Cafe Culture Magazine - Issue 33

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magazine JULY/AUGUST 2009 ISSUE 33

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

TASTING THE LIFESTYLE OF THE CAFÉ SECTOR

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- from mystery shopping visits to promotional support

To find out more call Suskia

01291 636338

on or email: suskia@jandmgroup.co.uk

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INSIDE

CONTENTS NEWS 4 Recession helps bakery café chain to expand.

5 Coffee Republic closes stores and seeks a buyer.

6 Caffeine could combat Alzheimer’s.

8 Starbucks and Fairtrade partner Rwanda.

EVENT REVIEW 14 Caffè Culture 2009 28 UK Coffee Leader Summit 2009

EVENT PREVIEW

Welcome!

17 Looking forward to lunch!

Although many cafés and coffee shops are said to be perfoming better than their quick service restaurant and fast casual dining counterparts during this recession, some, if they are honest, are not yet making the most from the potential of online promotion as many of the bigger names have been doing. So in this issue we consider ‘life online’, and how it can help you attain a competitive edge.

We also take our now regular look at cakes and tea. If the variety and great taste of any of the tea samples sent in to Café Culture in recent weeks, and also sampled at the Caffè Culture exhibition (turn to page 14 for a show review), is anything to go by, then outlets really are now spoilt for choice when it comes to making their selection.

18 The Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2009

FEATURES 20 Teas that please – premium teas that mean business for cafés.

32 Tempting cakes – the sweet treats that consumers refuse to cut back on.

38 Life online – how and why the Internet can give your business the edge.

ARTICLES 30 Recession coffee – Lincoln & York’s James Sweeting’s view on the coffee trade and the recession.

44 La bottega del Caffè – the Italian coffee chain that’s looking for franchisees in the UK. 46 Gong Fu tea drinking – tea drinking Chinese-style.

48 Costa’s regional analysis – the research that reveals where you were born affects your taste.

REGULARS 29 Subscription form.

50 New products.

52 Coffee Clinic – your maintenance queries answered.

53 Product listings.

54 Checkout.

get fruity with monin

FREE recipe book for every reader!

Advertising Manager Paul Steer Tel: 01291 636333 Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: paul@jandmgroup.co.uk

Offer your customers something refreshingly fruity this summer with Le Fruit de MONIN. The delicious new range of high quality fruit purees from premium French syrup brand Monin, are perfect for fabulous fruit smoothies, milkshakes and desserts.

Available in seven different flavours – strawberry, raspberry, red berries, peach, mango, passion fruit and banana – Le Fruit de MONIN allows you to create fabulous seasonal menus and signature drinks quickly and efficiently.

They make great milkshakes and give a fruity twist to Lattes, smoothies and frappachinos - think raspberry latte or banana hot chocolate. The purees are highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way and there is no need to add sugar. What’s more, they have a long shelf life of 30 days once opened.

Production Manager James English, Tel: 01291 636339, Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: james@jandmgroup.co.uk

50% OFF A CASE OF LE FRUIT DE MONIN!

Subscriptions and Customer Service Suskia Bollen, Tel: 01291 636338 Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: suskia@jandmgroup.co.uk

To celebrate the launch of Le Fruit de MONIN we are giving away a free recipe book to every reader, plus the opportunity to purchase a case of four 1L bottles of Le Fruit de MONIN for only £20 - a 50% discount.

Clare Benfield Editor Editor Clare Benfield, Tel: 01291 636336, Fax: 01291 630402 E-mail: clare@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.

Simply fill in the form below and send it to Bennett Opie Ltd, Chalkwell Rd, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2LE with a cheque for £20.00.

Name: Address: Tel: Email: Q I enclose a cheque for £20 for a case of Le Fruit de MONIN Please specify the flavours: Q strawberry Q raspberry Q red berries Q peach Q mango Q passion fruit Q banana Q mixed You can also email your request to dling@bennetteopie.com Q Please send me details of offers and promotions from Monin

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

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 3

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NEWS

Recession helps bakery café chain to expand ath based bakery café chain, Pasty Presto, says that it is pressing ahead with exciting expansion plans as customers look for value for money eating out options.

The company, which operates from 24 locations across the South West, has secured £1.5m in finance from Clydesdale Bank to include the opening of two new stores at Gloucester Quays Factory Outlet Centre and at the Extra motorway services on the M40 near Beaconsfield.

Pasty Presto was launched in 1994 when Steve Grocutt opened his first shop in Mevagissey in Cornwall with just two members of staff.

Now the company employs more than 300 people and is recording year on year growth

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of 6.5% even in the current economic climate. In addition to the two new stores, it will open three outlets in the Channel Islands under a franchise agreement in August and is committed to further expansion on the motorway network as well as other areas.

“The current economic climate is creating tough trading conditions for many businesses but it is a very exciting time for us,” said Steve Grocutt. “Families that would have gone out for a pricey meal at a restaurant are trading down to Cornish pasties, baguettes and coffee at our outlets. We are also seeing customers coming through our doors from some of the larger chains. Our

Crem International UK is born Style Café Ltd has joined forces with its major supplier Crem International Holding AB to form Crem International UK Ltd. The advantages of the new partnership, say the companies are endless, but not least the fact that they have transformed overnight from being a manufacturer’s distributor to a worldwide manufacturing facility supplying an increased range of products at highly competitive prices, something which they feel the UK market will appreciate.

Crem International UK Ltd will be headed in the UK by Roger Heap as managing director supported by his full team of sales, service and marketing staff based at their head office in Colne, Lancashire. The range of products on offer include the full ranges of Expobar traditional espresso machines, Coffee Queen filter and instant machines and Jura and Macchiavalley commercial bean to cup machines. Style Café Ltd says that it will continue to operate the state of the art Service Centre, Helpline, Spares and Warehousing from the 30,000 square feet Colne premises.

Roger Heap (left) managing director of Crem International UK Ltd with Georg Moller, CEO of Crem International AB.

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Clydesdale Bank is helping to finance the ongoing expansion of Pasty Presto. customers like the fact that we make all of our bakery goods in our stores, fresh every day.

Clydesdale Bank has seen the potential of our growing business and we look forward to working with them further as we consider new sites.”

Gareth Collier, business partner at Clydesdale Bank said: “Despite the retail gloom on the high street Pasty Presto is growing and this funding

allows the business to launch stores at two key locations.

This deal demonstrates our continuing local commitment to help good local businesses navigate today’s challenging economic climate. We have been impressed with the Pasty Presto team’s passion for delivering excellent products and customer service and look forward to a strong, long-term business relationship.”

UK crowned ‘Best Nation’ at World Coffee Championships With the UK having won the World Barista Championship in Atlanta back in April, as well as doing well in a series of other competitions, the UK was also able to be crowned ‘Best Nation’ at the World Coffee Championships held in Cologne in June.

The UK Chapter of the SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association of Europe) hosted the Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits and Cup Tasting competitions at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on June 11 with the three winners going on to join other entrants for the inaugural World Cezve/Ibrick Championship. Cezve/Ibrik coffee originates in Turkey and Greece, and is made using a copper pot (the Cezve/Ibrik) using fine ground coffee over a medium heat. The UK’s entrant, Aysin Aydogdu from Mambochino in Twickenham, gained a coveted third place with Greek barista, Christina Koumpouni, winning the contest.

The UK achieved a highly successful second place in the Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in which Ed Buston, from Clifton Coffee, used a mix of Franjelico, Amaretto, Clear Chocolate Liquire and Tuacu to create his signature drink - a Bellisimo Martini which earned him second place. In the Latte Art

competition, the UK’s John Gordon from Ristretto completed his two designs to the photographic template (along with two pairs of lattes and macciattos) and gained an impressive sixth place. A twentieth placing was achieved in the Cup Tasting competition by the UK’s Marie Reier from The Monmouth Coffee Company.

When added to win for the UK in the World Barista Championship by Gwilym Davies, all these placings meant that UK was then able to scoop the ‘Best Nation’ title for the first time (South Korea came second with a score of 39 and Belgium achieved third place with a score of 42).

Thus, expectations will be high for the UK team when the 2010 World Coffee and Barista Championships come to London in June 2010 at the Caffè Culture Show.

To be in with a chance of entering the 2010 World Championships you will first need to enter the UK heats. Barista hopefuls wanting to represent the UK in the 2010 World Championships should email their names and contact details to helen@beyondthebean.com to be kept up to date with the UK heats (further details will also be available at www.scae.com).

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NEWS

Coffee Republic closes stores and seeks a buyer ichard Hill and David Crawshaw of KPMG Restructuring have been appointed joint administrators of coffee bar and deli chains Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd, Coffee Republic Franchising Ltd and Goodbean Ltd, and have announced that 10 of the 20 Coffee Republic (UK) Ltdowned coffee bars have now closed, resulting in 66 redundancies.

The outlets which have ceased trading are York House (Manchester), Richmond, Staines, 33 Northgate Street (Chester), Canterbury, The Mall (Ealing), Canary Wharf, George Street (London), Rathbone Place (London), and Great Marlborough Street (London). Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd’s outlet in Gloucester Road (London) closed shortly before the appointment of the administrators.

The remaining nine Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd-owned coffee bars are continuing to trade as normal, report the administrators.

The 70 outlets franchised through Coffee Republic Franchising Ltd and 97 concessions which operate within cinemas, retail outlets and hotels throughout the UK, are not in administration and are also continuing to trade as normal.

“Following our assessment of the Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd-owned outlets we have had to take the decision to close those which are no longer viable to leave the profitable parts of the business remaining.

We are now in discussions with interested parties with a view to selling the remaining business as a going concern. There has been huge interest already from potential purchasers and I remain confident of

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achieving a sale,” said Richard Hill, KPMG partner and joint administrator.

Prior to the administrators being appointed, Coffee Republic asked for its shares to be suspended (they had already lost two thirds of their value over the past year, although they rose slightly prior to the announcement). The business was believed to be valued in the region of £2.8 million after suffering a lost of over half a million pounds in the six months to September 2008.

Coffee Republic was founded in 1995 by brother and sister team, Bobby and Sahar Hashemi, who opened the first shop in South Molton Street, London. The holding company, Coffee Republic plc – which is not in administration – entered AIM in 1998 and during the past seven years the group expanded significantly, signing its first franchising agreement in 2005 and making a number of acquisitions including the Goodbean chain. However, the company’s lack of profit disappointed investors. At the end of the financial year in March 2006, out of a turnover of nearly £15 million, the firm is believed to have suffered a loss of over £1.4 million, and started to appear to be contracting rather than expanding.

It was after applying twice for a franchise to run a Coffee Republic in Plymouth, and being turned down, that retail entrepreneur, Steve Bartlett, came across other disaffected franchisees, and set about acquiring shares in the company, together with Peter Breach. The two gathered support to organise an extraordinary general meeting to try and oust the senior

management at the time, but agreed to become chairman and chief executive instead in exchange for withdrawing their takeover bid. Their appointments were then followed by period of fresh approaches, not least a renewed commitment to franchising.

According to Geoffrey Sturgess of Blake Lapthorn (the solicitors acting for the majority of franchisees while the administrators are seeking bids from potential purchasers for Coffee Republic, including the franchisee estate), franchise agreements generally allow the franchisor to sell its franchisees to anyone without the consent of those franchisees.

As a group, the franchisees say that they have indicated to the administrators that they will not co-operate with any sale to a buyer of whom they do not approve, saying that, specifically, they will not approve of a buyer that is substantially made up of the previous management of the Coffee Republic Group. According to a statement from their solicitors, they have also indicated to the administrators that they will approve no bid unless the administrators honour debts owed to them by the Coffee Republic Group.

The franchisees have asked the administrators to pass this information on to prospective bidders to allow a dialogue to take place, but the administrators have so far refused, claim Blake Lapthorn. However, despite this, a constructive dialogue is reportedly currently taking place between the franchisees and the one bidder of which they are aware.

lunch! plans biggest show yet lunch!, the UK’s only trade show dedicated to the quality foodto-go market will take place on the 1 and 2 October 2009 at London’s Old Billingsgate venue, and will see more than 100 companies promote their products to the UK’s most important buyers in the £5 billion food-to-go sector.

The show attracts visitors from the major high street retailers and supermarkets to the UK’s leading contract caterers and quality independents, seeking to source the latest products and network with the industry. It covers the complete food-to-go sector, from food ingredients to cakes, fresh produce to juices, breads to packaging, and coffee to interior design.

A huge seminar programme over the two-days will see talks from leading experts and industry high flyers, with countless tasting sessions, the lunch! Retailer of the Year Awards, and the British Smoothie Championship event all adding to the packed programme.

“lunch! has fast become the industry’s core event, giving visitors a first glace at new trends while allowing exhibitors to communicate with their target buyers, network within the industry, and educate people on their latest products. At the 2008 debut we saw visitors who hold a purchasing power of 2 billion pounds, from right across the quality food-to-go sector, with this year’s show set to be even bigger,” said John Clifton, event manager of lunch! lunch! is free to attend for trade visitors who have preregistered. For more information, or to register to attend as a visitor, visit www.lunchshow.co.uk (to enquire about exhibiting, ontact John Clifton on 01273 645 123, or email jclifton@divcom.co.uk).

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 5

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NEWS

Caffeine could combat Alzheimer’s cientists led by neuroscientist Gary Arendash in the US, now believe that the caffeine in coffee could help to combat the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

In the recently released research from the University of South Florida it was revealed that when mice - bred to develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s - were given the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day, their memory impairment was actually reversed due to the fact that caffeine is thought to help decrease the levels of a protein linked to the disease.

After behavioural tests confirmed the 55 mice in the test were exhibiting signs of memory impairment at age 18

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to 19 months (about age 70 in human years), the researchers gave half the mice caffeine in their drinking water. The other half got plain water. The Alzheimer’s mice received the equivalent of five 8oz cups of regular coffee a day (the same amount of caffeine, 500 milligrams, as contained in two cups of specialty coffees like Starbucks, or 14 cups of tea, or 20 soft drinks). At the end of the two-month study, the caffeinated mice performed much better on tests measuring their memory and thinking skills. In fact, their memories were identical to normal aged mice without dementia. The Alzheimer’s mice drinking plain water continued to do poorly on the tests. In

McDonalds plans European McCafé expansion After spending an estimated $100 million on the launch of its McCafé coffee campaign in the US, the fast food chain, McDonalds, says that it plans to have opened some 1200 McCafés across Europe by the end of 2009 (McCafé first started out in Australia back in the early 1990s).

The chain’s promotional focus on coffee is arguably the biggest change in the direction of the company since it first started out, and in many countries the summer months could well see mocha and ice coffee drinks in particular being pushed by the global giant which has already successfully achieved a major sea change in terms of its brand image and a greater focus on healthy food.

In the US, McDonalds sells speciality coffee in some 70% of its outlets and has already managed to draw Starbucks into an advertising war over price (with a cup of speciality coffee from McDonalds being considerably cheaper than one from Starbucks). While Starbucks has been cutting back on the number of its outlets and staff, McCafés started to appear in Europe. It arrived in Ireland first, followed by Germany, Italy and Russia, with many more now set to follow.

However, head of McCafé in Europe, Vicki Fuller, has so far denied reports that McDonalds is seeking to open McCafés in the UK.

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addition, the brains of the caffeinated mice showed nearly a 50% reduction in levels of beta amyloid, a substance forming the sticky clumps of plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

“The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable ‘treatment’ for established Alzheimer’s disease, and not simply a protective strategy,” said Gary Arendash. “That’s important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters

the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process.”

The team of scientists say that they became interested in the apparent link when they heard about a Portuguese study which showed that people with Alzheimer’s had consumed far less caffeine over a twenty year period than those without the disease. The scientists hope that their research and findings will help them to get funding for further investigations.

Advances announced in quest for sustainable quality coffee Thousands of farmers from Latin America to Africa are set to benefit with the launch of a new phase of collaboration between the Rainforest Alliance and Nestlé Nespresso called Ecolaboration.

One of the shared goals is to reduce the environmental impacts and increase the social benefits of coffee cultivation in enough tropical regions so that 80% of Nespresso’s coffee comes from Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM farms by the year 2013. The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour (www.rainforestalliance.org).

As part of the Ecolaboration, certified farms comply with comprehensive standards covering all aspects of sustainable farming, including soil and water conservation, protection of wildlife and forests, and ensuring that farm workers, women and children have all the proper rights and benefits, such as good wages, clean drinking water, access to schools and health

care and security.

Over the past five years, Nespresso and the Rainforest Alliance have been on a quest to demonstrate that managing farms in ways that benefit workers and wildlife can actually improve the taste of the resulting brew.

Nespresso coffee comes in capsules that, when popped into a Nespresso machine, deliver a hot frothy espresso, and an estimated 80,000 farmers will be in the sustainable quality program by the end of the 2012-2013 harvest season.

“The happy marriage of sustainability and quality proves the importance of an integrated approach, one that results in benefits for farmers, wildlife, ecosystems and communities,” says Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance.

“We want to share value with the farmers who grow these highly prized coffees. Their quality of life, environmental quality and quality in the cup are equally interlinked,” added Richard Girardot, CEO of Nestlé Nespresso.

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Old Billingsgate Market, London – venue for lunch!

Regis today, ter FREE on www.l unchshline at ow.co. uk o 01923r call 690 68 7

The only dedicated trade event for the food-to-go market Fresh products, fresh ideas, fresh customers lunch! brings the food-to-go industry under one roof, giving retailers the chance to see fresh products, generate fresh ideas, attracting fresh customers to your business.

An unmissable show for buyers, owners and managers of sandwich bars, juice bars, cafés, coffee bars and contract caterers, lunch! is a total business event showcasing a diverse range of quality products covering the entire food-to-go market.

Inspiring seminars G NEW! BSA Training Academy G Network with the food-to-go industry Exclusive show only discounts G New Products Showcase

“lunch! provides a great opportunity to spot new trends in the dynamic food-to-go market” YSEULT CAROFF-RICHEUX, MARKS & SPENCER

Register for free today at www.lunchshow.co.uk lunch! is the proud host of:

Organised by

diversified B U S I N E S S C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

In association with

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NEWS

tarbucks Coffee Company has announced the latest development in its relationship with Fairtrade following its announcement that all of its espresso will be both StarbucksTM Shared PlanetTM and Fairtrade CertifiedTM in the UK by the end of this year.

Starbucks will now also offer its first 100% Fairtrade Certified whole bean coffee from Rwanda, which will be available as a limited edition coffee across UK Starbucks stores beginning early 2010.

This latest development in Starbucks ongoing commitment to Rwandan coffee farmers and Fairtrade builds on the decadelong relationship between Starbucks and Fairtrade organizations around the world, which also has seen Starbucks become the largest buyer of Fairtrade Certified coffee in the world.

“This visit is a significant milestone in our work with the Rwandan coffee industry. We are collaborating with the Fairtrade Foundation and FLO to ensure that we are supporting the growth of Rwandan specialty coffee,” said Howard

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Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks. “We know our customers in the UK in particular have a high awareness of Fairtrade and the development of this coffee will be a welcome addition to Starbucks existing range of ethically-sourced products.”

The Fairtrade certified Rwandan coffee comes from the Dukunde Kawa co-op first visited by Starbucks coffee buyers in 2005 and Fairtrade certified since 2004. The selected coffee, which will be available in UK stores for a limited time due to the size of the production, is a fullywashed Bourbon arabica coffee coming from high-altitude farms and washing station.

The joint trip to Rwanda by Starbucks, the Fairtrade Foundation and FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International) marks the latest stage of the expanded relationship between the organizations. The shared insights and learnings between Starbucks, the Fairtrade Foundation and FLO will provide a framework that will help improve responsible farming

AVEX 09 a success AVEX 09 has been heralded a success by N&W, the world’s largest manufacturer of vending machines after they took the bold step of showing only machines that were new to the UK at the show, and receiving a enthusiastic response, say the company.

“I have come away with a very positive view and high expectations that our new products will be very popular in the marketplace,” said N&W’s managing director Dave Ward, presiding over his first major exhibition since taking up his new role. “It is certainly true to say that our new equipment was seen by our customers as a positive step forward.”

N&W also presented its Distributor of the Year Award to the company achieving the highest turnover of N&W products. This year’s winner was Hemel Hempstead based Express Vending Ltd which was established over 15 years ago, establishing a reputation for delivering a personal, efficient and cost effective service.

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Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO, Starbucks Coffee Company, Harriet Lamb, executive director, Fairtrade Foundation and Darcy Willson-Rymer managing director, Starbucks UK & Ireland with coffee farmers at a coffee washing station at Dukunde Kawa Cooperative in Rwanda. practices in Rwanda and across east Africa, including the intention to develop and maintain the quality and supply of coffee which meets StarbucksTM Shared PlanetTM guidelines and is Fairtrade certified.

“We’re delighted to be able to visit Rwanda in partnership with Starbucks and explore how our collaboration can support small farmers and their communities to improve their coffee, their livelihoods and their future,” said Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation UK. “You can’t help but be profoundly inspired by the organisation, creativity and sheer

determination of small farmers’ groups here.

“Rwanda is famous as a country of one thousand hills; we hope that in the future this beautiful country will be equally known as the place where delicious coffee has enabled a thousand farmer-owned enterprises to bloom, building a better future for local communities and the nation as a whole. As well as informing our work with Rwandan farmers, this visit will also generate invaluable insight for the development of our global partnership to deliver the very best small farmer grown, high quality Fairtrade certified coffee.”

Hive hosts UK’s Fiat 500C launch The award-winning Hive Beach Café at Burton Bradstock in West Dorset was chosen by Fiat to help drive home the important launch of a new vehicle after being selected to host the launch of the new 500C - the convertible version of the firm’s popular supermini.

On June 25 2009, more than 120 motoring and lifestyle journalists from around the UK, and a team of Fiat executives, arrived at the Hive as part of a phased test drive.

“We were delighted to be involved,” said owner Steve Attrill. “It was a great chance not only to have our wonderful scenery used as a backdrop for photo shoots but also to show off our fabulous quality West Country food.”

The menu included crab pasties, traditional afternoon tea sandwiches and Hive home-made scones with Dorset clotted cream.

“The UK is the first market in Europe to receive the Fiat 500 C, so we were looking for a location on the South Coast, which afforded views for filming and good driving opportunities,” added Peter Newton, public relations director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “As local people know, the B3157 coast route ranks as one of the most scenic roads in the country and features highlights such as the Fleet Lagoon and Jurassic cliffs. The Hive was a great find for our refreshments stop and echoes what this car is about: relaxed, reliable and fun.”

PHOTO BY RICCARDO GANGALE

Starbucks and Fairtrade partner in Rwanda

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Autobar and Café Bar merge fter significant growth over the past five years in the UK, two well known brands - Café Bar and Autobar (both part of the Autobar Group) have merged to strengthen their position via the launch of a new company called Autobar UK Ltd (www.autobar.co.uk).

The new venture will still retain the brands Autobar Vending and Café Bar, and both brands will continue to trade in their market sectors, say the frim. Autobar Vending has become well known in the UK as a vending provider, whilst Café Bar has made a name for itself in the supply hot beverage solutions.

The new structure, implemented by CEO, Steven Murray, will allow them to get closer to their customers and enable them to better understand their markets and business challenges, placing them in a stronger position to deliver more customised, creative and profitable business solutions, say the company, who also stress that the new structure will not affect any existing supply arrangements with either brand.

“Both Autobar and Café Bar have always been customer focussed organisations and we realised that in order to better focus on our customers’ needs we needed to utilise the resources and best practices within each business more effectively,” said sales and marketing director, Simon Bracken. “For example, by combining our field service engineer networks we now have the largest engineer network in the industry.”

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Café do Brasil acquires Metropolitan Coffee Company Café do Brasil S.p.A., Italian producers of authentic espresso coffee brands Caffé Kimbo and Caffé Kosé, have acquired the business assets of Metropolitan Coffee Company.

Metropolitan Coffee Company will continue to trade under the same name but will become the sole UK distributors as a subsidiary of Café do Brasil, continuing to support both UK distributors, national accounts, foodservice groups and UK independents directly.

“This strategic move will provide Café do Brasil with a firm foothold as we prepare to launch Caffé Kimbo, our best selling traditional Italian espresso on the UK foodservice market,” said Michele Rubino CEO of Café do Brasil. “This acquisition is part of an ongoing worldwide expansion project of our brands of espresso.”

The Caffé Kimbo range was showcased at this year’s Caffè Culture, prior to a full launch into the hospitality sector in June.

“Although Café do Brasil have a history which dates back 50 years, they are very much a dynamic, forward looking company with a clear focus for the future and real passion for what they do,” commented Angus McKenzie, Metropolitan Coffee Company’s managing director. “We are delighted that we have an opportunity to be part of that vision, to bring some exciting new coffee blends to the UK. With the support of such a prestigious company behind us, we are very optimistic about the future.”

STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS At the time of going to press, new research (Key Note’s Coffee & Sandwich Shops – a new Market Assessment Report) has revealed that a significant 41.8% of respondents said that they would be less likely to visit a branded coffee or sandwich shop in the future because of the recession, and that 29.8% had visited such outlets less in the last three months than previously (Café Culture hopes to report on the claims of this research in more detail in the next issue).

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NEWS

Praise for coffee chain’s latest offering Starbucks Coffee Company’s VIATM Ready Brew has been voted the Most Innovative New Product of the Year following an industry-wide survey carried out by Allegra Strategies for its UK Coffee Leader Summit held in London on 19 May 2009.

Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director, Starbucks UK and Ireland, who spoke at the event on the coffee industry’s joint responsibility to local and coffee growing communities, said that, “Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew has been more than 20 years in development, and realises our desire to produce a coffee that replicates the body and flavour of Starbucks® coffee in an instant form. It was a significant move for Starbucks and this recognition by industry peers validates our belief in this innovation.”

Unlike many instant coffees, Starbucks VIATM has been created using a unique natural roasting process. While some instant coffees use lower-quality coffee beans and add chemicals and by-products, Starbucks points out that its VIATM Ready Brew is made using an innovative (patent pending) process which transforms the same high quality arabica beans used in all Starbucks coffee into an instant coffee combined with micro-ground coffee to give it the same flavour as would be expected from a Starbucks store.

Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew is currently available in 32 Starbucks coffeehouses in West London and is made by adding hot (or cold) water to a cup, which brews the coffee in an instant. Portioned into single-serve sachets, Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew is sold in packs of three or twelve and is available in two flavours - bold, nutty Colombia and smooth, rich Italian Roast. Customers can purchase Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew in London Starbucks stores for £1.20 (three servings) and £3.95 (12 servings), meaning customers can enjoy a cup of Starbucks® coffee for 40 pence or less. Later this calendar year, or early next year, it is intended for Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew to be available in other markets around the globe, online and in grocery, say the company.

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CAFÉ CULTURE

Coffee house scheme helps to grow vegetables in Africa Customers at Esquires Coffee Houses have helped to fund a pioneering PlaypumpTM scheme which will bring clean, fresh water to hundreds of children and their families in the Pella Community of South Africa.

The unique PlaypumpTM has been installed at Masome Primary School, Pella, and uses a schoolyard roundabout to bring water to the surface as the local children play. As a result, the surrounding community now has a clean and reliable water supply on their doorstep, the children are able to spend more time in education and the school can maintain a vegetable garden which provides vital nutrition for the pupils.

The project has been funded purely through Esquires Coffee Houses customers, thanks to the chain’s ongoing commitment to the One Water charity, a partnership which sees 10 pence from every bottle of Esquires water sold contributed to the cause.

“This is a fantastic achievement for our customers and we’d like to thank each and every one of them for helping us build what

Above: Sales of One Water have funded a unique Playpump we hope will be the first of many One Water Playpumps,” said Peter Kirton, managing director of Esquires Coffee Houses UK. “In little over a year, simply through their choice of water, our customers have funded a simple yet life changing project that will effect hundreds of children. If you add to this our support of Fairtrade, Coffee Kids and numerous UK charities it’s clear to see the real difference our customer community is making and we’re extremely proud of this.”

Reneilwe Masoko, aged 12, is a pupil at the Masome Primary School in Pella, and said, “It is amazing to experience the fun of this wheel. I play on it at break time with my friends.”

The Esquires Coffee House chain which currently has 27 stores across the UK, says that it has sold 85,000 bottles of water since the partnership began, which has in turn created a lifetime supply of water for the Pella community.

Cooper’s Coffee joins forces at The Mansion in Leeds West Yorkshire coffee distributor Cooper’s Coffee has been appointed as the exclusive supplier of tea and coffee for one of Leeds’s most loved historic buildings, The Mansion in Roundhay Park.

Huddersfield-based Cooper’s will provide a selection of high quality, speciality loose teas as well as its own blend of award-winning espresso coffee, Louie Mio, in the Georgian Mansion which is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment.

The Grade II listed building, dating from the early 1800’s, has been taken over

by Leeds event and catering firm Dine who have teamed up with Leeds City Council to offer this impressive venue to corporate and private clients. Dine’s award-winning design team are currently in the process of completely refurbishing the interior of The Mansion which has stood empty since 2004 with a view to the work being completed by late summer.

When completed, The Mansion will cater for wedding receptions, civil ceremonies, corporate events and private celebrations, offering two large ballrooms for hire as well as three meeting rooms. A 55-seater café restaurant will also provide light lunches, afternoon teas and dinner in the garden room or outside on the terrace while a takeaway counter and deli will cater for those who wish to consume their drinks further afield in the park and Cooper’s managing director, David Cooper estimates that between £15,000 - £20,000 worth of tea and coffee will be consumed at The Mansion each year.

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Coffee Nation’s latest self-serve offering he UK gourmet vending company, Coffee Nation, has announced the full launch of the 2G TOUCH described as an ‘intelligent’ coffee machine.

90 2G TOUCH machines will be introduced into Welcome Break across its forecourt and retail estate, following a nine month trial which generated an additional 25% increase in sales (the company reported a 17% increase in annual sales following the launch of its COMPACT machine 12 months ago). Having introduced the original concept for gourmet vending 10 years ago, Coffee Nation says that it is continuing to accelerate the coffee on the go category and 2G TOUCH marks the next step in its innovation pipeline to attract a new generation of gourmet coffee drinkers.

The 2G TOUCH replicates the experience of being served by a

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barista in a high street coffee bar. It has a touch screen interface which takes intelligent control of quality and consistency of drink dispensing. In addition, the flexibility of the machines allows for varied commercial uses such as advertising bespoke promotional offers and introducing seasonal product changes.

Bridging the gap between the coffee bar and in keeping with changing consumer tastes, Coffee Nation has expanded its classic menu for the 2G TOUCH to include a new signature range of Vanilla Latte, Caramel Praline and Chocolate Caramel drinks, also offering consumers a selection of free flavoured syrup shots. The machine has also been designed to ensure that the machine’s maintenance is more streamlined and efficient than ever before. It has an increased drinks capacity of

160 cups between stocking, with a ‘one touch’ solution that reduces labour and the downtime of the machine in busy retail environments. The machine can retrieve its own sales updates, while sensors installed in the machine enable real-time monitoring so that faults can be automatically detected and reported to Coffee Nation’s service centre for immediate corrective action.

“When we first started the process of building the 2G TOUCH, our core objectives were to push the standards of quality and consistency and improve the consumer experience. We are also reacting to changing consumer tastes by offering an improved product range which includes our unique signature drinks, free shots and seasonal specials - more of the high street experience but in a 1m sq box!” said Scott Martin, Coffee

Coffee Nation’s very latest machine boasts a host of new features to give it an ‘intelligent’ edge.

Nation’s CEO. “When we trialled the machine in Welcome Break, we wanted to try locations where Coffee Nation already had a very strong presence and level of success so that we could ascertain if the new machine and interface would impact on passing traffic and attract more customers. The instant uplift in sales was phenomenal.”

BUSINESS

INSURANCE Great cover and prices for cafes:

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Nationwide Building Society acts as an Introducer to Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited for commercial insurance.

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AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 11

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NEWS

New markets prove convenient for Paterson Arran Buoyed by increasing sales of its shortbread in the major retailers, Livingston-based Paterson Arran has introduced its offering to the convenience and impulse sectors.

A UK manufacturer of traditional shortbread, oatcakes and biscuits, the company has agreed deals with Nisa and CJ Lang & Son that will see the independent retailers stock four of its products in convenience packs including Paterson’s Shortbread Fingers, Paterson’s Shortbread Petticoat Tails, Paterson’s Shortbread Shorties and Paterson’s Triangle Oatcakes.

The shortbread fingers are available in cases of 18, while the petticoat tails, shortie and triangle oatcakes come in cases of 12. Individual packs (excluding the shortie) are available either with or without a price mark. Paterson’s says that its shortbread is still made using time-honoured traditions, but uses a new recipe that’s palm oil free and lower in saturated fat, making it a healthier option than standard shortbread products.

“Sales of our shortbread fingers were up by 30% in the multiples last year. We feel the time is now right to build upon this by developing convenience store and impulse friendly packaging and establishing ourselves within these sectors,” said Alan Hardie, Paterson Arran’s MD. “Up until now they have remained largely untapped markets for us as we hadn’t addressed appropriate packaging formats.

“It’s an exciting time. Nisa and CJ Lang are respected independent retailers and having our products in their stores has given us a platform from which we can fully explore the opportunities the convenience and impulse markets open up.”

Tea is ‘healthier’ than water According to the latest research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking water, and has extra health benefits, claim researchers.

The common view had been that tea dehydrates, but lead author of the report and public health nutritionist, Dr Carrie Ruxton, believes that the fact that tea replaces fluids and contains anti-oxidants, gives it the edge.

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CAFÉ CULTURE

ShakeAway wins copycat case ShakeAway, a growing chain of custom milkshake bars, has won its case against copycat brand Shakeabout, after a threemonth court battle.

The final decision in the case came when Shakeabout admitted contempt of court after breaking two injunctions ruled against it, and agreed to pay costs and damages, change its trading name to S’blended, rebrand all materials and desist from spreading false rumours about ShakeAway.

ShakeAway is the brainchild of Rob Hazell and Peter Moody - a store offering milkshakes made to order from a huge menu of branded chocolate bars, cakes, biscuits and other ingredients, blended with milk and ice cream. The concept started a whole new category of high street food and drink retail with various competitors offering a similar line of products under distinct brands. ShakeAway took action against Shakeabout when their brand identity

Over the past ten years ShakeAway has grown to 16 stores, and plans a further six. infringed too closely on its own, causing widespread consumer and retailer confusion.

ShakeAway’s brand has become iconic in the 10 years since its inception, with a devout fan base around the stores and on social networking groups such as Facebook and Twitter. The chain has grown to 16 stores across the country with another six confirmed to open soon as part of expansion plans for 2009.

“Although ShakeAway’s

style of custom milkshakes was our original idea, we accept that other businesses will use the idea under a different brand but it isn’t fair when a competitor causes confusion and infringes on ShakeAway’s identity. Our fans can now rest assured they are getting the genuine article and supporting our business as we take the concept to new areas around the country,” said ShakeAway founders in a statement on their victory.

Marco’s new man Marco Beverage Systems, designers and manufacturers of filter coffee making equipment and water boilers, have announced the appointment of Daniel Versey to the post of national accounts manager in the UK. Daniel joins the company following four years at Hoshizaki UK, where he was a regional sales executive. His new role will be to develop Marco business amongst catering equipment distributors nationally.

“Despite difficult trading conditions, Marco has been very successful over the past year in expanding Daniel Versey has joined Marco Beverage Systems. its share of the coffee equipment and water boiler markets. We have achieved this principally by innovation and closely matching our products to customers’ requirements,” said Marco’s UK sales director, Chris York “Daniel’s role will be to look after our existing customer base, add on new line extensions and to introduce new clients to Marco’s range of products. His considerable experience will go a long way in helping us penetrate the market in depth. I welcome him to Marco and wish him well in his future career with the company.”

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Smoothie offer is extended The Hamilton Beach Tempest® blender plus fruit mix offer from FEM has been extended until the end of September 2009, say the company.

FEM (Foodservice Equipment Marketing) is the sole UK importer for the powerful and fast Tempest blender which is made by the

American blender manufacturer, Hamilton Beach, and is suited to high-volume businesses (it can make a 0.5 litre smoothie or cocktail in just 12 seconds).

To make it even easier to get started in the smoothie business FEM has been offering a voucher for outlets to be able to claim eight free bottles of Monin’s new fruit puree mixes with every Tempest blender purchased, and now the offer has been extended up until the end of September 2009.

The fruit puree mixes are available in seven flavours and only need the addition of ice to make a smoothie, point out the company. There is no need to add sugar and just 60 ml of puree is needed to make a smoothie so they have a high profitability rating (the voucher is worth up to £312 in retail sales value, claim FEM). For more information and details call 01355 244111 or visit www.fem.co.uk.

Salty Dog adds flavour Hot on the heels of Horseradish and Sour Cream flavoured Salty Dog-branded crisps comes the latest variant - Black Pepper & Ginger.

The Salty Dog brand (www.saltydog-grrr.com) started in 2002 and includes hand-cooked vegetable crisps and top-notch nuts, and its latest flavour of crisps should appeal to the UK’s thriving independent’ food sector, including cafés, feel the company. The crisps come in both 50g and 150g pack sizes.

Cherizena’s new ‘snip and pour’ range The speciality coffee producer Cherizena has introduced new options for caterers, pubs, restaurants and other food service operators.

The Leicestershire-based family firm is now offering ‘snip and pour’ packs for filter machines, along with catering packs in a range of different sizes. Its single origin premium coffees and blends offer a wide variety of flavours, aromas and strengths, while its popular flavoured coffees are produced by hand in small batches, using high-grade Colombian beans and the finest of flavours, say the company (the entire flavoured range is available as regular or decaffeinated coffee).

Favourite flavours include Almond Amaretto, Irish Whiskey Cream and After Dinner Mint Chocolate coffees, and one-off blends are produced for special occasions such as Father’s Day or Christmas.

Cherizena says that it also sources rare speciality coffees for the true connoisseur, along with Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade coffees.

“Interest in coffee has grown tremendously in recent times, and consumers are much more discerning than

they have ever been before,” said Kate Jones, who runs Cherizena with her husband, Tom. “We find that many of our food service customers like to offer a range of different flavours to their customers, and then add a guest coffee to the menu every few weeks. It seems to create interest. Our new ‘snip and pour’ packs make it easy for food service operators to serve quality coffees to their customers.”

The new ‘snip and pour’ 60g packs are available in boxes of 50, including filter papers, at a special introductory offer of £35. They can also be supplied as own label products, if desired (www.cherizena.co.uk or call 01664 820111).

Mul-be encourage consumers to nominate stockists Using the web site’s contact page (www.mul-be.com), The Progressive Food Company, suppliers of mul-be - a mulberry juice drink - to delis, farm shops, sandwich shops, coffee shops and other fine food retailers throughout the UK is encouraging consumers to nominate their favourite outlets which they feel should stock the drink. mul-be is packed in 350ml PET bottles and comes in 12 bottles to a tray. Each bottle of mul-be is gently pasteurised to give it an extended shelf life, point out The Progressive Food Company, so there is no need for refrigeration (a tray of mul-be costs £20, including VAT & delivery). If the nominated outlets subsequently start selling mul-be, then the company say that they will make sure the recommending consumer gets their first bottle for free.

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 13

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SHOW REVIEW

The

busiest yet?

Although some exhibitors felt that the number of visitors to their stands was down this year, despite the current tough economic climate, the organisers of Caffè Culture report that it had hosted its busiest event yet. The exhibition took place at Olympia in London on 20 and 21 May 2009 and saw 4,632 visitors and over 200 international exhibitors in attendance (2008 saw 4433 recorded visitors and over 220 international exhibitors).

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Promising signs In fact, exhibitors at the 2009 event were so keen to ensure they had secured their places for 2010 that before the show closed, over 70% of the space for the larger 2010 event had been sold, claim the show organisers, who plan a bigger as well as a longer, three-day event for next year.

“We are overjoyed with how the 2009 event went and extremely pleased to have witnessed a 4% increase in visitor numbers year on year. We have had fantastic feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike, all suggesting that this year’s event delivered an excellent networking and business opportunity for the whole café and coffee bar community in the UK,” said the show’s event director, Elliot Gard.

This year’s extensive programme of seminars and workshops had been specifically designed to provide an invaluable resource for owners and managers of cafés and coffee bars needing additional business support during the recession.

Sessions dealt 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, creating customer loyalty and building a robust brand and creating an attractive and welcoming environment on a budget. Speakers included Geoff Burch (from BBC 2’s All Over the Shop), entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den panellist, Deborah Meaden and Coffee Boys, Hugh Gilmartin and Johnnie Richardson.

Launch platform As usual, this year’s Caffè Culture offered thousands of products and services specifically designed to meet the needs of the UK’s coffee bar industry, with a host of

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SHOW REVIEW

companies utilising Caffè Culture as the platform from which to launch new products, including La Spaziale (the new Special range), Lavazza, Style Café, Montezuma’s, Anfim (new ‘on demand’ coffee grinders), Detpak (Rebbit, a new range of environmentally-friendly packaging), Monin (the latest Le Fruit de Monin), Prichitts (a new version of their cappuccino milk), Fudges, Tea2Go (premium teas for to go customers) and Honeybuns (a new cookie range).

The Caffè Society/Brasilia stand launched of two of four new espresso machines for 2009, the Brasilia Cadetta and Majore. Also launched was the new Brasilia RR55 on demand grinder which is now available with most Brasilia coffee machine packages as a free upgrade. “We see this as an industry first,” said MD, Steve Mooring. “On demand coffee grinders are becoming more and more popular and are seen as a great way to provide consistency and ease of use. By offering an on demand grinder, this will not only aid sales but will also benefit the user,

Above: A new melting chocolate stirrer in a range of flavours was showcased by Sweet Temptations.

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

enabling them to produce better quality and more consistent coffee.”

A new exhibitor at the show - Marshfield Bakery (www.marshfieldbakery.co.uk) received great interest in its new mixed mini display box which contains 50 handmade individually wrapped and labelled mini snack bars in a neat counter top display unit, making it deal for the grab and go, impulse market. There are 12 varieties for customers to choose from, ranging from the classic Caramel Shortbread and Traditional Flapjack through to Honeycomb Tiffin and Strawberry Shortbread, there are sure to be flavours to suit all tastes. “We are trying to get the retailers to offer a 30p each or a ‘4 for a £1’ offering to tempt the multi-buy.

From the feedback we have received, this seems to be working well,” said Marshfield Bakery’s sales director, Ben White.

Staff on the Stir Crazy! stand, who supply the latest hot chocolate drink launch from Sweet Temptations (0845 658 0202), struggled to cope with the number of visitors wanting to find out more about this luxury chocolate drink with a new twist. The product - a 50g chunk of high quality solid chocolate specially formulated to smoothly melt into hot milk comes with a spoon already embedded into it, ready to stir into the milk, producing a delicious, luxurious drink as it melts.

“We chose this exhibition to launch the Stir Crazy! spoon as it is a premium product with a strong café culture image,” said MD, Colin Levene. “Visitors were able to taste samples from a selection of the 40 very different chocolate flavours, including strawberry and pink pepper. We ran out of enquiry forms and had to stop handing out samples early on just so that we still had something left to exhibit, promising to send them later in the mail!. Post show orders have been very encouraging.”

Although not yet available to the market, show visitors were able to see Marco Beverage Systems’ Über Café - a precision, temperature-controlled hot water source, which has been developed

by Marco with initial specification drafted with Square Mile Coffee Roasters’ duo James Hoffmann and Anette Moldvaer, the 2007 World Barista Champion and World Cup-Tasters Champion respectively.

Although still a work in progress, visitors to the Über Café were able to witness Hoffmann and Moldvaer join Marco in demonstrating how the Über Boiler works and to taste perfectly brewed coffee. The Marco Über Café also featured speciality teas, provided by and brewed by gourmet tea aficionados John Kennedy and Eiry Bartlett of Teasmith. Marco also welcomed feedback from visitors on the

ultimate specification of the machine when it eventually comes to market.

Dairy company, Pritchitts, relaunched its Millac Cappuccino Milk in a lower, 1% fat version, even inviting a novice barista to their stand to demonstrate just how easy the milk is to use for those new to the world of coffee.

Cake company, The Handmade Cake Company, continued along its ‘to go’ development with the launch of its new Cake Squares. Byron Bay’s limited edition summer edition Strawberries and Clotted Cream Cookies were also available for sampling at the show.

Enquiry rates up Merrychef (www.merrychef.com) demonstrated the capabilities of the popular 402S and 403 ovens, cooking up a variety of hot café fayre including sandwiches, pizza and pastry snacks throughout the duration of the show.

“The number of quality enquiries we received throughout the show was unprecedented,” said Simon Merrick, Merrychef’s business development director, UK & Ireland. “Having visited Caffè Culture last year I knew the exhibition attracted influential potential customers in this niche market and having live cooking on the stand allowed us to bring accelerated cooking technology to life.”

Microwave accelerated cooking technology allows coffee shops and cafes to generate sales by offering a hot menu solution, producing fresh, quality hot snacks to order within seconds and Merrychef’s latest innovation is a ventless accelerated cooking technology®, the 402S, which combines three heat technologies in a compact unit to deliver quality hot food at speeds up to 15 times faster than a conventional oven.

Above: Fast cooking was demonstrated by Merrychef.

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SHOW REVIEW For those looking to discover ways of enhancing their existing beverage service, the Huhtamaki stand saw the packaging manufacturer showcase its impressive range of foodservice disposables, including quality cups to suit the gourmet hot drinks operators serve. The increasing popularity of speciality coffees, herbal teas and indulgent hot chocolates will be even more appealing when served in stylish disposables, feel the company, whose were also promoting BioWare - a comprehensive range of environmentally-friendly products which compost to soil within 60 days, under correct conditions.

Maxine Beadsmore (runner up in this year’s UK Barista competition) and Emma Chapman (a previous UK Coffee in Good Spirits champion) dazzled visitors with their skill, knowledge and artistry as special guests of SanRemo throughout the show.

“Hosting top baristas Maxine Beadsmore and Emma Chapman on the stand definitely generated an extra buzz for SanRemo this year,” said managing director, Andrew Tucker of espresso machine company, SanRemo, who felt that although the quality of visitors was up this year, numbers were down. “I was very encouraged by the quality of the visitors, despite the fact that numbers were down on last year. It is possible that the economic climate means that people who are taking time out from the day to day running of their business are genuine about looking for new ways to improve

SanRemo’s Verona espresso machine. their coffee offering.

“However, there was a definite eagerness for operators to find something that would create a point of difference for their business. We received a good number of enquiries from potential new distributors interested to find out more about the profit potential of our Verona and Roma espresso machines. Plus, we received three significant enquiries from coffee shop chains that we are in the process of following up so all in all, a great show.”

2010 Next year, Caffè Culture will host next year’s World Barista Championships at the show, as well as the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe’s Wonderful World of Coffee, making it the largest event for the café and coffee bar market taking place in Europe in 2010.

The plans, unveiled just ahead of this year’s Caffè Culture will see the 2010 event hosted between the 23 and 25 June, extended by a day, and relocated to the Grand Hall, Olympia to allow the time and space for it to encompass a significantly larger international exhibition and conference. The event will expand to include the full competition programme for both the World Barista Championships and the SCAE World Championships for Cup Tasting, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, and the new Cezve/Ibrik contest, a full SCAE workshop schedule, a world-class conference and a comprehensive programme of social and networking events.

Right: Rombouts were present, promoting their training expertise.

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This will be the first time the World Barista Championships and the SCAE Wonderful World of Coffee will be hosted in the UK, and it is anticipated that it could attract in excess of 10,000 international visitors to Caffè Culture over the three days.

“We are delighted to be working with the SCAE to host the 2010 events,” said Elliot Gard, Caffè Culture’s event director.

“Since its launch, Caffè Culture has quickly established itself as the UK’s leading industry event, proving to be an invaluable resource for the UK’s café and coffee bar market. It therefore provides the natural home for the UK premiere of the WBC and SCAE Wonderful World of Coffee. We are also extremely pleased to offer our exhibitors the superb opportunity to reach an even wider audience, providing an excellent platform to target both a UK and international audience of buyers within a single event. It will offer the entire community a tremendous boost at a time when many businesses have been hit hard by the economic downturn.”

“We have been working closely with Caffè Culture over the last couple of years providing a resource within the event for anyone who shares our vision to increase knowledge of coffee, sharpen skills and add value at every part of the process from grower to consumer. We are now thrilled to be working together to bring such a major event to the UK,” added Steve Penk, vice president of the SCAE and chairman of the World Barista Championships. “The exhibition, competitions, workshops, conference and social events will all contribute to ensure that the 2010 Caffè Culture is by far the biggest and best yet, shining an international spotlight on the UK’s highly successful industry.”

To find out how you can be part of Caffè Culture 2010 (23 - 25 June, Olympia, London) contact Elliot Gard on +44 (0) 20 7288 6191, email elliotg@upperstreetevents.co.uk or visit www.caffeculture.com.

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lunch! PREVIEW

Looking forward to lunch!

N

ow firmly established as the only trade show for serious buyers in the quality food-to-go industry, lunch!

2009 (Old Billingsgate, London, Thursday and Friday, 1-2 October 2009, www.lunchshow.co.uk) promises to be the most direct route to some of the UK’s top retailers.

Retailer of the Year Awards The event will allow buyers to view the newest concepts and products through to hearing top trading tips as well as the chance to win the highly coveted Retailer of the Year Awards. With the industry turning out in force, the message is simple - if you supply the food-to-go industry, you can’t afford to miss it, say the show’s organisers. lunch! Retailer of the Year Awards will form a major feature of the exhibition.

Recognising all that is great about the UK’s lunchtime food-to-go retailers, the awards ceremony will crown winners in three categories - Multiple, Contract Caterer and Independent, with last year’s worthy winners being Marks & Spencer, Olive Catering and Amano Café respectively (to register a top retailer in your area, email jclifton@divcom.co.uk for full entry details).

Taste Experience does lunch!

Furthering their support the to lunch! the British Sandwich Association have recently confirmed that their successful experience Taste Experience event, aimed solely at ingredients manufacturers and suppliers, will now be incorporated within lunch!

“We are very pleased to be combining The Taste Experience event with lunch! as we believe that it is the right move for the industry. I was extremely impressed by the first lunch! event which captured the flavour and excitement of the food-to-go market in a way that few other exhibitions have managed to do,” said Jim Winship, director of the BSA. “The atmosphere was tremendous and provided a positive environment for people to meet, do business and network. The Taste Experience has long provided an opportunity for NPD people to meet up each year, and will be greatly enhanced by becoming part of lunch! which will in turn add considerable value for visitors and exhibitors alike.”

For more details on exhibiting, call 01273 645123, or visit www.lunchshow.co.uk.

Meet the buyers lunch! 2008 saw an array of buyers from all across the UK attending the show, including representatives froms Amano Café, Boots, O’Briens, Co-Op, Elior, BB’s Coffee & Muffins, Zumo Juice Bars, KLM Airways, First Great Western, Greggs, Caffé Nero, Waitrose, le Pain Quotidien, Food Partners, Philpotts, Fortnum & Mason, Benugo, Harvey Nichols, SSP, M&S, Olive Catering, Pret A Manger, Scandinavian Airlines, Puccino’s, Ikea, Compass Group, Harrods, Baxter Storey, Costa, Upper Crust, Thorntons, Rail Gormet, The Bagel Group PLC, Easyjet, AMT Coffee, Crussh Juice Bars, Centre Parcs, Aramark, Starbucks, BMI Baby, Restaurant Associates, Greencore Sandwiches, Coffee Republic, Sainsbury’s, as well as many retailers from all across the UK.

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SHOW PREVIEW

Fresh Eric’s Cake Co. will be at the show

It’s been 10 years since the Speciality & Fine Food Fair first graced the industry with its presence.

Back in 1999, no one would ever have predicted the explosion in popularity of British regional, local and artisan food that would take place over the subsequent years. Yet, poised to celebrate its tenth birthday in the same year as the culmination of the worst economic crisis in decades, the show is attracting more interest than ever before.

A major draw A record number of brand new exhibitors are confirmed to attend - more than one third of companies have already signed-up - offering a unique and unrivalled opportunity for café owners to source a vast selection of high quality, competitively priced produce that can add that all-important creative inspiration to their menus.

Taking place from the 6 to 8 September 2009 at Olympia, London, the fair is the only UK event solely dedicated to targeting food and drink buyers from the speciality and fine food industry. In 2008, the show attracted a record breaking 7,851 visitors including top chefs, restaurateurs, and café owners as well as other food service operators.

This year, visitors will have the opportunity to sample the wares of over 500 producers from around the UK and across Europe.

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Representatives from all of the UK’s main National and Regional Food Groups will be present alongside smaller individual producers and international regional groups from the likes of Spain, France and Italy. New for 2009 is the addition of Japan to the international programme. A dazzling array of products from all of these areas will be on show for visitors to see, touch, taste, smell and compare including speciality meats, fine wines, deliciously different cheeses and luxury condiments plus a whole host of delectable treats to satisfy the sweet tooth.

With such a unique combination of companies using traditional production methods and the highest quality ingredients placed alongside those supplying premium new products, visiting food lovers are guaranteed ideas and inspiration for their menus and an insight into what gives

Speciality & Fine Food Fair that certain - and unique - je ne sais quoi.

The artisan experience Devonshire Tea stand 1054 is just one company that will be making its debut at the show this year. Devonshire Teas are famous the world over, and at Speciality & Fine Food Fair the company will be showcasing its range of blended, iced, fair-trade and single estate tea.

Renowned for fine taste and quality, together with an historic Royal Windsor connection, Darvilles of Windsor’s stand 332 range of traditional blends, fruit & herb infusions and organic green teas, offer a broad yet exclusive appeal. The company’s blended tea, herbal infusions and single estate tea will all be on show at the event.

Premium coffee company, Union Hand

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Roasted stand 908 , will be highlighting its range of quality ethically sourced Arabica coffees. Each coffee is hand-roasted in small batches by the experienced roast master, to develop unrivalled sweetness and depth, as well as bold, rich flavours. Among the coffees to be highlighted will be Bright Note Espresso, a smooth and well-rounded coffee, Columbia, a coffee from the Timana Co-op, Huila, sweet, smooth and very elegant with a subtle red wine finish and Foundation Espresso. Gutsy, strong and intense, this is a no holds barred blend of 100% Arabica.

Exhibiting for the first time will be awardwinning artisan food producer Ouse Valley Foods stand 1132 . The company manufactures jams, jellies, marmalades, chutneys and pickles as well as an extensive range of fresh goods, all made from locally sourced, natural ingredients. Recently voted Local Producer of the Year and winner of the Field to Table Award from the CPRE Sussex, the company will be specifically highlighting its sweet and warm Red Chilli Jelly and crystal-clear Rowan Berry Jelly with suspended fruit.

The Amazing Food Company stand 855 will be introducing its range of table sauces at this year’s event. The all-natural range of ketchups, and dressings are brand new to the UK and include Moroccan, Mild Curry and Orange Chilli varieties.

Also taking to the floor for the first time this year will Blueconcept Ltd stand 147 .

The company was established a year ago when the founders discovered the delicious delights of Wild Blueberries 100% - a pressed juice drink made with blueberries and nothing else. Since then, the company has been importing this and will be showcasing the

Turn passion into profit Alongside the chocolate fair, the winners of the Great Taste Awards will be unveiled in a world exclusive. The prestigious awards are about acknowledging the very best in fine food and drink, with many of the winning products subsequently going on to appear on menus up and down the country. But not only that, the awards also celebrate the speciality food producers who are keeping British food traditions alive.

This year, the show’s visitor attractions are highly targeted towards delivering real business benefits.

The ever-popular Fine Food Forum, sponsored by Sud de France, will be making a return to the stage at this year’s event, with more high profile gourmet chefs involved than ever before. A colourful and dynamic cooking demonstration theatre, the Fine Food Forum is the perfect way to keep pace with the latest flavour trends, learn how to make local, regional and seasonal menus profitable and menu

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product on its stand at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2009.

Chegworth Valley Juices stand 1138 are pressed in small batches and made using only the best hand-selected fruit grown on the company’s family farm in Kent - ensuring superior quality from blossom to bottle. At the event this year, the company will be highlighting its Apple & Rhubarb, Cox & Bramley Apple, Beetroot & Apple and Organic Pear juices.

One of the UK’s leading importers of fine Spanish food, drink and kitchenware for foodservice outlets, Delicioso UK Ltd stand 666 will be at this year’s show. The company will be placing emphasis on its new salsas from the Canary Islands, Seafood from Galicia and Tortas de Aceite from Seville.

BMC Global stand 1175 is a dedicated gourmet food and drink company for the foodservice industry. The company’s product range includes Belgian chocolates, wine, champagne, spirits, herbs, oils, pasta and foie gras.

Producers of premium quality chilled or frozen cakes, tarts and puddings, Fresh Eric’s Cake Co. stand 1063 will be highlighting and offering samples of its cold desserts, flapjacks, fruit pies / tarts, hot puddings, pies / tarts (non-fruit), frozen speciality produce, whilst Minghella Isle of Wight Ltd stand 600 will be showcasing its stunning selection of ice creams and sorbets, including many of the company’s Great Taste Award-winning creations. The Gin & Pink Grapefruit sorbet in particular will be on show at Speciality & Fine Food Fair this year.

One bakery company exhibiting this year is Pullins Bakery Ltd stand 856 , an innovative, award-winning craft bakery based

design advice. The feature will also be more business-focussed than ever before, offering practical advice and ideas that can be implemented to increase margins and profits as well as providing informative and tangible insights into key industry drivers and proven methods to increase footfall.

The Small Business Forum will provide practical advice to help small and medium sized businesses run more efficiently and profitably. Competition has never been fiercer which explains why this element of the show is growing in popularity year after year. Most notably the focus has evolved to feature ‘small business heroes’ who have ‘been there, done that’ and succeeded.

For the first time the Small Business Forum will include the opportunity to speak directly to these ‘small business heroes’ at a drop in business advice clinic. One-onone advice sessions will be offered by seasoned industry experts, giving helpful and most importantly confidential - advice on how companies can improve different areas of their business strategy from

in Somerset. The company creates the finest hand crafted cake bars, flapjacks and snacks as well as speciality breads and a range of handmade sandwiches. The company’s handcrafted mini cake bars, ideal for coffee shops and cafés, will be on show at this year’s event.

Speciality and fine meats play a key role in the event. Charcuterie Direct stand 1153 has been established for more than 100 years and prides itself on offering a range of gourmet hand-made charcuterie lines to food outlets and restaurants across the UK. Whole loins, pre-sliced platters and whole salamis make up the company’s unique quality offering.

Sweet-talking The growth in the main show is also reflected in one of its most popular attractions, the Speciality Chocolate Fair, the only event dedicated to artisan chocolate in the UK. This year, the section is also welcoming brand new exhibitors of its own, highlighting the continued desire for high quality, fine chocolates.

In 2008, industry-leading names from Claridge’s, Fortnum and Mason and Paul Wayne Gregory Ltd took heed, specifically looking for chocolate products that would make a tangible difference to their business. So, whether you’re a food hall buyer, deli owner, wholesaler or chef, there will be lots of sweet inspiration for your business. And with the visible awareness of health, fair-trade and ethical issues in the industry, there is no better time to be a part of The Speciality Chocolate Fair.

marketing and web strategy to finance and supplier relationships and logistics.

In addition, the Small Business Forum will again host popular case study led seminars designed to offer advice and practical tips on how to run a more profitable and efficient business.

Speciality & Fine Food Fair is set to attract over 500 speciality food and drink suppliers, all bringing a host of the highest quality, creative and unique products to London. With more than one third of exhibitors on board for the first time this year, visitors can be safe in the knowledge that they will leave the 2009 show with a fresh, and revitalised outlook on the UK’s fine food world.

For full event details, Fine Food Forum and Small Business Forum programmes and to register for a FREE visitor badge, visit www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk (for further information about exhibiting at SFFF 09, contact Soraya Gadelrab on 0207 886 3057).

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Teas that

please

In both the foodservice (catering) and retail environment, tea tastes better, is better packaged and better promoted than it has ever been. If the number of teas currently being launched is anything to go by, then tea appears to be the biggest rival to what up until now has been predominantly a coffee-centred cafĂŠ culture.

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TEA In vogue “With the coffee market reaching saturation point and a general move towards a healthier lifestyle, tea is definitely in vogue. Key to this new move towards tea is the rise of the afternoon tea experience. Whilst coffee is all about convenience and on-thego, tea is about taking time out to relax and socialise,” says Andrea Stopher, senior customer marketing manager at Twinings.

“With a wide range of teas now available, including green, white, infusions, and an array of speciality blends, a tea renaissance is imminent. The old fashioned image of tea is now a thing of the past, as a new audience of younger drinkers are experimenting with more premium teas, indeed London’s ‘in crowd’ have more recently favoured afternoon tea over cocktails, making tea the drink of the moment.”

“Now is the time for the evolution of tea drinking to take place,” adds Ric VaughanDavies of Attic Teas. “There’s so much positive press about the health benefits of tea, it’s a perfect opportunity to develop our experience and relationship with the nation’s favourite drink. Fresh coffee has managed to upstage instant and now it’s time to free the tea from the tea bag and for people to explore a new world of tea - loose leaf in its pure form, as nature intended.”

Quality counts Backed by a greater demand for speciality and herbal varieties, the UK retail market for tea and herbal tea managed to post modest growth in 2008 (1% in volume and value) despite a more lack lustre performance by standard tea (which still accounts for the bulk of sales, according to the Just-drinks report of February 2009).

As part of the Autobar group, Café Bar, who claim to have one of the largest selections of tea supplies and water boilers available in the

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UK, backed by customer service and maintenance systems, serve some five million drinks every working day, and prides itself on tailoring hot beverage solutions to suit individual business’s needs by supplying superior equipment and working closely with market leading brand partners.

The company says that it discovered from a recent study (the ipsos Europe insight study) that whilst tea is drunk in the home almost as often as coffee (tea being drunk on 21% of drinking occasions and coffee on 22%), out of home (OOH) tea drinking has been a different story. Here, tea has an 11% share of all drinking occasions with coffee having a 32% share. Other research the company consulted (Omnibus Interviews, Base 1000 Consumers) revealed that a third of tea drinkers will not drink tea out of home, with 71% saying that tea served away from home is worse than they can make at home. It’s not all bad news, though, as the same survey also found that 54% of regular tea drinkers did say that they would pay as much for tea as coffee, assuming it was a ‘quality’ cup of tea.

“Tea has recently been seen as a low cost item, however Café Bar believe that it can have strong premium values which can drive consumer trade up,” says Café Bar’s Simon Bracken. “The operator who thinks tea is a cost and that the cheapest available should be bought is losing an opportunity to make money. Tea is four times more profitable than coffee and at the moment it is aligned to a number of global trends including the health benefits it offers and ethical values.”

When helping customers with their tea solutions Café Bar illustrate the benefits of getting the tea solution right with the following from a Euromonitor April 08 report

Challenging the perception that OOH, takeaway tea can be of poor quality is the premium teatogo range which offers an impressive collection of high quality teas contained within nylon bags.

which suggests that a basic, black tea will typically cost the operator between 1p and 5p, selling for between 45p to 99p, and giving a respectable profit per cup of between 44p and 95p.

The same report also found that although tagged tea bags and premium teas may cost the operator between 15p and 20p per cup, they can sell for between £2.00 and £3.00, giving the operator a profit of between £1.85 and £2.80 per cup.

Café Bar says that its three steps for outlets to make tea work harder for their business are 1) get the right range, 2) communicate the benefits and 3) serve it well. Thus, Café Bar offer a large range of hot water boilers suitable for self service or operator-controlled units to enable tea and other beverages to be served to staff and customers. Depending on their size, Café Bar has boilers which can serve between 156 and 311 cups per hour. They also have a range of energy efficient Ecoboilers which are made from 95% recycled materials and have teamed up with Brita to offer water filtration, and tea brands PG Tips and Liptons when it comes to the tea itself.

TeaToGo (www.tea2go.com) are also bringing a high quality tea experience to the world of

takeaway tea, as well as tea consumed in a café or coffee shop. The company’s high quality, tea-filled nylon bags are attached to cards which can be hung over the side of a mug or cup (‘mugbags’), but they also supply them in a format which fits into the lid of a takeaway cup (called the teatogo system), allowing the consumer to have complete control over the brewing time.

The patented teatogo system allows cafés and coffee shops to serve fresh infusions from a comprehensive selection including Black Tea Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Indian-inspired Chai and Raspberry Fruit Infusion, but there are many more which can be displayed for customer selfselection. For takeaway orders, the cup bag is pushed into the patented lid with the customer simply pulling the bag into the lid after the required steeping time. The lid fits most 300ml and 12oz take-out coffee cups and facilitates easy handling and no spilling, and there’s also no waste to worry about.

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TEA The art of tea As part of their promotion, both the big, and less well known names in tea are promoting the nature of making and serving tea which, in turn, helps to educate and create interest from consumers.

Attic tea (www.attictea.co.uk), for example, is dedicated to infusing the western world with the ancient and fascinating culture of Chinese tea drinking.

Ric Vaughan-Davies and Anne Sheekey founded the business two years ago and specialise in the retail and wholesale of loose leaf Chinese teas. In that time they have opened a concept tea shop in Bristol to showcase and sell their products, developed an exclusive Attic range, and established an online and wholesale business.

“Tea is fashionable again!

People are ready for something different. After years generations in fact - of contenting ourselves with one or two varieties of tea we are, as a nation, beginning to open ourselves up to the rich variety and diversity of tea,” enthuses Anne Skeekey.

Attic’s ‘one leaf, many lives’ pure China tea package for cafés and restaurants includes exotic oolong, pure white, anti oxidizing green, special aged pu-erh, flowering and black tea. The company’s signature product is the flowering tea ball which blooms as it brews and looks spectacular in Attic’s tea filter. The filter is an eye-

catching and functional product especially designed to make loose leaf tea drinking easy and fuss free in a café or restaurant setting. Attic say that they can also supply other tea wares (such as traditional Chinese tea service) to enhance the presentation of the product.

Attic’s range has been designed with commercial distribution in mind. As well as

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in the range is enough for approx 870 cups, which when sold at RRP £2.10 per cup rings in at the till at £1827.00, say the company.

Back in May, Twinings launched a four week TV and press campaign worth more than £3 million and entitled ‘Discover the Art of Tea’.

Designed to open up the world of tea and encourage consumers to discover the

decisions are made at point of sale (source POPAI), observe the company, which makes branded merchandise hugely important to communicate the brand and range of teas you serve. Twinings has created a host of point of sale including menus, tent cards, posters, tea stands and compartment boxes to not only promote afternoon tea, but help give it a premium feel. Operators can tap into Twinings’ 300 years of expertise as much or as little as they feel their business requires it. For those looking for hints and tips on how to serve the perfect cup of speciality tea, infusion or green tea, training guides can be downloaded from the Twinings Foodservice web site (www.twiningsfs.co.uk). This not only gives trainings tips on how to serve, but also advises on crockery recommendation for each category and understanding which blend will suit your consumers needs.

Offering a wide range of teas is essential to ensure all tastes are catered for, from aromatic speciality teas such as Earl Grey, to caffeine free herbal and fruit Infusions and Redbush, suggest Twinings.

You can tailor your menu to your customer base, offering the traditional favourites of Earl Grey, Traditional English and Peppermint but never forget that customers like to try new and exciting things when Out of Home, so make sure

Tea is fashionable again! People are ready for something different the loose tea, it comes complete with an attractive display unit, menu cards with fascinating descriptions of the tea range and storage jars, plus the option to purchase tea wares. Turnover on tea can really boost a business’s profits. An outlay of £192 for a half kilo of each of the six teas

t 4FSWJDF t &RVJQNFOU t 1SPEVDUT t "EWJDF FOR OVER 25 YEARS Wicks House, Ford Lane, Arundel, W.SX BN18 0DF

t: 01243 555775 f: 01243 555997 e: sales@edgcumbes.co.uk w: www.edgcumbes.co.uk

22 AUGUST 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

’’

varied range of speciality teas available, the market leader in speciality teas (with a 67.2% share according to AC Nielsen Value MAT to 04.04.09) wanted to further drive the Twinings brand and consumer demand in a category worth more than £47.9 million. The TV campaign used live animation artist Ilana Yahav to bring to life the experience and mood associated with different Twinings Speciality Teas.

The current tea promotion to the trade from Twinings also centres around creating a ‘tea experience’, recognising that customers are looking for a premium tea experience when out of home, and for it to be successful good marketing is also needed in addition to great tea and a quality service, feel the company.

75% of purchasing

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On The Go Get your tea sales moving!

Each case of Tetley On The Go contains 300 drawstring tea bags, 300 branded double-wall cups and 300 non-spill ‘sip lids’, so it’s never been easier to serve the perfect takeaway cup of the Nation’s Favourite brew.

Tetley is a member of the

To find out more go to: www.ethicalteapartnership.org

Brand

Tetley. Every caterer’s cup of tea.

Range

Visit www.teaexperts.co.uk/caterer or call the Caterers’ Helpline on 0845 606 6328

Promotions

Point-of-Sale

Ethics

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TEA you offer more niche teas such as pure and flavoured green and white teas, say Twinings.

“The quality of service is crucial, as tea is such a personal drink and is easily ruined by staff leaving tea to brew for too long or too little, equally by adding too much milk,” says Andrea Stopher.

“Without exception it is essential to serve tea so that the customer has full control over the brewing process and can add milk and sugar to taste. Everyone has their own idea of the perfect cup, so giving the customer control over the making of tea is paramount.

“It is also the finishing touches that make tea such an experience, such as the stylish crockery, the milk jugs, the slices of lemon and the food accompaniments. Consumers in general are becoming more discerning and are looking for different kinds of teas, expanding their repertoire as they become more adventurous in their tastes. By offering a menu pairing different teas with food caterers can create an experience on a par with food and wine pairing, encouraging customers to trade up to a meal or snack with their tea and appreciate the tea with food that will complement it.”

New launches The Dr Stuart range (www.drstuarts.com) of envelope and ready to drink herbal teas are now available to the UK out of home market for the first time. Each Dr

Stuart’s blend has been created by the medical herbalist Dr Malcolm Stuart, a world renowned authority on the health benefits of herbs, who has been studying the role of plants in health for 25 years.

The ready to drink functional teas - which come in glass bottles and are best served chilled - have been designed to deliver hydration on the go, so are ideal for a café’s ‘to go’ customers seeking something different and refreshing.

There are currently three flavours in the ready to drink range - Detox, Echinacea & Cherry and Skin Purify - but whether you are serving these or their envelope teas, Dr Stuart’s point out that it is a good idea for outlets to pick a range that suits their customer profile. Once selected, promote and highlight the options on a menu or drinks list. It is also important to educate staff about the different blends, and what the herbs inside do.

Holding a tea tasting session is also a good tactic.

After a successful launch in mainland Europe, PureTea’s white and black teas launched in the UK at Caffè Culture.

PureTea comes in a unique style of packaging, including small boxes, and features 100% organic whole leaf teas blended and presented in biodegradable organza pyramid-shaped bags. Wooden presentation boxes, taste cards and unique cups complete the experience (www.pureteacompany.com).

UCD have announced the long awaited launch of TE Teahouse Exclusives. TE, which stands for Teahouse Exclusives, features speciality teas including Darjeeling, with its finely mellow taste to the various dry-spicy Ceylon harvests, to extraordinary compositions of camomile, fruit, herb and blossoms with mild fruity aromas. The assortment was carefully compiled by experienced tea tasters, say the company.

The teas come in specially developed transparent tea bags which are manufactured from a composite fleece fabric which is extracted from corn flour. Being bio-degradable right up to the hand-woven cords which are made from pure cotton - the tea bags are especially environmentallyfriendly. The powerfullydiffusing bag lets the loose tea have room to unfold, enabling it to impart a strong flavour in glasses and pots of up to 400ml.

In the different Teahouse Exclusive tea varieties, flowers are often added to the roughcut tea, glowing in a riot of colour and offering an unusual feast for the eyes. One magical TE arrangement, for example, is the Passion variety, which fascinates with a touch of soft green tea, flavoursome fruits and fragrant lilac and pinkcoloured blossoms.

The Teahouse Exclusives selection is divided into three taste categories - Selection (unblended), Blend and Herbal (herb and fruit teas). Selection offers pure tea varieties such as the fine Darjeeling First Flush, which comes from a small tea garden on the southern slope of the Himalayas, or the fine Green Tea, whose delicate leaves are carefully picked in China’s Zhejiang district. For the Blend teas, tea tasters have composed unique blends of the best teas from

across the world, such as the exceptionally light White Peach, made from white tea with a touch of peach, or the perfect Passion arrangement, consisting of green tea, petals and a dash of fruit. Pleasant herbs and flavour-rich fruits form the basis of the Herbal Teas, which take you by surprise with their unusual blends, such as the fruitysweet Herbs & Honey or the velvety-sweet Peppermint.

As well as the exquisite tea specialities, attention-grabbing displays, stylish marketing and decorating material, and a comprehensive range of accessories all form part of TE world, which adds character to any ambience with its distinctive design (www.theancillariesstore.co.uk).

Peros has introduced a new, additional range of teas from the London Tea Company (LT Co). Building on the success enjoyed with the LT Co branded range of Fairtrade and organic gourmet teas since its launch in 2007, the new range introduces more mainstream flavours, including Earl Grey (Organic and Fairtrade), Green Tea, Mango and Ginger (Organic and Fairtrade), English Breakfast (Organic and Fairtrade), Lemongrass, Ginger and Citrus Fruits (Fairtrade), Camomile and Lavender (Organic), White Tea, Elderflower and Apricot (Organic) and Peppermint, Spearmint and Strawberry (Organic).

First Choice Coffee has launched a new range of Faitrade teas, following on from its launch earlier this year of the triple-certified Grand

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Individually wrapped & bursting with stunning flavours & aromas.

Simply opening the wrapper is a delight. Exquisitely designed -biodegradable bags full of beautiful & colourful leaves large enough to unfurl as they infuse. Each containing 3.5 grams of tea.

Luxury TE pouches can infuse upto a 400ml glass or pot.

For a smaller 200ml glass choose the Gourmet TE in smaller 2 gram bags. A finer leaf traditional bag.

TE - Teahouse Exclusives are guaranteed to be adored.

UK Distributor; UCD Ltd. Tel 01233840296 Email sales@ucd.uk.com or visit www.theancillariesstore.co.uk

Introduce to the uk their brand new range of ready to drink infused Green & Oolong teas Noyu teas are brewed using only natural ingredients & contain no preservatives or additives Noyu comes in 5 delicious flavours, all infused with natural fruits & enriched with vital vitamins ■ Honey & Lemon Chamomile Green Tea ■ Pomelo Chamomile Green Tea ■ Peach Oolong Tea Calling ■ Lychee Oolong Tea h all sandwic ops, ■ Honey, Ginger & Mandarin , coffee sh Best served chilled for maximum refreshment Packed: 24 x 500ml bottles/case (78 x cases/pallet)

bars ailers delis, & ret e us a v gi why not & ay od t l cal say i wanna Noyu

contact: Adam Barnes A&P Trading UK Ltd tel: 07989 744332 fax: 01562 743882 website www.noyuteas.co.uk

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TEA Café coffee which has organic, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade accreditation.

“The new teas come in a broad range of flavours, from the traditional to the more exotic such as White Ginger Pear and Vanilla Orchid and the clean modern packaging means that the range will sit comfortably alongside other products and brands. The teas are part of our ongoing commitment to provide operators with top quality products that have excellent ethical credentials,” says Elaine Higginson, First Choice Coffee’s MD. “Beverages have always been in the vanguard of ethical trading and catering operators can turn a good deed into a competitive advantage by evidencing their CSR credentials through the tea they serve. Consumers have come to expect a good quality, ethical cuppa as standard.”

The new range of real leaf teas is made using premium herbs, fruits and spices, and is free from artificial flavours and sweeteners, say First Choice.

Each tea blend is tasted before being packaged to guarantee quality in every cup. The packaging of the teas is also 100 % recyclable.

Green is good Europe has been waking up to a fact known for a very long time in the Far East - that

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green tea is good for you.

Recognition of this fact, say Fair Beverages, led them to introduce Good Green Tea to the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage market. The range currently has two appealing flavours - original green tea, and green tea with honey and lemon - very different flavours, but both offering the same health benefits.

Health professionals now believe that green tea may provide considerably greater health benefits than black tea.

It seems that green tea contains higher levels of EGCG, a powerful anti-oxidant that stabilises free radicals, helping to prevent damage to blood vessels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and other health problems. It is also thought EGCG helps in reducing cancer cell growth and slows the progression of cancers, in particular colon cancer and prostate cancer.

Therefore, Good Green Tea has been formulated with just the right amounts of vitamin C and citric acid to protect the EGCG in the drinks and ensure that consumers derive maximum health benefits, say Fair Beverages.

Fair Beverages has also been set up as a social enterprise. A privately-held company, it will donate a significant percentage of the net profits to British charities and non-governmental organisations tackling the significant problem of human trafficking in developing countries, particularly Cambodia.

Tea brand giant, Tetley, have calculated that the green tea market is currently worth 17m and growing, so are recommending that outlets offer customers their most popular variety of green tea Green Tea with Lemon. Tetley says that its expert blenders have used their experience gained in producing one of the nation’s favourite everyday teas to developing a green blend that appeals to a wide range of consumers (Tetley’s Green Tea with Lemon is currently the UK’s best selling

flavoured green tea).

Tetley Green Tea with Lemon comes in packs of 6 x 25 containing individually foilsealed envelope tea bags, each featuring the brand’s unique, no drip, no spill drawstring mechanic. Green Tea with Lemon can also be bought and trialled on menus as part of a speciality starter pack along with Tetley Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Assam and Green Tea Pure (call 0845 606 6328 for more information).

Tetley have also launched a new electronic guide for caterers, designed to be a comprehensive resource for all tea-serving operators, covering everything from choosing the ideal tea products to suit their individual business needs, to how to serve the perfect cup of tea for customers (www.tetleycateringguide.co.uk).

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The Lahloo Story Inspired by her own travels, as well as her great-great grandfather who was a sailor on the Lahloo (one of the most famous ‘clippers’ that sailed into London with cargos of tea from China in the nineteenth century), Kate Gover founded Bristol-based tea company, Lahloo (www.lahlootea.co.uk), last year.

Kate says that she discovered that the very best tea is not readily available on the open market so set about looking for tea importers in this country who shared their passion and enthusiasm (the caveat was that they had to import seasonally and direct from independent tea gardens that supported traditional growing and processing methods).

Lahloo use two trusted tea importers who supply their tea.

Alex Fraser and Tim d’Offray, are two importers with over 30 years of living, breathing and drinking tea between them. Alex has more than 20 years experience of studying and teaching tea culture and ceramics internationally, and Kate got to know him while sourcing tea for use at home. Tim d’Offray is one of the most widely travelled tea experts in the world today. Over the last ten years, he has regularly visited India, Sri Lanka, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan to work with some of the world’s finest small tea producers.

The concept for Lahloo has been born out of the knowledge gathered over a decade of research, travelling, sampling, smelling and tasting. It is being retailed by The Lido, the Arch House Deli and Taste, a food emporium and café, all in Bristol, as well as Liberty of London. The journey of discovery will continue, feels Kate. Her ultimate ambition is to open Lahloo tea boutique & café offering the Lahloo experience, the very best artisan loose leaf teas from around the world, served with the ceremony deserving of the world’s finest teas.

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

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COFFEE LEADER SUMMIT

UK Coffee Leader Summit 2009 he day before the start of Caffè Culture, Allegra Strategies hosted the UK Coffee Leader Summit at the Waldarf Hilton Hotel in London, a gathering of some of the most high profile and influential thought leaders from across the UK coffee shop sector. A range of topics were explored by speakers in passionate and highly informative presentations.

Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director of Starbucks Coffee Company UK and IE, provided a fascinating look at the Starbucks ethos. He discussed the importance of community, and shared details of the various projects the company are currently focussed on. He also emphasised the importance of the customer experience and the relationship between customer and operator on a local level.

T

Pret A Manger’s head of coffee, Rebecca Hemsley, emphasised that employing and nurturing the right people is the key factor in a successful business, sharing the ‘Pret Recipe’ with the audience and explaining how to create the ‘Freddie’ (Mercury) factor in delivering customer service with flair and skill, and ensuring the perfect store atmosphere.

Gary McGann, sales & marketing director of Beyond the Bean, provided thoughtprovoking insight into the importance of getting the basics right, and the fact that while consumer value expectations are rising, lowering prices may not always be the answer.

Allefra’s MD, Jeffrey Young, presented the findings of his company’s 126 senior management interviews showing that the market is still growing, coffee quality

expectations are rising, and that brand authenticity will be the key to success as the market expands.

Marco Arrigo, Sales Director, Illy/Euro Food Brands, entertained delegates with his firm views against the use of oversized cups and increasingly large coffee beverages in favour of more traditional Italian coffee delivery. He also suggested the creation of a signature UK coffee drink, that could become synonymous with London and the UK in the same way that espresso is in Italy.

World Barista Champion 2007, and founder of Square Mile Coffee, James Hoffman, produced a £5.00 cup of filter coffee that launched a bidding war between coffee expert Louie Salvoni and Darcy Willson-Rymer. His presentation highlighted the potential of creating better quality coffee for

an appreciative and increasingly knowledgeable customer.

John Young, general manager of foodservice at Huhtamaki, provided an informative and interesting education on the evolution of the paper cup industry and its importance in complementing ‘the perfect cup of coffee’. He also explored the benefits that branded products bring to coffee operators and their clients.

Matthew Clark, co-owner of Sacred Café, wowed the audience with his unique concept and passionate views,

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CAFÉ CULTURE

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COFFEE LEADER SUMMIT

cementing the Sacred reputation as a leading innovator in the ‘coffee experience’ and growing UK café culture.

Chris Green of planning agency DPP presented the complexities of planning, but also highlighted that planning regime trends increasingly favour coffee shops. His presentation sparked a lively debate regarding the future of coffee shops on the high street.

Master of ceremonies Barry Kither (sales & marketing director at Lavazza UK) facilitated the day’s many debates and discussions.

Panellists included Paul May (managing director of Patisserie Holdings) and Louie Salvoni (managing director of Espresso Service), in addition to Allegra’s speakers. Louie introduced the idea that Allegra become the pioneers of a new project to lobby local governments on behalf of the coffee industry, a notion that was very well received by the audience.

European Coffee Symposium 2009 Allegra says that it is now finalising its plans for its European Coffee Symposium 2009, at the Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna, on 8 and 9 October. Following the success of the 2008 Symposium in London, the programme for 2009 has been greatly enhanced with the addition of the first ever PanEuropean Meet the Buyer event.

The Meet the Buyer Programme, to be held on the first day of the symposium, promises to be a powerful and cost-effective business development tool that allows key industry suppliers to preselect and set up a minimum of ten quality one-to-one meetings with top European Buyers in just one day. Heads of purchasing from the top 100 European Coffee shop chains, leading foodservice operators, contract caterers, motorway services, hotel groups and airlines will be present, and eager to acquire new and innovative products and services.

The second day of the symposium will be a day of lively debate, presentations and panel discussions led by speakers including John Derkach (managing director of Costa Coffee), Reinhold Schärf (head of Schärf Group, The Coffee Shop Company), Gerry Ford (CEO of Caffé Nero) and Instaurator, Author of The Espresso Quest and Former Executive Director of the World Barista Championship Ltd.

Café Culture magazine has teamed up with The Mug Store to offer all its readers discounted rates on their screen-printed mugs. If you would like to find out more about this offer, please call The Mug Store on 0845 4818090 quoting "Café Culture magazine reader offer."

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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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OPINION

Recession coffee With the recession still dominating the media, here, James Sweeting, a director at coffee roasters, Lincoln & York (www.lincoln-and-york.com), gives his opinion on the impact the recession has had on the coffee industry to date, looking at positive trends as well as the pressures that have been placed on the sector.

BACKGROUND Lincoln & York provides high quality roasted and packaged coffee products and services to its clients in the UK and Europe. Specialists in the private label industry, it creates coffee products for a wide variety of clients ranging from many high street names to the coffee shop and retail sectors.

With coffee roasting at the heart of their business, Lincoln & York have become a one-stop shop sourcing the finest raw ingredients from around the world and provide services ranging from expert consultation through to packaging the finished product. As well as coffee distributors and retailers, the company also works with other roasters to enable them to provide an enhanced service to their customers, including short runs and contingency requirements.

Lincoln & York’s directors, Simon Herring and James Sweeting (pictured), can claim 40 years combined experience in the coffee industry. Their company has played a pivotal role in servicing the growth of the UK coffee market, providing them with unique and invaluable insight into contemporary tastes and trends in the UK and across Europe.

The company says that it monitors the social, environmental and economic impact that coffee growing has on local communities closely, to ensure that wherever possible producers receive a fair price, working conditions are acceptable and business sustainable.

30 AUGUST 2009

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The economic landscape Several months ago things looked very bleak for the economy in general. Most pundits were signalling that the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors would suffer badly, and would be areas to avoid as a stock market investor.

Everyone was to batten down the hatches, start saving, and prepare their companies for harder times. Many of these fears have been realised: high street retailers have been hit hard, spending has dropped, the fall in sterling has pushed up the cost of imported goods, and legions of retailers have gone cap in hand to landlords in the hope of having their rent bills reduced. Big name retailers have gone to the wall and credit insurance has rocketed...as if you could get it!

So what has all this meant for the UK coffee industry and, in particular, the out of home (OOH) sector?

Well so far things have not been as bad as they could have been.

It seems that coffee consumption is holding up. For sure certain areas are struggling. Coffee shops in the City of London are obviously not doing so well because bankers and lawyers have lost their jobs. However, in more touristy areas, shops are doing well with a 5% increase in sales as visitors are coming in droves. The fall in sterling versus other currencies (and in particular the euro) has given large numbers of French, Italians and other Europeans a very good reason to visit Britain. The good news here is that they are heavy coffee drinkers and have boosted the demand for espressos in our bars and cafés.

Allegra Strategies believe that the coffee shop market is growing at about 7% per year and will do so until 2012. From our experience at Lincoln & York so far this year, these findings are born out, in spite of the wider economic problems. As suppliers of private label or bespoke products to over 150 clients in the food service, speciality retail and distributor sectors, we have seen sales to 15 out of our top 20 clients grow year on year. Tonnage is also up in 2009 (so far).

Recession pressures So, is the recession having any negative effects? Well actually yes. Whilst the coffee consumers have not altered their behaviour too much, the people who distribute the products from the manufacturers to the high street cafés, bars and hotels are under pressure.

A number of them are naturally concerned about their own customers’ ability to pay the bills. Cash flow, which is the lifeblood of all businesses, is somewhat restricted as banks cut lending and credit insurance is difficult to get. Many of our customers are under pressure to reduce

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OPINION prices and are having to do so in order to keep business.

Some clients are asking for cheaper products or ‘recession-beating blends’.

Others are quietly dropping Fairtrade and moving to more economical coffees.

However, they are in a minority and we can report that our own Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance coffees are up 20% year-on-year by value.

One feature that has helped us weather the recession and continue to grow steadily is flexibility. We started as a small company and so we are still able to roast small quantities if required. Flexibility within a business during a time of recession is vital.

Another trend which has been kicked into the long grass a bit by the economic gloom has been recyclable or compostable packaging. However ‘green’ concerns have not gone away and we think they will continue to be a big issue for the coffee industry. At Lincoln & York, we are developing coffee packaging that keeps coffee in perfect condition whilst in use, yet once finished can be disposed of and the material will fully decompose in less than a year.

We have always had an interest in reducing our environmental footprint and this new packaging allows us to offer our

clients a ‘green’ option. Just prior to the recession we were finding that we were getting more and more queries from customers about reducing packaging.

Obviously there are still issues to be worked out, such as metallization and printing on the material but we are hopeful that we will have this option by the end of 2009.

There is a great deal of pressure on us to reduce coffee prices, yet at the same time we have suffered a 25% fall in sterling against the euro and the U.S. dollar since January 2009. What do we buy in dollars?

Coffee. What do we buy in euros?

Packaging. So it should not have come as a surprise when prices went up by 8-10% in April this year. It was very stressful and all I can say is that buyers in general (me included) have had nearly 10 years of sterling on the rise and it has made our job easy. Business has boomed and prices have been stable/falling. The next 10 years won’t feel the same.

Current coffee trends Despite the pressure on costs I can tell you that Lincoln & York clients who are successfully beating the recession are the ones who are innovative with their coffee products and in particular with the coffee

blends themselves.

There is now a real drive amongst many independent coffee shops, bars and some distributors to increase the blend qualities. This is partly due to the influence of the World Barista Championship, the Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE). It is also in part due to a number of Australians and New Zealanders working in the UK who have brought a high quality coffee culture with them.

The trend is for independent cafés to have bespoke high quality arabica blends as their house espresso and filter coffees.

So to the uninitiated, we are talking about espresso blends with Ethiopia Sidamo and Yirgacheffe instead of Djimmah 5, Brazil Bourbon instead of regular unwashed Brazil, and Costa Rica Tarrazu and Guatemala estate coffee instead of regular hard bean blends.

The aromas and tastes of these blends are fantastic. What’s more, they cannot be replicated by normal coffees. This is because the beans are high quality and have several different nuances and aromas and if the barista does his job properly then the experience is unbeatable. Guess what? They can charge more for it too!

that something extra As a Café Society member you can benefit from preferential rates on Barclaycard payment terminals – including contactless technology – and save £150 on the joining fee.

Whether you choose our award-winning contactless technology or one of our other payment terminals, the whole range is designed to: •Speed up transactions •Generate extra income for your business •Make life easier for you.

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To take advantage of this deal simply call 0800 046 6808.

payment acceptance Barclaycard is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered in England. Registered No. 1026167.

Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.

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cakes

Tempting

cakes

We are in the midst of a deep recession. Consumers are cutting back on their spending in many areas, but they are refusing to compromise on their sweet treats. Sales of chocolate, for example, are reputedly up, as people seek ways to self-reward in a way that won’t break the bank. As we discover here, with an attainable price point and a guaranteed sugar rush, the cakes cafés can now promote alongside their teas and coffees are ever more appealing to consumers.

Treats A cookie here, a slice of cake there, Kate’s Cakes (www.katescakes.com) report that their recent research shows that the market for small treats is currently on the rise with customers keen to indulge their sweet tooth, but only with high quality, premium products.

“Our aim at Kate’s is to produce an ever-evolving range of wonderfully indulgent cakes in a variety of sizes, shapes and formats for every occasion,” says head of product development and trained pastry chef, Mark Sheath. “We’re passionate about our cakes, from our whole cakes to our muffins,

Part of The Handmade Cake Company’s latest Cake Squares range - Ginger & Lemon Cake Square.

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impulse slices to cookies, not to mention our famous brownies or the free-from range. We all deserve a treat now and then. With our range, we like to think we provide a little taste of luxury for everyone to enjoy.”

With only the finest raw ingredients and free range eggs going into a Kate’s Cakes product and absolutely no GMO ingredients, artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, Kate’s Cakes aims to taste just like your own homemade offering would do, or better.

Baking takes place from scratch in small batches, with trials and testing taking place throughout the process.

The cakes are then finished lovingly by hand.

“We find that we sell a mixed range of cake products into coffee shops. The whole round cakes - from Carrot & Orange to Banana, Pecan & Toffee Cake - are excellent to put on the counter as an eatin option, and lend a homemade feel and flavour,” says Sean Beckett, national sales manager at Southover Food Company, a nominated distributor of Kate’s Cakes.

“They represent great

value to the owner as they are sold per slice. However we also sell in a range of impulse slices, cookies and muffins for those looking to pick up a treat on their way out. With sandwich bars, we find that loaf slices and individual cake slices are extremely popular in this ever growing grab and go market as are, again, the impulse slices and brownies for a mid morning or after-

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CAKES man. The Holder Group is renowned for its focus on continual innovation in its three fields of activity: bread making, pastries and catering.

Château Blanc is the brand name for the extensive range of products produced at the company’s state-of-the-art production facilities in Marcq en Baroeuil, near Lille, which is also the heart and headquarters of the Holder Group.

Above and Left: Already popular across Europe, these cake-style macaroons could soon become part of UK café culture. noon treat.”

Southover Foods have only just been appointed as the UK distributor for Château Blanc, (a French artisan baker specialising in breads, breakfast offerings, pastries and cakes) and are promoting the distinctive and very colourful macaroons that are brand new to the UK market, but already very popular across mainland Europe. In fact, the macaroons are so popularthere that Château introduced the world’s first dedicated macaroon production line into their factory in December last year.

Not to be confused with English macaroons, these French delicacies are a true taste sensation, consisting of small, round cakes of crisp

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

almond sandwiched together with soft ganache or smooth butter cream. They come in an array of flavours including: chocolate (with a chocolate ganache), lemon (lemon butter cream), raspberry (raspberry conserve), coffee (coffee ganache), vanilla (vanilla butter cream) and pistachio (pistachio butter cream). The macaroons are available frozen in three sizes - 12g, 20g or 45g pre-pack or bulk and are a quintessential treat to accompany a mid afternoon tea or coffee (www.southoverfoods.com).

The macaroon makers, Château Blanc (www.chateaublanc.fr), is part of the Holder Group founded by Francis Holder who is also the chair-

Handmade happiness Last autumn saw Berkshire’s independent baker of handmade cakes broaden its horizons via the much anticipated introduction of their Cakes-toGo range featuring six individually packaged slices.

Already admired both at home and abroad for their tempting whole cakes and traybakes (the company exports its quintessential English eating experience to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, France, Ireland and Spain), Maidenhead’s sole cake maker decided it was the time to try their hands at a Cakesto-Go range in response to the many requests from existing customers who had been itching to expand their existing handmade cake repertoire. And now, the availability of a top-notch single slice portfolio has enabled The Handmade Cake Company’s fine food credentials to reach out to an entirely new group of premium cake enthusiasts.

For all their one-stop cake shop ambitions, however, point out the company, phrases such as “handmade”, “small batches”, “real kitchen cupboard ingredients” and “no artificial anything” still apply. Thus, The Handmade Cake Company makes no apologies for any natural imperfections in its many offerings. The six colourfully wrapped 80g slices consist of Boston Brownie, All Butter Flapjack, Caramel Shortcake, Cranberry & Sultana Flapjack, Chocolate Fruit & Nut Slice and a Maple & Pecan Slice, and the suggested RSPs (retail selling prices) for the

slices are between £1.40 and £1.50 (each box contains 18 units).

This year, has seen The Handmade Cake Company launch a new, four-strong range of contemporary looking Cake Squares (sponges baked in trays and decorated by hand) that was launched at Caffé Culture in May, including Passion Cake Square, Chocolate Cake Square, Ginger & Lemon Cake Square and Rustic Apple Cake Square. This is third new cake launch in twelve months, and the company says that it is keen to stay in tune with ever changing consumer needs by continuing to demonstrate the depth and versatility of their finest quality cakes There is also no doubt that with their last two launches focusing specifically on graband-go and extra on-counter impact, the underlying theme behind Cake Squares is a better value-for-money cake configuration that offers more flexible presentation possibilities for these tougher economic times. Less preparation time is required - there’s no slicing in half (the icing is confined to the top), and the fact that you can cut slightly smaller squares than you can slices seems to make the cake portions look more substantial somehow, so you get a more portions.

Indeed, the company report that the feedback they have had so far has revolved around a sense of a single piece looking really substantial, easier to eat (traditional slices are prone to collapse and aren’t easy to walk about with) and look better for longer. Often, when you’re down to the last few traditional slices everything can look a little sad/saggy, whereas tray bake style cake slices hold their shape better and can be stacked in way that still makes the overall offering look more substantial, feel The Handmade Cake Company (call 01628 770908 or e-mail simon@handmadecake.co.uk for more information).

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 33

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CAKES

Centre stage at the recent Fiat 500C car UK launch party held at Dorset’s Hive Beach Café were some stylish-looking cup cakes made by Scoff in Burton Bradstock.

More mixes More well known for their supermarket pizzas, Dr. Oetker is growing its UK foodservice business with a range of bakery mixes that the company say will provide a healthier alternative. Their Healthier Option range is a collection of ‘add water’ bakery, bread and dessert mixes specifically designed to help busy caterers deliver great tasting meals with consistent results.

Favourites in the selection include Chocolate Fudge Brownie, which is both high in fibre and delivers a rich source of calcium, and with the added benefit of 20% less sugar in comparison to similar

products. The Healthier Option range Sponge Mix, Ginger Sponge Mix, Chocolate Sponge Mix, Choc Fudge Brownie, Cookie Mix (Chocolate and Plain), Chocolate & Banana and Carrot Cake Mix. “There is increasing pressure on caterers to offer healthier menu alternatives throughout a range of sectors, particularly education.

Our aim was to create a range of simple mixes which enables them to consistently provide delicious choices with fantastic taste qualities, while maximising the nutritional content as much as possible.

The Healthier Option range provides all of these elements,” says Cheryll Snowden, foodservice Controller at Dr. Oetker UK Foodservice.

Established in 1891, the family owned company has the philosophy ‘quality is the best recipe’ and has been successfully run by four generations of the Oetker family. The company began with the development of the first baking powder and is now extending its expertise into the UK foodservice market having acquired the UK’s number one baking brand, Supercook (for more information visit www.oetkerfoodservice.co.uk/healthier or call 0870 870 6950).

BakeMark UK recently introduced a new Extra Moist Toffee Cake Mix to its suc-

cessful Craigmillar cake mix portfolio, and which joins the Plain and Chocolate Extra Moist Cake Mix varieties. They are ideal for making many variants of cakes but in particular cup cakes, say the company - one area of the cake market which has seen massive growth over the last twelve months, with continual growth year on year. Sales in the last 12 months have increased by 13.6% to £33.5m, adding a total value of £10m to the cup cake market in the last two years (the first National Cup cake Week also took place between the 2 and 8 March this year).

To make them, simply deposit 25g or 40g of Extra Moist Toffee Cake batter into

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Ingredients 500g Dr Oetker Healthier Option Brownie Mix 75g dried cherries 125ml water Method 1. Place the required quantity of mix into a machine bowl fitted with a beater attachment.

BakeMark UK’s Latest mixes

34 AUGUST 2009

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cup cake cases and bake.

When cool, decorate with Caramel or Chocolate Crembel by melting the icing to 4050(C and flood the top of the cakes. For a kitsch finish, beat air into the icing and pipe onto the cup cake, suggest BakeMark. Alternatively, the Extra Moist Toffee Cake Mix is also suitable for creating delicious loaf cakes such as the Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake.

“The combination of the success of the Plain and Chocolate Cake Mixes and the significant growth of the cup and loaf cake markets means our focus within new product development is on offering a greater variety of choice within the sector,” says Lisa Boswell, marketing manager

2. Gradually blend in the correct amount of water on slow speed over 1 minute.

Scrape down.

3. Mix for 2 minutes on slow speed. Add the dried cherries and mix for a further minute on slow speed.

4. Transfer to a greased, lined tin and bake at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for 20 minutes. Do not overbake.

5. Leave to cool in tin and portion when cold.

32_37_CafeCultureJuly09:Layout 1

at BakeMark UK. “The premium taste of our extra moist cake mixes ensures that bakers can offer their customers the quality they demand from luxury treats.”

Alternatively, tap into the growing cup cake market and offer customers delicious treats such as the Toffee & Choc Cup Cake. To make these, simply deposit 25g or 40g of Extra Moist Toffee Cake batter into cup cake cases and bake. When cool, decorate with Caramel or Chocolate Crembel by melting the icing to 40-50(C and flooding the top of the cakes. For a kitsch finish, beat air into the icing and pipe onto the cup cake.

More recently, BakeMark has launched a range of four multi-purpose cake and bread mixes under the Craigmillar brand, and that come in 3.5kg bags, and include cake mixes as well as pizza, bread and scone mixes. They contain no

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hydrogenated fat, colours, flavours or preservatives (although the Plain Muffin and Cake Mix contains a flavour), while meeting FSA 2010 salt guidelines.

Identifying a need in the market, the two new muffin and cake mixes are made with free range eggs and suited to food service use.

The Plain Muffin & Cake Mix can be used to create attractive and simple cupcakes,

mouthwatering sheet cakes, round cakes, muffins and luxurious puddings, while the Chocolate Muffin & Cake Mix can offer a healthier twist to the usual chocolate treats, as it is made with cocoa powder and not chocolate.

BakeMark UK also offers bakers recipe leaflets with ideas and suggestions for all three new cake mixes which are available to download from www.bakemark.co.uk or by emailing info@bakemark.co.uk.

Impulse buys Outlets can boost their cake sales and impulse buys with Country Choice’s latest thaw and sell wrapped cake slices. These cakes are ideal for impulse buying as they are attractively packaged and professionally displayed in one of Country Choice’s impulse confectionery units, making them very tempting for consumers.

They are available in six flavours - Carrot Cake, Iced Cherry & Almond, Cornflake Cake, Fruit Cake, Lemon Drizzle, and Chocolate Cup cake. Each cake is individually wrapped with a shelf life of four days, allowing outlets to extend their trading time (for further information call 0800 521366, or visit www.countrychoice.co.uk).

“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

The Old Bakehouse, Bakers Yard, Ardington, Oxon. OX12 8PS Telephone 01235 835 194 Facsimile. 01235 862 212 www.sugarandspicebakery.co.uk

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AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 35

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CAKES Waste not Providing cafés with extra revenue from the take-out sales potential of bakery products, is a range of ‘waste not’ pastry and cake boxes which allow people to take home their half-eaten, or uneaten, sweet indulgences is being offered by LINPAC Packaging (www.linpacpackaging.com).

LINPAC Packaging’s range of APET portion boxes offers credit conscious café customers a stylish way to take home the leftovers of their favourite sweet. The hinged containers protect and keep the product fresh so customers can enjoy their second helping at home, just as much as they enjoyed their first serving in the café.

People often ask for a ‘doggie bag’ for uneaten meat to take home for their pets, but LINPAC are hoping the request for a ‘waste not’ will be just as popular for cakes and alike, and help to cut down on food waste (it is estimated that some 6.7 million tonnes of

food waste is generated in the UK per year), provide better value for money, and also save on the calories by not having to eat an indulgence all in one go.

“As delicious as your favourite gateaux, cream cake, tart or pastry is, sometimes it is impossible to eat it all!” says Javier Fernandez, vice president and general manager of the LINPAC European Bakery sector. “Our range of containers means that customers can take the treat home and enjoy it for a second time, which is kind to their wallets and kind to the environment by reducing food waste.”

Understanding how café customers can take just seconds to decide whether to buy a cake or gateaux, the range has been developed to make sure an outlet’s takeaway bakery products will still look appealing and appetising, keeping the items safe and fresh for as long as possible and helping boost

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.

Why not give us a try? - Treat your customer to the best. tel: 0208 761 7318 fax: 0208 761 8037 e:info@freshericscakes.co.uk

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profits and reduce waste along the way.

Made from high gloss crystal clear APET with a special anti-fog coating, the range offers excellent product visibility, so that cakes, pastries and gateaux will look great on display. The cake containers and hinged boxes have been made to be as lightweight as possible, using the minimum amount of material needed to provide effective protection while minimising the environmental impact of the packaging. APET can be recycled all over the UK, where facilities are in place.

To help café owners market

their products, options are available to emboss logos directly onto the boxes or to produce customised labels.

The rigidity of the packaging offers excellent protection, meaning the range is ideal for delicate products such as cream cakes or éclairs.

“As we take the time to understand our customers’ requirements and challenges, we can tailor solutions to meet their precise needs,” adds Javier Fernandez. “We want to ensure our customers’ customers can enjoy their products, so it is as perfect when they eat it as when they bought it.”

WICKED WOODLAND SEES RED! With the Wicked Fruit operation (www.wickedfruit.co.uk) now settled in its idyllic Carlisle-based vicarage, founder Gill Houston says that she has turned her attention to extending a helping hand to some of her endangered red squirrel neighbours, who she and her small team of award-winning crystallized fruit and fine chocolate specialists often catch a glimpse of as they race around the adjoining woods.

Teaming up with PTES (the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species), Gill has created a Wicked Woodland chocolate bar featuring blueberries, hazelnuts and pine kernels, jumbled and mingled with milk chocolate to create a tempting impulse buy for coffee shop customers (the recommended retail selling price is between £4.50 and £5.25 a bar).

Great Britain’s red squirrels are being attacked on all sides by squirrel pox virus, shrinking forests as well as their aggressive grey-haired cousin, resulting in red squirrels being pushed to the very edge of extinction. It is estimated that there are only in the region of 140,000 of our home-grown red squirrels left in the wild, so it is hoped that the 15p raised from each Wicked Woodland Bar sale will help PTES raise the profile of their Red Squirrel SOS.

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DRINKS

drinks ince the nineteenth century meal times have often begun with an aperitivo - a small, refreshing drink that ‘opens’ the palate, and is enjoyed with or before food.

Traditionally celebrated between 6pm and 7.30pm – post work and pre-dinner – this culinary ritual involved a cocktail or two accompanied by fresh and light tapas-style eating, making it an ideal ritual for cafés and café bars to offer their customers.

Currently promoting café culture with the increasingly popular trend in the UK for aperitifs to accompany tapas-style eating is the iconic Italian drinks brand, Campari.

S

Aperitivo Milano 25 ml Campari 20ml Gin 25ml Cloudy Apple Juice 12.5ml Apricot Brandy 12.5ml fresh lemon juice

recipes

Campari itself was created in 1862 by Gaspare Campari of Milan and is known for its brilliant red hue and bittersweet taste. It has long been revered for its digestive properties with the closely guarded secret blend of ingredients – it is the original bitters from the distillation of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water which takes over a month to prepare before the final infusion is blended and bottled.

Today still, only three people know the full recipe. The drink has a 25% ABV, lighter than other spirits, but stronger than wines, making it suitable as a day time or early evening drink.

Italian Icon Aperitivo 30ml Campari 70ml Sanpellegrino Limonata 1 Fill a short glass with ice.

2 Add the Campari and top with

Sanpellegrino Limonata.

3 Finish with a fresh lemon wedge.

1 Fill a short glass with ice.

2 Shake all the ingredients

together in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.

3 Strain into the glass and garnish with 2 slices of red apple.

The Negroni

Classic Aperitivo

One part Gin, one part Campari, one part Sweet Vermouth.

35ml Campari 75ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Serve on the rocks with a twist of orange to garnish.

1 Fill a tall glass with ice.

2 Add the Campari and top

Campari and freshly squeezed orange

with the freshly squeezed orange juice.

3 Garnish with a fresh orange wedge.

1 Fill a tall glass with ice.

2 Add one part Campari and

three parts freshly squeezed orange juice.

3 Finish with an orange wheel.

In conjunction with Harvey Nichols, Campari have been promoting the aperitivo experience by creating a hamper of typical Italian fayre.

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Life

Here, in a series of articles, three online experts tell us more about the benefits of online methods of marketing and communication, what web sites should ideally be like, and what’s involved in setting up a Wi-Fi ‘hotspot’.

Sam Trainor-Buckingham (marketing manager, Ignite Hospitality Consultants).

Ignite Hospitality Consultants are the leading consultancy focused entirely on the hospitality sector. From concept to completion, to conquering, Ignite are experts in delivering intelligent solutions to big brand and independently owned hotels, restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs and trade suppliers.

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Online media Do you talk and listen to your customers effectively? The answer? An obvious yes. The Internet enables you to do both of these - and more - 24 hours a day, whilst running your business. It has changed the platform from which businesses can operate, but why have cafés have been slower engaging online than their counterparts?

Traditional forms of marketing and communications with customers have been based on a one-way dialogue. Placing an advert in a paper, producing promotional posters or distributing flyers are good examples. Whilst still playing a vital role, offline activities should be combined with what is now considered the most powerful channel, the Internet.

Online marketing techniques are different, they encourage communication between businesses and their customers, allowing companies to gain important feedback on ideas and current practices. This is a two way dialogue. Furthermore, activity online is often more

measurable than offline; it is possible to calculate exact return on investment leading to informed decisions that improve your marketing efforts.

So why have cafés been slow on the uptake? A successful café is based on loyalty, service and a good quality product. Customers visit cafés because of the close proximity to home or work, because of the quality of a particular product or due to convenience. This is often seen as hard to translate online, but for this to be your final thought on the matter is a mistake. The online world provides multiple opportunities for cafés to improve loyalty, gain valuable information, increase your customer base and ultimately increase profits.

There are a wide variety of techniques available to achieve a café’s objectives online. To get started, you should consider one or a few of the following techniques.

Web site Too often web sites are treated as a ‘must have’ with little or no

thought given to why they’re essential. When developing a web site, it’s essential to ask the question, ‘what do I want to achieve?’.

A web site is there to further drive your business and it must be constructed to meet this requirement. A web site must be treated as a virtual shop front which is open 24 hours a day. At the very least a café should have a simple one-page web site that communicates its brand values, menu and most importantly contact details. Some benefits include: • Ability for customers to find you when they search.

• Current customers can contact you.

• Visitors to the web site will view promotional offers that they might not otherwise have been aware of.

• Encourage member sign-ups.

A web site is dynamic, it can be changed, updated and maintained at a relatively low cost. Consumers in the UK are increasingly turning to the internet to locate cafés within their area. A recent survey

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(http://www.michaelwong.com/a rchives/000272.html) found 25.1% of all users searched ‘near my home or work,’ an interesting insight, considering customers tend to visit cafés that are in close proximity to home or work and is often based on convenience.

standard is between 15 and 20%). Over 1000 emails were forwarded to friends, 25% of recipients clicked the discount voucher, 3% booked a table and 5.5% booked a ticket for an event. The return on investment, tracking only bookings made online, was 850%.

Email marketing Arguably one of the most powerful and cost effective tools at a café’s disposal, email marketing is a must for businesses of all sizes. The only requirement is a database of regular customers, which can be built up over time or encouraged through competitions. Email marketing allows a café to have communication directly with the people that matter at a relatively low cost.

The results are regularly impressive, with the ability to track who viewed the newsletter, what they clicked and amongst other insights, who they forwarded it to. The power of this type of communication and the lessons learnt from tracking customer response cannot be underestimated. Kieran George from Café Giardino, a chain of 52 units, agrees: “Direct and clear communication of offers through regular emails is what drives our marketing effort. Through challenging times it’s undoubtedly the most costeffective option.”

When developing an email newsletter it’s important to consider it as a personal connection with the user. The tone of voice, design, layout and brand communications should focus on creating a personal dialogue to nurture a feeling of attachment. In addition, recipients must receive added value for being a member, the unsubscribe button is only a mouse click away and members will only remain members if they are getting something in return.

There will always be some ‘unsubscribes’ and for this reason, it is essential to continue to drive member sign ups inhouse and online through the web site.

A recent email marketing campaign, driven by Ignite Hospitality, focused on a limited period discount for a local restaurant. The response saw a 35% open rate (the industry

Loyalty cards The Internet can be used to harness, drive and increase loyalty, a requirement for all successful cafés. Larger chains such as Pret A Manger are leading in this area to great effect. Using a pre-paid loyalty scheme card, provided by leading customer loyalty and retention company Givex, customers are able to log in to the site, purchase loyalty cards and manage their account online. Not only does this increase loyalty to the chain, but it increases the speed and ease of purchase, essential to both the customer and Pret A Manger. Importantly, it provides a reason for customers to visit the web site regularly, where further promotions and information can be communicated. Whilst a scheme such as this is relatively expensive to set up, smaller groups of cafés should definitely investigate its implementation. It will not only increase customer visits, but drive awareness of the other units.

In the case of independent cafés, simply providing the option to download a loyalty stamp card or the ability to send one to a friend will drive awareness of the scheme. An insight Pret A Manger gained through online feedback, was the need for personal assistants at local offices to Pret A Manger units, to pre-order sandwiches online. If there are offices local to your café, this would be a good service to offer - and it only requires an email address.

Engaging in online marketing techniques allows cafés to talk and listen to their customers in a two way dialogue. This open and democratic platform allows businesses to better shape their offering to the market, essential in an industry based around service. To truly maximise your potential online it is essential to view it not as an afterthought but as a tool that must be fully integrated with all offline activity.

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SOCIAL NETWORKING Social networking has boomed in recent years and is increasingly becoming the medium through which people keep in touch and find out what is going on in their area. Blogging and sites such as Digg, Facebook and Twitter have dominated the news for good reason. So, how can social networking be of use to cafés?

To begin with, if you haven’t done so already, search your café’s name in Google. You might not yet have engaged an online strategy, but it doesn’t mean you’re not being talked about. Analyse sites such as Trusted Places and welovelocal. It’s likely you’ll get some interesting insights. If there are negative comments, it’s not as terrible as it may first seem. Victoria Searl, ex-operations manager of Jom Makan received negative feedback on an open blog and responded by offering a meal to the user.

The end result was more positive than if no comment had been made in the first place. The unhappy customers apologised for leaving the feedback and more importantly, other users commented on the site and emailed the restaurant to state how impressed they were with the level of attention and care demonstrated.

Examples such as this are common and demonstrate the power of a two way dialogue with users online.

The major benefit of engaging in social networking is the ability to gather information and feedback on what you are currently practising and what you are planning for your business in the future. It is particularly important to provide information that people will find interesting.

There is little point in using social networking to simply drive sales, as users will stop reading what you have to say.

If you own an independent café, for example, and have a particular passion for coffee, start a blog and use Twitter to communicate your knowledge on global trends in coffee production. It’s an addiction and coffee lovers will find your knowledge interesting and therefore the café you own. Any activity on social networking sites should be promoted in-house, driving more people online.

Once established, these accounts become powerful tools to promote your brand and drive sales. Start by offering a complimentary coffee to all your followers on Twitter, watch the response and it’s likely they’ll come back or at least buy a sandwich to go with the coffee.

If you’re considering launching a café, why not start a blog tracking your progress and ask for advice from users on the planned menu, interiors or even the name? This worked to great effect for master chef, Matt Follas, who recently launched The Wild Garlic based on users’ feedback. His blog eventually appeared on the Guardian web site, fantastic for publicity (for some advice on how to set up and use a Twitter account, visit www.ignitehospitality.com/blog/twitterstartup).

A good example of how to engage customers is currently being implemented by Starbucks in America.

They’ve created a platform, www.mystarbucksidea, for customers to post their ideas for the direction the company should take. Thousands of users have posted ideas, complaints and advice on an open forum.

Impressively, the Ideas in Action pages communicate when these ideas are implemented. The positive impact this has on the brand, the information and the ideas they will acquire and the loyalty it will result in is something which all cafés should endeavour to achieve.

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Q&A

Wi-Fi hotspots for cafés

Simon Morley says that he started planning the business from a very early age!

Simon Morley, PolkaSpots (www.polkaspots.com).

PolkaSpots provide wireless internet access all over the UK and Northern Europe and are based in London, and have grown the company from providing 30 hotspots to over 150.

What is a Wi-Fi Hotspot?

A Wi-Fi Hotspot is a place for people to get online wirelessly with their laptop, mobile phone or other suitable device.

Where do I start?

Do it yourself, or get someone else to do it?

You wouldn’t buy a kettle to make 500 cappuccinos or even cups of tea. Instead you’d call a reputable company, get a proper machine and most probably take out a service contract too in case of emergency. There’s nothing worse than your core business component failing during the lunchtime rush.

Using a commercial Wireless Hotspot Provider might initially cost you more than getting an off the shelf box, but it will pay for itself over the first couple of months.

Choose your company carefully

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and you’ll be supported and looked after so you can run your business.

There are lots of companies selling a Wi-Fi Hotspot Service, from one man bands to multinationals. When choosing a provider, ask them some questions before committing to a purchase: are there any hidden costs, who are their customers, how long’s the contract, how many hotspots do they manage, what do they do about network abuse, how do they support you and your customers, how long have they been around and how many people work there?

Try and find a wireless hotspot company that’s not trying to take over the world!

There’s no point in choosing a company that can’t support you because they have too many people on the books. On the other hand, a one-manband might not be able to support you.

You should also check how they deal with getting your customers online. Lots of the larger companies will either sell access online or bundle something in with the latest mobile phone. In these cases, you might find yourself with a Wi-Fi Hotspot and have no control over who’s using it on a daily basis.

The smaller companies tend to be more orientated at attracting customers to your business and will often help devise either custom login screens or promotional offers.

Free or pre-paid Wi-Fi? Free Wi-Fi is a great way to attract customers to your business but you won’t be able to generate any money directly from your Wi-Fi Hotspot. Paid Wi-Fi is still really popular but doesn’t work in all

environments. When you’re choosing a Wi-Fi provider, find out how much it costs per hour and how the system works. If access is too expensive, quite simply, no-one will use it.

What do I need?

You’ll need a broadband Internet connection that’s reliable and fast. You don’t have to install a separate connection just for your Wi-Fi Hotspot, you can use your existing one but make sure your office machines are protected with a good quality firewall.

It’s best if you can get the broadband from the wireless

hotspot company, this way they should have more control if things go wrong.

If you’re putting your own broadband in, don’t get the cheapest package you can find, because it will slow down when a few people go online, and make sure the company you use is reliable and also lets you use the connection for a public wireless hotspot. You should also ensure the download limits are high enough so you don’t end up with over usage charges.

You’ll also need a wireless router to share the signal out to your customers. You can buy one yourself or if you use

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technology a wireless hotspot company for the broadband, they’ll send you this.

How does it work?

Whatever you do, don’t just leave the network unsecured!

If you do it yourself, secure the network with a password and give it out when your customers want to use it. This is a fine way to do it but doesn’t give your customers a very good impression of your business and most importantly, it leaves you open to abuse. For example, what happens if someone downloads something illegal at your hotspot? You’ll be responsible for it. If you use a commercial provider, they’ll have something that the end user has to agree to before they go online that protects you and them.

A wireless hotspot company will control access through a login screen / captive portal. Sometimes you can brand this with your own logos and messages. All your customers should have to do is connect to the wireless network, go to a web page and they will be forwarded to a login screen.

If you’re offering paid access, they will either have to buy an Internet voucher from you or sign-up online with their credit card or PayPal account before they can use the Internet. Access will usually be timed and there should be a choice of vouchers from 60 minutes to 30 days.

If it’s free, they shouldn’t be able to get online without getting some sort of code from you otherwise you’ll end up with all your neighbours using it without your consent. Some companies will provide you with a list of voucher codes to give out to your customers, each valid for 30 minutes.

At PolkaSpots, we prefer a single rotating code and also prefer not to limit time because we think it’s annoying being disconnected half way through an email. Instead, we restrict the connection speed using a SLA so they won’t want to sit their all day

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streaming movies or videos.

Currently the average time spent online at our free Hotspots is 40 minutes - just enough for a coffee, pastry and to check your email.

How does my business benefit?

By providing pre-paid Wi-Fi, you’ll earn money by selling Internet vouchers to your customers. Usually there’ll be a revenue share with the company you’re doing it with.

You need to think about it differently if you’re giving it away from free. Whilst you won’t generate any money from the sale of Internet vouchers, you will attract customers with the lure of something free. Just make sure they buy something before you give them the code to get online!

A Wireless Hotspot Company should also provide you with window stickers, user guides and menus to advertise the service.

Security Public wireless hotspots are always going to be a security problem but there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself and your customers. Try and use a company that includes content filtering to block illegal web sites.

You should also make sure you have a firewall installed.

Windows and Apple computers have these built in by standard but they’re not always activated.

Using a public hotspot is fine to do your Internet banking and checking your emails but you should always make sure the site you’re visiting is protected and secure. Modern browsers will display a padlock to confirm this. If in doubt, don’t do it!

If you’re going to access corporate data from a public hotspot you should also install virtual private network (VPN) software that encrypts the data so no-one else can see it.

Finally, you should make sure your anti-virus software is up to date.

Integral to business Seven out of 10 UK businesses now have a web site, according to the National Statistics Office, but not all fully understand or capitalise on their online presence. Café Bar, however, see their web presence as an integral part of both their business and marketing strategy.

Launched in October 2008, Café Bar say there are three main aims to the site – to drive quality sales leads, be a market-leading information source and be a business resource for customers.

Café Bar (www.cafebar.co.uk) were quick to notice that the leads generated from their old web site were by far the most economical on a cost per lead basis and that the quality of those leads was comparable to those generated from other forms of advertising. So they used this information to draw up a brief for the development of their web site which would enable them to capitalise on this.

Hit Marketing Design were retained to produce an inovative web site that would dramatically increase the number of genuine sales leads via the web site and also attract the higher quality client.

An integral part of the web development plan was to write content with SEO (search engine optimisation) in mind in order to build on Café Bar’s Google page rankings. By virtue of higher Google rankings Café Bar would be able to save costs by reducing the amount spent on the existing ‘pay per click’ campaigns as more ‘organic’ traffic was driven to the web site.

“The web site went live in October 2008 and has been a great success, generating a plentiful and continual supply of quality leads whilst reducing promotional costs,” says Simon Bracken, sales and marketing director Content is key to the success of a web site and Café Bar say that they have invested a great deal of time in getting the content of the site right. Firstly it was determined exactly which equipment ranges were to be featured and which consumable products were to be shown. Where possible suppliers were contacted to obtain any images they may have, but in most cases equipment and products were collected and professional photography commissioned. It’s ranking in Google far exceeded expectations and the Café Bar website now enjoys first page position for nearly 50 keyword words and phrases.

A vital part of Café Bar’s online strategy is to develop the site as a communication tool and business resource for existing customers. The site features a download area where customers can access cleaning instructions and user manuals for a range of drinks machines, enabling them to keep their machines in tip top condition with regular cleaning and basic maintenance. This section of the site also features a tool which enables their customers to book service calls online. There is also a Coffee School section which acts as a resource for coffee lovers everywhere.

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Don’t skimp on your web site!

Ian Hills of marketing consultancy, Purple Pilchard (www.purplepilchard.co.uk) Creating a great web site is still quite possibly the best marketing investment you will ever make. Even in these tough economic times there’s no doubt that a great web site can more than earn its keep, providing a fledgling brand with the flex to trial a new idea or a more established brand with the scope to reinforce its core credentials or reacquaint itself with its most enthusiastic supporters.

A well crafted web site can help a small brand/retail proposition appear bigger than it is whilst enabling a bigger brand to stay in touch with its roots. For some retail outlets or brands, a slick web site is the ideal vehicle for broadening one’s appeal and customer base, whilst for others it’s more a matter of reassuring its diehards that a recent change in its circumstances (takeover, makeover, new top team, new sub-range or listings) won’t ever lead to a dilution of first principles.

A great web site needn’t cost the earth! It’s not always about amusing flash art animation, cringy Twitter connections, a state-of-the-art online shop or even some extra-curricular entertainment (a game, background music, for instance). Sometimes a sensible, on-focus web site strategy is just about getting the basics right.

Why a great web site works Irrespective of whether you’re a funky food and drinks brand or a rather warm and appealing café, the right web site can provide your overall offering with an extra spring in its step.

For one contract catering client of ours, a new web site was instrumental in helping to

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foster a new sense of team spirit and togetherness amongst its employees.

Although staff of this premium food supplier had always felt a deep-seated pride in their company’s many achievements, there was nevertheless an underlining sense of embarrassment when friends and families Googled their company to see a desperately dire web site that stubbornly refused to reflect the company’s premium, up and coming reputation.

One of our clients, The Handmade Cake Company has a web site which very openly reinforces its appealing small company mentality by actively championing the many contributions of its many talented employees, a refreshing contrast to the more typical, self-congratulatory web site that focuses solely on the worthy contributions of a few publicity-seeking founders.

For other sites a little fun and informality can go a long way towards making any company appear a little more endearing. This is precisely why Salty Dog’s ‘Lookey Likey’ gallery (a page that went searching for dog owners who looked like their pets) proved to be such a big hit when it came to driving dog lovers to their web site.

Another great snacks site we love is Burts crisps which makes a real positive out of its employees. This, after all, is a web site where you can be introduced to the fast-frying individual who actually made your packet of crisps (each pack is signed by the fryer responsible for your batch).

A great web site should be totally in tune with your outlet’s/brand’s other communications tools. I appreciate that this last statement sounds a tad obvious, however you’d be amazed just how much money

is spent on fantastic packaging, PR or trade ad’s only for the web site itself to look and read like a virtual bag of spanners. Spending a lot of money isn’t necessarily the answer, especially as recent advances in technology mean that today it’s quite easy to get something rather special for quite a modest investment. It’s more about consistency, an instantly gettable tone-ofvoice, an easily recognisable look and playing to one’s strengths.

Higgidy Pies is an example of a web site that engages in some fantastic copy to introduce you to its unduly modest founder, ‘Camilla didn’t like school and school didn’t like poor Camilla.’ Rude Health Cereals on the other hand is all about making very pertinent healthy eating observations in a very amusing, non-preachy manner.

Elsewhere low cost sites like Shaken Udder and Darling Spuds are all about putting actual products centre stage.

Meanwhile Island Bakery biscuits focuses on its Isle of Mullness, Yeo Valley hones in on its Woodland Trust partnership whilst the Proper Cornish Food Company takes stock of its authentic Cornish upbringing via old black and white style show reels.

Many retail outlets and food and drinks companies choose to use a web site to make their brand look bigger than it actually is. This is understandable in the sense that, like PR, the web site provides a battleground where

a slick, quick-thinking smaller brand can easily outmanoeuvre a sluggish, slow-witted competitor. Although much is rightly made of Innocent’s irreverent style of label copy, its quirky, slightly scruffy sketchbook style of web site, deserves its plaudits for not simply providing another outlet for a supremely talented writing style, but for actively interacting with its customers whilst shamelessly adopting the role of under-resourced underdog.

Even today my favourite web sites are those that openly play the ‘small and quirky’ card because if this stance is sincere and well-executed it can reinforce the brand’s underdog appeal.

A well constructed web site can change direction quickly if required unlike other marketing mediums that take longer to build a head of steam. Better than that, free web site support services like Google Analytics make it easy to assess how your site is faring, with handy measures like the number of visitors visiting your sites, the number of pages visited or the actual amount of time surfers spent digging around your site. With such stats you can swiftly gauge which articles, features or press releases draw recruits to your site and which pages

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cause visitors to switch off.

Competitions, taste-panels and loyalty clubs are just a few of the handy, cost effective mechanics that can offer yet further low-cost marketplace feedback.

To my mind the best web sites operate on two different levels simultaneously, providing a quick snippet of urgent info for those people visiting a site for a very specific reason (menu, opening times or to see what’s in stock), as well a more mellow reading forum for those of us with a little more time on our hands to dig and digest (founder stories, first principles, brand partnerships and alike).

Some web sites will seek to be self-financing, even profitable in these increasingly convenience driven days by providing some sort of easy-to-operate virtual shop experience.

In summary, I believe that a great web site is a fantastic showcase that should sit at the very heart of all your marketing efforts, bringing together all your achievements under one roof whilst alerting journalists, editors, consumers and clients as to what might be just around the next corner. This after all is the perfect stage for suggesting new ideas engaging with your chosen audience and reminding customers why they chose you in the first place (whilst pushing one’s competitors into the shade).

If done properly a good web site can bring extra clarity and conviction to everything you’ve done and everything you’re intending to initiate down the line. In stark contrast a bad web site can leave a very unpleasant taste, highlighting any inconsistencies that might exist within your brand identity, or worse still suggesting an underlying lack of ambition.

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Online suppliers “Private and professional buying habits are merging and are now a day-to-day part of our lives, when it comes to online shopping,” says Emma Malone of Alliance Online (www.allianceonline.co.uk), one of the UK’s non-food and disposables wholesalers that in just a few years has become the point of cyber call for many café owners/managers across the UK (the company was recently voted Equipment Supplier Web Site of the Year to the Hospitality Industry).

“To order online is no longer seen as an enigma or a difficult option,” Emma Malone continues. “In fact, these days the web is seen as a family friend when it comes to buying online and it’s now extending into the professional arena at a significant pace. We’re seeing increased uptake every month across our own business - with an average year on year growth of over 40% over the last two years alone.”

Alliance Online offers over 18,000 catering product lines, exactly the same products you’d expect to find at any quality, wholesale outlet.

However, procurement can now be made from the comfort of the office or even home, at hours that suit each individual, so there is little surprise that this is a growing trend.

“Online ordering is all about convenience, choice, cost and service, and not least, time efficiency,” adds Emma Malone. “These days, no-one has time to waste if there is an easier option. Many products that are on regular order are ones that are perfect for online ordering. When it comes to ordering items such as coffee mugs and coffee, we stock the brands everyone knows which gives the customer buying confidence and at great prices, that’s the attraction.”

Alliance Online advocates that online sites should be as easy and straightforward as possible to navigate. “We spent many months working on our site before we launched it to customers, to ensure it was simple, fun and easy to use,” says Emma Malone. “There is no point in creating a beautifully designed site if it’s impossible to find what you want.”

Alliance Online says that it offers a speedy delivery service to all parts of the UK mainland and has the highest fulfilment rates of any non-food wholesaler in the UK. It services customers on a localised basis out of its eight depots nationwide in London, Crewe, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Plymouth, Leeds and Norwich. The company’s product portfolio includes disposables, packaging, tableware, even kitchen equipment as well as cleaning and hygiene and every month it offers caterers a series of promotional prices.

Gala Coffee, a UK-based high volume coffee roaster, has announced that it is

launching Gala Coffee Direct, a new ecommerce site offering the opportunity for customers to purchase a full range of branded coffees via the click of a button, the first time this has been possible.

Targeting independent coffee shops, small chains as well as bars hotels and restaurants, Gala Coffee Direct gives customers the freedom to buy the Lyons, Templo and Sequella brands in the quantities they desire.

Once ordered and paid for online items are delivered to the designated location.

“Our aim for Gala Coffee Direct, has been to create a fantastic web site with straightforward navigation and simple ordering system, but also to ensure that we can deliver an excellent and consistent standard of fulfilment to new and existing customers using the service,” aays Murray Leslie, managing director of Gala Coffee. “The site will be constantly evolving and new products and SKUs will be added according to demand to meet individual requirements, so that we can provide a one stop shop for all coffee needs.”

Established in 1986, Gala can claim to be the largest fresh coffee roaster in the United Kingdom, specialising in the manufacture of fresh coffee for the retail market and working very closely with some of the largest and best known high street names. It is also a leading European player in Fairtrade and sustainable coffee (www.gala-coffee-tea.co.uk). The brands and products available to purchase on Gala Coffee Direct include Lyons, Templo Cafès (blended and roasted in Logroño, in North East Spain), as well as the Italian blend Sequella.

Rogers Estate Coffees have been running a buy one, get one free promotion on their web site for fairly traded, organic coffee. Purchases of Rogers Estate Coffees help workers/protect nature and wildlife at coffee farm communities. Whilst stocks last, consumers who purchased a 227g bag (£3.25) of Rainforest Blend, Java Love or Hurricane Espresso ground coffee - produced by the Rogers’ Organic Coffee Co. division - received another bag for free. These purchases support the company’s groundbreaking Coffee Community Aid program which sets a fixed price for five to seven years - much more than the average market price under the Rogers’ Fairly Traded approach - and also ensures the long-term viability and productivity of ‘source’ communities (www.rogersestatecoffees.co.uk).

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FRANCHISING

ola Im , fè af C el d a eg t ot b a L

La bottega del Caffè, Reggio

Italian chain eyes UK La bottega del Caffè is a trademark of Cibiamo srl, an Italian food retailer specialising in pizza restaurants and coffee bars that could soon be appearing in cities around the UK. The brand was created in 2000 by three funding partners who shared a passion for the art of coffee making, and it has now become a reference point for busy professionals looking for a healthy alternative to fast food. The company is currently looking at franchising opportunities in the UK. Expansion La bottega del Caffè (literal translation, “the coffee house”) became a franchised operation in 2003, with the first store opening in Genova, immediately followed by four more stores in Milan. Since then, La bottega del Caffè has taken the Italian market by storm and is now making a mark in the coffee retail sector against established competitors such as Lavazza, Segafredo and Lino’s Coffee.

Currently, La bottega del Caffè also has stores in Florence, Rome, Bolonia, Venice, Pisa and Naples. With over 50 sites in Italy, La bottega del Caffè is among the trendiest coffee shops currently on the market and has recently been selected, among other competitors, to be the coffee bar in every main Italian railway station. La bottega del Caffè also operates inside Virgin fitness centres, under the brand Vcafè (a special format created exclusively for Virgin Active Italia, the fitness branch of the Virgin Group). There are none in the UK as yet.

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During 2009, La bottega del Caffè says that it plans to expand its business operations in Europe, with particular attention being paid to the UK market, where, say the company, they feel huge opportunities exist for coffee retailers able to offer high quality food and drink and impeccable service. Despite the challenges of world economic downturn and what the

company describe as “the decline of UK’s long-established coffee retailers”, citing Starbuks and Coffee Republic, as being an example of this, La bottega del Caffè feels it will be able to lead the change which is already affecting coffee culture and coffee consumption in the UK. Authentic Named after the play written by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni, the La bottega del Caffè concept is based on the coffee bar as the centre of the community, where people meet and discuss current affairs, with the excuse of a good cup of coffee. It is easy to associate La bottega del Caffè to other coffee operators currently present on the UK market, however, say the company, these are only ‘apparent’ competitors, who have a standard product offering, and may well have an Italian name but no stores in Italy.

Coming from Italy, there can be no doubt of course that La bottega del Caffè is a true Italian brand, which has grown

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FRANCHISING

Franchisees required

well in its home country and is now moving to the rest of the world. La bottega del Caffè has developed its own product offer using Italian creativity and paying good attention for detail. It sells coffee in over 30 different combinations, each recipe presented as being original, having not yet been seen on the UK market. All the ingredients used are imported from Italy, though mostly distributed from the UK, to preserve their authentic Italian taste.

Beside coffee, the brand also offers a variety of leaf teas, hot chocolate and, for the summer, slush drinks and cold coffee recipes. In larger stores, La bottega del Caffè also offers Italian ice cream. The food menu includes freshly filled croissants (baked without using any butter, according to the Italian tradition), freshly prepared sandwiches (presented with the crust taken off), and baguettes filled with fresh lettuce and tomato, Parma ham, salame, cooked Italian ham and mozzarella cheese.

Having passed the test on the Italian market, where the coffee retail sector is

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characterised by fierce competition, the brand owners feel that now is the time to land in the UK market in order to bring in a breath of fresh air, offering quality, service and creativity in a more stylish, dynamic and contemporary environment.

La bottega del Caffè is a “sound” brand, still run by the funders, who personally test the recipies and select official suppliers, with the support of internationally recognised coffee experts, who select only the best coffee grains from 12 different countries in South America and have a long-standing direct relationship with the growers. La bottega del Caffè also claims to offer tangible benefits to customers looking for a quality product offer and good value for money.

For more information about UK franchise opportunities with La bottega del Caffè, contact Nick Williams at FDS Head Office, Franchise House, 56 Surrey Street, Norwich, NR1 3FD, England (call 01603 620 301 or 07812 334564, email: nickw@fdsltd.com).

The ideal franchisee, say the company, will have the ability to make a financial investment of between £80,000 and £100,000, with an ambition to be the owner of a service oriented food business, as well as the time to be trained in every aspect of the business and the will to follow the rules of the La bottega del Caffè franchise system.

In exchange, La bottega del Caffè says that it will offer full training (both pre- and post opening), support with drafting the initial business plan and finding the right location, advise on personnel recruitment and menu choice, a dedicated marketing and advertising team with experience of the UK business market and a full operations manual, covering all aspects of the business.

La bottega del Caffè standard store can be developed on approximately 50sqm. However, it is possible to set up smaller stores, in the shape of a kiosk, or larger stores, often combining La bottega del Caffè and Cibiamo formats (the latter is a brand dedicated to pizza and focaccia).

“In our experience, once people try our coffee,” says La bottega del Caffè CEO, Alessandro Ravecca, “they return ever more often. Even if coffee consumption is relatively ‘new’ in the UK, I am positive British public will appreciate the quality of our blend.”

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TEA

Gongtea Fu

drinking

Paris has a host of tea houses where you can drink Gong Fu tea, but England is just waking up to the wonders of Gong Fu. Even in the top notch Chinese restaurants, they do not have the facilities although some online teashops are offering the kit for Gong Fu. When it comes drinking Gong Fu in London and elsewhere in the UK, it is likely that you will start to hear more about a company called Green Boar (www.greenboar.com). Here, founder, and pioneer of Anglo Gong Fu Cha, Henry Virgin, explains more.

Gong Fu Cha Gong Fu Cha means tea brewed with labour and skill. The Chinese can be transliterated as Gong Fu as well as Kung Fu. The meaning is the same for both the tea practice and the martial art. If you have seen the small clay Chinese tea pots and small Chinese tea cups, you might have wondered what symbolic use they have.

But you probably didn’t think that they actually use these utensils to create the most wonderful concentration of the tea’s finest essence. They do!

Gong Fu tea is used for Oolong Tea and Puerh Teas. Different ceramic teapots are used for different teas. This is because different teas need a different temperature to extract the taste, and different clays support heat at different levels. It truly is a fine art. And it is one method amongst many for brewing Chinese tea, whose

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history is reputedly 5000 years old.

Tea in the third century AD was picked, pressed into a cake, roast, pounded to a powder and boiled with spring onions, ginger and orange peel. The great Tea Teacher of the eighth Century, Tang dynasty, was called Lu Yu. He wrote The Classic of Tea in which he codified the method of growing, harvesting, analysing, preparing, and brewing tea whilst considering the best type of water, utensils, fuel for the fire and almost every other aspect of tea.

He wrote, “All there is to making tea is to pick it, steam it, pound it, shape it, dry it, tie it, and seal it.” After this the cake would be roasted, ground to powder, sifted, boiled in an iron pot, perhaps with a pinch of salt, infused and foamed and then poured into a bowl for drinking. It was about this time that tea was exported to Japan, when they started developing their

own way of tea called Chanoyu.

The methods of tea processing developed in the Song Dynasty of the tenth to twelfth centuries. After processing, the cake was ground to a powder, sifted, placed in a container, then in a bowl, then hot water was added, and it was whisked.

This method was very popular and gave rise to many whisking contests amongst the literati and poets, known as Doucha.

Creating patterns in the froth was an art form, much in the same manner that baristas create images within the coffee.

As the methods of preparing and drinking tea developed into the Ming Dynasty (fourteenth to seventeenth centuries) so did the nation’s predilection for using loose leaf and heating the freshly picked buds to a high temperature, thereby stopping the enzymes from fermenting and darkening the leaf. Using the loose leaf was

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TEA

increasingly popular. Some Monks of Anhui Province (SongLuo Mountains) discovered that stir-roasting them in a hot wok added colour, fragrance and flavour. All that was needed now was a teapot. The purple clay (zisha) teapots of Yixing were perfectly suited for the task of brewing the loose leaf.

The monks of Songluo were brought to the Wuyi Mountains. There they realised that if you let the leaves wither awhile and then bruise them, by rubbing and tossing, an amazing fragrance is released which could be kept by roasting them at the right moment. This was the basis for Oolong, and a very important step to developing Gong Fu Cha. This evolved in Chaozhou, in North Eastern Guangdong Province, not too far from the Fujian border.

This is the way to brew tea in the Gong Fu style (mainly for Oolong and Puerh tea) Warming the pot and heating the cups Set out your equipment: tea, kettle, tea pot, tea cups, tea jug, draining board. Pour boiling water over each item to clean and prepare them thoroughly

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Focus on the clay tea pot, pour boiling water to fill it up and overflow, then place the lid on the pot.

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“Appreciate excellent tea.”

Take time to appreciate your tea leaves and then pour out the hot water from the pot on the tea, leaving an emptiness within the tea pot.

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“The Black Dragon enters the Tea House.” Place the desired amount of tea into the tea pot.

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“Rinsing from an elevated pot.”

Pour in the water at the correct hot temperature and rinse the tea leaves for about 15-20 seconds, pouring on the water until the pot overflows. It is rude to offer guests tea that has not been rinsed.

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“Direct again the Pure Spring” Refill the pot to the brim. Pour in the hot water, and pour in enough so that it overflows. Put on the lid and continue to pour tea over the tea pot. Let the tea steep for about half a minute. Then pour out the tea into the small tea jug.

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“The Spring Wind brushes the surface” If there is anything floating on the surface of the water in the pot, it is important to remove it and then place the lid on the pot.

There is some discussion as to what is to be done first. “Bathe the Immortal twice”. One theory is to steep the tea for a short while then to put it in the cups.

Others think that it is important to have no steeping time and to put the tea in the cups immediately.

“A row of clouds, running water.”

This first steeping is generally not drunk, it is to rinse the leaves.

Pour the tea from the jug into the guests’ small cups.

The Second Steeping. This steeping should be slightly shorter. Fill the pot with hot water, put on the lid and continue to pour hot water over it and around it and leave for about 15 seconds, then pour into the tea jug.

Continue in this manner; steep after steep, extending, each steep, the time of the steeping of the leaves and the temperature.

Drinking tea in today’s tea house, hotel, café or restaurant Unless you have a dedicated space set aside for Gong Fu Cha, it will not be suitable to perform this tea making method. This does not mean that speciality loose leaf tea making is not feasible within a café, hotel or restaurant. Green Boar® offers the magnificent range of Organic and Fairtrade teas and tea ware which facilitate the pleasure of tea making and drinking in a practical manner for a busy environment, such as a café, hotel or restaurant.

For example, our cast iron teapots with a removable metal strainer are ideally suited to brewing the range of speciality loose leaf teas from White Tea to Green Tea to Oolong Tea to Puerh teas. All of which we have available, in beautiful Bamboo Tea Caddies.

Being cast iron, the tea pots are durable and strong and need only a rinse under the tap to clean them. When you look at the tea leaves within the metal strainer, within the cast iron black pot, the customer can enjoy a most beautiful view, equalled only by the taste of the tea itself.

For more delicate operations, such as a specialised tea bar, we can also offer glass

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teapots which add to the beauty of the brew. We also supply porcelain gaiwans for white tea and green tea (these are like exquisite porcelain tea cups without a handle, but with a lid. They were developed in the Ming Dynasty). You place the green tea or white tea in the gaiwan, and watch it brew.

The customer is presented with a Tea Menu, including a brief history of the tea, the important steeping times, the ideal tea temperature, the tea’s provenance and a map of origin. We offer a free, swift training session to staff to familiarise them with the tea menu which contains all of the essential information. In this way, the customer can determine the steeping times by their own taste criteria. To make the tea experience more educational, we are also putting together a little booklet for the customer.

(With thanks to Mair and Hoh’s The True History of Tea).

If you have any questions about this type of tea for Henry Virgin, he can be contacted on 08444 932 832 (TEA).

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RESEARCH

Costa’s regional

analysis

Research released after a survey of some 13,000 people by Costa has revealed that where we are born not only determines how we speak, but how we taste food and drink.

Analysis The taste preferences of the UK’s major regions were analysed by top food psychologist Greg Tucker, with input from Andy Taylor, professor of flavour technology at the University of Nottingham and an advisor to Heston Blumenthal.

The research was commissioned by Costa following the results of a successful taste test challenge earlier in the year which claimed that seven out of 10 Brits prefer Costa’s cappuccino over those of Starbucks and Caffè Nero.

Previous research Back in March of this year, Costa revealed that in its survey seven out of 10 “coffee lovers” preferred Costa cappuccino to that of its leading competitors in comprehensive blind taste tests across a number of British cities. 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 found to be the clearly preferred cappuccino at the 95% confidence level, meaning that if the taste test was repeated 100 times, the same or very similar results would occur at least 95 times.

Preference for Costa’s cappuccino was remarkably strong in comparison to competitors among those who identified themselves as “coffee lovers”, with seven out of 10 preferring Costa (72% preferring Costa versus 28% Starbucks; and 69% preferring Costa versus 31% Nero).

Significantly, coffee drinkers who preferred Caffè Nero and Starbucks as their main outlets also said that they preferred Costa cappuccino over their preferred retailer’s product.

Regional slant And now, Costa’s further investigation has shown that each region in the UK has its own unique ‘taste dialect’ of flavours and textures

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The research’s methodology 1. Face to face interviews with consumers who had grown up and lived in the regions researched.

2. Follow-up interviews with a further pool of consumers.

3. Extensive mining exercise of the researcher’s internal database (the database has been developed over 20 years, interviewing in excess of 10,000 consumers).

4. Omnibus survey of 3,000 consumers across ten UK cities conducted in May 2009 via Onepoll.

Costa’s master of coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia, is responsible for the taste profile of all Costa’s coffee.

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RESEARCH forged by local culture, geography and environment.

Each region’s taste dialect was also found to impact a different section of the tongue itself. For example, Scots specifically seek rich, creamy flavours that impact the back of the tongue, whereas people from the North East prefer tastes which impact the tip of the tongue.

Key findings 1. The UK’s favourite regional foods stem from the West Country. Nearly a third of people polled preferred foods traditional to the South West, particularly Cheddar Cheese and Devonshire Cream Teas.

2. Scots are the slowest eaters and contrary to folklore, prefer Yorkshire Pudding and Italian ice cream because of their mouth-melting properties, dispelling the myth that all Scots love foods like haggis and kippers!

3. People from the North East seek tastes that offer immediate satisfaction, born from a history of hungry heavy industry workers demanding foods that offer immediate sustenance.

4. The Midlands is known to be the Balti centre of the UK, but the research proved that people from the area were predisposed to enjoy Asian food long before it arrived in the UK. The region’s taste dialect is for soft, suckable foods that impact the front of the tongue, have a slightly sweet dimension and can be eaten with their hands like naan.

5. The South. A melting pot of people and cultures from all round the UK and abroad, the South/South East of England has the least defined taste dialect of all the regions. Foods such as jellied eels and Whitstable Oysters are still redolent of the area but no longer represent mainstream choices or underpin a regional palate.

6. Coffee is the earliest recalled taste memory for under eighteens. In all regions, people noted the importance of getting a ‘good’ rather than ‘average’ cup of coffee.

7. A quarter of Brits said that London was where they’d had their worst taste experience.

“Taste is determined by our genetic make-up and influenced by our upbringing and experience with flavours,” commented professor Andy Taylor. “Just as with spoken dialects, where accent is placed on different syllables and vowel formations, people from different regions have developed enhanced sensitivities to certain taste sensations and seek foods that trigger these.”

Gennaro Pelliccia, master of coffee at Costa, and responsible for the taste profile

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‘‘

Taste is determined by our genetic make-up and influenced by our upbringing and experience with flavours of all Costa’s coffee (and whose tongue was insured for £10 million earlier this year) added: “At Costa, the best tasting coffee of the highest quality is the single most important thing to us. This research has provided a fascinating insight into the taste preferences of the nation which in turn will help us to ensure we continue to provide great tasting coffee that appeals to everyone.”

Understanding tongue maps Tongue Map diagrams have been designed to show the area on each tongue where particular tastes sought to impact for any given ‘Taste Dialect’ region.

Whereas previously it was thought that prescribed areas of the tongue could only detect specific tastes example the tip of the tongue being thought to detect sweetness it is now known that this was wrong - all tastes can be detected all over the tongue.

Your mouth contains around 10,000 taste buds, most of which are located on and around the tiny bumps on your tongue.

Every taste bud detects five primary tastes: sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami.

Specialised receptor cells in each taste bud then detect the chemicals from food and drink in your saliva and sending nerve impulses to your brain. The brain then seeks to make sense of all this information so we can recognise things that we have previously had and be aware of new or different products. The brain does this by creating a chronology where different tastes impact on the tongue: a beginning, middle and end.

Even if one taste bud receptor detects three of four of the different primary tastes it may process these and shift the

’’

perceived location of the taste’s impact to make sense of it all. For example the brain supposes that bitter is most detected at the rear of the tongue. It’s not strictly true to say that bitter only detected there, but this is useful shorthand for the brain to process, identify and remember the taste sensation. That is why we can illustrate the taste dialects physically on tongue maps.

For example, the reason that melting richness and creamy fullness is most detected at the rear of mouth is because this is where they have the most impact.

The tongue will detect richness and creaminess at the front of the mouth as well, but in the research interviews most people identified most taste sensation at the rear of their mouths.

To read the results of Costa’s research report in full, visit http://www.costa.co.uk

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 49

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NEW PRODUCTS

New Melitta bar-cube bar-cube is the latest addition to Melitta’s bar range of HACCP accredited bean to cup machines. Even more compact than the original bar machine, it will fit into the smallest available counter space. It measures just 430mm wide (against 560 on the original) x 500mm deep x 465mm high (600 to include full height of hoppers).

This tiny machine is capable of producing up to 150 espressos per hour and has 18 available menu settings accessible through the user friendly display panel. This panel also provides other valuable information such as how full the grounds container is and when automatic cleaning is due to start. Two bean hoppers enable users to provide a choice of coffees while there is also an additional inlet for decaffeinated coffee (call 01628 829888 or visit www.melitta.de/mss).

Newproducts Two pass-through dishwashers bursting with convenient features Meiko’s DV80.2 and DV120.2 pass-through hood warewashing machines bring outstanding wash results, operator convenience and energy-saving benefits in abundance. The DV80 is designed for crockery and glassware, whilst the larger DV120, supplied with electronic control wash programmes, efficiently handles dishes as well as pans and oven containers.

The DV80.2, part of Meiko’s premium class range, is offered with a new Automatic Hood option activated easily by staff at the press of a button, which allows for opening and closing of the hood and operation of the wash programme sequence. The DV120.2 has three different programme cycles and three different pump motor outputs, thereby combining in one machine three different models. For more information call 01753 215120 or visit www.meiko-uk.co.uk.

Biofriendly disposable plates from Kavis - a natural choice Kavis is constantly looking for the most innovative packaging and serving products to bring to the UK and with the Biofriendly range they can offer the foodservice sector even more choice. Made entirely from palm leaves, this product is 100% natural, chemical free and completely safe.

The Areca tree sheds its leaves continuously over the course of its life span and because these

are used in the manufacture of Biofriendly products no trees need to be cut-down or damaged. Leaves are collected, pressure washed, scrubbed, sun dried, compressed, then UV sterilized to produce a totally chemical-free, odourless and hygienic serving utensil that is water resistant, leak proof and sturdy enough to be used with a knife and fork. It is 100% microwave safe and can even be filled with hot liquids (call 0870 360 3123 or visit www.kavis.com).

New potato product offers caterers an innovative alternative Farmhouse Potato Bakers Ltd, a UK supplier of frozen baked potato products to the foodservice sector, has launched New Potato Crush. Made with British new potatoes, crushed with onion, olive oil, cracked black pepper and parsley, New Potato Crush provides caterers with a convenient and tasty alternative to chips or mashed potato.

Supplied in convenient microwavable pots, it is designed simply to be reheated and turned out onto the plate for a perfectly presented portion.

For more than 20 years, the family run business has been supplying the foodservice and retail sectors of the food industry with specialist frozen potato products. Current products include frozen, traditionally baked potatoes, baked potato skins and shells, mashed potato, roast potatoes, filled potato halves and loaded skins. Other vegetable specialities include roast parsnips, sweet potatoes, peppers and onions (call 01262 605650 or visit www.farmhousepotatobakers.co.uk).

Snowbird continues its award winning ways Snowbird Foods has won a third major award in as many months – and it’s fourth of 2009.

The latest successes came in the prestigious British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) competition and the new Meat Management Industry awards.

Best known for its frozen, fully cooked sausages, Snowbird’s BFFF success was in the class for the best new starter, buffet or appetiser product in which the judges chose the company’s Moroccan Chicken Meatballs.

Snowbird’s success in the Meat Management Industry Awards was in Manufacturer of the Year class, where it reached the final in company with Noon Products, Bernard Matthews and the winner – Cranswick Country Foods.

“This clearly demonstrates that a very good little’ un, like Snowbird foods, can mix it with the giants of the industry,” said managing director, Philip Paul (call 020 8805 9222 or visit www.snowbirdfoods.co.uk).

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Flush away costly drain blockages An award-winning environmental biotechnology company has launched additional support for companies that need to combat the build-up of fat, oil and grease (FOG) and end the costly problem of blocked drains. Cleveland Biotech, which developed and manufactures the biological grease management system The GreaseBeta®, now offers a new ‘FatFree’ system.

This new system doses a bespoke concentrated biofluid in a similar format to GreaseBeta® but is available in a six-monthly service interval, which can be paid via a monthly Direct Debit of less than £30. The annual cost represents a 40% discount to the standard GreaseBeta® product. Unlike chemical alternatives, Amnite L100 (the bio-fluid), eliminates the problem of FOG completely. It is odourless, does not contain any pathogens and is made from nontoxic ingredients, making it safe to use in a catering environment (call 01642 606606 or visit www.clevebio.com).

The new SuperFast Thermapen™ has arrived ETI Ltd has introduced the new SuperFast Thermapen thermometer.

Housed in a robust polycarbonate water resistant case, it contains a Biomaster additive that inhibits bacteria growth. Pull out the foldaway, stainless steel penetration probe to take rapid temperature measurements in under four seconds. A large digital display gives a precise read-out of temperature over a -49.9°C to 299.9°C range with a 0.1°C or 1°C resolution and accuracy of ±0.4°C. It has a long battery life of 1,500 hours continuous use and will automatically turn off when the probe is folded back into the side of the unit, or after 10 minutes, if required. It is available in a choice of nine colours to help eliminate cross-contamination, and priced at just £46.00 excluding VAT and carriage (call 01903 202151 or visit www.etiltd.com to buy on line).

Amazin’ Raisin Chicken Ball’s a winner The new product development team at Snowbird Foods has come up with a fruity surprise – a meat ball with raisins!

The Amazin’ Raisin Chicken Ball is said to have attracted significant attention from ready meals manufacturers and caterers and at the same time has won an award in a major competition.

The California Raisin Board contest for most innovative use of the fruit proved so popular that three awards were made instead of the usual one and the Amazin’ Raisin Chicken Ball was one of those winners.

The 28g balls have an equal split of breast and thigh meat and have been given a fruity Moroccan flavour profile. In addition to the raisins, the recipe includes figs, apricots, coriander, cumin, chilli and mint.

“We can make the balls smaller or larger as required and, because it is such a stunning recipe with an outstanding taste, we decided to call it the Amazin’ Raisin Chicken Ball,” said Snowbird sales director, Roy Anderson. Tel: 020 8805 9222.

Exchange waste heat for profit to stay ahead of the field Meiko UK, suppliers of warewashing equipment to the UK, have announced another winner in the energy saving stakes. The addition of the WP4 heat pump to its K-Tronic series rack transport dishwashers offers operators huge potential savings: it recycles heat efficiently, it dispenses with the need for heating elements in the wash tanks, and it reduces the heating load of the final rinse booster heater to just 6.0kW. When used in conjunction with a waste air heat recovery condenser continuously extracting hot air and steam from the dishwasher and the air around it, incoming cold water can be preheated to around 70°C. The heat pump then transfers this water to the rinse water heater where the temperature is raised to 85°C for the final rinse process. For more information call 01753 215120 or visit www.meiko-uk.co.uk.

The Padina collection from Andy Thornton The Padina collection of café and bistro furniture is supplied by Andy Thornton, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of quality hospitality furniture, and lends itself to most environments, including cafés, restaurants and bars.

For example, the Padina side chair features a curved back rest, splayed back legs and straight front legs in a classic design. Manufactured in beech, the chair frame can be polished to any stain colour of your choice. It is also available as a plain ply seat or can be upholstered in a variety of fabrics or leathers.

A Padina bar stool is also available and the company offers a good selection of tables and tops from their standard range to complement the range. Request their new Catalogue 17 by calling 01422 376000, e-mail marketing@andythornton.com, or visit www.andythornton.com.

New impulse twin pack from Lotus!

Each year, over 1 billion individually wrapped Lotus caramelised biscuits are consumed in cafés, restaurants, salons and hotels all over the world and this summer they are leveraging their café heritage and established credentials by launching a new premium twin pack aimed at attracting consumers to impulse purchase in their local coffee shop.

Crafted using the same recipe since 1932, Lotus Bakeries remains a traditional family owned business, still baking in the small Belgian town of Lembeke. The new pack is forecast to increase consumers dwell times and overall coffee consumption per visit.

Displayed in an attractive counter display the new designed packs will impress customers and a unique caramelisation process gives the biscuits a subtle taste and cinnamon aroma, combining perfectly with a great cup of coffee or tea (for a free sample while stocks last, call 0800 834050 or email enquiries@lotusbakeries.com).

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 51

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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 of coffee machines by offering some practical advice and guidance.

‘‘

Don’t stress too much, the English TURN IT OFF! summer is now over for this year!

I’m after some advice as we

Q

I own a Franke Flair bean to cup machine and recently we are having real problems with getting our milk to froth or even come through some of the time. What can we do to limit this as we suspect it is caused by the recent hot spell?

Paul (Bournemouth)

A

Don’t stress too much, the English summer is now over for this year!!!!! We have had this fault before, but Coffix has experienced a massive increase in milk blockages in the last month due to the hot spell.

Always our first suggestion is to use a

’’

milk fridge as this keeps your milk cold reducing the risk of the milk going off which causes the blockages in the milk dispensing outlet. These can be expensive through manufacturers but a lot of businesses nowadays are using mini fridges from the likes of Argos or any DIY store. This works by drilling a hole through the top or side, but make sure it’s a tight fit to keep the cold air inside. A hint for a complete seal is to use blue tack around the hole and hose.

Secondly, flush the milk tubes as often as possible and dismantle the milk dispensing unit each night and clean thoroughly.

Q

own a café in Doncaster, and we’re having major pressure problems. Our machine continually goes over pressure and then a large burst of steam comes out from inside the machine. What can we do as we reopen towards the end of July?

Melanie H (Northampton)

A

TURN IT OFF. Get an engineer.

You either have a faulty pressure stat or faulty boiler pressure valve. but either way it’s an extremely dangerous fault. This fault is one of the most dangerous and if it’s your pressure stat - and I will assume it is - all you need for a major accident is for your boiler valve to stick causing a build up of pressure in the boiler leading to a severe accident. These faulty parts of your machine should be checked annually with a boiler inspection that your insurance company normally requires to validate your insurance. We have discussed these boiler inspections in previous issues as they are very important to be carried out each year but a lot of businesses still don’t realise they need to be carried out.

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!

52 AUGUST 2009

CAFÉ CULTURE

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INDEX

Index of members of the Café Society 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

www.cafeculturemagazine.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 INDEPENDENTS

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

AUGUST 2009 CAFÉ CULTURE 53

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CAFÉ CULTURE

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W: www.coffix.com

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International Sandwich & Snack News magazine is published eight times a year and distributed on subscription of £58 per annum to all those involved in the sandwich industry. There’s also free access to our advice lines, and free access to our information services on the internet.

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ATIO NAL

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FRESH ORGA NIC IN NOVAT ION from Bram ISSUE 119

TYPE OF BUSINESS (please tick as appropriate) Sandwich Bar/Cafe Bakery Outlet Sandwich Delivery Outlet Producer Supplier Buyer Vending Company Agency/PR Would you like to receive information on full membership of the British Sandwich Association?

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Food Partners

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FEBRUARY 2009

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