasilia’s Hyperwand and the Opus Sublima Pro featuring two standard steams wands for the professional.

Caffè Society say that they

The new Mahlkonig Vario.

The Über Boiler concept.

are so confident that the Opus Sublima will produce the best espresso or cappuccino at Caffè Culture 2009 that if you don’t agree, they will donate £1 to the registered charity Shelter from the Storm (Registered Charity number 1125575), and if you do agree, they will invite you to pay for the coffee by way of a small donation to the charity!

Mahlkönig (Stand P33) will demonstrate a number of coffee grinders and related equipment, including ‘grindon-demand’ machines such as the new Vario and the popular K30/K30 twin grinders – as well as the Tanzania retail grinder. Other products will include the TruBru multiple filter coffee system and Grindz, a unique organic coffee grinder cleaning product. The Mahlkönig K30 and K30 twin grinders have recently been chosen as the official machines of the 2009-2011 World Barista Championships.

The European manufacturer

The Brasilia Sublima espresso machine.

14 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

of filter coffee brewers and water boilers, Marco Beverage Systems (Stand E40), will be designing its stand as the Über Café for the duration of the exhibition in order to showcase its latest concept precision temperature controlled hot water source, which Marco has code-named the Über Boiler.

The Über Boiler is a concept development which originated as a wish by 2007 World Barista Champion, James Hoffmann of Square Mile Coffee Roasters. At the present time, the Über Boiler is a work in progress and visitors to the Über Café are invited to see how it works, taste perfectly brewed coffee and critique the machine and its operation! A refined undercounter atmospheric water boiler with a stylish countertop font that incorporates a digital scale to accurately weigh ingredients, the Über Boiler has a live temperature read-out and a timer and has been developed to help baristas make their chosen beverages with hot water at a precise temperature to suit the type of tea or coffee they are using, with unprecedented accuracy.

Anfim UK (Stand F44) will show their Italian range of newly-launched on demand grinders (the Caimano On Demand, the Super Caimano On Demand, and the Mini On Demand), as well as their full range of traditional grinders.

Since their launch in the UK market last September, sales of on demand grinders have taken off as they enable baristas to grind exactly the right amount of beans for the coffee they are making at that

moment, report the company.

This means there is no dispenser, and coffee is ground straight into the group holder, resulting in fresher coffee, less wastage, and a consistent dosage. Visitors will also have opportunity of meeting Mario Monfrini - the man at the helm of the Milanbased company – who will be in attendance.

SanRemo UK (Stand E8) is the partner of SanRemo SRL in Italy, manufacturers of some of Italy’s most attractive coffee machines. Although a respected and long established player in the Italian market, SanRemo professional espresso machines are relatively new to the UK, but will have a presence at the show after their successful involvement in the UK Barista Championship.

They have already sold their latest machines – the Verona and Roma – to companies such as Illy and Lavazza, and work in partnership with key distributors across the UK and supplies direct to national companies and networks via fully trained engineers and next day delivery services.

Bunn Ltd - Bunn-O-Matic Corporation (Stand G34) will be showcasing their Gold Cup coffee from a pourover brewer.

The Bunn® 392 brewer is a commercially designed pourover system that brews Gold Cup coffee at 92oC in about three minutes. Their Multi-Hopper Grinder expands BrewWISE® system for gourmet coffee brewing will also be show. With the addition of the Multi-Hopper Grinder (MHG) and a storage system for its removable

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flavour extraction for speciality coffees. By pre-setting the three coffee profile selection buttons, customers will receive the same great coffee every time. This versatile brewer has two programmable batch switches allowing for full and half-batch brewing. The digital display provides easier programming and control in either English or Spanish and in imperial or metric measurements.

Style Café (Stand B28) will be showing several new products including the Jura X9 Generation II which is now graphics and sound aided, with an interactive user manual to guide the individual through each single step in operation and care of the unit. The Jura XS95 One Touch now has more features such as a unique varifoam milk frother, large 6 litre water tank, a large waste coffee grounds box and adjustable coffee dispense head, as well as hot water facility and six drink options.

They will also be introducing

coffee bean hoppers, Bunn reports that it has further expanded its BrewWISE line which offers innovative, simple control over the brewing process, consistency from location to location, and safety for those brewing coffee.

Also new is Bunn’s SmartWAVE® low-profile coffee brewer which delivers perfectly brewed coffee, but is small enough (at 43.2cm) to fit under a standard cabinet, making it a good choice for many coffee serving environments with limited space. The brewer’s innovative SmartWAVE technology was developed to provide uniformity of extraction and more contact between water and coffee, increasing turbulence in the brew funnel, say Bunn. Versatile Infusion Coffee Brewers have also extended BrewWISE® line. An intelligent, easy-to-use digital system the Bunn Infusion Series® Coffee Brewer (ICB) uses pre-infusion and pulse brew technologies for maximum

a recession busting Jura C9 for the office or reception, and say that Brilliance has arrived (a fresh beans with powdered milk and chocolate machine that’s set to appeal to offices, showrooms, fast food stores, convenience stores and sports centres).

Catering equipment Merrychef (Stand E28), a Manitowoc Group company, will showcase its accelerated cooking technology® which is microwave-based and allows coffee shops and cafés to generate sales by offering a hot menu solution, producing fresh, quality hot snacks to order within seconds. Easy to use, the oven’s small footprint is also ideal for coffee shop and café locations, say the company.

Merrychef will cook a variety of hot sandwiches, pizza and pastry snacks throughout the day, demonstrating the capabilities of the Merrychef 402S and 403

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models. Also on the stand will be the Delfield Sadia S260, a two door chef counter refrigeration unit from Delfield Sadia’s range of premium refrigeration products.

The Contact Grill Company (Stand C19) describe themselves as panini grill and contact grill specialists, with a wide range available in the UK, and over 25 years experience of this method of cooking that is essential to many a café. They will be able to assist outlets to select the ideal grill for their

Merrychef ovens can make light work of baking for cafés.

®

Suppliers to the food & Beverage Industry

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PREVIEW operation from light duty to heavy duty applications.

Electrolux (Stand G33) can create professional kitchens with access to a wide onebrand portfolio of certified, innovative, and best-in-class equipment, some of which will be display at the show with particular appeal to cafés and coffee shops.

Packaging Huhtamaki (Stand H28) will present visitors with their impressive range of foodservice disposable packaging, which includes environmentally-friendly BioWare. The company’s fresh new look Specialty single-wall paper hot cups will also be on show. In addition, outlets serving alcoholic beverages will find Huhtamaki’s new RPET pint and half-pint CE marked to-the-brim tumblers of interest. Manufactured in the UK, the new RPET tumblers are certified to carry the official CE Mark – the Government stamp which shows the product can be legally placed on the market.

The BioWare environmentallyfriendly packaging is ideal for those who are concerned about the environment, and for those looking to promote their outlet as being ‘green’, as they are fully compostable to soil within 60 days.

Georgia Pacific (Stand K19) will be exhibiting its range of stylish food service solutions.

Displaying a sleek and innovative product range, the Georgia Pacific stand will allow visitors to try out the products Part of the Huhtamaki range.

16 MAY 2009

on display, including JustOne, Reflex, Dixie hot beverage cups and quality 2ply napkins in a range of sumptuous new colours.

Of interest to shop roasters will be Biome Limited (Stand H24) who will be exhibiting the Icoperfex di Italo Colombini Grinder, which is available in various formats, from stand alone to fully-integrated versions to go with packaging systems.

Maxabel International (Stand K21) are one of Europe's specialists in developing and managing brand awareness and will be present at the show to outline their packaging innovations and solutions designed for today’s ever-changing market place.

Established for over 20 years, Planglow (Stand H6) specialise in the design and print of branded labels and biodegradable packaging for the catering industry, offering a range of branded food to go packaging available to order in small quantities as well as take-away bags, Ripplewrap™ cups and menus.

Solo Cup Europe’s (Stand J12) Bare™ Accessories range.

Following the unveiling earlier this year of the first products in the Bare™ range, Solo Cup Europe has now added a selection of accessories to give operators a complete range of sustainable products to suit a variety of applications.

An industry first, CPLA cutlery and paper hot cup lids combine practical heat resistance with essential

compostability, say the company. CPLA (Crystalline PLA) is a new development in the industry, which answers the call for a sustainable single-use solution for use with hot food and beverages.

CPLA is heat resistant to 90°C, making it an ideal material for hot cup lids and cutlery.

Bare™ CPLA lids are available to fit 8oz or 12/16/20oz size Solo paper hot cups and the Bare™ CPLA cutlery range comprises a full-size knife, fork and spoon.

Coffee Andronicas Coffee Co Ltd (Stand H41) have established a reputation for roasting some of the world’s finest coffees, and also sell a range of espresso equipment and can offer a custom roasting facility.

They have won the contract to supply all the coffee and the new espresso machines for the 20 restaurants and bars in Harrods of Knightsbridge where over 16,000 cups of coffee are served every week.

Union coffee (Stand D20) will be holding a comparative Vertical Tasting Challenge, involving the sampling of coffees sourced from the same origin, but progressing through increasingly higher altitudes. Through the journey, visitors will be able to pick out the attributes imparted in taste from not only the increasing altitudes but also from coffees farmed by educated and forward thinking farmers.

Union say that they believe passionately in sourcing only

At a glance - coffee suppliers attending the show Name Stand Andronicas Coffee Co Ltd H41 Anhelo H32 Attibassi D12 Big Train L5 Caffè Ambrosiano J30 Caffè Cagliari Spa D30 Caffè Carraro Spa G28 Capital Coffee Roasters F40 Cappuccine M25 Coffee Hit G37 Darlingtons Coffee Ltd J15 Drury Tea & Coffee Ltd F12 Espresso Essentials G35 Essse Caffè Spa J38 Lavazza Coffee UK Ltd F35 Lincoln & York Ltd J27 Matthew Algie & Co Ltd F5 Metropolitan Coffee Co LtdC36 Paska’ SRL G39 Passion for Coffee C12 Rombouts Coffee GB Ltd F20 Sant’eustachio Il Caffè Srl D2 Shelton Imports M31 Single Source Ltd N34 Smith’s Coffee Co Ltd J37 Union Hand-Roasted D20 Varesina Caffè Srl F8

coffees of premium quality by building a community of likeminded individuals and working hand-in-hand, matching their talents with Union’s expertise.

Rombouts Coffee GB Ltd (Stand F20), the company made famous by its one-cup coffee filters, will be showcasing its range of quality The Via Spesso machine.

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PREVIEW At a glance - tea suppliers attending the show Name Stand Ahmad Tea Co B30

The Rombouts range of coffees.

Big Train

coffee and machines, including an extensive Fairtrade range, and also advising on barista training. They will be offering visitors to the stand the opportunity to win a 1,2,3 Via Spresso Professional Starter Kit (worth over £4,500).

The Via Spresso, made by La Spaziale, uses 1,2,3 Spresso pods, offering perfect portion and cost control, and consistent espressos. It is perfect for creating premium quality espressos, lattes and cappuccinos, and is designed to meet the needs of even the busiest high street café, say Rombouts. To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize could not be simpler – visit the stand, ask a Rombouts representative for an application form, leave your details, and you could be in with a chance of winning!

Alternatively you can email your name, business name and address and contact telephone number to info.uk@rombouts.com – making sure you have “Via Spresso Prize Draw” in your subject title.

Tea Amongst many other things, German company Market Grounds (Stand J6) will be showcasing a range of fine teas under the TE brand (Teahouse Exclusives) which, say the company, can develop fascinating flavours thanks to their specially developed transparent tea bags.

The TE Luxury Tea Bags are manufactured from a compostable fleece fabric which is extracted from cornflour. Being biodegradable – right up to the hand-woven cords which are made from pure cotton – the tea bags are especially environmentally-friendly. In the different Teahouse Exclusive tea varieties, flowers are often added to the rough-cut tea. For example, their “Passion” variety fascinates with a touch of soft green tea, flavoursome fruits and fragrant lilac and pink-coloured blossoms.

Coffee plus Bennett Opie (Stand A7) will have the premium syrup brand Monin’s launch of Le Fruit de

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Monin, a new range of high quality fruit purees for use in smoothies, milkshakes, desserts and hot drinks. These purees will be available in seven different flavours – strawberry, raspberry, red berries, peach, mango, passion fruit and banana – allowing baristas to create fruity variations of hot drinks as well as exciting cold smoothies and milkshakes.

They are available in easy-grip one-litre plastic bottles in cases of four. The stand will also display all the Monin syrup flavours suitable as a coffee accompaniment, including Almond, Caribbean, Chocolate – Dark, Chocolate – Mint and Irish Syrup.

Routin (Stand N37), a syrups manufacturer located in

WIN

A sample pack containing the new Strawberry & Clotted Cream Cookie and the Sweetbird Apple and Blackcurrant Real Fruit Smoothie

To be in with a chance to get your hands on a sample pack containing the new Strawberry & Clotted Cream Cookie from Byron Bay Cookie Co. and the new Sweetbird Apple and Blackcurrant Real Fruit Smoothie, email your business name and address to paul@beyondthebean.com with ‘I’M WELL CULTURED ME’ in the subject header before May 14 2009.

Right: The new Strawberry & Clotted Cream Cookie from Byron Bay Cookie Co. will be available for sampling on the Beyond the Bean stand.

the French Alps since 1883 and distributed in the UK by UCD Ltd, is well known in over 75 countries worldwide. Its 1883 brand of more than 80 flavours offers different ranges with rich intense flavours to enhance beverages via gourmet syrups and luxury sauces, and now their latest addition that will be on show - smoothies.

Beyond the Bean (Stand E20) will be launching the new Byron Bay Limited Edition Strawberries & Clotted Cream Cookies which features pieces of real succulent English strawberries, rich clotted cream from dairies local to the UK bakehouse and chunks of premium European white chocolate. There will also be a change to the line up of the Sweetbird Real Fruit Smoothies, with Caffè Culture showcasing the new Apple and Blackcurrant Sweetbird Real Fruit Smoothie. The show will also see the launch of Sweetbird Single Origin Chocolate Sauce, one of the first of its kind in the UK, which uses only Omanhene chocolate from community growers and producers in Ghana, who are committed to providing the best working environment for their staff and the local community.

Manufacturers of handmade hand baked snacks Devonvale (Stand P37) will be showcasing their JUST bars, Crumbles Slices, Flapjacks, Chocolate Tiffin, Shortbread , Chocolate Brownie, Mint Bars, A Rich Fruit Cake, Crunchy Cakes, Multigrains and a new Mini Loaf cakes.

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Original Caramelised Biscuit, the new pack is designed to increase consumers’ dwell times and overall coffee consumption per visit, say the company.

Coming to a café near you, Artisan Biscuits (Stand B6) are launching three varieties of everybody’s ‘favourite bear’ organic biscuits in new twin packs at the show – two little bears in a pick up and go pack – in Go Bananas Bear, Muddy Bear and Blowing Raspberries Bear variants. Look out for display boxes suitable for cafés and delis.

Lotus Bakeries (Stand J35) are leveraging their café heritage by launching a new premium twin pack for counter top display aimed at attracting consumers to impulse purchase in their local coffee shop. Crafted using only the same recipe found in the Lotus

Snacks Percy Dalton’s Famous Peanut Company Limited (Stand E12) say that with the changing preferences of consumers in the snack market, it’s an ideal time to offer new and exciting alternatives, and will showcase their range of nuts and dried fruit. Sales of nuts, dried fruit and seeds have risen nearly 40 per cent over the last five years as the nation turns towards healthier and more nutritious snacks, say the company, with the market currently worth around £538 million per year according to Mintel and forecast to grow, and now is the time for the café and coffee bar industry to build on this trend.

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Specification RU150: 240v Single phase 5 kw 3 gal/13 ltr capacity

Curtis' fully automatic, push-button control COFFEE URNS are preferred by foodservice professionals. Manufactured to the highest quality standards, Curtis urns make brewing large volumes of hot, delicious coffee fast and easy. Time after time. The Curtis urn line boasts a full selection of urn sizes for every need: ■ Twin Models 3, 6, and 10 Gal. Capacities ■ Single Models - 3 and 6 Gal. Capacities Handsomely crafted, Curtis COFFEE URNS are constructed of heavygauge stainless steel with electrically welded seams. Curtis stands behind every urn with a full two year warranty against leakage or burnout

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www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

Specification 120A: 240v Single phase 12/24 cup capacity

Conveniently and automatically brews 12 or 24 cups of rich, full-bodied coffee at a time into a 36-cup Satellite Server. Plugs into conventional 230v wall socket. A brewready light signals when water temperature is ready for the next brewing cycle.

Timer can also be set to brew 24 cups at a time without refilling the brew basket

Tel: 01273 887744 Fax: 01273 887755 Mob: 07932 101788

john@john-redfearn.com www.john-redfearn.com

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 19

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PREVIEW the company.

Classic Furniture (Stand G10) will be showcasing a range of contract furniture designs, suitable for today's tough café environments. With immediate stock availability of high quality, contemporary and traditional designs, they can help you to create the look of the season to suit your budget.

magazine MAY 2009 ISSUE 32

TASTING THE LIFESTYLE

ne.co.uk www.cafeculturemagazi

New to Andy Thornton is the Avant collection.

OF THE CAFÉ SECTOR

itt a t th Ca e R f o on fe utin E4 cult st 4 u r an e d

Café Culture magazine (Stand B13)

Vis i

Furniture Andy Thornton (Stand D9), a UK supplier of furniture, lighting and interior accessories to the hospitality industry are exhibiting at Caffè Culture for the first time. A selection of their extensive product range will be on show, as well as their latest Catalogue 17 which was launched in March and features over 400 pages of exclusive and innovative product. Exclusively new to the range is the Avant collection of outdoor furniture, which combines satin stainless steel frames with teak seats, back and arms for a stunning contemporary design. The stylish Rondo side chair is perfect for cafés and bistros and features an elegant back with horizontal curved slats and simple splayed legs, say

SAUCES GOURMET SYRUPS AND R LAVOUR PROVIDE SINGLE SOURCE F

Come and win a selection of Café Culture hamper goodies! Café Culture magazine will be holding two prize draws at the end of the show this year - the winners of which will each receive a selection of quality products that have been featured in our magazines over the past year. The offer is open to current subscribers and new subscribers at the show. Just come along to our stand B13 and enrol into the draw!

products 83 products 188 Routin 1883 UK AGENTT : UCD – For all 233 840296 01233 m or call 012 .com es@ucd.uk.co sales@ucd.uk Contact sal

o.uk e.co.uk esstore.co cillariesstor ww.theancillari www www.thean

CAFFÈ BUSINESS THEATRE PROGRAMME Wednesday, 20 May TIME

SPEAKER

TITLE

DESCRIPTION

11.00

Geoff Burch – presenter of BBC 2’s All Over the Shop

Beating the crunch

Retail business guru and presenter of BBC 2's All Over The Shop, provides an invaluable insight into how to survive and, potentially, thrive despite the challenges of the credit crunch.

12.00 Stephen Broome – Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Put yourself in the financial picture

An in-depth insight into the current spending habits of UK consumers.

Find out exactly how much is being spent in cafés and coffee bars across the UK and what is forecast for the next 12 months.

13.00 Hugh Gilmartin & John Richardson – Coffee Boys

Recession proof your business

When the headlines are blaring doom and gloom, it takes a strong mind to stay focused on what matters. In the Coffee Business there is only one economy that's important … and that's yours. Find out how to recession proof your business and stay focused on your business.

14.00 Phillipe Rossiter & Philip Stanley – Institute of Hospitality

Hugging the customer

Good customer service has never been more important - it could be the only thing that really sets you apart from the competition. Hear how you can utilise your most valuable asset to maximum effect.

15.00 Gary McGann – Beyond the Bean

The psychology of pricing

To discount or not to discount? Trade up or trade down? Do 'credit crunch deals' really work? Find out from product and pricing expert, Gary McGann, about how to plan and price your offering in the right way for your business.

Thursday, 21 May TIME SPEAKER 11.00 Stefano Ispani – Ponti’s

TITLE Embracing change

DESCRIPTION The changing high street has led to a change of focus and a re-launch of Ponti's - a family business with a heritage of over 50 years. Dedicated to sourcing and serving quality produce, Stefano Ispani shares the story of Ponti's and how it has embraced change to create a new and highly successful offering.

12.00 Deborah Meaden – Macmillan Cancer Support

Help your business succeed, and feel good doing it.

Dragons’ Den entrepreneur, Deborah Meaden introduces the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and the team at Macmillan Cancer Support who will explain the business benefits of getting involved

13.00 Hugh Gilmartin & Johnny Richardson – Coffee Boys

Recession proof your business

When the headlines are blaring doom and gloom, it takes a strong mind to stay focused on what matters. In the Coffee Business there is only one economy that's important … and that's yours. Find out how to recession proof your business and stay focused on your business.

20 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

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PREVIEW

CAFFÈ BUSINESS THEATRE PROGRAMME Thursday, 21 May TIME SPEAKER 14.00 Hugo Hercod – Owner of Relish and UK Barista Champion 15.00 Professor Russell Smith – Business Boffins

TITLE Bucking the trend

DESCRIPTION Relish is a successful and thriving business, despite not conforming to the 'traditional' rules of coffee bar businesses. Find out from owner and UK Barista Champion, Hugo Hercod about how the team at Relish has broken the mould and achieved success.

Plan your way to success

Leading business expert Professor Russell Smith provides a step-by-step guide to plan your way through the tough times ahead to ensure your business succeeds.

SPECIALITY COFFEE ASSOCIATION OF EUROPE (SCAE) WORKSHOPS Wednesday, 20 and Thursday, 21 May 2009 UK Barista Guild Workshop | Workshop 1 TIME 9.45 – 11.15

SESSION Fundamental barista

DESCRIPTION Introduction to the basic craft of the barista and a look at the key skills required – Hugo Hercod, Relish

PLACES 30

COST £40

11.30 – 12.30 Espresso machine Maintenance

Simple maintenance techniques for front end servicing and prolonging your machine’s lifespan – Glenn James, Coffix

30

£30

12.45 – 14.15 Advanced barista

More advanced techniques for espresso preparation milk texturing and latte art pouring – James Hoffmann, Square Mile Roasters & World Barista Champion

30

£40

14.30 – 15.30 Why a great barista will make a difference

How to lead confidently from the front, share your knowledge and reap the benefits – Se Gorman, Café Krem

30

£30

15.45 – 16.45 Latte Art – improving your technique

Milk is such an important part of our coffee culture, learn more about how to improve your standard of latte art

30

£30

PLACES

COST

30

£40

Choosing the right equipment, suppliers and menu design – Gary McGann & Mike Bell, Beyond the Bean and Atlantic Creative

30

£40

Employee recruitment, training, customer service and leadership – Suzanna Hunter, Chess Partnership

30

£40

Marketing your business and operational systems – Hugh Gilmartin and Johnny Richardson, The Coffee Boys

30

£40

10 Steps to Starting a Coffee Bar Business Workshop 2 TIME SESSION 10.00 – 11.30 Planning and Design 11.50 – 13.20 Menu offer 13.40 – 15.10 Staffing 15.30 – 17.00 Operating and marketing

DESCRIPTION Create a sound business plan, find a location, layout and design – Paul Meikle – Janney, Coffee Community

Skills Workshop Workshop 3 TIME SESSION 10.00 – 12.00 Customer service

DESCRIPTION Set yourself apart from the competition, learn how to utilise your most valuable asset to maximum effect – Jason Danciger – Marks & Spencer

PLACES 30

COST £50

12.30 – 14.30 Drip coffee with James Hoffman

Beyond espresso – a broader skill set for the advanced barista/ coffee professional – James Hoffmann, Square Mile Roasters & World Barista Champion

30

£50

15.00 - 17.00 Cupping an interesting table

Cupping a table of the world’s finest coffees using international standards – Mercanta Coffee Hunters

20

£50

To book SCAE Workshops please visit www.caffeculture.com SCAE Barista Championships The Speciality Coffee Association of Europe’s (SCAE) stage will once again be the place to see some of the UK’s leading baristas competing to show the very best of their Latte Art, Cupping and Coffee in Good Spirits skills, as they battle it out to secure a place in the World Championships to be held in Cologne in June. Visit www.caffeculture.com/scae for the latest information.

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 21

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Food is on the

move

As market analysts Allegra Strategies’ recent Food-on-the-Move conference, and research from the continental pastries, savouries and bread supplier, Bakehouse, confirms, despite the doom and gloom of recession, outlets offering portable food and drink products have an excellent retail opportunity.

Growth area According to Allegra Strategies although the food and drink to go sector is often a low-spend and informal sector, it is actually out-performing the wider foodservice market at large. Industry speakers at Allegra’s Food on the Move conference (which included presentations from SSP, Subway, Roadchef and Manchester Airport) provided a greater understanding of its key drivers, challenges and opportunities, showing that although the food on the move sector is highly fragmented, it is currently seeing significant growth. Some interesting statistics to come out of the event included the following.

• British citizens travel on average 9,000 miles within Great Britain per year.

• UK commuters spend an equivalent of 26 working days a year commuting.

• The average lunch hour is now just 29 minutes.

22 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

• 8 million cups of coffee are vended within the UK every day.

• The UK sandwich market has witnessed growth of 23% since 2002.

“Despite the economic slowdown, consumers are still very keen to find ways to broaden their eating out repertoires,” says Allegra’s senior analyst and industry expert, Steve Gotham. “Operators are doing their bit with assorted special offers to enhance affordability. In many ways, consumers have never had it so good and there is huge potential in the food on the move sector for those with a compelling proposition.”

As consumers’ lifestyles become more hectic and mobile, observe Allegra, they are increasingly looking for products that are convenient, affordable and increasingly healthy to satisfy their needs.

For operators, this translates into a need to be well situated, offer fast, attentive customer service throughout the day, and

be able to provide innovative, as well as tasty, products.

These business imperatives, feel Allegra, are only going to continue to grow in importance as consumer mobility increases. Therefore, Allegra says that it expects to see growth in eating-on-themove to outperform the wider out-of-home market in line with further predicted growth in road, air and rail travel. Key beneficiaries within the market will comprise more progressive, stronger brands with multi-format and multilocation strengths, with the likes of BP, Costa, McDonald’s and Subway being among the major beneficiaries of this trend.

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Left, bacon and cheese twists and right, cheese and wild garlic twists from Bakehouse.

Savoury sales The continental pastries, savouries and bread supplier, Bakehouse (www.bakehouse.co.uk), has also been carrying out some research about that popular lunchtime option – freshly baked savoury pastries, which are proving to be a lunchtime winner with today’s money conscious office worker.

The results of their recent Let’s Do Lunch survey - which interviewed 200 people across the UK who regularly buy their lunch out of home – found that 68% said that they believed freshly baked savouries offered good value for money.

The survey revealed that most people spend up to £3.50 a day on lunch and with filling pastries such as Twists which make up for nearly 98% of continental savoury sales in multiple retailers (IRI Total Retailers 52 w/e 21 Feb 2009) on sale at less than a £1 each, such products can make an inexpensive lunch time option, claim Bakehouse.

The company’s survey also revealed that despite the credit crunch, many people have not changed their lunch time eating habits. Only 19% said that they buy lunch out less often than they did, while 71% said that they had not changed their habits at all.

Savoury pastries are becoming an increasingly attractive option to consumers with Bakehouse’s Let’s Do Lunch survey going on to reveal that consumers are open to seeing more variety and range of savoury pastries.

More than 70% said they would like to see new products in the freshly baked savoury category, and 55% said they would be more likely to make an impulse purchase if an outlet had an attractive display of pastries. Not unsurprisingly, the aroma and theatre of fresh baking is also key – 83% said warm, freshly baked food would entice them to purchase at lunchtime.

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

Clear merchandising and signage in store is vital too. Clear shelf labelling was important or fairly important to nearly 80% of people (many consumers take less than an hour for their lunch, so they need to find their purchases quickly and easily).

Ensuring that products are baked throughout the day to meet demand is a must for retailers (Bakehouse’s survey revealed that 77% of people interviewed thought that fully stocked shelves was important, or fairly important, for encouraging them to purchase).

Interestingly, although money off offers were seen as important, or fairly important (68%), ‘meal deals’ are less enticing, with less than half (44%) saying they were important as part of the lunch time buying process.

“The continental savouries category is growing at more than 12% year on year and is now worth £9.4m,” says Kate Raison, marketing director at Bakehouse.

“For us, the growth has been driven largely

by Savoury Twists, which now account for 97.5% of all continental savoury sales in multiple retail. The Bakehouse Let’s Do Lunch survey reveals that there is still plenty more opportunity for retailers and notably those from the independent trade, to make more of the category, particularly in the present economic climate when consumers are looking for a satisfying lunch option.”

New flavours As a result of its findings, Bakehouse has added new flavour Twists to its best selling Cheese Twists range of hand held savouries, with the introduction of a Cheese and Wild Garlic Twist, a Cheese & Chutney Twist, and a Cheese & Bacon Twist. Inspired by customer demand for snacks that are easy to eat on the move, Bakehouse’s Cheese Twists are also made with dough that doesn't crumble, and butter for a rich taste.

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‘‘

The current market is making our customers very cost-conscious, so value for money is essential.

A jacket potato offers a filling lunch and making it cost effective as well is definitely a bonus.

’’

Combining mature tangy Cheddar and Emmental with a layer of Dijon mustard, the cheese savoury is twisted three times and topped with a cheese mix to create a moist, but light alternative to traditional pastry savouries. The new Cheese and Wild Garlic Twist has a creamy wild garlic filling, and is then topped with real cheese and parsley to give subtle continental flavour (the Twist also makes a good alternative to bread with soup – try serving with a rich tomato and basil soup, for example).

Combining two of the UK’s favourite sandwich ingredients, Bakehouse’s new Cheese & Chutney Twist has a sweet tangy chutney flavour and nutty Emmental cheese twisted through the centre of the buttery pastry.

Try splitting the Twist and serving it warm with crispy streaky bacon for an alternative ‘breakfast buttie’. Bakehouse’s new Cheese & Bacon Twist features all butter pastry twisted with British bacon pieces – attractive to consumers concerned about where their food is sourced - a dash of Dijon mustard and a combination of cheeses. The Twist makes a tasty all-in-one breakfast product that’s easy to eat on the move. Each of the Twists in the range can be baked off in just 15 minutes and can be served either hot or cold, making them particularly suitable for a number of eating occasions – whether a snack on the move, breakfast or lunch.

Caterers/retailers are encouraged to bake off little and often to ensure that the freshest possible product is available to customers.

“Bakehouse has developed these additional flavours that are very much ‘on trend’ with consumer taste preferences – garlic, chutney, cheese and bacon,” says Kate Raison.

24 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

“For caterers/retailers the products are quick to bake off, easy to merchandise and can be served hot or cold for a number of eating occasions, making them an attractive and profitable must stock line (retail) or item on the menu (foodservice).”

Retailers should 1. Bake off regularly to ensure maximum freshness 2. Make sure your display is well stocked 3. Guide customers to the products with good signage and tempt them to purchase with clear descriptions at the display 4. Cultivate the aroma of fresh baking which entices customers to purchase 5. Add new savoury varieties as customers want to try new options.

Healthy option Bridging the gap between snack and meal, jacket potatoes are an increasingly popular choice with consumers as they offer a convenient, healthy and filling meal, which can easily be tailored to individual tastes by offering a choice of fillings, so it is little wonder that they are very popular with high street cafés when it comes to their take-away menus.

In response to this growing demand for jackets, Aviko (www.aviko.co.uk) has developed a ready cooked range of jacket potatoes that are suited for finishing in a traditional oven, a potato oven, or even in a microwave, say the company.

Available in two sizes - medium and large - Aviko’s Jacket Potatoes provide a good solution for any outlet wanting to offer a hot take-away menu and as the potatoes only take 20 to 25 minutes to bake in an oven, they can save time and money. Equally, they can be cooked off in a microwave in just three to four minutes, making them ideal for a quick turnaround.

Soulinni’s, a busy coffee shop in Leatherhead that has been trading for six years, recently replaced their usual choice of fresh potatoes and tried the range from Aviko.

Manager, Karen Rogers, has served jacket potatoes since she took over the business two years ago. “60% of our business is take-away,” she says, “so we have to ensure we offer a wide range of ready to go food. Leatherhead has a host of cafés and delis and we offer a wide selection of options to remain competitive.

The current market is making our customers very cost-conscious, so value for money is essential. A jacket potato offers a filling lunch and making it cost effective as well is definitely a bonus.”

With jacket potatoes in great demand Soulinni’s says that it has to be well prepared. Displaying a traditional potato oven on the counter advertises their jacket selection and means that they can be served on demand during the busy lunch time rush. With a range of fillings from

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traditional cheese and beans to chilli and sour cream, they can appeal to a wide range of tastes and maximise their hot take-away option. A range of cheese toppings was provided for the trial at the café by supplier, Extons.

Aviko Jacket Potatoes come vacuum packed and can be stored chilled for eight to 12 weeks after production, which means they offer a significantly longer shelf life than un-cooked alternatives. Plus, potatoes are healthy (they contain no more than 0.5g of fat and 2g of sodium per potato, and are packed with fibre, Vitamin C, Iron and Calcium – increasingly important as customers become more aware of what they eat). A baked potato in its skin, say Aviko, contains more fibre than two slices of wholemeal bread.

Portable treats Sometimes, of course, only a slice of cake, biscuit, cookie or sweet will do for the on the go consumer seeking a pick-me-up fix to accompany their mid-morning or afternoon cup of tea or coffee, or round off their lunch.

“Consumers are clearly thinking hard

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about how they spend their money at the moment and the indicators show they are reducing their expenditure on daily consumables. When it comes to snacking ‘on the go’, previous recessions have evidenced a growth in the sales of confectionery as consumers opt to pick up a costeffective snack,” says Martin Lines, marketing director, Nestlé Professional®.

“This opens up a wide opportunity for cafés to offer customers the right selection of products at an attractive price. For example, with new Toffee Crisp® Clusters® we have listened to what consumers want and developed a product that not only appeals to their ‘play’ and ‘passing time’ need states, but also taps

“Helping to make your business a piece of cake”

Quality Cakes and Tray Bakes Freezer Stable • Long Shelf Life Value for Money • Pre Cut Tray Bakes Suitable for Vegetarians

into the growing sharing bag category, which is currently worth £618m according to the market researchers Nielsen. In addition, the unique, stand out packaging has been designed to maximise impulse sales and help drive revenues for establishments.”

Having become well known for its high quality homemade style of cakes, Kate’s Cakes (www.katescakes.com) has now widened its range of more portable formats to include individually wrapped slices and brownies, cookies and shortbread.

Their Chocolate Brownie is an all-butter brownie made with melted chocolate and liberally sprinkled with rich chocolate chips. It has an ambient shelf life of 21 days ambient and is supplied individually wrapped, 20 slices to a case. Kate’s Cakes Millionaire Shortbread is an all-butter shortbread smothered with luxurious caramel, then topped with thick milk chocolate (it has a shelf life 28 days ambient and is supplied individually wrapped, 20 slices to a case).

Kate’s Cakes Oat & Fruit Cookie is a rich, buttery cookie packed with packed with plump oats, juicy raisins and a hint of nutmeg. Individually wrapped in ‘U’ cards,

Cakes, tarntgss and epupdroduid of

to b

We hand bake the best cakes, tarts and puddings using all natural ingredients.

Free range eggs, all natural vanilla, real butter icings.

No hydrogenated fats, no artificial colours or flavours.

And great prices too.

That's what your customers expect when they buy their weekly shop, and when they eat out too.

That's why we supply some of the most prestigious foodservice and retail establishments around.

The Old Bakehouse, Bakers Yard, Ardington, Oxon. OX12 8PS

Why not give us a try? - Treat your customer to the best.

Telephone 01235 835 194 Facsimile. 01235 862 212

tel: 0208 761 7318 fax: 0208 761 8037

www.sugarandspicebakery.co.uk

e:info@freshericscakes.co.uk

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 25

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there are two cookies per pack, 20 packs per case, and they have an ambient shelf life of 28 days. For a more slimline treat, Kate’s Cakes can offer their Skinny Banana and Raisin Loaf Slice which has masses of banana and juicy sultanas but less than 5% fat, and is a soft, moist and light loaf slice (shelf life seven days chilled).

Island Bakery Biscuits has also unveiled a new jaunty look for its ever popular twin-pack proposition that are ideal for the ‘to go’ customer. This brand of biscuits have already made their way on to the shelves of many discerning delis, farmshops and high profile independents, in the UK and abroad, so it was felt that the time was now ripe to revisit the equally influential hotel and foodservice sectors.

“Buoyed up by the fantastic success of our smarter retail box packaging in 2008, we wanted to create some snug yet stylish pouches that would allow our biscuits to make their presence felt in upmarket canteens, hotel meeting rooms and any other premium-feeling location where ardent biscuiteers are looking for something with a little extra wow,” says Island Bakery co-founder, Joe Reade.

Island Bakery biscuits began back in 2001 when husband and wife team Joe and Dawn Reade initiated the UK’s most

northerly biscuit business from a garage at the back of Joe’s brother’s house on the Isle of Mull. Today, Joe and Dawn produce six very distinct offerings under the Island Bakery Organics banner - Lemon Melts, Chocolate Limes, Oat Crumbles, Chocolate Gingers, Shortbread and the new Apple Crumbles (www.islandbakery.co.uk).

The two biscuit packs have a retail selling price of between 86p and 96p.

Tea to go With Britain being well known for being a nation of tea drinkers, but often fussy when it comes to how the brew has been made, Tetley’s new On The Go solution should ensure that caterers can provide a fast and efficient, but quality take-away tea offering.

Tetley’s latest On The Go Case contains 300 Tetley Drawstring tea bags, accompanied by 300 Tetley branded double wall cups and non-spill ‘sip lids’ – all in one easy-to-store, easy-to-use package. These practical double walled cups eliminate the added expense of sleeves, say Tetley, or the need for double

cupping, and their unique embossed outer layer improves insulation, allowing the cup to feel more comfortable when held.

Tetley report that their research has shown that customers are more likely to purchase tea if they can see a recognisable brand being served, so the reassurance of having a logo prominently displayed on all the cups instantly communicates the brand to busy customers.

To further boost your tea sales, Tetley are offering free point of sale merchandise, and as a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, have also included the ETP logo on the new On-The-Go cup so that customers can be reassured that they are drinking an ethically sourced tea (for more information on Tetley’s new On The Go solution, visit www.teaexperts.co.uk).

Coffee and donuts The Boston’s Coffee and Donut concept is the latest addition to Country Choice’s range of in-store Food To Go solutions. Boston’s is a complete coffee and donut concept featuring a selection of delicious, American style yeast raised donuts, including Boston Crème, Triple Belgian Chocolate, Bramley Apple and Cinnamon, Lemon Meringue and Sugar Glazed Jam varieties.

As well as a wide range of merchandising units the concept also comes complete with branded Boston’s packaging, POS and even a takeaway box for up to six donuts. The donuts are thaw and serve and this, allied to a shelf life of two days, will ensure good availability. And, as no donut is complete without a cup of really good coffee and the Boston’s offer also comes with a coffee machine for creating a takeaway, bean to cup coffee using Fairtrade Arabica Beans and fresh milk (the Boston’s concept launched in April with full Country Choice marketing support, call 01689 301201 for details).

26 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

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A Must With Coffee

Indulgent Soft Cookies, Premiu m Shortbread, Traditional Dunking Bars ƪ ǡ ± ´ ǡ Ǥ Ƥ ǡ Ǧ Ǥ

Visit us at stand H16 at this year’s Caffè Culture Show

www.cafebronte.com For sales related enquiries, please contact Café Brontë on 01506 431 031

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 27

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PROFILE Fresha Jiffy vans have been delivering high quality food to businesses in and around Exeter in Devon since 2003, so it sparked a great deal of interest when the new Fresha Café (www.fresha.org) opened its doors in the city in September last year.

A Fresha

approach Popular place The only café of its kind in the local area, and based on the thriving Sowton Business/Retail Park, Fresha Café is conveniently located equa-distant from junction 29 (Exeter Airport) and junction 30 (Exeter Services) of the M5, and the unique 120 cover café is proving to be quite a draw in the South West.

With a cool, contemporary feel and relaxing chill-out areas boasting comfortable leather sofas, the light and airy venue attracts customers from all sectors including visitors to the local retail outlets, hungry workers from nearby business parks and even ‘White Van Man’, who can either sit in or take out.

On its opening day, the entertainment from magician Anthony Laye, who appears regularly on national television and was awarded Best Magic Act 2007, together with live jazz played by popular local band The Maggie Reeday Trio added to the party

atmosphere helping to draw in the crowds to the launch party.

A project Fresha Café was the dream-child of local businessman Paul Banks who started his career with the Walt Disney Company in sales and marketing, and was a member of the opening support team for the launch of Euro Disney back in 1992. After several years of life abroad, Paul returned to the UK and fell into the financial industry before considering further education, with an MBA being top of the list. Marketing was the first of 10 modules and with Paul’s extensive experience with Disney, he says that it proved to be the most enjoyable.

One project was based within the United Nations and although he found it interesting, he hungered to be back in his native Devon to spend more time with family and friends. Thus, the original business plan for Fresha Limited was born out of an academic project, however realising its market potential, Paul decided to turn it into a commercial plan and as a result launched the company in 2003.

Ever ambitious, Paul has since built up a large portfolio of services including sandwich van delivery to local Exeter workers, corporate buffets, outside catering for events and his newly launched Discreet Catering which is aimed specifically at the funeral market.

A local success story, Fresha has expanded rapidly and now has six vans employing 20 staff. Today the company has in excess of 400 local companies ordering sandwiches and buffets on a regular basis in addition to food vans visiting people at their work places daily (any surplus food is given to the homeless or deserving causes).

Natural evolution The idea of the Fresha Café has been part

28 MAY 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

of the company’s business plan since its inception. Extensive market research indicated the requirement for a professional café/small shop/meeting place within the local area complementing the existing high quality and fast growing food delivery service already provided by Fresha Limited.

“Since our launch in June 2003 we have been, and continue to be, fanatical about great tasting, natural food, excellent service and convenience to our customers,” says Paul Banks.

“Fresha’s original business was feeding hungry workers at their place of work. With this in mind, we launched Fresha Deliveries with one refrigerated vehicle visiting companies five days per week. The concept was simple, we delivered a delicious range of products such as sandwiches, salads, savoury and sweet pastries, cold drinks and a scrumptious array of cakes which proved very successful.

“My vision for Fresha Café was to create an environment to suit a spectrum of people and their needs, from a quick morning coffee to a small business meeting. A place to meet a friend, hold a meeting or just escape for a while. Such a place would complement our existing high quality and growing food delivery and buffet service, with the added benefit of being on the same site as our kitchen and offices.”

Local sourcing An abundance of high quality ingredients sourced locally from the rich and natural environment unique to the South West region is delivered daily to the café by trusted suppliers.

Freshly prepared by Fresha’s resident chef, together with his experienced team, the café’s food has maximum freshness complemented with a full range of fair-trade hot beverages and cold drinks. A large selection of freshly prepared hot and cold food including Chef’s Special, together with mouth-watering homemade desserts, is on offer throughout the day, as well as fresh

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PROFILE

fruit, salads and snacks.

Delicious homemade soups served with chunky, freshly baked bread is a popular choice for a light lunch or alternatively there is a hot potato oven serving perfectly cooked jacket potatoes with crispy skins and a variety of toppings. Sandwiches, baguettes and paninis are made to order from an extensive choice of fillings.

Alternatively, for those in a hurry, purchases can be selected from a pre-prepared range all freshly made that morning on the premises.

Opening from 7 am to 3 pm (Monday to Friday), the café also serves a variety of all day hot breakfasts to suit all budgets including half full English, full English, breakfast rolls and toasties proving firm favourites with van and lorry drivers.

Mid-morning, a steaming cup of coffee lovingly prepared by resident barista, Domingos Pintos, teamed with fabulous homemade cakes or a light brunch of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs are also proving to be a welcome respite for local shoppers or mothers with young children.

From 11 am an extensive choice of hot and cold lunches including the traditional Cornish pasty and vegetarian options are the order of the day. A chilled cabinet with a tempting display of freshly prepared food is on offer for the customer to select their preferred choices which are then made up to their specific order by friendly and welcoming staff.

The extensive range of ethical coffee, delicious hot chocolate and speciality teas includes Belfast Brew, a traditional hearty Irish breakfast tea perfect for any time of the day and Moroccan Peppermint. All loose leaf teas are full of flavour and served in individual quirky, clear plastic dispensers which always cause a stir with the customers!

Barista competition Ever popular member of staff, Domingos Pinto, serves up a full range of fair-trade

coffee including Americano, Espresso, Macchiato, Caffe Latte, Cappuccino and Mocha, and was recently selected by Fresha's coffee supplier, Hawkins Coffee, based in picturesque Budleigh Salterton to represent them in the South West finals of the UK Coffee Barista Championships (UKBC).

Baristas from around the country compete for the title of regional winner before going on to the semi-finals, held in London. Domingos had to battle it out with other local café workers to be recognised as the best barista in the region by preparing four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks - a beverage developed using any ingredient of their choice, excluding alcohol, plus espresso.

“Domingos was up against some very stiff competition and although not successful on this occasion, we are all very proud of him and he had fantastic support from his ever growing band of loyal customers. In addition to giving Domingos invaluable experience, it has also helped to educate discerning coffee drinkers on experiencing high quality coffee coupled with the art and skilful preparation of a barista. It also was invaluable to in raising the profile of Fresha Café as it received extensive press coverage” says Paul Banks.

Business appeal At lunch time the bustling café really comes to life with an influx of visitors from the local business parks. For the busy workers short on time, the fast track system is proving invaluable where customers can select a pre-packaged sandwich/baguette/ fruit basket or salad which they can either eat in or take-away. The environmentally friendly packaging is bio-degradable and all cardboard is recycled.

“Approximately 14,000 employees are based in our catchment area, and the majority do not have the luxury of their own company canteen,” says Paul Banks.

“Comprehensive market research indicated there was a clear need for a place where

people could escape for a break during the day, preferably within walking distance of their place of work, although we do provide plenty of free parking.

“Lots of local business people pop over for a coffee meeting which they tell me is much more productive than staying in the office. Before Fresha Café opened in the autumn the only option for locals was a visit to the impersonal Tesco’s or the soulless and expensive motorway services!

Alternatively there was the pub but all destinations involved a short drive.”

As well as serving local company workers, business customers can reserve tables on request and there is free Wi-Fi access. In addition, there is a Business Zone area which can be allocated for use by local Business Breakfast Clubs to utilise before 9am. The café is also proving a popular venue for one to one business meetings in view of its convenient location just minutes from the motorway.

To help raise its profile and encourage the local community to make more use of Fresha Café in the evenings after it is closed to the public, Paul is offering the opportunity to book the venue free of charge after 4 pm for networking events or social functions in the week.

Work in progress Fresha Café is still a work in progress and entrepreneurial Paul says that he is seeking to branch out into retailing and conferencing as the next step for growing the business. Currently in talks with a major retail chain, Paul is considering opening a small convenience store within the premises.

“I decided to talk to Spar because I don't have a retail background and they give excellent support. They have agreed it's a good idea to put a shop in the café and now it's a case of talking about how exactly it would work best. Many people pop into Tesco on their way home from work to get a pint of milk and a loaf of bread as well as things like birthday cards and printer ink cartridges so it’s a natural to meet the needs of the local community.”

Once the shop is up and running the final stage is to expand the café by developing a conference facility able to cater up to 100 people.

“I already have full planning permission and architectural drawings for four conference rooms which will help to really expand the business. In this current economic climate it is very encouraging to find that as a local Café we are not only surviving but thriving!” says Paul excitedly.

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BRANDING

Massaro’s new image Glo Creative is a design agency that has been established specifically for developing brand identities for new catering businesses or those looking to re-brand. Utilising the capabilities of packaging company, Planglow, its branded designs can then be applied to all possible catering products, merchandising and literature, as Massaro’s discovered.

Professional brief From signage and stationery to product labels and packaging, Glo Creative have helped the Cambridge-based, Italian deli and espresso bar, Massaro’s, to portray a consistent and professional image.

The design gurus have already had a successful start especially within the independent market, where business startups are looking for a professional image but at an affordable price, and Massaro’s is their latest success story.

At the stylish artisan deli and espresso bar, Massaro’s, the brief for Glo Creative was to create a visual brand for the business’s traditional values in a modern world. The brand had to work across a range of different mediums from signage and car livery to aprons and labelling. It also had to reflect their core traditional values of genuine quality, taste and artisan foods presented in a modern and stylish environment.

to further emphasise this.

“We stylised an existing font to give it a more retro feel to complement the classic Italian design of the furnishings and colour scheme, but Massaro’s still wanted the brand to be modern, so we kept the design clean and minimalist to produce an airy contemporary image,” recalls Kerry Mundy, Glo Creative’s senior designer.

Andrea Massaro says that he first discovered Planglow and their Glo Creative service at an exhibition in May of 2008. Drawn in by the eco-friendly, but attractive-looking packaging that Planglow provides, he then also chose Glo Creative to work on creating the Massaro’s branding and external shop signage.

“I felt Glo Creative would be familiar with creating the type of branding I wanted for Massaro’s due to their experience of working in the catering sector. I also thought they offered their services for a very reasonable price,” he says, As well as the independent sector, Planglow says that it also has extensive experience of providing brand services to the contract caterer and larger producer market, which Glo Creative is keen to draw upon. For more information, visit www.planglow.com/glo.

We wanted to look branded and show that ‘‘ thought has gone into every aspect of our business and what we do, without looking like a clone ’’

Working in partnership Firstly, joint owners of Massaro’s - Elaine Smith and Andrea Massaro - worked with Glo Creative to create a logo that communicated their ethics of quality artisan food whilst still being

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contemporary. It was important that the brand was polished and professional, but that it also set them apart from franchises on the high street.

“We wanted to look branded and show that thought has gone into every aspect of our business and what we do, without looking like a clone,” says Andrea Massaro.

Working with a palette of pale blue, cream and brown (chosen by Andrea and Elaine), the Glo Creative design team chose to incorporate the contrasting burnt orange to enhance the retro feel of the brand.

Illustrations of utensils were then used for traditional Italian cookery were chosen

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PACKAGING

Going for green As the move towards a greener globe continues to gather pace, meeting environmental needs without compromising product quality will be essential in years to come.

Combining the two successfully is one of the challenges that both current and next generation packaging developers and brand owners within the food service sector are likely to face, explains Gillian Wight (pictured), packaging development director, Your Packaging Partner (a division of Sun Branding Solutions).

Increased consumption The demand for out of home consumption has exploded over the last decade. And it shows no sign of abating, even in the current economic climate, as time poor consumers continue to eat and drink a large proportion of their food out of home or on the go. However, with the number of people grabbing that morning cup of coffee or pre-packaged salad from the local café, comes an ever increasing awareness and concern about the environmental impact of such behaviour – in particular the amount and type of

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packaging used.

Much has been made of the fact that at present, a large amount of food packaging is not recyclable and therefore discarded into landfill. The ‘War on Waste’ reports by the Local Government Association heavily criticise food and drink packaging, placing particular emphasis on supermarkets but also blaming the food service sector for both the amount of non recyclable materials used and the take-away packaging that is dropped as litter. Many in the industry feel this is an unfair charge as a survey

carried out by Incpen found that cigarettes and chewing gum account for nearly 85% of litter, whilst all packaging related items make up only 4%.

Excessive or intelligent?

Of course, it must be said that there are examples of excessive packaging for some out of home applications, as with any industry, with paninis in several layers of paper and plastic wrapping springing immediately to mind. Pieces of sliced fruit in plastic containers is a further example that perhaps best sum

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PACKAGING up what critics of the packaging industry believe to be indicative of the use of excessive packaging in the food service sector. However, those in the industry are sure to view things differently, seeing them as examples of an intelligent means of packaging goods. What must be remembered, and communicated effectively to consumers, is that the role of packaging is and always will be to protect and preserve goods, as well as communicating a wide range of information.

There is a tendency to blame suppliers and outlets for non-recyclable packaging without realising the added value it has in extending the shelf-life of fresh produce – absolutely vital in the food service sector.

Going hand in hand with packaging as a means to extend shelf-life is the fact that food safety is a huge concern for those within the out of home sector; manufacturers, distributors and café, bar and restaurant owners alike.

Wastage So, reducing packaging as a knee jerk response to critics and without comprehensive research will almost certainly increase the amount of food that outlet owners have to throw away. An even bigger problem than packaging waste, due to the energy and materials in the product’s packaging, is the associated carbon footprint. Not to mention the threat to food safety plus lost revenue as outlets are not able to sell the products.

Used packaging sent to landfill from all sources accounts for less than 5% of total waste going to landfill. As the whole aim of packaging is to ensure food remains intact until it reaches the very end of the supply chain – the consumer – industry critics must realise that packaging actually reduces the amount of food sent to landfill, and without it, sites would be a great deal fuller, with more spoilt and damaged produce.

However, recycling simply cannot be tackled on its own. Not only must strict food quality guidelines be adhered to, but packaging also needs to look and feel good as well as satisfy the demanding out of home lifestyle of the 21st century consumer. It must be able to withstand the manufacturing and distribution process as well as provide consumers with clear product information and use-by-dates, as required by European law.

In addition, packaging often needs to include clear information and instructions to café staff. Specialist tea or coffee for example, which are becoming increasingly popular with discerning customers, may require more complex preparation. Step by step brewing instructions given on the packaging therefore provide valuable help

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for staff and ensure customers receive drinks of the highest quality.

So, it’s not as simple as it may sound.

Despite this and the debate raging in the media, manufacturers, brand owners and retailers are looking to increasingly environmentally friendly alternatives for their packaging, with significant research, development and resources devoted to these.

Sustainability Sustainability is high on the agenda for every new product at the development stage. As part of the Courtauld Commitment, retailers, brands and their suppliers are working in partnership to develop new packaging solutions and technologies across the whole of the UK supply chain. Of the 37 international companies that have pledges to help meet the objectives, a large number are brands and suppliers to the food service sector, including Danone, Britvic, Nestlé UK, Stella Artois and Innocent. These include eliminating packaging waste growth by 2008 (zero growth was achieved in 2008, despite an increase in both product sales and population), delivering absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010 and identifying ways to tackle the problem of food waste.

As part of this, Coca-Cola has pledged to make all of its packaging 100% recyclable or re-usable over the next few years. The brand has also recently reduced the weight of its 330ml glass contour bottle by a fifth, saving more than 3,500 tonnes of glass and an estimated 2,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Responding to increasing consumer awareness of their carbon footprint, the iconic bottle – a permanent fixture in cafes and restaurants across the globe - now weighs 210g, reduced from 263g, but still retains its trademark design and strength. Innocent, another café favourite, also aims to use 100% recycled or 100% renewable material in its packaging.

In September 2007 the company was the first in the world to launch a bottle made from completely recycled plastic, for its 250 ml smoothie.

As high street coffee shops and restaurants address environmental concerns, growers and suppliers must work with them to meet these changes. Pret a Manger’s sandwich boxes are made of virgin board from sustainable forests and are finished with a water-based coating (rather than polyethylene). This, combined with the clear window made from cornstarch, means that each box is 100 per cent recyclable, biodegradable and compostable.

Packaging companies are therefore adapting in-line with the new market,

creating biodegradable or compostable products from polymers similar to polyethylene. Suppliers and manufacturers are also addressing the carbon footprint of their packaging by producing lighter weight products. Packets and containers have become smaller and lighter in recent years, meaning fewer raw materials are used in production, along with less energy needed for transportation.

Packaging companies, distributors and operators are also making significant strides to create more environmentally friendly disposable paper cups. Perhaps the area where some of the industry’s biggest critics focus their attention, much progress has been made in recent years. Both individual suppliers and the industry as a whole are developing new materials or recycling programmes to help reduce the number of cups sent to landfill. For example, premium coffee brand Douwe Egberts is currently working on a fully recyclable cup. However, as those in the industry know, it is not simply a case of manufacturing a cup from the ‘right’ material. There are a number of complex issues involved, including whether the cups are cost effective to produce (and dispose of), suitable for hot and cold beverages, visually attractive and most importantly, do not affect the taste of the drink inside.

It must be noted that a large proportion of the packaging used in the food service sector is already recyclable or compostable.

However, there is often a lack of waste disposal facilities for out of home operators, which has an impact on the materials used for manufacture. In the UK, waste collection and recycling are the responsibility of local authorities, with the choice of method decided by each authority. This inevitably leads to inconsistencies and confusion about which packaging materials can and cannot be recycled.

Future As such, a number of organisations have been set up by the industry to tackle this inconsistency. The Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group, made up of those involved in the vending and hospitality sectors, aims to identify ongoing sustainable routes for the recovery and recycling of paper cups and similar products. Members include Costa, Kraft Foods, Mars, Nestlé as well as associated suppliers and vending operators.

Finally, to tackle the major issue of food and drink wastage, companies are looking towards intelligent packaging formats to help reduce the problem. For example, premium tea supplier, Newby of London has developed an innovative foil packaging that acts as an extremely effective barrier

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PACKAGING against air and moisture absorption, therefore maintaining the freshness and character of the delicate tea leaves for longer. In addition, the majority of Newby’s traditional leaf blends are available to the catering industry in 500g saddle-packs, with the more specialist blends available in smaller 250g packs.

This simple yet effective approach allows caterers the opportunity to experiment with specialist blends, without the wastage concern.

So, the challenge for suppliers, packaging development companies and service outlets is to find the best and greenest ways of upholding packaging’s basic functions – to protect, preserve and communicate information. They need to create packaging that ensures goods reach the customer intact and unspoiled, whilst meeting lifestyle demands in an environmentally friendly way. The industry, its commentators and the media, need to be patient and realise there is no quick fix, but that there will be improvements over the next few years, and, most importantly, that satisfying the ‘green’ expectations of both consumer and retailer requires a delicate balance, which won’t happen overnight.

Fully compostable Detpak has announced the introduction of a new packaging concept called Rebbit™, with the promotional tag line - Making Environmental Leaps™. Rebbit™ may be the sound a frog makes, but it is also the name of Detpak’s new environmentally friendly range of packaging products that will be launched at this year’s Caffè Culture show.

A frog may at first seem an unusual choice for a packaging brand, however frogs are often linked to the environment and, as described by Paul Smith, market development manager for Detpak, their characteristics represent Detpak’s approach to environmental packaging.

“Frogs leap forward and never backward,” says Paul Smith. “Detpak is continually moving forward in the same fashion – we strive to take leaps in environmental packaging.”

Rebbit™ will have the same appearance as existing product counterparts but with the added benefit of being completely compostable, say Detpak. The initial range will consist of Ripple-Wrap™ Hot Cups, Retail Bags, Sandwich Wedges and Bakery Bags, with plans to extend to include other products in the near future. These products are fully compostable in industrial composting facilities, but that is not to say that Detpak’s wide range of other products are not also environmentallyfriendly. The company says that it has always maintained a strong focus on sustainable practice, for example sourcing its paper and board raw materials only from sustainably-managed forests, and meaning that no

Profile

Brodericks Love Coffee With a helping hand from packaging experts Huhtamaki, the new business venture of brothers John and Peter Broderick - Brodericks Love Coffee - is really taking off.

Located in the departure lounge of Manchester Airport's Terminal Two, independent coffee shop, Brodericks Love Coffee, is an extension of the successful, family-run Manchester Vending Company, and is the first of what the Broderick brothers hope will be many outlets.

Manchester Vending was originally started by the Broderick brother’s father, John, and is now run by the brothers and their sister Beverly. Manchester Vending sells 20 million cups of coffee through vending machines in the North West, including those at Manchester Airport.

At their airport café, to reflect the high quality of the beverages they serve – which are made using Fairtrade coffee from South America – Brodericks Love Coffee required cups which would reflect the premium presentation of their coffees, and so a partnership with Huhtamaki was born.

“We chose Huhtamaki as we required a premium product to benefit the new Brodericks Love Coffee area and lounge within the Airport,” says Peter Broderick, a

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partner in Brodericks Love Coffee. “Serving a lot of passengers who take their drinks away from the lounge means it is essential that we supply beverages in a quality cup – not only to do the product justice, but for safety reasons too.”

Having a cup with excellent insulation was also must, and so they choose Huhtamaki’s 12oz double-wall cups to offer not only good heat retention, but also because they can be fitted with a sip through lid, making them ideal for customers on-the-go. As well as fitting the requirements Peter was looking for, Huhtamaki also offered a custom-printing service, which appealed massively.

“The look and feel of double-wall cups was exactly what we were looking for, and the fact that Huhtamaki was able to customise their products with your own branding was of great interest,” adds Peter. “Thanks to Huhtamaki’s customprinting technology, our cups are supplied complete with a bespoke Brodericks Love Coffee design, which couldn’t have been easier to produce – we just supplied what we wanted, and Huhtamaki did the rest!”

With an initial order placed back in November last year, Peter’s satisfaction is evident as Huhtamaki is now supplying Brodericks Love Coffee with further orders, as the business grows. Unlike many takeaway outlets, Brodericks Love Coffee says that it has taken the decision to offer waiter service for its 122 seats.

“Customers arrive having gone through the usual airport rigmarole. They’ve queued for the car park bus, checked-in and passed through security, so the last thing they want to do is queue for refreshments! With waited service, customers can sit back, relax and not have to worry about keeping an eye on their children and bags while they juggle carrying trays,” explains Peter.

“We pride ourselves with the fact that all 18 members of our staff have been selected as much for their personality as for their barista skills, so they have a laugh with customers and help them slip into holiday mode as they prepare to jet off!”

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old-growth forests are impacted.

Greg Bond, regional business manager for Detpak UK and Europe, says that the Rebbit™ range has been developed in line with client demand. “Detpak prides itself on providing our clients with the products they demand, and we are excited to be able to supply them with a range that is both 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable,” he explains.

The Rebbit™ range will be available in a subtle environmentally focused stock print and as with all its products, the Detpak team says that it can also work with clients to develop bespoke prints for Rebbit™ products. The company will also encourage featuring the “100% Compostable” slogan on all printed packaging, which will not only work toward building recognition of the Rebbit™ brand, but will also help customers advertise their environmental commitment.

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COFFEE

Blends for Can the blend of coffee you are serving have an effect on sales? Here, Giovanni Lauretta (pictured left), the UK coffee specialist for Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems UK, explains why he feels that it can be make or break in the crowded café sector.

success

“GOOD BARISTA TRAINING IS AS IMPORTANT AS A GOOD COFFEE BLEND” GIOVANNI LAURETTA. Quality counts I have been in the coffee business for a long time now, and despite us being in a recession it is clear that consumers still seem unwilling to compromise on their daily latte or cappuccino.

Yes, they may be cutting back when it comes to the added value options, such as large sizes and syrups, but I believe that consumers still see coffee as an affordable indulgence, but they are adopting a ‘back to basics’ approach so that they can still justify and enjoy a daily purchase.

The latest Allegra report indicates that 40% of consumers cite price as a key consideration when they choose where to purchase their coffee from. This highlights the fact that consumers are placing greater emphasis on value for money options – lower costs, yet still high quality. This is where foodservice outlets can really benefit. By offering a good quality, trusted product at an affordable price they can secure a loyal customer base, which will

stand them in good stead this year.

However, it is vitally important to choose the right type of product to suit your customers’ preferences. There are just two different types of coffee found around the world, Arabica and Robusta, so it would be understandable to think that the choice of bean would therefore be easy.

However, that simply is not the case! More than 70 countries produce coffee with each country producing a bean that tastes slightly different, due to differences in the altitude, environment and temperature at each given area. So, bearing that in mind, how do you choose the right blend to maximise your sales potential?

Understanding the bean Well, it’s important to start from the very beginning and understand a bit more

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about coffee. Coffee's characteristic flavour and aroma only develop during the roasting process. Roasting green coffee beans sets a series of complex chemical reactions in motion. It's these reactions that release the flavour that's hidden within each bean.

During roasting, the green beans are exposed to very high temperatures in excess of 5000C. As the moisture evaporates the aromatic oils contained in the coffee beans are released, the sugar in the beans then start to caramelise, this is what gives the coffee beans their distinct flavour and deep brown colour. The temperature and length of roasting determines the strength of the final flavour.

It is vital to understand that different regions prefer different coffee blends.

Northern Europeans tend to buy coffee that is 100% Arabica with a light to medium roast, whereas in the south of Europe people enjoy a dark roast with more Robusta, and some countries even use up to 100% Robusta. In the UK, we generally purchase medium to dark roast

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coffee that is 100% Arabica and works well in very milky drinks such as lattes.

Quick-roasted beans are the least expensive blends and are popular for those outlets that are looking to offer cheaper coffee. However, this roast varies from two minutes to six minutes, meaning that the total flavour has not been fully released. In my opinion, outlets should invest in beans that have been slowroasted – exposed to high temperature for around seven to 15 minutes. The longer roasting time allows all of the flavours to fully develop, enabling you to taste the richness of the coffee. Every time you drink a cup of coffee it should be a positive experience!

We must not forget that coffee is a lot like wine. Depending on the time of day, or what you are eating, you can use a different blend, one blend does not suit everything. The beauty of coffee is that it has more than 800 different flavours and you, should know which blend to offer to your customers. Breakfast coffee should not be too strong, it should have a wellbalanced acidity and a clean aftertaste, typically found in lighter medium roasts.

Lunch, and especially dinner, should be served with a medium to quite dark roast, with a nice balanced body, but this time with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

When a customer buys a cake, muffin or croissant they can choose between fruity, plain or chocolate, you should know what coffee to suggest to them and explain why. Remember that every day is different and as the customer's mood changes their taste will change too.

The ethical debate There has been a noticeable change in the public’s attitude towards ethically sourced and sustainable products in the last few years. One thing is for sure, the twenty first century has certainly seen ethically sourced coffee become the norm and not a niche. This adds another factor into your choice of coffee blend. In my view, outlets need to realise that in the future they will be serving a generation of ethical consumers.

With sustainability continuing to be high on the agenda for most companies, it is increasingly important to show the proof points of this commitment. Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified are the three leading programmes that support sustainable coffee production.

At Douwe Egberts, we are proud partners of Utz Certified, a global nongovernmental organisation that operates a mainstream certification programme for sustainable coffee based on pillars of economic, social responsibility and protecting the local environment. The

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certification programme enables farmers to become better businessmen, enabling them to achieve a better price for their coffee. We feel this is where the future of ethically sourced products lies, as our customers and consumers can trace their coffee to its origins and see the positive impact their choice of coffee has made in that area.

The million dollar question Choosing the right blend for your outlet can have a huge impact on your profit margins, and at a time of recession you can really get yourself ahead of the game if you're staying in tune with your customers' purchasing habits. Knowing whether they want a stronger blend, or something a little lighter is key to attracting repeat purchases, especially in a crowded marketplace. However, over the coming years it will become vitally important to stay in touch with your consumer's ethical feelings. Offering a product that you can prove has benefited farmers could be key to attracting the next generation of coffee drinkers.

Last but not least, a good blend of coffee is not the only thing that matters.

Investing in an experienced barista, or sending your staff to a good barista training centre will, in my opinion, improve your quality of service. But overall, outstanding staff serving good coffee using well-prepared machinery and quality water will mean your customer have no reason to buy somewhere else. During a recession, trust is paramount. Get your customers to trust the quality of your product and trust your recommendations and you will reap the rewards!

Distinctive blends As a coffee distributor, Cooper’s is frequently asked to create new blends of coffee for customers seeking to differentiate themselves from their competition. Their most recent request, say the company, was from TV star chef Anthony Flinn, who owns four restaurants in the centre of Leeds.

Cooper’s created an exclusive espresso coffee for the chef, which consists of four different coffees from Ethiopia, Brazil, Guatemala and India. Flinn chose the blend following two blind tasting sessions at Cooper’s training rooms, finally selecting the most expensive and prestigious blend for his restaurants to be brewed at 910c.

Founder and managing director of Cooper’s, David Cooper, recommends using a specialist coffee distributor to anyone who is looking to create their own blend because the science of blending and extraction, as well as the temperature of

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COFFEE the machine used to get the maximum flavours from the coffees, are, he feels, all vital to achieving the ultimate goal of selecting a fantastic blend.

“Going direct to a roaster is only advisable if you have the right selection of speciality green coffees coupled with expertise and modern roasting equipment to ensure vital consistency of your blend every time,” says David Cooper. “At Cooper’s we have the experience, knowledge and time to take a

‘‘

exclusive new range of blends created by UKBC and WBC competitors in a range that will be exclusive to Cooper’s.

The first of the ‘competition blends’ to go on sale is the winning blend used by David Olenjik of Coffee Community who came fourth in this year’s UKBC. This blend - which is described as ‘sweet in the front end of the palate, developing into citrus notes with gently perfumed orange and caramel flavours’ - is one of Cooper’s most expensive coffees at £15

Our range of competition blends is a unique concept that will be exclusive to Cooper’s, thorough brief and ensure that an accurate recipe is produced with your approval all the way through the process.

We don’t charge for this process either – we simply ask that an order for a minimum of 24 kilos at a time is placed for any bespoke recipe.”

To cater for those who are keen to try new blends, but who have no desire to create their own, Cooper’s says that it aims to introduce a minimum of four new completion/gourmet espresso blends this year. This year, they will be launching an

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’’

per kilo, but David is convinced it will appeal to those looking to offer their customers something special.

“Our range of competition blends is a unique concept that will be exclusive to Cooper’s,” he says. “Despite their awardwinning qualities, these blends are usually never made available to the public which is a real waste. They will be perfect for those who want to offer a bespoke, top quality blend, but who don’t want to go down the route of writing their own recipe.”

Ethical additions Lavazza has launched two new editions to its sustainable coffee blend ¡Tierra!, a blend of coffee derived from selected communities in South America. All the communities involved participate in the ¡Tierra! Project which is funded and managed by Lavazza.

The Rainforest Alliance, an international non-governmental organisation active in

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Left: David Cooper (left) helped chef Anthony Flinn to create an exclusive espresso coffee for his restaurants.

the promotion of sustainability, has already given the sustainability certification to the plantations involved in ¡Tierra! Project and last year Lavazza was awarded further praise from the rainforest alliance with a Green Globe award for the project.

The first new product line from Lavazza is the ¡Tierra! Intenso 100% Arabica filter coffee, which will be sold in 64 gram sachets. Carefully selected Brazilian Arabica beans give this premium blend an intense flavour and a full body which combine perfectly with the scents and mildness of the Peruvian and Colombian constituents. Blended from beans grown in these selected plantations ¡Tierra! Intenso has a more intense flavour with chocolate notes.

Lavazza has also added a decaffeinated option to its sustainable range. ¡Tierra!

100% Arabica Espresso Decaffeinato is sold in 500g boxes comprising 80 x 6.25g sachets. A premium blend of Brazilian Arabica beans, medium roast, gives this special decaffeinated coffee a distinguished smooth full bodied flavour, say Lavazza.

In the past decaffeinated coffees have suffered from a tendency to go stale due to lower demand for the product and therefore compromising on the quality and taste of the final product. However, say Lavazza, their sachets give a perfect measure every time guaranteeing that it is 100% fresh.

“Guaranteed fresh decaffeinated coffee is long overdue and is great news for those who enjoy the taste of coffee without the caffeine,” says Barry Kither, Lavazza’s away from home sales and marketing Director, on the benefits of offering a decaf blend in individual vacuum packed sachets.

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“The reason for a better decaffeinated offering, coupled with the growth of the ¡Tierra! range comes from consumer demands for more choice within Lavazza’s sustainable blend, and growing awareness for ethical products in general. Consumers now realise that coffee with a conscience can taste as good as other blends, and means that they don’t need to compromise their principles for a great cup of coffee.”

The ¡Tierra! Project continues to ensure that the Lavazza coffee is grown and harvested to the benefit of the workers, the community and the environment of the three selected areas. Lavazza is guaranteeing long-term support to producers and communities helping them to improve the quality and consistency of their coffee and utilising new coffee processing and drying systems enabling the farmers to obtain a higher market price. As part of the Lavazza ¡Tierra! initiative new housing, medical facilities and schools have been constructed, and water treatment and improved cultivation techniques implemented.

providing the authentic Italian espresso experience

For a full range of coffee solutions and complementary products Metropolitan are the natural choice for the food service industry:

Europe’s largest vending services operator, Selecta, says that it is bringing a fresh approach to vending with the launch of its new coffee brand, miofino. With 47% of people visiting coffee shops at least once a month, say Selecta, consumers have developed a taste and desire for premium coffees, and this now extends to the workplace and vended options. The miofino coffee comes in a range of instant, roast and ground, and bean variants so that consumers can enjoy their favourite coffees, from cappuccinos and mochas to espressos and lattes. In addition, Selecta also offers an ethical choice with Fairtrade blends of miofino, as well as a decaffeinated blend.

• Espresso Bars • Restaurants • Hotels and Pubs • Colleges and Universities From supply to support; the complete service from the Metropolitan Coffee Company.

Metropolitan Coffee Company 28 - 30 Telford Way, London. W3 7XS t 020 8743 8959 f 020 8743 4929 e sales@metropolitancoffee.co.uk w www.metropolitancoffee.co.uk

we’ve always got time for coffee

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COFFEE Revamped range

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m r o F n o i t ip r c s b u S CAFÉ CULTURE is published six times a year and currently distributed at the promotional subscription price of £28 per annum (£45 outside the UK).

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CAFÉ CULTURE

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I enclose a cheque for £28 (£45 outside the UK). Cheques should be payable to Café Society and returned to: Café Culture, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow NP16 5DB or contactSuskia Bollen on 01291 636338 or email on subscriptions@cafeculturemagazine.co.uk Alternatively, if you wish to pay by credit card, please enter your details below.

The Drury Tea & Coffee Company have revamped its 250g range of speciality coffees with new packaging with clear, informative labelling. The new gloss laminate valve packs preserve the freshness of the coffee and look stunning with a dark brown to terracotta vignette.

The 250g range comprises 40 different coffees, and is now logically separated into six different categories, Coffees of the East, Coffees of the Americas, Coffees of Africa and Coffees of the World, together with Espresso coffees and Rainforest Alliance coffees, say Drury.

Each section has a menu of interesting varieties, in many cases originals, single estate or blended for a specific application, such as Monsooned Malabar, Kenya Peaberry or Caffè Siena. Every one has been selected by Drury blenders as representative of the best of its type from a particular region or for a specific use.

“The quality and care we take over these superb coffees from around the world has not changed,” says Drury director, Marco Olmi. “What is new is the upgraded laminate with an attractive new design with sensible groupings by geographical area and use. They will appeal to a wide cross-section of customers who are discerning about their coffee and we expect to see a big uptake amongst good quality delicatessen and food halls.”

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MAINTENANCE

The Coffee Clinic

Here, Glenn James of maintenance company Coffix (www.coffix.com), responds to some of your frequently asked questions and concerns about the day to day use and smooth running Coffix at Caffè Culture of coffee machines by offering some Coffix Ltd will once again be pre senting a practical advice and guidance. machine maintenance

Q

We are a small take-away café on the east coast and we presently have a Franke Flair automatic coffee machine that gets a lot of abuse during the summer, but during the winter we close so it doesn't get used. We have problems with this machine each time we start back from our break. How could we stop these faults recurring each season? The present fault is that we can't get any milk through the lines and there's no steam pressure through the steam arm.

Janet, Pakefield

A

Dont just let your customers enjoy your coffee, treat yourself and take it home during your close down and use it for your daily coffees! These machines don’t like sitting doing nothing as they tend to scale up quite badly if they're in a hard water area. The fault with your machine at present will be that the steam thermoblock has scaled up and caused a blockage resulting in no pressure getting through the machine causing your faults. An engineer will be required as they may need to change the thermoblock but hopefully they may be able to drill the scale out. De-scaling these machines is vital to a long life especially over your part of the country.

I hope this helps Janet and you enjoy a good coffee at home in the future.

Q

I'm hoping that as you’re an engineering company you may be able to help us out.

We have a high volume bean to cup machine that came with our present café.

We are trying to get it serviced but so far every engineer has advised that we have to go to the manufacturer directly. They have quoted a price of around £700, and then they will put us on a maintenance

contract which we don't want. Is this correct that some machines can only be fixed by the manufacturer?

A

OUCH! OUCH! My fingers are burning just writing this. Yes, it’s true!!!! My company has loads of ‘phone calls about these companies and their charges, but as they have a monopoly on the spares required to fix them, they seem to charge what they want. We have had discussions with a couple of companies about specific training on their

workshop in association with the SCAE at Caffè Culture 2009. I will be going through everything that you can do to extend your machines life and how to continually get the best out of your machine .

machines but to no avail. It does seem unfair that you are penalised for owning a machine that only a certain few people can repair, whereas as other manufacturers are happy to train specialist engineers to repair their makes reducing the cost to their customers but also allowing a quicker call out in case of an emergency.

The False Economy (even more false than the UK economy!)

The credit crunch has hit all businesses in different ways this year and everyone is looking for ways to cut back on their outgoings which is understandable in these uncertain times. My company has seen a dramatic difference since the start of the recession with our breakdown work jumping 26% for the first three months of 2009, but the number of annual services that we are carrying out has dropped dramatically.

The customers that we're seeing of late are thinking they'll save on servicing as they haven't had anything go wrong with their machines in recent years so they will be okay.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. The reason we service machines each year is to keep the machine at its optimal performance resulting in a reliable and trouble free machine. What we also check for at a service are the little niggly things that may not be completely gone but are on their way out and if left alone would cause a breakdown causing your business to lose the exact thing that every business is trying to make in these hard times - money.

For example a service costs £150 to carry out, and most companies, including my own, will try to arrange a time after you have closed for this to happen saving you on downtime. If you bypass the service and you have a breakdown on a market day Saturday (seems to always be the case), you are without a machine on maybe your busiest day employing staff that can't do their job, and losing customers to other businesses that will tempt them to go there in the future. And all this is happening while you are trying to find an engineer who works on a Saturday (not many).

Your lost earnings • 2 extra employees = £100ish • 250 coffees = £450.00 (£1.80p/cup) • Food losses = £230.00 (panninis sandwiches,cakes) possibly a lot more • Business reputation damaged, you stressed and angry?

• Total cost = £880.00 (but possibly even more) • All this could have been avoided with a simple service on your machine at a convenient time of around £150.00, and meaning that you would be happier and around £730.00 better off. In cafés especially your coffee machine is your lifeline, so treat it with the respect that it deserves.

If you have a coffee machine-related question that you would like answered, then why not email clare@jandmgroup.co.uk or write in with details of the name, location of your café and question to Café Culture, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, NP16 5DB and Café Culture magazine will endeavour to source an answer for you!

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PANAMA’S

coffee plantations

In the second of two articles (the first of which covered a visit to Costa Rica), Victoria Bishop, who started the Armadillo Café and Deli in 2004 in London, tells us about her recent trip to Panama as a guest of the Specialist Coffee Association of Panama.

A good start We packed for Panama in good spirits and with a certain amount of excess baggage.

For some it came in the form of coffee samples or local art, but with me it came as a text I had received in a Costa Rican rainforest: ‘have accepted offer on the business’ from my partner. I would be returning to a new life: no more cooking, the opportunity to develop our wholesale business, and finally focus on the world of coffee. I could have skipped to Panama!

Central American organisation can be a mixed bag as we discovered whilst being shuffled around San Jose airport in search of our chartered aircraft for Panama. We eventually found the plane, and when the laughter subsided, the flight was a comfy one hour snooze to David just over the border. We came down through a mix of azure skies and fluffy pockets of all important cloud cover to a green and fertile Panama.

SCAP, the Specialist Coffee Association of Panama, our hosts, were definitely well organised, and having taken on board how many mills we had seen in Costa Rica, were keen for us to get out and catch the activity in the fields at the end of harvest, see new varieties growing – and cup their local coffees.

Mountainous regions Our visit was divided between the two regions of Boquete, and Volcan on the opposite side of the mountain range. The region is dominated by Volcan Baru, a volcanic mountain (3400m plus) which over time has influenced the formation of coffee

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CAFÉ CULTURE

Stocking the boiler aste/coffee by-products to powwerithupwth e Guadiolas.

growing areas with fertile soils and very steep valleys. ‘Boquete’ means a hole, or opening, in the land, such as a valley.

The early settlers of late 1800’s and early 1900’s had little money to pour into this new land and planting the first coffee trees on this terrain would not have been easy. So they bartered their time and supported the fledgling community by working on each other’s properties. At that time it took three weeks to transport goods down to the river for export, and they soon discovered that coffee was one of the few products that would not deteriorate over that time.

In these early days the coffee was grown under the canopy of the forest rendering low yields of 3-400lbs per hectare from only 800 trees. Now they can manage to plant four times the number of trees and have increased their yields four fold as a result of crop rotation and careful pruning. Most of this is grown at over 1600m. To go over 1900m is not economical as the coffee cherry becomes too small to yield a viable commercial crop, and over 2800m there is a risk of frost damage.

Up until 1960’s it was quite normal for each farm to have its own mill. Then gradually the larger mills took over and the family ones closed. What we were to witness was a resurgence in the development of the small, independent mills in the name of quality, and where better to start than at Finca Lerida.

Coffee and wildlife On our first evening in Panama I was glad to put on a jumper and raincoat – a definite

change of climate. John Collins, the owner of Finca Lerida, told us that it can get down to 10 degrees which is the coolest the coffee trees can cope with. He is experimenting with the preparation of coffees to enhance flavours. Most of his early research had to be imported, as coffee production has until recently been viewed by the government as low priority.

Panama was, and still is to a certain extent, dominated by the service industries that span out from the huge amount of commerce generated by the Panama Canal.

With the same attention to detail that we saw in John’s coffee trials which included exotic varieties such as Geisha and San Remon, he has set up an eleven room Ecolodge for bird watching and coffee tours. There are also plans to roast coffee on site and market it all from there. With awesome scenery like this, and delicious coffee at hand, maybe twitching is not such a bad hobby to take up!

Early the next morning we set off up another part of the valley to the Don Pache Estate, Finca Francisco Serracin. When the road petered out we were decanted into four wheel drives, and when the terrain became too demanding still, we then climbed up on foot to see Geisha trees perched on the hillside.

Geisha trees Having heard so much about the Geisha coffee and the excitement it was creating, I was keen to see the trees for myself. Unlike most Arabica varietals whose branches grow out and up, the Geishas look rather chaotic with branches growing

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Hand painted café sign in Panama City.

Native Gnobe Indian lady picking at Finca Lerida. in all directions. Slipping back into my old world of wine, where the success of today’s vineyards is dependant on careful training as well as pruning, I found myself wondering how long before someone decides to tame this exotic beast – if only for the sake of the native pickers, the majority of whom are rather short by European standards!

Family estates The Petersen family have been great pioneers of the Geisha coffee trees which are not easy to grow with its shallow root system, yet preferring higher territory where wind can be an issue. Price Petersen and his family, Rachel and Daniel, patiently guided us downhill through a densely planted section of Hacienda Esmeralda where we saw not only mature and fledgling Geisha trees, but many others in their experimental plots, as they answered a continual stream of questions about coffee and the local flora and fauna from our ever curious group.

The oldest mill in Panama is on one of the four farms that comprise the Kotowa Plantation. We had already sampled an impressive espresso at the airport in one of their eight coffee shops that are dotted around the country. Ricardo Koyner showed us around his great-grandfather’s mill, a wonderful wooden structure that contrasted sharply with his state of the art modern equipment from Colombia. He too, like the Costa Ricans, is very environmentally conscious. He explained how 10 years ago their processes would

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FFEE

A ship being escorted through the Panama Canal.

have used 100 litres of water per kg of beans, but now today with balance of the eco system never far from their minds, they are down to 0.5 litres per kg with the use of ever more sophisticated machinery.

When Wilford Lamastus of Finca Elida and president of SCAP took us into his fields we actually found the Gnobe Indians picking coffee cherries. The Finca has been in his family for over a century and is situated at 1800m where the cool nights and frequently wet evenings extend the ripening period by one month, and add further flavour profiles to the coffee.

Wilford introduced us to Graziano Cruz who gave the most inspirational talk and slide show of our entire visit. He is an agronomist who is working to promote organic coffee throughout Central America.

In Panama his route is through educating the Gnobe Indians so that they can take this new found knowledge back to their own plantations and thereby increase the quality of their own crops. I sincerely hope that one day he will make time in his frenetic schedule to come and give this presentation in England.

The township of Volcan in the other most important region for coffee, is an hour’s drive around the volcano base. From there we drove for another hour through undulating and sometimes steep terrain with intermittent open expanses that looked like a cross between the vast pampus grasses of Argentina and the rolling grassy sheep stations of New Zealand. After a tasting at Eleta Estate where they also have the most wonderful museum of butterflies, I found my rusty French in use talking to Tessie Hartmann who is half Swiss and owns Santa Teresa estate.

Tessie and his daughter, Maria Luisa Bernard, drove us on narrow winding roads through the most lush rainforest up his 96

hectare farm where we were shown around their mill at the base of a very steep mountainous area covered in coffee trees.

In addition to producing some delicious coffees that we cupped at the Hotel Bambito the following morning, they also have a very good social programme for their staff and visiting workers. There are 20 families living on the estate all year and a further 50 emerge from the reservations each year for the harvest. During this time they have a school for the pickers’ children.

There is also proper accommodation and a shop, as it is a very long walk to the nearest village.

After our final visit to the Janson Family Estate at Volcan Baru Mill we wound our way back to David and flew to Panama City.

There we exchanged the wonderful lushness of the Panamanian coffee habitat for high rise apartments and vast boats as we watched the enormous ships ease their way through the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal.

Specialist With world production at some 120,000 million bags of coffee, and Panama producing just 200,000, it is still very much in the realms of specialist coffees – and a very limited amount actually makes its way to England.

Regardless of size, the lasting impression that we came away with, however, was one of possibilities and excitement. The pioneer spirit is still very much alive in Panama, and if there are already excellent coffees emerging, albeit in limited quantities, what else does the future hold for this vibrant industry? We should keep a keen eye out, and I hope to be able to return before too long.

Victoria Bishop can still be contacted at coffee@armadillocafe.co.uk.

MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 43

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Promoting the versatility of PHILADELPHIA! Many chefs know that Philadelphia makes a delicious dessert ingredient but few are aware of its full versatility. With the help of professional chef, Sophie Wright, the Philadelphia team is inspiring chefs to discover how to use this quality ingredient in many tasty new ways.

Recipes that use Philadelphia and some of the best seasonal produce will appear in on-pack leaflets from this spring. Recipes include Baby Squid stuffed with Chorizo, Philadelphia and Sweet Roast Peppers, Goats Cheese and Pine nut Tortellini, Chocolate Cupcakes and many other mouth watering recipe ideas for soups, canapés, sauces and marinades. Recipes will also be available online where a free limited edition recipe binder may also be requested. For full details go www.philadelphia.co.uk/professional.

Newproducts Credit crunch menu doubles pub turnover A Shropshire pub has doubled its turnover in six months by introducing a “Credit Crunch” menu. Bar lunch covers have grown from zero to more than fifty on some week days, attracting many new faces, notably women, through the door.

Introducing food was a new venture at the Duke of York in Oakengates, near Telford, where nearby pubs had either closed or been offered for sale in a narrow street with a number of other food outlets. The pub is one of a number of Newport Pub Company outlets to have introduced “Credit Crunch” menus developed by Midlands’s regional frozen food wholesaler, MKG Foods.

Low cost meals on offer at varying prices include Bangers & Mash, Burger & Chips, Pie & Chips, Meatballs & Mash and Chicken Baguettes (call 01922 453131 or visit www.mkgfoods.co.uk).

Teak furniture from Andy Thornton New for 2009 from Andy Thornton is the outstanding teak outdoor furniture collection. Andy Thornton is committed to supplying the highest quality outdoor furniture and this collection uses the finest and most eco-friendly teak.

There are three impressive ranges in the collection. Choose from the ultra modern Mandalay, traditional Bengal or classic Southsea designs. Mandalay has a clinical line design and is available as a stacking chair and table with two size options. The Bengal incorporates a wave design and is available as a dining chair with or without arms and solid round pedestal table. The Southsea with its gentle curves includes a stylish folding chair and premium teak bench (call 01422 376000 or visit www.andythornton.com).

Party time at Nicco Foods

Gong for Mrs Lam’s NPD

An experienced development chef has been appointed by Mrs Lam’s Delicious Food Company.

Robert Gong, a familiar figure in both retail and foodservice sectors, has been named as new product development manager. Reporting to general manager Richard Jones, Mr. Gong has been challenged to upgrade the Liverpool company’s new product development systems, review all existing products and extend the company’s portfolio with authentic far eastern and Mediterranean dishes.

Prior to joining Mrs Lam’s, Robert Gong was senior development chef at Authentic Foods, having earlier been new product development manager at Brakes (call 0151 523 0777 or visit www.deliciousfood.co.uk).

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Nicco Foods launched a 24 strong range of party products for caterers at the International Food Exhibition – all of them in upmarket, retail quality packaging.

Made by Dutch manufacturer V&S, the products have already been successfully tested in its home market.

Chicken Shaslick (12 per 400g pack) Smokey Bacon with Cream Cheese and 25g Mini Chicken Sticks in packs of 60 are expected to be the top selling UK products, along with vegetarian items like Mozzarella Olives and stuffed peppers.

All 24 products are fully cooked so they can be treated as a thaw and serve items or re-heated for hot service (call 01606 594946 or visit www.niccofoods.com).

El

Kob N&W resta selec

Com Stan

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NEW PRODUCTS SELQUIN’S NEW KALKAMETRIX SYSTEM CAFE BARRIERS

Mrs Lam’s names new purchasing manager Mrs. Lam’s Delicious Food Company has appointed a specialist purchasing manager as the Liverpool-based supplier of authentic ethnic products celebrates topping the £10 million turnover mark.

Peter Swindells has accepted the post with Mrs. Lam’s, which is now under new ownership and he will be responsible for the procurement of all ingredients, packaging and other material.

Reporting to general manager, Richard Jones, Mr. Swindells has extensive experience in buying roles, having worked for Greencore before moving on to Samworth Brothers and, later, to a Lancashire sandwich and prepared foods company (call 0151 523 0777 or visit www.deliciousfood.co.uk).

Selquin are pleased to introduce their new Kalkametrix System Café Barriers.

Made from 2mm thick stainless steel, thus ensuring durability and strength in all weathers, they are available in chrome finish posts and cross bars, or can be personalised using the firm’s extensive RAL colour choice.

Attractive and practical, the high quality banners can be supplied in a variety of materials and be branded with logos, advertising or left blank.

See Selquin’s new Kalkametrix System at the Caffé Culture exhibition! (call 01952 581856 or visit www.selquin.com).

Heavy duty griddle is the latest addition Pantheon has introduced a heavy duty, stainless steel, counter top griddle to its range of plug in catering equipment.

The GI Griddle features thermostatic temperature control for accurate, even heat penetration while fast heat up and recovery means it’s always ready for cooking. Also, because heat distribution is uniform, every part of the 555w x 500d stainless steel cooking plate can be utilised.

A high grade, stainless steel unit with a deep splash guard to three sides, its smooth cooking plate is easy to clean while the fat drainage drawer can be fully removed to simplify cleaning. It is also fitted with non-slip rubber feet - an extra safety precaution common to all Pantheon’s countertop equipment. A fully comprehensive one year guarantee applies (call 0870 990 5790 or visit www.pantheonce.co.uk).

What could be better than an Xtracs queuing system?

Xtracs, a leading supplier of café barriers in the UK and their products are increasingly becoming the brand of choice in all categories. Users recognise that Xtracs queueing systems are amongst the safest and most reliable on the market and they believe they offer the best value, too.

Products with an 8.5kg base weight are now recommended for internal use only and the base has been re-engineered with a plastic sleeve to avoid scratching or damaging floors. All retractable barriers are supplied with a patented braking system, anti-tamper tape end, a DDA compliant base weight profile and a minimum tape length of 2.5 metres. So what could be better? The answer is, of course, a new Xtracs queueing system! (call 01908 511758 or visit www.xtracs.com).

Elegant. Practical. Flexible. Compact.

Kobalto.

Kobalto is the new superautomatic coffee machine from N&W, a stylish and flexible dispenser suitable for restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, bars or café's. It has up to 16 selections of high quality drinks.

Come and have a drink or get a demonstration at Café Culture Stand D28 by Horeca Ltd. N&W GLOBAL VENDING LIMITED PO Box 25, Dudley Street, Bilston, West Midlands, WV14 0LF Tel. 01902 355000 / sales@nwglobalvending.co.uk

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INDEX

Index of members of the Café Society INDEPENDENTS

For enquiries about the Café Society telephone Steph on: 01291 636338 or E-mail steph@jandmgroup.co.uk INDEPENDENT RETAIL MEMBERS Bon Viveur Central Business Exchange, 460 Midsummer Boulevard, Buckinghamshire, MK9 2EA Contact: Dominic Willmott Tel: 01908 673 900 Fax: 01908 673 800 bloodygoodcoffee@aol.com www.bon-viveur.com Cuppa-Cino 1 Boyle Farm Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT1 0TS Contact: Andrew Roberts Tel: 07801 749 122 cuppa.cino@virgin.net D Café Dixons Shopping Centre, Reepham Road, Hellesden, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 5PA Contact: Elizabeth Raven Tel: 01603 414 951 cafedixons@hotmail.com Esquires Coffee Houses Unit 1.1, 2-6 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0AY Contact: Peter Kirton Tel: 0207 251 5166 Fax: 0207 251 5177 peter@esquirescoffee.co.uk Robertsons Limited 234 Brook Street, Broughty Ferry Dundee DD5 2AH Contact: David Craig Tel: 01382 739 277 Fax: 01382 480 477 david.craig@btconnect.com www.robertsonsbutchers.co.uk Sante Fe Coffee Company Unit 1a-1b Wolsey Place Shopping Centre Cowsey Way, Woking, Surrey GU21 6UX Contact: Gordon Henderson Tel: 01483 757 580 Fax: 01483 237 141 santafecoffeeco@tiscali.co.uk Solomon Grundy’s Unit 64-65 Tower Centre, Ballymena, N.Ireland BT43 6AF Contact: Jack Hutchinson Tel: 028 256 59602 Fax: 028 256 59606 Jack.hutchinson@btconnect.com www.solomongrundys.com

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CAFÉ CULTURE

11a Café - Liverpool An Chovi – N.Yorkshire Aroma Beverage Systems – S.Ireland BB’s Coffee & Muffins Ltd Bellini’s Limited - Ilkeston, Derbyshire Bens – Ballymena, N.Ireland Bevans Coffee Shop - Somerset Bewleys - Ireland Bizzy Lizzy’s Coffee Shop - Basingstoke Blades - Northleach Bleen - Purley Blue Onion Limited - Wiltshire Bon Viveur - Milton Keynes Boswells Coffee Co. - Oxon Brunchmasters - Essex Café 67 - Norwich Café Blue - Essex Café Cars - Cardiff Café Chino - Manchester Café Connections - Buckingham Café Java - Ireland Café Nero - London Café Roma UK – Essex Café Su - Glasgow Café Twocann - Swansea Caffe Chico - Redditch Cafde Latino - Sheffield Cisco’s - Stirling Chat Coffee House – N.Ireland Cinnamon Café - Windsor Cinnamon Square - Herts CJ’s – Snaith, East Yorkshire Coffee Mocha - Salisbury Coffee Square Ltd - Bedford Costa Coffee Ltd - Dunstable Crossover Café - Birmingham Crown Coffee - Kent Cuppa-Cino - London Deans Pizzeria & Sandwich Bar - Coventry Delimakers Oy - Finland Doneata’s Café - Staffordshire Esquires Coffee House - Galway Esquires Coffee House - Lisbun, Co Antrim Esquires Coffee House - London Ferndale Garden Centre - Dronfield Fernz (Café) - Worthing Flavour - Cardiff Fruitcakes - Northleach Greggs Plc – Newcastle-upon-Tyne Homes4u - Lancashire Java Brothers Ltd - Leeds Java The Hut - High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Josiah’s Lounge - London Koo Coffee - Derbyshire Lightbody - Hamilton Love Shack Coffee - Essex Maids of Honour - St Helier, Jersey Mambocino - Middlesex Marmalades - Norwich McLeish Brothers- Dundee

Mister Woods Café - Northshields Murray’s Catering - Altricham Nourish Café and Deli - Torquay Pickwicks Café - Somerset Plush - Liverpool Premier Coffee - Surrey Restaurant Sorrento – Ballymena, N.Ireland Riverview Restaurant - Coleraine, N.Ireland Ruth’s Café - Essex Saint Caffè - Birmingham Santa Fe Coffee Company - Woking Surrey Select Service Partner - London Slice - Essex Soho Coffee Shops Ltd - Cheltenham So Juicy - Glasgow Starvin Jacks - Swansea Strand Coffee Ltd - Derby Sugar Qube - Glasgow TFI Lunch – Brighton The Coffee Compass - West Sussex Thyme Coffee Shop – N.Yorkshire Tiffins IOW Ltd – Isle of Wight The Flying Coffee Company – Cambridge The Hive Café - Dorset The Little cup Cake Co. Ltd - Huntingdon The Streat - Belfast Toutpre’s Tout Pre’t - Brussels Urban Coffee - London Urban Coffee - Accrington Urban Espresso - Bath Urban Espresso - Bristol Venetia’s - London Vita - Exeter Whiteley’s Garden Centre Coffee Shop June Yoma - Southampton Yummy Mummy’s Coffee Shops Nottinghamshire Zucchero - Bristol

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W: www.coffix.com

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MAY 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 47

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