Cafe Culture Magazine - Issue 55

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magazine MARCH 2013 ISSUE 55

TASTING THE LIFESTYLE OF THE CAFÉ SECTOR

... a Must with coffee!

Buy online today

at ww * m w.cafebronte.co * Café Brontë Dunkers and Café Brontë Shortbread available to purchase online.

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Welcome!

CONTENTS

It’s a busy time of year for the sector at large, with IFE having just taken place, and the Coffee Leader Summit, London Coffee Festival and Caffè Culture Show all waiting in the wings!

We are also looking forward to this year’s Café Society Awards (Roof Gardens, Kensington, London, 19 June 2013) and can now confirm that one of last year’s winners – James Dickson of Workshop Coffee - will be in attendance to talk about his own ‘coffee shop story’ (turn to page 15 to book your table at this event).

In this issue, we hear from a Brighton & Hove-based coffee shop blogger, report on some of the latest packaging developments and products, and also offer some location advice for those on the lookout for a suitable site in which to begin their own café business.

NEWS

Clare Benfield - Editor

5 Coffee shop sector is one to watch.

6 Latte Pro marketing licenses now available.

ARTICLES

8 First Robusta coffee certified by the Coffee Quality Institute.

18 Time for a cut? – French hospitality legend, Jacques Borel, is on a mission to cut VAT in the UK.

10 Sodexo Prestige launches new Aspretto Café.

PREVIEW 14 Café Society Awards 2013.

Editor Clare Benfield, Tel: 01291 636336, E-mail: clare@jandmgroup.co.uk Advertising Manager Paul Steer Tel: 01291 636342 E-mail: paul@jandmgroup.co.uk Production Manager Jayson Berry, Tel: 01291 636339, E-mail: jayson@jandmgroup.co.uk Subscriptions and Customer Service Tony Lorimer, Tel: 01291 636333 E-mail: tony@cafesociety.org.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

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

38 Coffee roasting – the challenges and opportunities of roasting your own coffee.

44 The London Coffee Festival 2013.

26 UK Barista Championships 2013 – the latest from the competition so far.

40 Designing visions – design advice from interior designers, Decor Fusion.

PROFILES FEATURES 20 Location, location – securing the right building in the right location.

42 Life of a café blogger – Anne Doyle’s CafeDharma.

REGULARS 46 Coffee Clinic.

30 Perfect packaging – innovative solutions for your packaging requirements.

48 Barista talk.

50 New products.

55 Checkout.

MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 3

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NEWS

Sanremo UK’s new showroom places them closer to London

Fego Caffé has appointed Pelican Buying Company to handle the bulk of its purchasing.

Fego Caffé appoints Pelican Buying Company Fego Caffé, purveyors of freshly prepared quality food and coffee has appointed Pelican Buying Company to handle the bulk of its purchasing at its six sites in Gerrards Cross, Cobham, Ascot, Sunningdale, St. Johns Wood and Marlow.

The business will have responsibility for purchasing across ambient, fruit, vegetables, dairy, bread, meat and alcohol with a contract value in excess of £651k, say the company “I choose to do business with people I like, who are passionate, professional and care about what they do. I would rather pay a bit more and deal with people like this, than a business I don’t have chemistry with or trust. Pelican care – they are committed to their customers, will save you money, whilst being very transparent about how they make their money,” commented Roy Mc Clymont, operations director at Fego Caffé.

“We started the relationship with Pelican by going through a detailed benchmarking process over several months in order to build a meticulous analysis of our products, volume and existing prices. They then invited current and alternative suppliers to tender for our business. We use fresh produce and would never compromise on quality to save on cost, but we required the right quality at the right price - so the sourcing of produce was imperative and Pelican were meticulous in this regard.

“In some instances, suppliers thought they’d found a decent alternative to our product at a great price. If we ever had any doubts about the quality of that product, Pelican would work with us to arrange tastings.

As to the future, we’ll be looking to move into other areas of purchasing with them such as consumables.”

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Devon-based coffee machine distributors, Sanremo UK, have expanded after opening the doors to their new Watford-based showroom this month.

Branching out from its scenic West Country base, Sanremo UK’s new showroom makes the brand easily accessible to businesses and baristas, in and around London, say the firm, being located just a one minute walk about from Watford train station and with easy road access from the M4, M40 and the M1.

A selection of Sanremo's handcrafted espresso machine portfolio are displayed and available to test and try – including the Verona TCS and Roma TCS models – as used in the UK Barista Championships, as well as the stylish Torino and increasingly-popular Zoe. Andrew Tucker, managing director of Sanremo UK, commented: “We are extremely excited to be able to showcase our machines

To make an appointment at the new Sanremo UK showroom, contact the company’s Paul Croake (further information available at www.sanremouk.co.uk). to a wider audience through our new London showroom. You really need to see them ‘in the flesh’ to appreciate the finish, as well as how exceptionally well they make coffee. Any visitors are welcome, by appointment, to come see, play and enjoy!”

Paterson’s secures Loose Women in STV sponsorship package The shortbread brand, Paterson’s has announced its STV sponsorship of the well-loved lunchtime show, Loose Women, starting this month across STV’s Scottish broadcast area and running until December 2013.

The campaign will focus on a busy mum who is harassed by small, everyday domestic disasters and needs her small everyday treats as a remedy: a shortbread snack and a cuppa in front of her favourite lunchtime show.

The sponsorship package will provide a new and engaging way for Paterson’s to complement its ‘everyday treat’ message and highlights shortbread as being fit for everyday life, not just for Christmas.

“As the UK’s best-selling shortbread

brand, we’re well placed to champion Loose Women when many busy women up and down the country take time out to enjoy lunch, a cup of tea and a snack,” said Allan Miller, sales and marketing director of Paterson Arran Ltd. “The show’s lunchtime audience exactly fits with our consumer. We have been working closely with our customers to encourage shoppers to enjoy our brand as both a seasonal treat or anytime throughout the year – being less than 3% saturated fat, Paterson’s is a tasty, guilt-free treat. This is the first time that we’ve explored a TV sponsorship package and we couldn’t have found a better partner - it’s perfect for our brand.”

Help on offer for new PAYE system An advertising campaign heralding the biggest overhaul of the PAYE system in almost 70 years has been launched by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The new PAYE reporting system, known as Real Time Information (RTI), will be introduced from April 2013, with employers reporting each time they pay their employees, rather than yearly. It will reduce administrative burdens for employers by around £300 million every year, say HMRC. Ruth Owen, HMRC’s director general personal tax, said: “Winston Churchill was Prime Minister when PAYE was introduced. Little has changed in the system in about 70 years and it no longer fits the needs of a modern workforce.

“Now is the time for employers to act, including ensuring all employee information is correct and up to date. All the information they need is on our web site.

“RTI will improve the operation of PAYE for employers, HMRC and employees.

Feedback from employers in the pilot is that reporting PAYE in real time is easy.”

A range of RTI software is available, including free software for micro businesses with nine or fewer employees. A range of support is available for employers, including Webinars, YouTube video, face to face events and online interactive sessions, including Twitter Q&As (more information on RTI can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/rti).

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NEWS

Coffee shop sector is one to watch Coffee shops, healthy quick service outlets, artisan bakeries and Mexican burrito outlets are showing the most growth of the UK’s small and emerging high street eating out chains, showing that while consumers may have cut back on their dining out, they are still keen to treat themselves inexpensively to something of good quality, served quickly and efficiently.

Foodservice consultancy Horizons in its latest Ones to Watch survey demonstrates that the nation’s love of coffee shows no signs of abating. Emerging coffee brands in the survey have shown a 132% growth rate over the past 12 months in terms of outlet numbers.

Chains such as Harris+Hoole, which has gone from one to 10 outlets, typify this growth market as does Gregg’s Moment (with five outlets) and Lavazza Expression, which currently has three outlets with plans for over 50 sites in greater London over the next three years. SOHO Coffee has grown from 16 outlets in 2012 to 20 in 2013, while Taylor Street Baristas (nine outlets) is also on Horizons’ latest Ones to Watch list.

“In many ways coffee shops have benefitted from the economic downturn,” commented report author Nicola Knight, Horizons’ director of services. “Buying a coffee and a snack is a way of treating yourself relatively cheaply and as

The steady growth of new coffee focused chains such as Harris+Hoole has made the sector ‘one to watch’, say researchers, Horizons. consumers have become more discerning about their coffee the artisan and specialist outlets offer something over and above that of the well-known chains.”

Ones to Watch identifies and tracks the growth of up and coming brands on the UK’s high streets, charting their rate of growth in terms of outlet numbers. The service identifies those brands likely to become high street names of the future, but which currently have between five and 25 outlets and have shown at least a 20% growth over the past three years combined.

Healthy quick service (with sit-down or takeaway options and where you pay when you order) is another growth area with brands like sandwich bar operator Abokado, which now has 13 outlets making it one of the fastest growing Ones to Watch brands (owned by Kings Park Capital, Abokado aims to have 24 outlets by the end of 2013).

Typifying the relatively new genre of healthy takeaway outlet is Planet Organic (now with five outlets) and Pod (23), say Horizons. Both appeal to health-conscious consumers looking for a nutritious and healthy on-the-go meal and an alternative to existing quick service chains.

Pod, which opened the most new sites of all Horizons’ Ones to Watch brands this year, claims the healthy fast food market is starting to heat up as sandwich and coffee chains catch on to an increased awareness of healthy food. The London-based chain increased its estate with the purchase of Café Mana in 2012 and has plans to reach 30 outlets this year, including three in London.

While the majority of healthy quick service Ones to Watch brands are in London, they are likely to move outside the capital if their success continues, predict Horizons. Tossed, for example, which has gone from eight to 10 outlets over the past 12 months has started that move by opening at Bluewater shopping mall in Kent.

Inspiration and business support for the café community The Caffè Culture Show (15-16 May 2013 Olympia, London) is one of the most well known industry events for networking and business within the café bar sector, giving visitors a chance to benefit from a broad mix of specialist suppliers, live demonstrations, interactive tastings and free business advice.

A vital resource for every café bar operator, visitors to this year’s show will be able to interact with over 230 suppliers and become part of an event which generates fresh ideas, shared experiences and business-to-business networking, say organisers.

Valuable insight can also be gathered from the two main feature areas, the Caffè

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

Business Theatre and the Taste Experience Stage, which will showcase a full programme of free seminars and theatre-style demos from leaders in the field to ensure that visitors are upto-date on the latest specialist skills and techniques.

The Caffé Business Theatre will host a series of seminars focusing on the key issues facing café bar operators today and include speakers such as Kenneth Sharp from Triage Hospitality, who will demonstrate the results of extensive research into how café owners can turn high footfall levels into a sustained income from the provision of an effective coffee offering.

The expert presenters on the Taste Experience Stage will

show visitors how they can easily transform their food and beverage offering through practical demonstrations and interactive sessions. Visitors will be able to taste a range of beverages, learn about the latest barista techniques and match the right products with their particular business. The programme will also include a

session presented by catering consultant, Paul Eagles (pictured), who will demonstrate his techniques for utilising existing barista skills to present a top quality, full and varied hot chocolate selection.

Exhibitors will include Cawston Press, Eureka, Sri Tea, Artisan Biscuits, Varesina Caffe, Franke, Beyond the Bean and Matthew Algie, who will offer a range of products to enhance all areas of a successful business, from café design to bakery, drinks, clothing, café equipment and tableware (for more information and to register visit www.caffecultureshow.com/reg ister or follow on twitter @caffecultureshw and use #caffeculture in your tweets).

MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 5

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NEWS

Ice cream industry applauds its winners Ice cream producers from Scotland and north east England have scooped the major honours in the prestigious National Ice Cream Competition.

Two family-run businesses were crowned champion of champions beating off competition from more than 100 entries in the contest run by the Ice Cream Alliance - the trade body for the UK's £1.1bn ice cream industry.

The Di Meo family, who run a parlour in Whitley Bay, were crowned champion vanilla ice cream makers and Giacopazzi's of Eyemouth took the best of the best honours for flavoured ice cream with their chocolate fudge brownie.

Both winning families have a long tradition of ice cream making and Zelica Carr, chief executive officer of the Ice Cream Alliance commented: "Like many food sectors, the ice cream industry has been battling against substantial increases in ingredient prices but this competition highlights not only the resilience of ice cream makers but also the fantastic wealth of talent in Britain and Ireland. I am sure that with this combination the ice cream industry will continue to have a bright future."

Luciano Di Meo celebrating his outlet’s win in the annual Ice Cream Alliance National Ice Cream Awards.

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CAFÉ CULTURE

Latte Pro marketing licenses now available The creators of what is being pitched as a ground-breaking new milk-frothing jug have announced the international release of marketing licenses for their product, Latte Pro. Innovations Development Australia created Latte Pro to address problems in the hospitality market related to accurate heating of milk for latte beverages (Latte Pro delivers consistent temperatures for milk-based coffee through an accurate, integrated liquid crystal display (LCD) thermometer integrated into the jug, thereby replacing the need for unreliable stick thermometers or the hand-touch method for judging milk temperature).

“We’re extremely pleased to present Latte Pro to the global market. Our goal is that Latte Pro will replace the mainstream use of milk frothing jugs and stick thermometers, as we believe that every outlet serving espresso coffee will benefit from taking a more consistent approach in frothing milk and achieving the correct temperature each and every time,” said IDA director, Andrew Towns.

Andrew Towns, Patrick Mitchell and Perry Mastroyanis established

Prospective distributors and licensees can contact Innovations Development Australia on enquiries@idaglobal.com.au.

Innovations Development Australia Pty Ltd (www.idaglobal.com.au) when they recognised the need for an Australianbased private research and development company delivering solutions for worldwide applications (IDA is based in Hobart, Tasmania, a unique location enabling them to take advantage of Tasmania’s creative culture while collaborating with global partners, say the company).

Handing over the keys at a Cafe2U After over six years’ successful operation of their Basingstoke Cafe2U franchise, Brian and Angela Wills have decided it’s time to move on to new business challenges, but were more than happy to have found excited successors in Jeremy and Bronny Stopford.

Jeremy Stopford has left a very successful career in the finance industry behind and says that he is now looking forward to running the Cafe2U franchise with his wife, Bronny. Both have already received industry-leading training and participated in Cafe2U’s acceleration launch programme (a unique four-week training and support programme for all new Cafe2U franchise partners). By taking on an existing business, Jeremy and Bronny Stopford will also benefit from increased security, immediate cashflow and, of course, as well an established reputation.

“Following the excellent Cafe2U training at the Leeds head office, and a fabulously supportive handover from Brian and the Cafe2U Franchise Development team, I am terribly excited to be running my own Cafe2U business already!” said Jeremy Stopford.

Cafe2U (www.cafe2u.co.uk) has now

been operating in the UK for five years and is already the largest provider of mobile coffee here with some 50 franchise partners across the UK. Originally founded in Australia 10 years ago, Cafe2U has been franchising in Australia for seven years, and has launched in three new countries in 2012 alone. Popular all over the world, South Africa has most recently become its third international market, alongside Germany and New Zealand. With over 150 franchisees worldwide, the brand can claim to be the world’s largest mobile coffee franchise system to deliver fresh espresso coffee and food to people in non-traditional locations such as workplaces, events and functions.

Jeremy Stopford on Cafe2U’s training course.

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NEWS

Tim Burgess meets up with a Fairtrade coffee farmer To mark the end of Fairtrade Fortnight, Charlatans front man and virtual coffee entrepreneur, Tim Burgess, invited Costa Rican Fairtrade coffee producer Gerardo Arias Carmacho to his recording studio in Cheshire to gain an insight into the life of a farmer in the developing world.

Gerardo Arias Carmacho is a board member of his village co-operative, Cooperativa Llano Bonito in Costa Rica, and grows some of the coffee beans that go into the Tim Peaks blend. Visiting the UK as part of Fairtrade Fortnight to represent Fairtrade smallholder coffee farmers, he was able to offer a rare glimpse into a world a far cry away from the glamorous world of music.

Tim Peaks Fairtrade coffee started with a tweet. When founder, Tim Burgess, offered his twitter followers a virtual cup of coffee one morning, the response was overwhelming and in conversations with his followers he came up with a name and someone sent him a logo. Then at Kendal Calling festival, the virtual coffee became a reality and was quickly launched. Over the three days at the festival they served over 1,000 cups of Tim Peaks coffee from a log cabin to the sound of a Wurlitzer juke boxes playing songs they had previously played on twitter.

“Ethically sourcing my coffee was a major part of bringing my virtual product to life. We wanted to know the whole story of who was growing it, with whole process before it was shopped to us. The idea that the more people bought the more good it would be doing means it’s worth all the hard

Tim Burgess with Costa Rican coffee farmer, Gerardo Arias Carmacho. work”, explains Tim Burgess.

Tim Burgess is supporting the Fairtrade Fortnight digital campaign at www.fairtrade.org.uk/gofurther this year, and his virtual avatar joined thousands of three inch paper protestors descending on Parliament Square recently in a Fairtradebacked march calling for David Cameron to do more to protect smallholder farmers like Gerardo from trade injustice (the marchers asked the government to put smallholder farmers at the heart of its trade policy ahead of the G8 summit in June).

“Without Fairtrade we would probably have gone out of business during the terrible coffee crisis a decade ago,” said Gerardo Arias Carmacho. “The coffee crisis lasted for several years and prices fell to 45 cents a kilo.”

Of his co-operative’s 532 coffee-growing members, 40% are women, who live in and around the village of Llano Bonito with a population of 2,000. Their farms are at an

average altitude of 1,500 metres, high in the mountains of Tarrazu in San José state where they grow the renowned and sought after coffee grade known as strictly hard bean (SHB). The co-op is one of nine members of Coocafé, a secondary level coop that represents 3,500 farmers across four states. Coocafé’s mission is to promote the social and economic development of its members’ communities through environmentally sustainable coffee production. It processes, markets and exports its members’ coffee and provides a range of agricultural services and training.

Gerardo Arias Carmacho is married with three children and the coffee he grows on half of his five hectare (12 acres) farm provides virtually all of his cash income. On the rest of his land he keeps several cows and grows vegetables, beans, corn, bananas, oranges and mangoes for family consumption. The farm takes up most of his time so on a typical day he gets up at 5am and works in his fields from six in the morning until five or six in the evening. Even putting in these long hours, Gerardo says that he often struggles to make ends meet.

He needs to earn 60-70 cents a kilo just to cover costs of production and a further $1,000 a year to cover his family’s outgoings.

“Fortunately, with the support of Coocafé and Fairtrade, the Fairtrade price allows us to survive as coffee farmers. It covers our costs of production, lets us send our kids to school, buy clothes and keep a roof over our heads,” he explains.

First Robusta coffee certified by the Coffee Quality Institute Sethuraman Estate’s Robusta Kaapi Royale (RKR) has announced that it has become the first Robusta coffee certified by the Coffee Quality Institute’s R Coffee™ System.

In a blind evaluation performed last month, the coffee achieved a score of 82.76 to receive the first R Certificate issued in the organisation’s recently launched Fine Robusta initiative.

“CQI’s mission is to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it, including those who grow Robusta,” commented CQI’s executive director, Ted Lingle.

“Robusta farmers have not enjoyed the higher coffee prices of the past several years, as low (or no) standards for Robusta coffees have rendered them an inferior substitute for their Arabica cousins. The R Coffee™ System was established to set an industry standard and independently

8 MARCH 2013

CAFÉ CULTURE

identify high quality Robustas so that these coffees may receive the acknowledgment and market differentiation they deserve.”

In a process similar to the industry standard Q Coffee™ System, R Coffees are evaluated by three Licensed R Graders under the Coffee Quality Institute's R Grading System at CQI or one of its authorized In-Country Partners. Coffees successfully meeting the standards to be considered Fine Robusta as defined by the Fine Robusta standards receive an R Certificate. Those that do not meet the minimum requirements receive a technical report.

“We are truly honoured to receive the first quality certificate for a Robusta coffee from CQI,” said Sethuraman estate managing partner, Nishant Gurjer. “This is not only an important achievement for the people of Sethuraman Estate, it is a historic moment for all Robusta coffee growers. We

The Sethuraman Estate in India has become the first Robusta coffee to be certified by the Coffee Quality Institute’s R Coffee™ System. hope that this program will go far to change Robusta’s reputation in the speciality coffee industry and to inspire all Robusta farmers to improve quality.”

Arabica and Robusta coffees certified by CQI are listed in the Q Coffee database at www.coffeeinstitute.org along with a copy of each certificate and compiled scores from the evaluation.

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NEWS

Dedicated number for consumer feedback

Sodexo Prestige launches new Aspretto Café Sodexo Prestige, a catering and events company, says that it has reinforced its ethical approach to food with the launch of Aspretto in the apex in Bury St Edmunds.

The new Aspretto will be using coffee beans known for their unique aroma, flavour and acidity, say the company, and clients can rest assured that a positive impact is created in all of Aspretto’s communities as the coffee is Fairtrade which guarantees farmers a good wage for their beans, and Rainforest Alliance ensuring that natural resources are conserved and wildlife protected in the beans’ cultivation. The coffee is also organic to restrict the use of potentially harmful artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Aspretto will also benefit the communities in which it is sold through Sodexo’s STOP Hunger initiative which aims to tackle hunger, support nutritional diets and promote life skills in its communities. In addition, Aspretto staff collect used coffee grounds and tea bags which can then be used as compost.

Sodexo Prestige was awarded the seven year contract in April 2012 by St Edmundsbury Borough Council to provide hospitality and catering at the apex, the Athenaeum and Abbey Gardens. Event catering at Moyse's Hall Museum is also included in the agreement. The council chose Sodexo Prestige because of its commitment of ‘local venues for local people’, and through the significant investment which Sodexo Prestige can offer to develop the venues’ offerings across meetings, conferences, private parties and weddings, as well as create exciting new public catering outlets such as the Aspretto at the apex.

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CAFÉ CULTURE

What is claimed to be the world’s very first telephone number that connects consumers to brands has launched – 66099 – and whatever the feedback, good or bad, consumers can now get on their soap box and rant or rave about it in real-time on their mobile phone by simply calling, texting or sending an MMS to 66099, say its creators Rapide (www.rantandrave.co.uk).

In return, outlets can now gain valuable insight into where they are going right – and where they may be going wrong.

The concept is free to brands, providing each and every retailer with the chance to view all of their customers’ rants and raves in a bespoke dashboard that they can log into at any point and see how they’re being perceived, say Rapide. The system uses natural language processing and text analytics to understand each comment and highlight if they’re positive or negative.

Executives will be able to view their dashboard and quickly and easily see how and why they are going right – or wrong – and Rapide is also offering businesses the opportunity to upgrade to their Enterprise package which helps companies look more closely at feedback and act upon it.

Amongst a wealth of add-ons, the Enterprise dashboard is uniquely tailored for their type of business and each company will receive access to state-of-the-art SWOT analysis tools that enable companies to

react quickly to comments, spot areas in need of improvement and rescue unhappy customers before they go to their competitors. The technology is even sophisticated enough to understand customers’ expectations about how they would like their feedback to be responded to. The telephone number free to call from a mobile, and texting or sending an MMS is standard network rate, often included in a person’s phone bundle.

Mike McMaster, head of client services at Rapide, the company behind Rant & Rave (66099) said: “Businesses want to know what their customers think about them.

Staff often receive verbal compliments or complaints or many businesses produce surveys which they ask customers to fill in – but these don’t provide enough feedback that they can actually act upon. By providing consumers with a free telephone number for them to call they can rant or rave about a brand as much as they like; they are not restricted to a space in a box and they don’t have to log on to a website and fill out a complaints form.”

The award-winning technology company can already list half of the FTSE as their clients, including Vodafone, Barclays, Manchester United, Premier Inn and the National Grid (to view the live feed of comments visit www.66099.co.uk or www.rantandrave.co.uk).

Cravendale splashes out with new digital barista training kits Ahead of the 2013 UK Barista Championships, Cravendale milk has announced its continuing support of the coffee industry with the launch of free digital training kits aimed at up and coming baristas.

In the ninth year of Cravendale’s sponsorship of the UK Barista Championships the brand has launched its first digital barista training manual to provide new baristas with invaluable advice in a fun, modern and interactive way.

Using the Aurasma app - which is free to download from Google Play or the iTunes App Store - baristas can simply scan each page of the training kit to see the pages come to life and view interactive videos from expert barista, Paul Meikle-Janney. The manual includes advice on making the perfect espresso, cappuccino and latte as well as tips on how to prepare foam and step-by step videos on how to create impressive latte art.

“Cravendale prides itself on making the best cup of coffee because of the way the milk froths and coffee shops remain a key part of our business focus. At Cravendale we’ve invested a lot over the years to support the coffee industry so improving our

resources for new baristas with the latest digital innovations was the obvious next step to demonstrate our ongoing commitment,” said Sophie MacAulay, Cravendale’s brand manager.

Paul Meikle-Janney, who used Cravendale milk when creating the videos for the new digital kits and on the results, added: “Cravendale is very reliable in its foaming ability thanks to its unique filter process which extends the life of the milk. Foam quality deteriorates with the age of the milk, and further deterioration occurs if the milk is not kept in adequate cold storage.

Cravendale’s bottles help protect the milk from sunlight, again helping to further extend shelf life.

“Anything that gets reliable information out there to improve coffee quality is a worthy cause and the new Cravendale digital kit makes the training accessible to a much wider audience. The videos mean we can include much more content and these new kits will be warmly received by the industry”.

The new training kits are available now and new baristas interested in receiving a copy can call 0845 600 6688 or email trade@arlafoods.com to request their free kit.

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NEWS

SHORTS CoffeeGuru app Greg Cohen has developed CoffeeGuru - an independent coffeehouse finder for iPhone that has been released and is available at the iTunes store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-americasbest-coffeehouses/id547969523?ls=1&mt=8). Designed to address the ‘third wave’ of coffee connoisseurship throughout the US, UK and Canada, especially those who use direct trade beans, since its release, CoffeeGuru has grown to over 6,000 coffeehouses around the US, UK and Canada and 83 Direct Trade & Fair Trade roasters. Users can use the search by Name, Postal, City or Country to do a bit a research before leaving home and information is updated almost daily.

Businesses sought for TV programme Twofour Broadcast are looking for businesses to take part in a new TV series. Are you worried about the future of your business? Are you finding it tough in the current economic climate? Whatever the challenges facing your business, Twofour Broadcast would like to hear from you and have an experienced business advisor on hand to offer advice to businesses who may have concerns about their future (call Naomi on 0207 438 1851 or e mail business@twofour.co.uk).

Nespresso’s head of B2C Nespresso has appointed Alex Livesey to the role of head of B2C for the UK & Ireland markets. He will be working closely with their retail partners to promote the Nespresso brand and capsule system for the in-home market and the appointment comes as the Swiss company announced double digit growth for 2012. In the UK, the company’s strong performance was bolstered by the launch of three new boutiques - including its flagship on London’s Regent Street - to enhance the customer experience and respond to the UK’s increasing desire for quality coffee.

New businesses struggle to get finance The Forum of Private Business has said data released in the recent BDRC Finance Monitor for SME lending highlights ongoing problems with business banking in the UK. There are particular issues for first time applicants (FTAs) who are finding it increasingly difficult to successfully source credit from lenders. The BDRC research showed more than half (54%) of FTAs for a loan or overdraft ended the process unsuccessfully compared to 21% for non-first time applicants seeking new or renewed facilities, and 8% for those renewing an existing facility over the last three years.

Register for VAT online HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging new businesses which need to register for VAT to do it online, rather than on paper. Registering for VAT online is easier, more secure and faster than using a paper form and as well as avoiding postal delays, the online system provides onscreen help and you get an immediate on-screen acknowledgment that HMRC has received your application, say HMRC.

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The Huhtamaki team collecting their award from Bunzl.

Huhtamaki wins Bunzl award The packaging and disposables manufacturer, Huhtamaki UK, was awarded with Supplier of the Year accolade at the annual Bunzl Conference and Awards Ceremony, 2013, the company having now won the coveted award twice in four years.

The Bunzl Conference and Awards took place in February and recognise the dedication of its staff and suppliers and rewards excellent service. The theme of this year’s awards, which were held in Old Windsor, was “Stronger Together”, and in line with the theme guests enjoyed a

Medieval Banquet and dressed up in costume for the occasion!

Matt Johnson, managing director of Bunzl Catering Supplies said: “The team of directors at Bunzl was highly impressed with the continued high levels of excellent service, supplied by Huhtamaki. This, combined with their drive to constantly innovate and the way they support us to achieve our goals were key considerations in our nominating Huhtamaki for this award. We look forward to many more years of working in conjunction with them.”

Monin sponsors UK Barista Championship Coffee syrup specialist Monin UK is a major sponsor of this year’s UK Barista Championship, the fourth regional heat of which is being held at the Chester Coffee Festival, Chester Racecourse, March 30 to April 1.

The intense competition, organised by the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe UK Chapter, is being held on Sunday (31) and Monday (1).

Contestants are given 15 minutes to prepare and make four espresso, four cappuccino and four espresso-based nonalcoholic speciality drinks.

Judges will mark out of a maximum of 840 points, with the top 20 going through to the semi-finals to be held at The Old Truman Brewery in London on Saturday, April 27, as part of The London Coffee Festival.

Semi-finalists will be whittled

down for the following day’s final.

Darril Ling, Monin UK brand manager, said: “Monin UK is delighted to once again be the syrup sponsor for UKBC. We believe it is important for the industry’s major suppliers to give their support to such competitions, which showcase the creative edge of the coffee industry.

“Like high-end fashion shows, events such as UKBC promote aspirational values and techniques which can then be re-interpreted in more practical, cost-effective applications by ‘front-line’ baristas.”

James Coston, Monin UK brand ambassador, will take to the main stage on the Sunday (31) and Monday (1) of the festival to give a talk on the introduction to the UK of syrups for coffee.

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Sponsored By

Awards 2013

The Café Society is a trade body focused on the encouragement of the café experience as a way of life in the UK. As well as providing support for its members, the Society aims to promote the café society to consumers in a way that will encourage the development and embodiment of this casual way of life into British lifestyles.

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Join us for

The Café Society Awards 2013 Luncheon At the Roof Gardens

99 Kensington High Street, London

The eight award categories are: ■ The Café Society Award

At 12.15pm

■ Café Chain Award

On Wednesday 19th June 2013

■ Independent Café Award ■ Café Design Award ■ Café Beverage Award ■ Café Marketing Award

The Awards will by presented by last year’s Café Society Award winner

■ Café New Product Award ■ Café Food Award

James Dickson, Executive Director, Workshop Coffee Co.

To book your table at the awards please email your details to pam@jandmgroup.co.uk, or complete the following booking form and fax to 01291 630402, or post to: Pam Sainsbury, Café Society, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, Monmouthshire NP16 5DB Contact Name ............................................................................

Business Name ..........................................................................

Address ......................................................................................

Card Type: (e.g. Visa, Mastercard) ..............................................

(Please note – we do not accept American Express)

Card Number ..............................................................................

3 digit security number ................Expiry Date ..........................

....................................................................................................

Name on card .............................................................................. ....................................................................................................

Signed ............................................................ Date .................. ................................................Post Code ..................................

Please book: ............ Table(s) at the Café Society Awards 2012 at £980 + VAT per table ............ Place(s) at the Café Society Awards 2012 at £100 + VAT per place

Do you or your guests have any specific dietary requirements?

If yes, please list .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................

If you require further information please telephone Pam Sainsbury on 01291 636341 or 07866 670605

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AWARDS Sponsored By

Enter the Café Society Awards 2013 In these challenging times, it is all too easy to let standards slip and to put innovation and creativity on a back burner - yet the long term future and integrity of the café market depends on us all maintaining the high standards and reputation that the industry has achieved to date.

The Café Society Awards aims to encourage good practice, innovation and standards by recognising those who continue to push the boundaries and lead the way in promoting all aspects of the Café Society in the UK. The 2013 awards will take the form of a luncheon at the Roof Gardens, Kensington on June 19th when eight awards will be presented. So why not enter your business in the 2013 Awards and gain the prestige and recognition your business or product deserves.

INDEPENDENT CAFÉ GOLD AWARDS This award aims to recognise excellence and encourage innovation in the independent sector of the UK café/coffee bar market. A café/coffee bar business is considered independent with fewer than 10 outlets. Gold Awards will be presented to all those who the judges consider achieve sufficiently high standards that they consider merit recognition.

In this category the judges are looking for outlets that set high standards in what they offer the customer, from the quality of the products and the atmosphere in the outlet to the ambiance created. All those short-listed in this award will be visited by an independent judge who will report on factors such as atmosphere, facilities, cleanliness and product range as well as customer service.

Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an A4 sheet of text – giving details of why you think this business deserves an award.

Details of the success of the business should be included as well as photographs showing the frontage, customer area and serving area while operating. Entries may be accompanied by supporting literature.

Please make sure your entry arrives before the closing date – 15th April, 2013

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THE CAFÉ CHAIN AWARD This award aims to recognise excellence amongcafé/coffee bar chains. A café/coffee bar business is considered to be a chain if it has more than 10 outlets. In store cafès may enter this award and will be considered under the category of Café Chain Development within this award.

In this category the judges are looking for businesses that set consistently high standards in what they offer the customer, from the quality of the products they offer to the ambiance created. All those shortlisted in this award will be visited by an independent judge who will report on factors such as atmosphere, facilities, cleanliness and product range as well as customer service.

Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an A4 sheet of text – giving details of why you think this business deserves an award.

Details of the success of the business should be included. Entrants should also provide a list of sites, at least one of which will be chosen at random for a visit by an independent judge. Entries may be accompanied by supporting literature.

Please ensure your entry arrives before the closing date – 15th April, 2013 BEST NEW CAFÉ BEVERAGE AWARD This award aims to encourage innovation in the beverage sector and is open both to retailers designing new drinks in-house as well as those supplying beverages for sale in Cafes and Coffee Bars. The award will be divided into two sections – one for hot beverages and one for cold.

The judges will be looking for innovation as well as evidence of success in the market.

Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an A4 sheet of text – giving details of why the product is innovative and deserves an award. It is important that entries provide

data to support success in the market.

Entries may be accompanied by product literature. Those products short-listed for this award will be asked to provide samples for judging. The Award qualifying period is from 31st March 2012 to 1st April 2013. Closing date 15th April.

CAFÉ DESIGN GOLD AWARDS This award aims to recognise excellence and encourage innovation in the design of cafes/coffee bars both in the independent and chain sectors. Gold Awards will be presented to all those who the judges consider achieve sufficiently high standards that they consider merit recognition. Café/coffee bar operators or those designing outlets may enter this award.

In this category the judges are looking for designs that are innovative but commercially viable – providing an attractive and comfortable experience for the consumer.

Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an A4 sheet of text – giving details of why the product is innovative and deserves an award. Entries should include details of the aims behind the design and how these have been achieved. Entries may be accompanied by photographs.

Please ensure your entry reaches us before the closing date of 15th April.

BEST NEW CAFÉ FOOD AWARD This award aims to encourage innovation in the food sector and is open both to retailers designing new drinks in-house as well as those supplying products for sale in Cafes and Coffee Bars. The award will be divided into two sections – one for savoury products and one for sweet products.

The judges will be looking for innovation as well as evidence of success in the market. Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an

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AWARDS A4 sheet of text – giving details of why the product is innovative and deserves an award. It is important that entries provide data to support success in the market.

Entries may be accompanied by product literature. Those products short-listed for this award will be asked to provide samples for judging. The Award qualifying period is from 31st March 2012 to 1st April 2013. Closing date is 15th April.

NEW CAFÉ PRODUCT/EQUIPMENT AWARD This award aims to encourage innovation in the supply sector. The scope of the award covers all items used in the café/coffee bar sector (excluding food and beverages) from furniture to coffee equipment.

The judges will be looking for innovation as well as evidence of success in the market.

Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an A4 sheet of text – giving details of why the product is innovative and deserves an award. It is important that entries provide data to support success in the market.

Entries may be accompanied by product literature. The Award qualifying period is 31st March 2012 to 1st April 2013. Closing date is April 15th.

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CAFÉ MARKETING AWARD This Award is intended to recognise the work being done by retailers and suppliers to market and promote businesses or products in the café industry.

The judges will take account of the creativeness of the initiative or campaign and its success against its stated objectives.

Entrants should provide a written submission (no more than a single side of A4) stating the activity, how it worked and its success. Supporting material, such as POS examples, can be submitted with entries. The Award qualifying period is 31st March 2012 to 1st April 2013. Closing date 15th April.

THE CAFÉ SOCIETY AWARD This is a lifetime award which may be presented to an individual or organisation that the judges consider merits recognition for the contribution they have made to the development, growth and prosperity of the café/coffee bar market.

In this category the judges are looking for an individual or business which has made a genuine contribution to the wellbeing of the market. Entries should comprise a short explanation – no more than half an A4 sheet of text – giving details of why you think this individual or business deserves recognition.

Please make ensure your entry arrives before the closing date – 15th April, 2013.

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES 15TH APRIL 2013 All entries will be treated in the strictest confidence and only seen by the Café Society Secretariat and the judging panel. All judges will be bound by a confidentiality agreement.

Please either email your entry to pam@jandmgroup.co.uk or post to: Café Society Awards, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, Mon NP16 5DB. For further information please email, or telephone Pam Sainsbury on 01291 636 341

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VAT

Time for a cut? ▲

A campaign to cut VAT from 20% to 5% in the hospitality sector - which has already achieved major success across Europe - is now aiming for similar here. A strong and viable case is being been put forward by the campaign’s figurehead - the legendary Jacques Borel (main picture) - who claims that there are a compelling range of benefits to be hand (job creation, increased footfall and occupancy rates, and the generation of additional tax revenues elsewhere to offset the initial cost of such a cut to the Exchequer). If successful, this cut could be implemented here by the Treasury in 2014.

Seasoned campaigner Jacques Borel has been on a mission to cut VAT since the early 1960s when, as an entrepreneur in the hospitality sector in his native France, he started campaigning for French hospitality businesses to be included in a VAT system as opposed to a US-style sales tax approach (this type of levying having prevented him and others from reclaiming any VAT on investments made).

By 1967, he had been successful in achieving this, securing a reduction of the rate from 15% to 6% for hotels and canteens there. However, it wasn’t until 2009 – when he was successful in bringing together 27 of the EU’s finance ministers to vote in Brussels for the possibility of allowing all EU member countries to be able to decrease their VAT rate for their own restaurant services - that he was instrumental in bringing about a similar cut that also applied to cafés and restaurants in France (even though the French finance minister of the time had confidently predicted to him that the cut for cafés and restaurants would follow on in “less than five years”).

In the event, it took Jacques Borel 42 years of persistent campaigning to widen the application of the cut to the rest of France’s hospitality sector, with July 2009 seeing France decrease its VAT from 19.6% to 5.5% for restaurant services (as

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a result of his campaigning, 2009 also saw the Belgian and German parliaments vote in favour various cuts in their hospitality-related VAT). This long wait, however, is now the very reason why he is urging the UK to make sure that it campaigns for a cut that applies to all UK hospitality businesses ‘in one fell swoop’.

Critically, Jacques Borel is keen to point out via his company’s (the VAT Club, www.vatclub.co.uk) in depth industry reports and campaignrelated literature, he feels that the time is also now right in the UK to achieve this cut, even though our present coalition that is apparently focused on decreasing public spending has appeared resistant to the idea.

With an eye on what looks set to be a tough UK election for

all parties in 2015, Jacques Borel speculates that our government will be ultimately be judged by its people on the current state of the economy and in particular the unemployment level, and so it will be eager to deploy business-enhancing schemes as well as employmentboosting opportunities to help win votes. And a proposed VAT cut here in the hospitality sector from 20% to 5% would deliver on all counts, asserts Jacques Borel.

Mention of such a cut has already featured in the Treasury’s 2013 Pre-Budget Report and most recently Jacques Borel had a meeting with the Treasury’s VAT chief, Stephanie Farr, towards the end of last year to outline his proposals and thinking.

The benefits to be had For a brief period in 2010/11, in the wake of the financial crisis and the drying up of credit and consumer willingness to go out and spend money, VAT in the UK was cut from an already high 20% to 17.5% in an effort to help boost business in all quarters. With the benefit of hindsight, many would argue that this was clearly too insufficient and temporary a cut, and that the benefits it created were minimal and too shortlived, which is why a more dramatic cut focused on the hospitality sector in particular is felt by many to have far greater ‘knock-on’ potential.

In applying its own cut, France, it is claimed, actually saw a £500 million windfall for the state due to the additional tax revenues created by boosted spending in the sector, and it is proposed that very similar would happen here too. At the same time, and appealingly to what in many cases are now extremely hard-pressed consumers here, it is worth noting that restaurant and café prices subsequently fell by just over 2% in France, helping to encourage more frequent spending.

Early on after the VAT cut in France between June 2009 and June 2010, 26,700 additional jobs were quickly created in the restaurant sector - a bigger than anticipated increase of +4% as opposed to +3.2%, and

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VAT indicating that job creation in the sector is likely to be faster as a result of the VAT cut (even more when France emerges from recession), predicts Jacques Borel’s VAT Club.

So what are the numbers in the case of Britain? The cost of reducing VAT to 5% in the sector would be between £1.5 and £3.4 billion (towards the higher end if alcoholic beverages are included), calculates Jacques Borel’s VAT Club. The number of jobs that could potentially be created could be in the region of 670,000 if alcohol is included, it is claimed (the fiscal cost per new job in the sector likely to be what is felt by many to be a manageable band of £6,900 to £16,300).

In 2008, the British Hospitality Association estimated that there were 1,983,100 existing full and parttime jobs in the hospitality sector, in particular offering opportunities to female, the young, unskilled, disadvantaged and part-time workers. For many, it is a noticeable ‘first step’ on their career ladder, indicating that this sector is a vital and more active part of the overall economy than many people might give it credit for.

Other, less tangible and obvious, but no less important, benefits, feel the VAT Club, could include a rise in the number of businesses created (many catering enterprises being easy to set up, and starting off small, it’s argued), less incentive for small hospitality businesses to remain below the VAT threshold of £71,000, less under-reporting of cash receipts and thus more tax revenues (the ‘shadow economy’ is estimated to be at a level of 12% of the total UK economy, according to Austria’s University of Linz), as well as a reduction of the UK’s tourism deficit (£20.5 billion in 2008, and on the rise as long as tourists keep choosing to go elsewhere due to our prohibitive pricing).

The other ‘disparity’ that Jacques Borel is keen for industry and the public at large to be more aware of in the UK right now is the fact that unlike their catering business

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counterparts, supermarkets can sell many ‘rival’ food and alcoholic drink products free of any VAT, making for an extremely un-level playing field, he argues.

Jacques Borel goes further, observing that in his opinion it is the very fact that supermarkets here can sell alcohol so cheaply that is serving to place an unhealthy strain on our healthcare resources due to the unprecedented rise in alcoholrelated illnesses. Supermarkets selling alcoholic beverages at a loss finance it by the zero VAT rates that apply to their food products, he claims, whereas providing a more equal tax regime for drinks served with meals in a supervised and responsible environment such as pubs and restaurants would assist in encouraging healthier drinking habits.

UK campaign Over the past couple of years here, Jacques Borel’s VAT Club has been garnering considerable support in the media, from MPs, trade organisations and the hospitality industry itself, such as the backing from many pub companies.

JD Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin has already expressed the opinion that the pub sector of the hospitality industry at large, for instance, will not be able to

continue in the long term by continually having to pay such a high rate of tax if it is to remain competitive and affordable for the average British consumer.

Jacques Borel is often in the UK, and has plans to commence discussions with our government ministers come April. With a good understanding of how the market is here, if not a fondness for the UK and its cultural and social issues - of how important the pub is, for example - as well as the high cost of restaurant food when compared to other countries in the EU, he and his team have been arming themselves with the necessary facts and figures to back their campaign for a cut. Observing that British pubs are predominantly ‘wet’ trade, for example, he understandably feels that a VAT cut for drinks retailed in the pub environment would be just one instance of how to potentially set about reigniting a currently struggling and threatened sector.

Above all, however, he is keen to point out that persistence will be the key, with many (most likely, repeated) visits to civil servants, government aides and MPs ahead before anything concrete can be achieved, which is why the facts and figures concerning the benefits of the proposed cut are being communicated so

The Irish example In Ireland, in 2011, in the wake of a successful campaign there, the VAT rate that applied to hospitality and tourism businesses there was lowered from 13.5% to 9%, and it is claimed that as a direct result occupancy rates for hotels increased, additional jobs were created and business was generally up. At the same time, as with some other EU countries, Ireland also saw the abolition of its Joint Labour Committee Employment Regulation Orders which effectively meant that restaurants and hotels were no longer obliged to pay over the national

minimum wage for their staff.

A subsequent survey carried out by Ireland’s Restaurants Association suggests that hospitality businesses were very quick to pass on the benefits of the VAT cut to their customers, with some 94% reporting that they had indeed passed on the saving, and 44.8% noticing an uplift in their business’s turnover compared to the previous year’s trading.

Thus, there is a feeling in Ireland on both the part of business and their customers, that good, affordable but still profitable, value is now on offer in the hospitality sector.

widely to all at this stage and additional lobbying campaigns begun.

When the VAT rate went back up to 20%, for example, Caterer and Hotelkeeper launched its Slash VAT, Boost Business campaign which has been lobbying the government to reduce the VAT rate. At the time of going to press, we can report that the Café Society’s director, Jim Winship, has met and had discussions with Jacques Borel as to the role it can play in this campaign.

If all goes well, Jacques Borel is aiming for a VAT announcement to be made by the UK government in its preBudget report due out in October/November this year, followed by enactment in the 2014 April budget.

Commitment required At the same time, however, for the success of a VAT cut to be fully realised, commitment is ultimately required from the industry itself. In other words, cost savings need to be passed on to consumers. Only by doing this will a greater number of consumers be fostered and their spend boosted, leading to more demand and the potential for future job creation, as well as new tax revenues for the government from the additional trade generated.

This is why Jacques Borel’s VAT Club has been ‘signing up’ major companies such as the pub chains (Wetherspoon, Arkell’s and Punch Taverns. for example), and other well-known brands and organisations (including Greggs, Pret A Manger, Pizza Hut and Prezzo), who say that they are all committed to making the necessary investment to the whole process.

Jacques Borel has already revealed that members of his VAT Club would be prepared to consign 60% of any reduction towards price decreases for customers, with 20% to be directed towards refurbishment and expansion plans.

Starbucks and Caffè Nero declined to comment on the proposed VAT cut, or the nature of the campaign itself.

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LOCATION

Location, Location Café launch and ownership is not for the faint-hearted or dis-organised, but relies upon the careful consideration of a range of aspects when it comes to arguably your most important decision – the right building in the right location – as architect, Paul Harrison, of Harrison Ince and David Bell of soon to be launched Krunch+Press both confirm here.

PAUL HARRISON Harrison Ince Check everything There are a number of areas that need consideration when venturing in to a café operation, particularly if you are new to it, advises Paul Harrison, a partner at the Manchester-based Harrison Ince Architects.

“Ensuring a business assessment has been prepared is key to success. This starts with the site. Cafés and coffee shops are covered under planning use category A3. The position of the café is possibly the most important factor to its success. In the current economic climate, vacant retail units are often available to buy or lease with favourable terms,” explains Paul Harrison.

“Many retail units on the high street have become available with the decline in high street retail, the only growth in recent years being pawnbrokers and discount stores. Any empty shop in a prime position would be a good start other locations would be railway stations or leisure and commercial zones

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which benefit from high pedestrian footfall during daytime hours.”

When a suitable site has been found, it is important to assess the building thoroughly counsel Harrison Ince (0161 236 3650).

“Check with the local authority planning department that A3 use would be acceptable, or if a change of use application is necessary.

Currently, only existing A4 (license premises) can be used for café/coffee bars without the need for change of use permission,” says Paul Harrison.

“Check the condition of the unit and if it

forms part of a larger building, check the overall building for potential problems. This could be with adjoining neighbours if potential noise and odours would be problematic. These problems need to be considered particularly if it is close to residential properties. If the unit is a leasehold, check with the landlord that the use is suitable.

“It is also important to check that the unit has adequate services, namely gas, water and electricity supply. Check it has adequate drainage connections. If it forms part of a multi-storey building check that the ceilings are fire proofed and fitted with sound proofing as this can be expensive. Often landlords will contribute to the cost of infrastructure work or offer rent free periods to assist in the funding of the development.”

The retail offer It goes without saying that consideration should be given to the café operation and what is to be retailed. Therefore, if a cooled storage required, for example, an area for external condensers must be identified.

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LOCATION If the café is to offer coked food, there may be a need for an extract system and a route for this will need to be agreed.

Depending on the size of the café consideration will need to be given for the delivery of goods and storage, refuse storage and collection. All such items may appear trivial but will be crucial if change of use is required, point out Harrison Ince.

“When a site has been found and the rental arrangements or purchase price agreed, the costs should be included in the business plan. This will ensure the cost projection is realistic. Very often without a pragmatic and considered cost appraisal venture will prove unsuccessful,” advises

Paul Harrison.

“Therefore, an architect or other experienced or qualified person can prove to be a valuable guide assisting with the whole process. An architect can also provide advice for the use of other consultants, such as a quantity surveyor to provide cost advice, to a structural engineer if structural work is necessary, and to mechanical and electrical consultants to design the services, and to a CDM coordinator.

“The number of consultants required depends greatly on the size and complexity of the project. Certain landlords (for example, Network Rail, airports and shopping centres) will insist on a team of consultants to provide

the service to ensure the whole process is diligent and accountable. They will also often provide a landlord’s shell specification and tenants fit out manual which will need to be adhered to.”

Advice can also be provided as to the extent of surveys required when seeking suitable site. Such surveys will confirm essential information which will have a bearing on the cost of the project (for example, asbestos, drainage, services and timber and damp).

“The more information that can be compiled prior to purchase or entering into a lease, the better,” says Paul Harrison. “This will go some way towards cost certainty prior

CAFFÈ RITAZZA’S Global Update Ten years ago the interior designers, McAndrew Watts, were approached by Caffè Ritazza to join their consulting team.

The designers had been working across various Heathrow Funding Limited (formerly known as BAA) sites in the UK, and started working with Caffè Ritazza at East Midlands Airport. From previously creating one café at a time, McAndrew Watts are now the sole brand consultants for the group, with a brief to ensure the brand’s store identity is implemented consistently around the globe.

Caffè Ritazza’s aim is simple - to bring to busy travellers great coffee and freshly made food in a space that is uncluttered and where the service is efficient and friendly.

From its origins, Caffè Ritazza’s growth was through tendering term contracts and they would fit the design of their stores with what was standard at that time.

This meant that after a few years some of the older cafés became out-dated. The challenge faced was to both update the estate and deliver sales growth thus maximising returns on the client’s capital investment.

“It would be easy to have ignored everything that had been developed previously and simply create a totally new concept for the brand, but this would involve an enormous capital expense and expose the

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client to huge commercial risk,” says Ian Watts, principle designer and the co-founder of architectural and interior designers McAndrew Watts (www.mcandrewwatts.com).

“We wanted to demonstrate that through inventive design we could minimise the investment needed on individual sites and prioritise where money needed to be spent to attract customers and increase sales.

“Working with the client we produced a new image for the brand which allowed us to refurbish older sites to the same standards as newer models without spending a fortune. Focusing on key elements such as the sign, graphic branding and the presentation and merchandising the service counter allowed us to develop a globally recognisable brand.”

This was achieved by extracting the most relevant and

visual elements that customers would associate with the new brand concept, and where sales potential would be maximised.

“The first store in the UK at Euston station has been very positive, both customers and staff all appreciate the new look store and sales have also been very encouraging. We have further plans to update other stores in the UK and internationally over the coming months,” says Stuart Coombes, brand director at Caffè Ritazza.

Currently the company have

designed and delivered over fifty Caffè Ritazza units globally, stretching all the way from Singapore to New York. With each base, McAndrew Watts works within the budget they are given to transform the space into a recognisable and attractive environment for travellers.

“We try not to be prescriptive,” adds Ian Watts.

“I’ve often found that sometimes necessity drives creativity, so having to work with existing elements forces you to think differently and more creatively about how you deliver the brand’s identity. Our aim as interior designers was to create an environment where each site has a slightly different atmosphere or design tweak.

“One of the messages that Caffè Ritazza wants to get across is that the customer environment is suited to all types of different requirements.

The stores can be a great place to relax and unwind and enjoy a flat white whilst passing time or for those customers who are more time poor and want a quick espresso or coffee to takeaway.

“The stores are regularly visited by people on business and also families so once again there are different needs that have to be catered for. Over the last ten years, I like to think we have managed to create and sustain such an atmosphere for their clientele which has become recognisable globally.”

MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 21

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LOCATION to committing to expensive construction costs.”

An architect can also provide advice on the legal and statutory approvals required.

This will include applying for building regulation approval and fire officer approval because it is important to ensure that fire escape routes and access are all safe and compliant.

“Designing the café can be the most exciting part of the whole process and seeing the initial vision become a reality is a rewarding experience,” observes Paul Harrison. “From the outset consider the visibility to the site, signage and illumination and the possibility of an external training area. This will be essential if alfresco dining is required, for instance, and particularly if smoking is to be allowed on the premises.”

An architect can often be well placed to assist with the vision of the scheme and provide innovative and expert design advice.

Ensuring the best use of internal space is essential. The trading area at ground level should be maximised, and this might mean that WC’s and support spaces such as office, storage and plant rooms are located in a basement or on a mezzanine level to ensure that only food preparation, serveries and bars are on the trading level. Facilities for the disabled will also need to be on ground level if the unit does not have the benefit of a lift.

Design advice Interior design advice can also be provided by a firm of architects. Scheme designs, mood boards and finishes and sample boards can be produced to communicate the vision.

When the scheme has been designed and the finishes agreed, budget costs can be prepared and included in the business plan to ensure the scheme meets the financial targets.

The scheme design can then be converted into a set of drawings and specification and, together with information from other consultants, form the basis of tender information to obtain construction costs. The building work can be negotiated with a building contractor, but the preferred route would be to obtain competitive tenders from a number of contractors, suggest Harrison Ince.

“When tenders are received and a preferred contractor appointed, building contracts can be drawn up to ensure that the client and contractors rights are protected.

Costs and building programme dates can be agreed. The contract building work period would depend on the size and complexity of the scheme,” explains Paul Harrison.

“It is important to ensure that the costs and dates are agreed prior to work progressing to ensure that the initial business plan forecast is adhered to. It is worthwhile including a contingency sum to cover any

22 MARCH 2013

CAFÉ CULTURE

unforeseen work (asbestos removal or repair works which were not evident from the initial surveys).

“The building work should be monitored throughout the contract period. This can be in the form of regular site meetings. The cost and progress of work should be checked and remedial action considered if problems arise.

The project should be managed on site closely until completion. An architect can check the completion and asses the building for the client. The work should be completed in accordance with the agreed specification.

“Certificates for all mechanical and electrical work should be compiled and included in the operation and maintenance manuals. The work should also be checked to ensure it is competed in accordance with all the statutory approvals. A snagging and defects list should be prepared and a final payment to the contractor be made only when this list of work has been completed satisfactorily. The whole process from the initial idea to opening to the public can appear very daunting unless managed well.”

Cafés and coffee bars operated by the brands have increased substantially over the last 20 years or so. Costa and Starbucks appear in every high street, railway station, airport and leisure facilities. However, there has been a growth in independent café operators in recent years. And what is key to this success is what is offered, feel Harrison Ince.

“Unique selling points (USPs) are always important factors in the success. This could be the products on sale, the design or both.

Very often, the services offered can be important to provide a unique facility that the larger brands cannot offer. This could be different product or a unique design. It could be that new technologies are considered or themed ideas are evident due to a new recognition to art or music to attract customers. Facilities like a crèche or library could ensure that the services offered are different and provide a variety,” suggests Paul Harrison.

“It is very important to consider everything carefully. Understand the customers you are trying to attract, the type of market, and employ a good consultant who can guide you through the process.”

DAVID BELL Krunch+Press “It was far easier to write about securing a great location in my business plan than it’s been to work this out in practice!” says David Bell as he continues in his search for a suitable central London A1 retail unit for his new, healthy fast-casual brand called Krunch+Press.

The former head of commercial training in a large educational establishment, he

decided to take the plunge and venture alone following a business trip to the city of New York where he was enamoured and inspired by the variety and abundance of tossed salad bars there.

“I’d been looking around for a business idea and then, bang, this one hit me as not only am I a vegetable and fruit nut, but there’s also a strong food provenance connection in the family as we have a small olive grove in southern Italy,” he explains.

“Once the decision had been made, six months were then spent researching the idea, building the business model and developing the Krunch+Press brand - a name, now trademarked, that came to me as I was about to board a flight to New York on a follow-up fact finding trip in November 2011.”

David Bell says that he was all too aware of the ‘location, location, location’ mantra, and was forced to become very specific in his property requirements early on in what he describes as his “outrageously wild foodto-go adventure”.

“I was tight on defining the product and knew that I wanted the Krunch+Press brand to be famous for fabulously fresh made-toorder tossed salads. I also nailed down the demographic of my target guests and the retail unit specification which boiled down to A1 usage, 500-700 sq. ft. selling space, a small prep area, a strong foot flow and with a length sufficient to get in the countering I needed,” he reveals.

“This was all well and good but finding the right unit has been – and continues to be – seriously challenging and at times deeply frustrating as I’ve offered on five now and all have fallen through.”

Despite this, David Bell is sanguine and at time of writing reports that he is actively pursuing with his agent an A1 opportunity in Covent Garden that will hopefully get the brand live and trading in readiness for the summer. He is also adamant that his, albeit drawn out, experience of securing a location will be worth its weight in gold as the brand

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LOCATION grows and new units need to be acquired in line with his business plan.

Here then are his top ten tips, tricks, pitfalls to avoid, and pointers he has learnt along the way and that he would pass on to anyone - perhaps at an earlier stage in the process than he – who might be looking to acquire their own A1 cafÊ/food related lease.

Fundamentals first “Match your business fundamentals to your property and location requirements. Tightly define your target customer demographic and not just your product/s but also the experience you will be offering guests. For example, are they health conscious working professionals who want great food to go fast, or ‘yummy mummies’ after a more leisurely experience around school pick up/drop off times? Is there a tourist trade?

Who works or lives near your location? How old are they? What’s the gender mix like?

What might be their average spend at lunchtime? Answers to these questions will be invaluable in refining your location decision making.�

Click-click “Invest in a small hand held clicker. This will allow you to compile footfall metrics at each location you’ve identified. Don’t just do this once; measure footfall on different days at different times. This is the best and only way to support and justify budgeted unit sales.

Also use this opportunity to study the guest demographic within the footfall. For example, if you’re going to operate in the lunchtime fast casual market then a predominantly tourist passing trade, as in many parts of Central London, won’t cut it.�

Bring in professionals “This is a must, not an option. Commercial property is infinitely more cut-throat than its residential sister and lease acquisition can be horrendously complex and fraught with dangers for the uninitiated. So, find a good agent to represent and negotiate for you. You’ll also need, at an early stage, the services of a graphic designer. My advice is that any designer worth their salt can work up a logo and visual branding, however bear in mind you’re also going to need someone with skills in translating your look and identity into three dimensional space and not all designers will have this experience or skill-set. Further down the line you may also need the services of a surveyor, architect as well as someone to do the shop fit out for you.�

Work with your agent “Once you have found an agent (tip: Meet at least three before you chose one), work with them! You’ll already have identified a range of possible locations or postcodes or even roads so get out there and walk the streets. The unit I’m near to closing on I actually identified myself with my agent then picking up on the negotiations.

Something else you can and should do is regularly check commercial property databases with www.showcase.co.uk, www.estatesgazette.com, and www.shopproperty.co.uk being the best.

Do your sums “Starting up any retail business is costly relative to, say, creating an on-line operation and property acquisition costs can easily be under-estimated. A commercial property agent’s fees will

typically be 10% of the annual rental plus VAT of course. Be careful to budget for the ‘holy trinity’ of rental costs, any rent-free you are able to negotiate and the rent deposit that a landlord will inevitably ask for. The latter (referred to as surety) will be a cash flow killer as anything from three to six months can be asked for. Then there is your fit-out cost and, oh, don’t forget you’ll have lawyers fees, so budget around ÂŁ3000 to ÂŁ4000 for this.

Don’t be careless about compliance “As soon as Heads of Terms have been agreed (a short statement produced the selling agent outlining key element of the ‘subject to contract’ accepted offer) make contact with both Health and Safety and Food Hygiene teams with the local borough.

Forming a good working relationship with these people, especially the Environmental Health Officer, can save you both migraines and cost down the line. And most importantly they will make sure you are trading legally! It’s also a good opportunity, if you are new to food retail, to pick up your statutory Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene qualification and these can be done cost effectively on-line for around £30.�

Be cheeky “In a highly competitive market place, and this certainly applies to parts of Central London, you can often open up opportunities through artfulness. In a conversation with a security guard adjacent to a unit I was viewing, I found out that he knew far more about the property than the showing agent. He even ended up showing me another, more suitable, premises that was just about to come to market.�

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CC_Mar13_p20-25_Layout 1 19/03/2013 14:44 Page 24

LOCATION Invest in a professional looking stakeholder pack “This can be a fabulous tool to open doors and communicate visually and persuasively something about you, the brand vision and brand values. It’s also good if your designers can include one or two in-store visuals which can really help landlords and agents ‘get it’ and see you are a serious contender. Keep it short – maximum 10 pages – and have it available in PDF as well as a nicely bound hard copy format.”

Remember rates “Normally this is around 43p in the pound and payable directly to the local authority.

However, the rateable calculation is based on a rateable, not rental, value so you need to do your homework and confirm this at www.voa.gov.uk. It’s easy - just plug in the postcode and read off the most current rateable value then apply the multiplier.”

Persist “And tenthly? Persist, persist, persist to get the right location, location…”

Create a destination “The key to starting up a café with a difference is to firstly appreciate what a major influence the high street has on eating trends within garden centres, farms and tourist attractions.

Creating a successful food destination starts by having great insight into current and future food and interior design trends,” says Philip Howard, managing director at Catering Design Group (www.cateringdesign.co.uk).

“For example, currently, we’re seeing a huge trend for South American cuisine. In 2012, the first Peruvian restaurants arrived in London to rave reviews from both customers and the media. The rise in South American cuisine will continue, influenced by the World Cup in 2014 and 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

“Provenance will also continue to be at the forefront of consumer thinking. It is all about the use of fresh, seasonal produce from local and ethical sources. Bill’s Restaurants in the south of the country and L’Enclume in the Lake District are good examples of this.”

Catering Design Group itself has become one of the UK’s most well-known restaurant and commercial catering design companies, providing innovative design led solutions for the hospitality and leisure industry.

Established in 1990, it has a rich heritage spanning 21 years, with expertise in interior design, kitchen planning, implementation and the latest market trends across the following key sectors - retail, leisure, education and business and industry.

“Gourmet junk food and street food are perhaps the biggest trends to sweep the UK in the last year,” Philip Howard continues.

“Some of the best food around is now being served from vans and trucks on the street. It’s all about a few dishes done very

24 MARCH 2013

CAFÉ CULTURE

well. This trend has revolutionised the burger, introduced us to concepts such as hot dogs served with champagne and taken the humble chicken to celebrity status, with restaurants such as Roost, Chooks, Tramshed, Chicken Shop and more recently, Clockjack, dedicating entire menus to its revival.

“It’s casual, fast and snappy, where diners pay a little more for quality and a memorable dining experience. It’s a huge growth market, attracting customers who might traditionally have opted for more upmarket food.”

At the same time, the UK coffee shop market continues to defy the recession, point out Catering Design Group, with a current growth rate of more than seven times that of the British economy (market analysts, Allegra, predicting that the total UK coffee shop market will exceed 20,000 outlets and £8bn turnover by 2017).

“Customers now expect a premium coffee offer and if done well, it can provide operators with fantastic income and margin opportunities,” adds Philip Howard. “What these trends tell us is that consumers not only want to experience great food, they also have high expectations from the environment in which it’s served. Today’s consumers are looking for escapism, an experience that in no way reflects their home environment. And so catering operators within farms, garden centres and visitor attractions can hugely capitalise on a captive audience looking for a great day out.”

However, in the current economic climate, the interior space needs to work harder to entice customers out of their homes, feel Catering Design Group, the challenge being to make your business stand out from the crowd.

A good café space has the potential to draw

Ludlow Food Centre.

customers in and encourage purchasing in all areas of the business that might otherwise have been made on the high street or online.

“The secret is to create a destination,” concluded Philip Howard. “Great design has the potential to transform your restaurant into a destination, increasing your revenue, profit, footfall and spend per head, together with driving loyalty. It starts with the customer journey, from the moment they walk through the door, right up until the time they leave. It’s about creating an ‘extra special’ feel rather than the ‘home-from-home’, domestic style of the ‘90s.

“The ambience of your café is critical to achieving this feel and current trends are moving towards an increase in zoned spaces to create interest and movement around an eating space, together with a more artisan feel. If you get the ambience right, it can create a ‘feel good’ factor, which encourages crossselling and increased spend.

“Creating a destination is also about having a clear vision as to what you want to achieve. Draw inspiration from the high street, your local area and trends and then take time to look at each area of your operation as they are so tightly linked together.”

Inside the Oxfordshire Pantry at Blenheim Palace.

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BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

UK Barista

Championships 2013 At the time of going to press, three of the four regional heats of this year’s UK Barista Championships have been held, and the search is on for the 2013 recipient of Union HandRoasted Coffee’s Best Newcomer Award.

Regional Heat 1 Expowest Westcountry Exhibition – owned and run by Hale Events Ltd - was the host of Regional Heat 1 of the 2013 UK Barista Championships. Nine baristas competed in this Exeter based heat, with eight being awarded points towards the rolling Top 20 leader board published at www.scaeuk.com Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood (Colonna & Smalls – Bath) UKBC 2012 winner and 6th placeholder at the 2012 World Barista Championships - carried his form to take top honours and win this heat with 588.5 out of a possible 840 being awarded. Not far behind was 2007 UK Barista Champion Hugo Hercod (Relish – Wadebridge, Cornwall).

Xanne Carey, owner of the Lyme Regisbased independent speciality coffee house Amid Giants and Idols, achieved 4th place in this heat, close on the heels of the 2012 UK Latte Art Champion, Peter Grosvenor-Attridge of Bath based coffee shop Colonna & Smalls, who took 3rd place.

“I have developed so much through the competition and it’s great to share a passion for truly awesome coffee and really shout about the speciality coffee industry,” commented Xanne Carey. “This competition highlights how barista skills, great coffee and passion can elevate a simple drink to be something very special. This has been an amazing experience, competing and networking with some of the best baristas in the world is inspiring.”

Regional Heat 2 Pumphrey’s Coffee was the host for Regional Heat 2 of the 2013 UK Barista Championships on the 15 and 16 February 2013, at Life Science Centre, Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, and has three Sanremo Verona TCS competition specification machines.

Newcastle upon Tyne-based barista, Joe Meagher, from Flat Caps Coffee scooped three awards - Best Signature Drink, Best Cappuccino and Overall Winner of 2013 UK Barista Championships Regional Heat 2.

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Steve Dyson from Spring Espresso in York - a 4th time UKBC entrant - took second place just ahead of fellow York barista Nicola Peacock from The Perky Peacock. Nicola also picked up the award for Union Hand-Roasted Best Newcomer at this heat (the overall winner of the Union Hand-Roasted Coffee Best Newcomer competition will be announced at the London finals of the 2013 UK Barista Championships). Union HandRoasted barista trainer Chris Walton also received the award for Best Espresso.

Regional Heat 3 Bury St Edmunds-based coffee roaster Butterworth & Son partnered with the Apex to host Regional Heat 3 of the UK Barista Championships on 5 and 6 March 2013. The 2010/2011 UK Barista Champion, John Gordon (of Square Mile Coffee Roasters, London) competed in this heat, making this the first time three previous UKBC winners had competed in the competition in the same year.

London-based barista, Estelle Bright, head barista at Caravan Kings Cross, not only took the award for Best Cappuccino but has now taken the overall lead in this year’s UK Barista Championships so far with a score of 592.5.

Will Corby, Coffee Hunter at Mercanta, who missed competing in 2012 due to injury, was awarded Best Espresso and Best Signature Drink and took second place. Two-time UK Barista Champion (2010/2011), London based John Gordon – operations manager at Square Mile Coffee Roasters – was awarded the trophy for third place.

Edita Chordacevic, head barista at Federation Coffee in London picked up the award for Union Hand-Roasted Best Newcomer at this heat, and is now one place above Peter Grosvenor-Attridge who held this position for heats 1 and 2.

Speaking after the event, Rob Butterworth, MD of Butterworth & Son said: “After one day’s setup and two action packed days of competition, it was pleasing to see local East Anglia barista Alex Sargeant placed

in the Top 10. With only 25.5 points separating the top five, and three former UK Barista Champions in the mix, this year’s competition is tight at the top!”

Regional Heat 4 This heat is set to be hosted by Café Trade Ltd at the Chester Racecourse on 31 March and 1 April as part of the Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival and coffee syrup specialist, Monin UK, will be a major sponsor (results in the next issue).

Award recognises up and coming baristas The UK Barista Championships have again been hosting Union Hand-Roasted Coffee’s Best Newcomer Award.

The eventual winner will be announced at the London finals of the UK Barista Championships 2013, with Union HandRoasted Coffee once again being the Roasted Coffee sponsor, running the Union Brew Bar [#unionbrewbar] which has been touring with the competition across the nation showcasing their finest coffees, as well as their trade and consumer coffee enthusiasts.

In 2012, the inaugural Union HandRoasted Best Newcomer award was presented to James Bailey who works at Prufrock Coffee, based in the City of London.

James Bailey also went on to win second place in the overall competition, twelve points behind winner Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood.

In addition, he took home the award for Best Espresso and Best Signature Drink too, and then went on to win the Brewers’ Cup at the London Coffee Festival (James Bailey was one

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(picture credit: Robert Sharp)

BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Xanne Carey of 10 newcomers to the competition last year who made it to the semi-finals).

The highlight of James Bailey’s Union Hand-Roasted Best Newcomer prize will be an Origin Trip to visit the smallholder coffee farmers in Rwanda, with Union Founders Jeremy Torz and Steven Macatonia, from whom they source their high quality speciality Arabica coffee (the 2013 Union Hand-Roasted Coffee Best Newcomer prize will also feature a trip to origin for the winner).

“We’ve had a really exciting response from newcomers to the competition this year - over 20 baristas took part in the second heat in Newcastle which is an excellent result,” commented Jeremy Torz, co-founder of Union Hand-Roasted Coffee: “An encouraging range of baristas from a breadth of backgrounds have taken part, covering the boutique independent coffee bars to more high volume operators. It’s

Nicola Peacock, from The Perky Peacock in York was awarded the Best Newcomer award in the 2013 Newcastle heat of Union Hand Roasted Coffee’s Best Newcomer Award. fantastic to see baristas aspiring to hone their coffee skills to the gold standard whatever their environment. And the standard has been high. Being part of the championship provides our newcomers great opportunities for networking with likeminded baristas and also understanding a lot more about flavours and taste within speciality coffee. Peter Grosvenor- Attridge (Colonna and Smalls, Bath) tops the current leader board after two heats.

“We are delighted to be taking part in the UK Barista Championships again this year and are striving to help raise the coffee standards in this country and feel passionate that great tasting coffee is a combination of nature, nurture, intuition and skill. What better person to be able to help the coffee drinking consumer understand more about their daily brew,

and better recognise quality coffee than the barista serving them every morning?”

Nicola Peacock, from The Perky Peacock in York was awarded the Best Newcomer award in the recent Newcastle heat. When asked what the most challenging aspect of the competition was, she said: "The moment before you go on stage is the hardest, because you have done so much preparation and you are just a little terrified!

But the second you start it is absolutely fine and it is definitely worth doing. I feel my coffee has really come on and I'm doing things I didn't do before - hopefully I can pass on what I've learnt to my staff and the whole process will improve."

Steven Macatonia added: “This award was born out of a desire to support rising stars in the industry. We wanted the competition to appeal to upcoming baristas who might otherwise have had little chance of scoring as well as more seasoned competitors, and have been put off entering.

Best Newcomer Award Leader Board after Heat 2 TBC Edita Chordacevic 513.5 Peter Grosvenor-Attridge 503 Xanne Carey 478.5 Nicola Peacock 478 Anthony Atkinson 463.5 Jason Gonzalez 444.5 Ewan Allen 441.5 Johnathon Drake 433.5 Robbie Calvert 408 Diane Johnston 390.5 Toby Frere 390 Adam Lodge 339.5 Ryan Brodie For further information and news updates about the competition so far, visit www.scaeuk.com, or follow the SCAE UK on Twitter @scaeuk.

Franke DPS_Layout 1 19/03/2013 11:17 Page 2

EnhancE your capabilitiEs ranke Coffee Systems started in the UK market five years ago. The brand has always been represented in the UK before but never in a direct capacity. Focusing on supplying Bean to Cup (B2C) machines into the hospitality, cafĂŠ and food to go markets, the company has made impressive progress to become one of the major B2C suppliers. 2011 was an incredible year for Franke with sales up 25% on the previous year and 2012 is looking even stronger .

A major plus has been the huge progress made in recent times in the capabilities of the Franke B2C machines. The machines have always had Swiss high build quality and the software that runs the machines has markedly increased in sophistication over the years.

A big part of what our machines can offer is consistency across the day.

Franke coffee machines produce consistent results no

F

matter who is operating the machine and provide operators with peace of mind that the customer is always going to get the product they are expecting.

Franke coffee machines can now produce everything you could ever want from a hot beverage system with up to 230 different drinks on some machines, including flavoured drinks using syrups, all automatically produced at the touch of a button. R & D is always on going and the company has a roadmap of machine development up to 2016.

In the last two years the company has placed greater emphasis on the milk management capabilities and cleaning times of the machines. On some of the larger machines, cleaning times can now be as low as eight minutes, adding up to huge efficiency savings for

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sites requiring high daily outputs. Some Franke machines can now produce hot milk, cold milk and cold foam.

Another advantage is you do not need specially trained staff to operate our products.

Even the best barista can have an off day and there is a considerable cost involved in training and retaining the services of a good barista.

Franke machines can be placed in a wide variety of sites and be used by all the staff right from the word go with consistency achieved at the push a button. Our machines also deliver big advantages in terms of foot print, taking up much less counter space than a traditional machine.

Many of the large high street operators are seeing the advantages with many now operating fully automatic machines for their coffee menus. Thus, reaping the benefits of less training and a more consistent product.

Other motivations for the high street operator is the amount of waste generated in terms of coffee grinds by the

“Franke coffee machines can now produce everything you could ever want from a hot beverage system with up to 230 different drinks on some machines, including flavoured drinks using syrups, all automatically produced at the touch of a button.” traditional approach as there is no wasteage with automated machines.

The Franke approach not only delivers more consistency at a high standard and because of the automatic steam functionality of many of the machines, the customer still feels they are getting a ‘hand-made’ product and that part of the experience is not lost.

The Pura has done particularly well with the advantages of its highresolution 5.7in colour display, the ability to deliver up to 32 products and 150—200 cup capacity per day. The Spectra has also proven very popular,

offering three basic models, three operating units as well as other options and add-ons for greater flexibility.

Reliable and capable machines is only half of the Franke story. The company prides itself on its ability to deliver the best and most knowledgeable service and support in the market. The company employs all of its service engineers direct, all of whom are manufacturer trained as well as having a good knowledge of the coffee ingredient itself.

Our service performance makes for impressive reading, we cure 99% of faults on the first call, as our engineers are

equipped with a very large inventory of spare parts.

Franke operate four hour, eight hour and twenty four hour response contracts, depending on the customer’s needs.

The major growth has come from securing major national high street accounts with Burger King, KFC,and McDonalds to name a few.

Franke have the range of equipment and capabilities to ensure that whoever the client is the machine can be built to meet the expectations of the menu offered and to ensure the service reliability.

Ultimately, anyone can sell a box. What Franke do is offer so much more. We supply a fully rounded service that includes great products, best in the business support and a genuine understanding of what the client needs to produce in order to keep their customers happy.

Franke continue to develop the service delivery and know that the machines will continue to improve, so over time, we are confident that the Franke offering will only get even stronger.

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t c e f r e P PACKAGING

packaging Operators are under pressure from all angles when it comes to their packaging. Not only must it be environmentallyfriendly when it comes to its eventual disposal, it must be fit for purpose, comply with the latest regulations, be appealing to consumers, and be affordable too. As we showcase here, there are plenty of innovative solutions being put forward by the sector’s suppliers.

Growing demand The convenience market is worth in the region of €145 billion and continues to grow, say the multi-material packaging group, Linpac Packaging, who add that they are set to take advantage of the growing popularity and demand for chilled retail prepared and convenience foods by launching a complete new range of products for the sector.

Retail convenience foods are the chilled and deli foods to be found in stores and that are designed to be eaten on the go, or after minimal preparation. Traditionally found in takeaway stores, cafés, sandwich shops and casual foodservice outlets, the market is now also rapidly expanding within supermarkets too.

The launch of Linpac’s Freshware range – which will comprise packaging for prepared fruit and salads, dips, sandwich fillers, fresh pasta, pizza, prepared vegetables, chilled bakery, cooked meats and prepared fish - will be the first to come out of its new Freshform division, say the company, marking entry into a new market and complementing their existing operations within the meat, fish and poultry, bakery, fresh produce and foodservice sectors.

“The chilled retail convenience market has continued to grow at a steady rate throughout the recession when many other

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CAFÉ CULTURE

markets have stalled,” observes Joanna Stephenson, vice president innovation and marketing at Linpac Packaging. “For this reason, the sector is highly competitive but we feel we have a well-established, trusted brand which will assist us in gaining a foothold in this market and for it to become one of our largest categories.”

Linpac add that they already have relationships with many key players in this market due to the close alignment with their existing sectors, particularly foodservice, and so they will be working closely with their customers to develop opportunities and ensure that they continue to deliver service and solutions which are in demand.

“The chilled retail convenience market has blossomed in the last few years, supported by a string of changing consumer trends. People are leading busier lives and want to be able to eat well and enjoy new things without it impacting on their ‘me-time’ despite the recession.

Eating patterns have changed and people are looking for affordable luxuries. It is not surprising that this market has grown significantly over a relatively short period of time – it meets and responds to the needs of consumers during a key time of change, not just economically, but in terms of lifestyles too,” explains Joanna Stephenson.

Linpac plan a series of product launches during the coming year, including interlocking containers in various sizes which allow consumers to pick and mix different food items to create their perfect meal, and a solution that will be ideal for combining salads, pastas, cooked meats or fish, toppings and sauces. The style is also suitable for creating a complete starter, main and dessert combination, suggest the company.

Sealant technology developed for the company’s latest innovation, Rfresh® Elite - a tray for fresh meat and poultry - will also be incorporated into some new Freshware products. This patented packaging solution is super lightweight and uses unique sealant technology on the tray flange to create a secure seal with the lidding film, thus removing the industry standard laminated PE base film. The trays are also 100% recyclable at the end of their service life, say Linpac (www.linpacpackaging.com).

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PACKAGING

Cap-It-All’s GoodLife Bio Sip-Lid.

“Innovation is at the very heart of our business and we seek to offer products that are the best they can be - both now and in the future. We are always on the lookout for further ways to fine-tune each and every one of the 400 plus items in our extended product range with performance, look and competitive pricing all very carefully considered,” says Rachael Sawtell, marketing director for Planglow (www.planglow.com).

“Over the past twelve months we have introduced a pioneering plant-based bio laminate to as many of our packaging items as is appropriate - the latest development in the on-going evolution of our products. We are the only company currently offering items lined with this marvellous material which enhances overall performance and structure, as well as potentially extending the shelf life of your sandwiches and wraps!

“Unlike many of our competitors we have developed a range that is home

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compostable from lids to laminates, windows to wedges and everything in between. So it is not dependant on the waste management schemes available in any one area. Nor is it vulnerable to contamination by food or mixed materials either of which can condemn recyclables to landfill.

“In our experience quality yet cost effective - as well as versatile - products have been amongst our best sellers. And in 2012, one in eight of our total packaging sales (12%) was a salad pack product, suggesting a shift in the market towards healthier foods. Food trends strongly influence sales and we have developed a number of products - as well as an entire new range - to support these.”

Regulation compliance “More and more foodservice operators are concerned about their impact on the environment, and so look to offer customers an ethical food and beverage service. The introduction of the European Timber Regulation No 995/2010 on 3 March makes it an offence to place illegally harvested timber or timber products on the EU market – so being able to provide customers with sustainably sourced packaging is now more important than ever,” points out John Young, UK Foodservice sales and marketing director at Huhtamaki UK Ltd. Huhtamaki UK (www.foodservice. huhtamaki.co.uk) has created an informative guide to help customers understand the Regulation and what they need to do to make sure their business complies, and to stay ahead of the game,

say that they have already ensured that all of their paperboard products are made from 100% PEFC approved materials (the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification aims to promote sustainable development in forest management and assurance that the material in the final product can be traced back to a sustainable source managed with due respect for environmental, economic and social standards).

For operators looking for sustainable products, Huhtamaki’s established BioWare range has become popular as it comprises a comprehensive selection of high quality foodservice disposables, including single-use cups, tumblers, food containers, Strongholder carry trays, cutlery and Chinet® plates and bowls. The range is also biodegradable, making it a good choice for caterers concerned about their impact on the environment.

Available in a choice of sizes, the BioWare cups also feature the PEFC logo as part of their design – the certification and logo provides assurances that the product is from sustainable, legal and traceable sources – which identifies Huhtamaki UK’s unique certification number so that customers know that the product they are using is PEFC certified.

These cups are available in a stylish stock design and can also be customprinted to feature customers own branding, say the company. In addition, the PEFC logo can also be incorporated into their own artwork to support CSR policies and show customers that the products they are being served comply with the highest standards of forestry practice.

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PACKAGING Solo Cup Europe report that they have become one of the first companies in their industry sector to achieve the certification to ISO 50001 standard for energy management.

Following external audit, this certification confirms that Solo Cup Europe has the right processes and data management in place to make sound decisions about energy utilisation, the ISO 50001 standard having been designed to help organisations save money as well as help them to conserve resources and tackle climate change – all of which are key pillars of their sustainability strategies, say Solo.

“Like other management standards such as ISO 9001 or 14001 this standard is based on a model of continual improvement and ensures that energy management is integrated into our overall programmes to reduce environmental impact and conserve resources,” says Solo Cup Europe’s managing director, Tony Waters.

“We have received regular recognition for our efforts to put sustainability at the heart of our operation and this is another great achievement for our team. It proves that we are really serious about sustainability.”

The ISO 50001 framework requires organisations to develop a policy for more efficient use for energy, fix targets and objectives to meet the policy, use data to better understand and make decisions about energy use, measure the results, review the policy and continually improve energy management.

Green commitment “Increasing numbers of cafés and their customers have switched on to environmentally friendly products in recent years and, in many cases, consumers now expect it. They offer several advantages over and above non-eco counterparts,” says Rachel Sawtell.

“Caterers may, for example, wish to underline their own CSR policies or perhaps food provenance with the appropriate packaging. For some however, it can be a lifestyle, aesthetic or perhaps business decision (loaning a competitive or financial advantage), as much as a social or ecological one.

“Most food providers are now governed by strict targets for reducing waste and improving energy efficiency and will therefore be at a considerable advantage when trying to win or even sustain contracts if they can deliver the greenest offering.”

Reducing waste and improving energy efficiency, of course, also provides another key advantage: saving money. A point

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reflected by the Gram Green Paper 2012, which reported that 40% of professionals in the foodservice industry felt adopting greener policies offered a combination of saving money as well as feeling good. And fifty-nine per cent of those surveyed cited eco packaging as the easiest policy to implement.

So whilst reducing the harmful impact of your facility on the environment may be the most obvious - or offered - advantage to using environmentally friendly products, if considering going green, it’s worth noting this can dramatically up your USP and help to win business too. Not to mention reducing wastage and energy usage which increases efficiency and lowers costs overall.

“Using environmentally friendly products in the place of standard disposables will help businesses to meet waste packaging regulations and reduce the negative impact the day-to-day running of their company may have on the environment. That’s great news for the environment and it means that those businesses have a great story to tell their customers,” agrees Geoff Page, managing director of packaging company, Cap-It-All (www.cap-it-all.co.uk).

“We are dedicated to offering our customers a one-stop shop for disposables and our range includes cups, plates, bowls, food boxes and – of course – lids, and also features GoodLife, our leading brand of biodegradable and compostable disposables.”

GoodLife disposables are made from bagasse – the pulpy raw material left over once sugar cane has been processed.

Bagasse is a natural and, crucially, a sustainable material, and Cap-It-All says that it is proud have pioneered the use of bagasse disposables in the UK. These moulded fibre disposables are 100% biodegradable and compostable, say the company, meaning that they can be disposed of conveniently and at little or no cost to the caterer in nothing more sophisticated than a compost heap. Or, if caterers do not have their own composting facilities, GoodLife products can be disposed of together with general food waste.

“To maintain the environmental benefits of GoodLife compostable disposables it is crucial that they are disposed of in the correct way,” Geoff Page continues. “It is not enough for café /foodto-go operators simply to be seen to be green - they must close the loop by ensuring that their disposables are returned to nature.

“Caterers who do not have their own composting facilities will need to make arrangements to have their food and food

packaging waste collected and disposed of in the correct way. Cap-It-All is fostering relationships with a number of eco packaging collectors up and down the country and we would be happy to put customers in touch with the nearest collector to them."

Cap-It-All have also recently announced the launch of its unique GoodLife soup bowl which boasts a vented, leak-proof lid to minimalise the risk of spillages and can be even be used for takeaways, and their GoodLife LapTop food boxes are another excellent product for cafés and food-to-go operators.

GoodLife LapTop food boxes feature an innovative ‘click-shut’ closure, which means that caterers and foodservice operators can rest easy in the knowledge that all food – even piping hot food that has been cooked in boiling oil – can be served and eaten safely and easily. The LapTop range boasts 12 different sizes and styles, including burger boxes, compartmentalised dinner trays, an extralong fish and chip box and a snack box.

Café and food-to-go operators might also be interested in the company’s wide range of plates that are available as part of the GoodLife range. Sizes range from 7.5cm (the proper name for this is a dipping bowl but it is in fact a plate) to 26cm, and the range comprises both traditional round plates and rectangular plates.

“To help our customers promote their green credentials, and our own, we have designed a point of sale poster - featuring our very own Eco the Friendly Frog character - for our customers to display in their outlets. Our posters, which are supplied free of charge on request, act as a beacon for environmentally friendly shoppers and let them know they can do their bit for the environment simply by deciding which outlet to buy their lunch from,” adds Geoff Page.

A programme of sustained investment, now reaching over £50 million in the past three years, is helping it to stay ahead of the game and underline its position as one the UK’s leading foodservice packaging suppliers, say Seda UK (www.sedagroup.org), a producer of paper cups and lids for major UK and European customers and distributors in the foodservice, coffee shop and travel sectors.

Growth in the on-the-go coffee market has enabled them to position its patented double wall cup, which uses proprietary technology, as the foremost product of its type in the UK market, claim Seda. These cups, available in 8oz and 12oz versions, allow the coffee to be served at its optimum temperature while at the same time providing excellent insulation.

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PACKAGING

Launched last year the company’s new range of paper hot cups has also been officially certified as 100% compostable.

Called Naturelly Seda, the range has been certified by Vinçotte, an independent inspection and certification organisation, which ensured the cups conform to the EN13432:2000 standard whereby the product and its components are guaranteed as biodegradable in an industrial composting plant. This also means the cups can now bear Vinçotte’s sought-after ‘OK compost’ logo which assures compliance and offers an attractive way for coffee outlets to demonstrate their commitment to the environment.

Coated with a bio-based material the cups are available in both single wall and double wall variants in 4oz, 8oz, 12oz and 16oz sizes and may be printed according to customers’ requirements.

Seda UK reports that it has also invested in high quality flexo printing to offer more accurate colour registration than standard flexo printing, and so that more complex designs with photographs and illustrations can now be reproduced.

“As regards our compostable cups we are aware that we must play our part in providing a sustainable answer to challenges we all face in respecting natural resource availability and our Naturelly Seda range reinforces this,” says Paul Synnott, sales and marketing director at Seda UK. New launches Responding to the continued growth of UK’s food-to-go market, Saga, a brand from Metsä Tissue, has entered the UK foodservice market with the launch of its new cooking paper - Saga One-Up Express - designed to save the caterer time and

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money.

Now available to the UK foodservice market from Terinex Limited (www.terinex.co.uk) with plans to introduce more products from the range later this year, the paper is ideal for the food-to-go market say the company, with one sheet of Saga One-Up Express cooking paper able to be used throughout the food preparation process from preparation, storage, cooking and heating through to customer presentation.

Perfect for paninis and other warm snacks using contact grills, microwave ovens and rapid cooking systems, Saga One-Up Express also protects the equipment from direct contact with food while still allowing grill strips to remain visible on the product and minimising food odours, and can be used at temperatures up to 220°C. The innovative food packaging solutions provider, Colpac (www.colpac.co.uk), has recently launched Clasp® - an all-in-one film to board pack that is much easier to use than any other similar packs on the market and suitable for hot and cold food, say its creators.

The Colpac Clasp® products are superior due to the quality of the materials used, claim the company, and the ready folded film and adjustable locking mechanism which improves the speed and ease of handling (various sealing options are available for added flexibility).

This new range of packaging with board and film integrated together is therefore ideal for café food such as tortillas, pies, baguettes, paninis, cakes, sausage rolls and much more, being versatile to be used for both hot and cold products.

The Clasp® range comprises six products - single and double tortilla packs, bloomer sleeve, baguette sleeve, baguette tray and bag in a box - and the packs also offer improved food presentation with strong branding possibilities and can be produced with custom-print. In line with Colpac’s green credentials, both the board and film are recyclable, whilst the board is biodegradable too, point out the firm.

For operators who are looking for something a bit different, then Huhtamaki’s recently launched innovative Enjoy double wall paper hot cups could be of interest. This new disposable product has been developed by its NPD team to feature a textured, embossed outer layer which differentiates the design, as well as providing that all important enhanced insulation.

With its embossed features, Enjoy provides operators with an eye-catching and unique product. Designed and created using Huhtamaki’s innovative tooling and manufacturing processes, it’s a more tactile cup with a textured feel which really stands out in the marketplace, claim Huhtamaki (they come as a mix of four modern colours – Hot Cerise, Zesty Orange, Nice ‘n’ Natural and Citrus Lime).

“For operators looking to boost their branding, Huhtamaki’s Design Team can also design their cup on a choice of either an ‘S’ wave or bubble textured cup,” says John Young. “The Enjoy double wall paper cups offer a number of advantages both to the operator and the end consumer as it provides an improved grip and feels more comfortable to hold – perfect for customers serving consumers who are drinking on-the-go.

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PACKAGING “There are further practicalities to stocking double wall cups, as it eliminates the need for double-cupping or the use of sleeves, improving the overall quality and appearance of the cup, but also minimising the amount of stock stored onsite, ideal for smaller operators for whom space is a premium.”

Tri-Star Packaging (www.tri-star.co.uk) reports that it has launched the UK’s first plant-based cup lid for hot drinks that can be composted by consumers at home.

This new, eco-friendly cup lid comes top in the green stakes because other so-called ‘sustainable’ hot cup lids are often made of plastic and have to be composted industrially, say Tri-Star.

Manufactured from bagasse, Tri-Star’s home-compostable cup lid is capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 100°C without distorting, going soft or popping off, claim the company. It is also refrigerator and freezer-safe, and microwave-proof, making it suitable for holding soup products to be heated elsewhere.

The lid has been designed to fit most 12oz, 16oz and 20oz hot drinks cups and its beige colour accentuates its natural provenance and provides distinctive cues that will resonate with the huge numbers of consumers concerned about sustainability issues, feel Tri-Star, and looks particularly stylish used on ripple cups, or any other cup that has a natural

Huhtamaki’s brightly-coloured, doublewalled Enjoy cup range. look, perhaps featuring browns and greens.

Kevin Curran, managing director of TriStar, commented: “This new homecompostable cup lid for hot drinks is truly ground-breaking and a genuine first in the UK. Our aim is always to offer our customers the latest and best innovations, and this lid is the perfect addition to our range.

“Companies using our new lid will be able to highlight their green credentials to their customers and show they are a

Emerging concepts Solo Cup Europe customers got a chance to see some of the emerging café and food to go concepts in London recently via a private study tour organised in conjunction with Allegra Strategies.

Not only was this a good opportunity to see, and sample, some of the latest types of food businesses to have been launched in the capital, it also provided a chance to see a number of packaging solutions ‘in action’ in-store, as well as network with colleagues from the industry.

Some of the coffeeserving concepts visited included the highly-

regarded Ozone Coffee Roasters, Salvation Jane, pod and EAT, as well as Caravan at King’s Cross, itself an area that has now become a destination food stop outlet in its own right after the completion of its make-over, with the food concept of ‘the moment’ – street food – clearly in evidence in a specially designated street food area nearby.

There was also a visit to the Duck and Waffle at the top of the Heron Building on Bishopsgate in the City of London, a glamorous, 24hour food-serving venue with strong appeal to the business customer.

Ozone

Chop’d

Street food

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business that cares about the environment. This will play well with modern consumers, who are very engaged with ecological issues, helping to drive loyalty and sales. Adding this new homecompostable lid to your hot drinks packaging inventory is a small step that could have a huge impact on both the planet and your profits.

“Since the lid is made from naturally grown sugar cane, it is easily converted by nature into simple, stable compounds that are absorbed back into the ecosystem.

This process takes only a few months with normal composting and introduces no toxins into the environment.”

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ROASTING

Coffee roasting Nowadays there is an increased desire to enjoy speciality coffees from cafés and coffee shops, not only from outsourced coffee but also from coffee which has been specially roasted in-house using an in-store roaster. In coffee hotspots across the globe, on site, in-house coffee roasting has become all the rage for obvious reasons – strong customer appeal and a high quality product – but what aspects do you need to assess before taking the plunge yourself?

Set to take off?

“The past three to five years has seen a growth in independent coffee roasters across the UK but whether it was a trend that started in London or within the regions as local sourcing became fashionable, no one really knows,” says Grant Lang, founder of Mozzo Coffee (www.mozzocoffee.com). “However, it has certainly gathered pace in the last 36 months and, judging by how many shop roasters can be seen on our high streets, it is a trend that seems set to continue.

“While the UK currently lags behind other mature coffee-drinking nations within regards to the number independent micro-roasters, their numbers are rising by the week; so why the explosion? As a coffee-drinking nation, the UK consumer is now more aware of quality coffee and many are searching for alternatives to the high street chains. The business case is twofold. Firstly, people see others making money from coffee (shops and roasters) and therefore strive to copy. Secondly, companies that have traditionally outsourced their roasting want the control aspect that doing it in house brings.

“Has it raised standards? Yes and no.

Those with a real passion and ample knowledge, as well as the financial means to buy high quality, regular supplies of green beans, plus the investment in

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quality control systems, packaging machine and other technology, are doing it well. However, visit many of the so called ‘trendy’ coffee bars and microroasteries, and in my opinion the quality can only be described inconsistent.

“There is a romantic view that any man in a shed can produce great coffee!

And he may do so on one day, yet the next day the quality can vary greatly from the previous. Those micro-roasters who embrace technology and invest in the skills and knowledge of their people, as well as delivering leading levels of customer service, will ultimately stand the test of time and become established businesses within the coffee industry in the years and decades ahead.”

“Though a few independent coffee shops are taking roasting in house this is a big investment and it’s unlikely that we will see this across the high street,” asserts Marcus Swift, sales director at United Coffee UK & Ireland.

“With the coffee marketing shifting towards quality and consistency, small batch, premium roasting is what’s really important and where it’s at. Though price and convenience used to be the main driver behind consumer coffee consumption, recent research has shown that these have been overtaken by the demand for quality. Operators are really

focused on top quality products.

“With this drive for quality the important thing for our customers is to differentiate against the competition. To do this we’re seeing them pay more attention to specific blends of coffee. As a result we’re roasting more high-end and medium blends for both independent and chain customers.

“Our premium roastery brand Andronicas, for example, specialises in gourmet coffees for independent coffee shops, delicatessens and high-end retailers. And for each customer we create bespoke blends using handpicked coffee beans sourced from specialist estates which suit their customer profile. We drum roast these in small batches, rather than the mass volumes we produce at our Dartford roaster to deliver niche products.

“Quality is all about the blends and mixing different beans from different parts of the world to achieve different flavours. Different beans complement each other but which varieties you use depends on the final taste profile you’re aiming for. We’ve recently been blending a lot of four bean Arabica blends, for example, but a small bit of robusta in the blend can also add to the flavour. We’re also able to match to a customer’s existing blend so that the same subtleties and aromas can be replicated.”

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ROASTING roaster itself but the following aspects too.

1. Building work associated with fitting air bricks and flues.

2. Cost of installation including electric and gas connections.

3. Emissions – control and filtering.

4. Training if required.

5. Additional equipment – de-stoner, grinder and sales bins for the display of roasted coffee.

Speciality coffee appreciation Probat (www.probat.com) is perhaps one of the most well-known companies in the coffee roasting machine field, supplying everything that is required by newcomers and start-ups, including training at their facility in Emmerich, Germany.

Their shop roasters are easy to install and operate, say the company, and are available from the Probatino with a batch size of 1kg through to the Probatone range which offers a batch range from 3kg to 25kg.

Your choice of roaster should not only be dictated by the output you require, advise Probat, but also by the space you have available and the possibilities to flue the roasting gases.

It is also important to size the roaster carefully as drum roasters do rely on the drum being sufficiently full in order to keep the coffee moving around during the roasting process (too small a batch and the coffee will remain in one part of the drum, giving undesirable poor results that could damage the very reputation you are trying to achieve).

Depending on roast time/darkness of roast, in principle you can typically produce at least three roasts per hour on their particular roasters, as they are able to cool one batch of coffee while roasting another due to a separate cooling and

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exhaust blower fans fitted as standard.

Probat’s roasters can be supplied to run on propane/natural gas or electricity, depending on the model selected.

Needless to say, the Probat nostalgically-designed roaster with its cast iron front and chrome or brass shroud makes roasting coffee both a visual and aromatic attraction, and has become a regular sight in many up and coming coffee bars across Europe.

The scent of freshly roasted coffee creates a unique atmosphere. Enjoying coffee that has been roasted in-house acquaints the customer with the product and at the same time demonstrates the exclusive taste sensations that freshly roasted coffees offer. In fact, many customers become interested in speciality coffees because of the superior taste and quality, compared to mainstream coffees, Probat report.

These days, roasting operators increasingly understand that demanding consumers are seeking quality and exclusivity. They are willing to spend more money on a higher quality product, consciously moving away from the supermarket product to speciality products.

When setting up an in-house roaster, point out Probat, outlets need to consider not only the actual cost of the

Training The well respected London School of Coffee (www.londonschoolofcoffee.com) reports that it is experiencing growing demand for training on how to use coffee roasting equipment, and offers several courses to cover the different skill levels and requirements of its students, including a SCAE level/certified course and a one day basic course. These courses have become so popular that there is now a waiting list for its three day ‘How to start a roastery’ course which is run every six weeks, its next courses now due in May. The three day format devotes the first day to an introduction of the topic, the second day is devoted to single origin coffee, and the third day features a visit to an actual roaster.

“It’s quite an expensive course to organise and run,” reveals the London School of Coffee’s Gayle Reed. “We fly in a professional master roaster from Copenhagen to take the course, and our finding that people are attending from London and elsewhere in UK, but for that matter Europe and the world.”

This course has been going for over two years now and uses Probat and Diedrich machinery. At the start, it was difficult to get subscribers, recalls Gayle Reed, but now it has become a very popular course indeed. And during the three days, as well as showing their students what can go right, they also show them what can go wrong. In fact, if required, they can offer outlets coffee roasting consultancy too, whereby they will go out and assist with the roasting operation directly in your own business.

Students can learn about green beans and processing, and what effects these variables will have, and how to adapt the roast in order to get the best from your beans. The stages of roasting are also explained and a sample roast created.

Roast profiles for a variety of coffees are created and there’s the opportunity for cupping the coffee and analysing the roast profile, as well as a strong practical emphasis to the training. How to achieve the correct results in the cup - sweetness, body and flavour – is also covered.

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DESIGN

g n i n g i Des visions

Decor Fusion (www.decorfusion.com) is a commercial interior design company specialising in the creation of interior solutions for hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés and offices, and are part of the Decor Group of companies. Most recently, they have been helping a new start-up business - Aromi Café in Cambridge - realise their vision of Sicilian-themed café with a statement food offering.

Background Decor Fusion were established in 2009, at the peak of the most recent global recession, with the aim of offering a comprehensive service that not only exceeds their clients’ expectations in relation to design and creativity, but also delivers on schedule and within budget so as to help increase the probability of a prompt return on investment.

Claiming to have now become one of the fastest growing interior design companies in the UK, Decor Fusion say they will soon have what they believe to be one of the largest design teams in the country. Mainly they are interior designers, as this has been their area of speciality, but they are also architects and brand/graphic designers too, enabling them to offer a comprehensive service.

Whilst the majority of their clients are independents such as Aromi Café, or small chains, they can also boast of a customer base that includes global companies such as Microsoft, Ricoh, Ramada, Whittlebury Hall, Holiday Inn and Barcelo Hotels & Resorts.

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Starting out “When starting to design an outlet, first of all there are no rules! It’s all about you and your requirements. What is going to be your USP, your Unique Sales Position? Is there a niche in the market?” says Paula Carey, Decor Fusion’s head of interior design. “Avoid gimmicks, and create a brief that not only addresses design aesthetics but also the function of the building.

“Have a budget and adhere to it. Your outlet should run smoothly and look good. Create a design that facilitates the movements of your employees in and out of the kitchen. This will help create seamless service.”

In the early stages of the design process, urge Decor Fusion, always know what direction you want to go in by getting pictures and photos together with the feel that you are trying to create yourself in your own venture.

“Visit as many outlets of a similar ilk to see how they work and feel. Take notes of interesting elements of the design that you like - the lighting, wall coverings and flooring and look on the Internet for interesting elements to use within your design, and also research designs within other countries, as you never know what you may find,” suggests Paul Carey.

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DESIGN “For most, the incorporation of a kitchen is going to be a major part of things. Could you incorporate an open plan kitchen? The public love to see the preparation of their meals.

Such a design also brings chefs out of the kitchen. It’s also important not to just design a kitchen that works during the busy times.

“Make sure you can operate the kitchen just as efficiently when you are quiet and require less staff. Keep the majority of the equipment and furniture removable so you can manipulate the room any way shape or form you choose, depending on the various types of setups or reservations you may have.

“This is something I would strongly recommend for most establishments as it gives you a wide variety of different options.

So, you can have the area for example, set for a hundred and fifty people and it could be all

parties of two, or it could be a mixture of parties two, four, six.”

Design tactics “People want to relax, chat and enjoy the experience, and different levels of lighting and seating areas can help achieve this,” Paul Carey continues.

“You need a mix of both cosy and intimate areas, but also areas were parties of people can gather. Look at all colours and finishes, and it will be this that creates the ‘mood’.”

A very important aspect to all

outlet design is traffic flow. From the moment they step through the front doors, there has to be clear passageways - for the waiting staff to get through without bumping into tables and chairs, as well as for guests coming in because there is cross traffic.

“You also have to have a favourable amount of space between tables, both for the fact that you don't want people bumping into each other and so the staff can manoeuvre around the tables,” cautions Paul Carey.

AROMI CAFÉ, CAMBRIDGE Late last year, Decor Fusion were invited by the owners of start-up company - Aromi Café - to prepare an interior design proposal for their recently acquired unit in Cambridge.

Previously a clothes store, they planned a complete refurbishment to bring a whole new aesthetic to the space.

Aromi - Italian for ‘aromas’ – is mostly associated with coffee and ‘herbs’, an essential ingredient in Sicilian cuisine, and is setting out to cater for in-house dining with a takeaway option, but also provide a catering service.

Targeting the higher end of the market, Aromi Café will also aim to offer quality, freshly baked food for customers seeking authentic, sweet and savoury bites, and who are willing to pay a higher price for them.

Their menu will include homemade specialities such as rustic pizza slices, focaccia, flat

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breads, arancini and pasticceria (bite size desserts and pastries).

Decor Fusion’s brief was to achieve between 25 and 30 covers, and comprise a bespoke fitted service counter, pizza oven, hot and cold display counters and wall display to showcase Sicilian products on sale within the unit.

The owners expressed a desire as a traditional café, to welcome guests into a cosy, warm and welcoming environment which offers a genuine experience. With this in mind, Decor Fusion’s vision for the interior scheme was to encompass the Sicilian spirit

and philosophy of life and reflect the authenticity of the company’s ethos in its surroundings.

The ground floor and entrance into the café is to be the first point of contact with the customer. The main counter is to be located on this level - an essential marketing tool as products on sale will be displayed here along with the pizza oven in order for customers to view the preparation and baking process of their orders. The smell of freshly baked breads will not only provide a homely welcome into the space but also entice purchases. The unit has large bay windows to the

“Each person must be able to be presented with their plate directly, not as we say ‘auctioned off’ by passing someone their plates and letting them place them around themselves. So, you need to ensure that you have allowed plenty of space all around every table to achieve this.”

It goes without saying that appointing an architect who comes recommended is a good move.

“Request literature that outlines their qualifications and experience, and ask to see their portfolio of work and visit finished sites. You must be convinced of their creativity and ability,” says Paul Carey.

“The ultimate success of your project wil depend on the quality of your orginal brief your aims, your style, how much structural work needs to take place and what activity you’re intending to use the location for.”

front so passers-by will be able to view the delights on offer from outside, thus improving curb appeal. The basement area will cater for an overspill of customers - fixed seating is a widely used feature in dining areas generally as they provide not only comfort but a relaxed atmosphere.

“We accomplished a homely feel with varied textures by combining lighter woods and deep coloured brickwork with splashes of colour symbolic of typical Italian colours, mainly red and green,” explains Paula Carey.

“Taking inspiration from the traditional staircases found in Sicily, the integration of beautifully patterned ceramic, not only in floor tiles but also lights and decoration has certainly made the scheme more authentic. We also incorporated antique steel signage to the front of the unit to enhance the rustic feel. We felt we ought to steer clear of the usual contemporary materials most popularly used as this would clash with the interior scheme.”

MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 41

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SOCIAL MEDIA Until Anne Doyle (pictured below) started her Cafe Dharma blog, she says that she hadn’t really fully appreciated just how vibrant the Brighton and Hove café scene is. Knowing that there was a multitude of cafés in this city by the sea, she has not only found the diversity of independents there to be quite breath-taking, but amassed some informed social media advice for operators in the process.

Trend-spotting Anne Doyle says that she enjoys a cuppa in many cafés each week, but focuses on at least one café a week to write up as a new posting in her blog. Keen to vary the type and location of the café so that a broad spectrum is included, this approach also means that she is in a good position to spot the trends and see what’s working, and what’s not.

“Customers look for different things in cafés, depending on whether they’re working, meeting friends or just wanting to while away an hour or so reading or catching up on emails,” she says. “And so to grab your share of this market you really need to know what else is out there.”

On a typical café visit, Anne Doyle says that she will take photos, write down some notes after some astute observation, and perhaps also chat to the staff and owner if they’re around to glean some useful background or some intriguing snippet about the business.

“If there’s a real spark of individuality about the café then that will tend to come through very strongly in my writing which is always vibrant in style, and draws the reader in. My Cafe dharma blog postings are about building a picture of the café experience so that the reader can imagine themselves there too,” explains Anne Doyle.

At the same time, Anne Doyle manages to weave into

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her postings what’s happening in her own life whether it’s a film or talk she’s been to recently, an exhibition or even family events, so that readers can get to know her as well as the many cafés she writes about.

Cafe Dharma is very visual too with the accompanying photography playing a huge part. Colourful photos help to illustrate the writing as well as re-enforce each café’s style.

Inside Blackbird, the 1940s vintage tearoom in Ship Street, Brighton & Hove.

Inside track Over the past year it seems more and more tea shops are opening up in Brighton and Hove, and often in a vintage style, observes Anne Doyle.

“One particular one is Blackbird on Ship Street right in the heart of the Lanes, Brighton’s old town,” she reports. “Here, it’s not just a vintage makeover, but an experience like stepping back in time. So much attention to detail has been made from the ration book style loyalty cards to the 1940’s background music, and even the round light switches. A tea room like this is a gift for a blogger as there’s so much detail that can be included, and makes me want to portray what it’s like to visit such a great place.”

In complete style contrast, and just across the road, is Marwood’s - an eclectic ramshackle anti-style sort of café which is hugely popular too. Its mish-mash of quirky, unfinished decor and odd ball reclaimed furniture seems to work, however, and brings the crowds in, in droves, notes Anne Doyle.

“Beneath these two completely different exteriors their commonality is a high standard of customer service and a quality product on sale,” adds Anne Doyle. “In Brighton at least, it seems there’s room for a huge range of diversity of style.”

Success breeds success and Anne Doyle’s blog has noted

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SOCIAL MEDIA that there are small independent chains too in Brighton. Small Batch Coffee, for example, is opening its fourth branch in the city and is more in the standard style though with a huge dollop of Brighton panache.

“Check out the gold-painted, gnome stools for starters, and the reclaimed brass light fittings sourced from ships in India!”

Anne Doyle enthuses.

With a catering and hospitality background herself, Anne Doyle worked in hotels and restaurants for some years after studying hotel management at college and so can identify with those working in the industry. And until May last year, she was working in the accounts team at a local food distribution company.

The part of her former job she says she loved most was striking up business relationships with café owners to ensure effective running of the financial side of their business. This experience gave her the insight into how challenging the world of the independent café owner is.

However, opening up their own café is a dream for many and so any extra help coming their way is a bonus.

Anne Doyle’s friends had all been urging her for some time to start a blog as they had loved her previous writing in a cycling column in the local press, as well as her travel writing in specialist magazines. Writing a blog on cafés would, it seems, now be bringing all her loves – cafés, writing and photography together.

Social media The biggest discovery though in this process has been finding out just how powerful social media can, observes Anne Doyle. “I make a point of emailing or tweeting the café I’ve just written about once I’ve published a blog update online.

And I always include in each posting a link to the café’s web site so that my readers can go directly to the café’s web site to find out more,” she says.

“It wasn’t until I opened a twitter account that I realised

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Inside Small Batch Coffee in Wilbury Road, Brighton & Hove.

Social media tips for café owners Get savvy with social media by opening a twitter account and a facebook page, and get active by starting conversations and interacting digitally with your customers.

■ Start your own blog - try wordpress or blogspot for free sites - and link it to your website and get posting.

■ Get involved in mutual linking to others out in the blogosphere who share the same ideals as yourself.

■ Make friends with meet-up groups - they can bring some much needed business.

■ Embrace and enjoy the learning curve of social media!

how much communication really goes on this way. Just watch my blog’s views soar when a posting is re-tweeted by the more social media-savvy caféowners amongst them… If a café posts my review on their web site, then I’ll get a continual feed from their site to mine.”

The process of reciprocal links is truly a symbiotic one with Anne Doyle publicising individual cafés and them in turn publicising her blog, the power of social media being one that she is continually learning how to embrace.

As a member of the Brighton Independent Coffee Lover’s Meet-Up Group she takes her work into her social life too. The Meet-Up Group phenomenon was started after 9/11 and has spread worldwide now. This particular Brighton group meets on an ad-hoc basis and makes use of the Cafe Dharma blog for ideas to decide at which independent café they will meet next.

The Cafe Dharma site stats provided by Wordpress show that readers from all over the world read the blog. The main readership is not surprisingly the UK, followed by France and

the USA. However, readers also come from Vietnam, Sweden and Angola. There are even

readers in Nepal, Bolivia and the Republic of Korea have read the Cafe Dharma blog too.

“It’s amazing how extensive the reach is and to see how many visits the site has each day and what the most popular postings are,” concludes Anne Doyle. “The site stat’s show what the most popular tags are and how followers find out about Cafe Dharma, whether through a specific search through google, or by referral from another site.”

The viewings on the site continue to grow exponentially each month, with an idea that started as a focus for Anne Doyle’s creativity having unexpectedly become a window for her writing and photography work, a learning curve on social media, a perspective on the independent café scene, as well as a promotion for Brighton, but most importantly, a blog for café lovers worldwide to follow and enjoy.

All the cafés mentioned here can be found on www.cafedharma.wordpress.com.

Why not leave a comment?

MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 43

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PREVIEW

The London Coffee Festival - the UK’s largest coffee and artisan food event - will return to the Old Truman Brewery from 25 to 28 April 2013. It is also a flagship event of UK Coffee Week™ (22 – 28 April), a nationwide celebration of great coffee and industry collaboration to raise funds for Project Waterfall (a charity which aims to deliver safe drinking water, good sanitation and hygiene education in Africa).

Extra trade day This year, the festival’s organisers have added a second industry day with an enhanced Lab and VIP Trade Day programme for industry visitors.

As well as adding many exciting new features to the programme, the festival will also see some favourites return such as the True Artisan Café (La Marzocco’s pop-up coffee shop partnering with more than 30 independent coffee shops and roasters), United Coffee’s Make Decent Coffee Lounge (a showcase of the latest brewing techniques and artisanal coffee) and Union Hand-Roasted’s Roastery on Tour (craft coffee live roasting demonstrations).

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The hybrid format of The London Coffee Festival (both B2B and B2C) is a new take on the traditional trade show model, with two industry days (Thursday 25 and Friday 26 April) and two consumer days (Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April).

This unique festival model has been designed to ensure that industry sessions provide an ideal platform for visitors to source new products and innovations as well experience the vibrant mix of interactive coffee experiences, say the organisers. Coffee and artisan food tastings, live demos, oneto-one tutorials and educational workshops will be available during the public sessions.

The VIP Trade Day Experience The VIP Trade Day Experience is a visitor enhancement programme. During this time industry visitors are given the opportunity to enhance, personalise and add value to their visit through a series of exclusive workshops, seminars, product tastings and other VIP experiences that are hosted by exhibitors at their stands (a full programme of experiences will be announced in the coming weeks).

The Lab The Lab is the educational hub of the festival that runs an exciting curriculum of live interactive demonstrations, hands-on workshops, talks, theatre and debates.

In 2013 The Lab will host numerous free, relevant seminars and workshops that will provide industry visitors with latest market insight, innovative ideas and ready-toimplement training and vocational skills (a full timetable to the Lab can be

found online, including titles and timings at www.londoncoffeefestival.com /thelab.aspx).

FESTIVAL FEATURES L’Accademia di Cimbali New for 2013, Cimbali (L’Accademia di Cimbali) will be drawing on its rich heritage by bringing a taste of the MUMAC Museum Milan (which was built to mark their centenary last year) to the London Coffee Festival, showcasing equipment from different decades and brewing coffee in the style of that era.

The festival will also see the launch of the M100 centenary edition and La Cimbali will be presenting a series of talks in the Lab with Professor Jonathan Morris on the history of espresso.

SCAE UK coffee events The London Coffee Festival will also host all UKCE competitions in 2013, including the UKBC, Latte Art Competition, Coffee in

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PREVIEW Good Spirits and Brewers Cup. The True Artisan Cafe (La Marzocco) This will provide a space to sample the best the independent coffee scene has to offer! Baristas from some of the best independent coffee shops and roasters will take over this pop-up café for a three hour slot each to serve carefully crafted signature drinks.

The Roastery (Union HandRoasted) Union will present exciting craft coffee live roasting demonstrations during each session, recreating the buzz and energy of their East London Roastery. The Union Roastery will this year comprise of three ‘flavour stations’ - Roasting, Brewing and Tasting.

Make Decent Coffee (United Coffee) The team at United Coffee will be back at the festival this year and on hand to showcase some of the most exciting brewing techniques and artisanal coffee.

A breakfast bar set up will entice passers-by to try their hand at traditional brewing methods such as the V60 Pourover and the Aeropress.

The Tea Garden The leaf experts, master herbalists and specialist tea producers will be on hand to educate and excite with brand new product samplings and the latest innovations in tea.

The Chocolate Factory Indulge your sweet tooth at the Chocolate Factory, an area that will see some of the most exciting players in chocolate and confectionery come together over this four day event.

Shoreditch Zone From artisan food stalls at the Street Food Market to the finest boutique roasters in the Artisan Market, Shoreditch is the place to be seen admiring and sampling a range of gourmet food products and tasting the most unique coffee blends.

FESTIVAL ZONES

Soho Zone Explore edgy ‘out of the box’ coffee shop experiences. Watch coffee being roasted before your eyes and soak up the delicious aroma at The Roastery. Talk coffee with the experts, be dazzled by live barista demos and experience your favourite London independent coffee shops at The True Artisan Café.

Hyde Park Zone The premium zone at the event, Hyde Park will showcase the latest products and innovations from the UK’s largest coffee companies. It will also present exciting up-and-coming businesses with concepts ranging from frozen yoghurt to coffee capsules, soft drinks and ambient food products.

The Show Room Zone The Showroom will play host to all SCAE UK Coffee Events as well as showcase the latest equipment innovation for both in and out of home. Test drive the baristas favourites or ‘try before you buy’ the hottest, state of the art coffee brewing kits and accessories.

!

ERS COME FOR FREE CAFÉ CULTURE READ Industry professionals are invited to attend the event by using the industry registration code 1NDLCF for complimentary entry when booking online for the Thursday and Friday day sessions. Visit www.londoncoffeefestival.com/registerindustryday for more information.

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

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The Coffee Clinic

FEE OF

CL

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.

INIC

Question We have just opened a café in Lincoln and we have had a few problems with bad tasting coffee, we have now been advised to clean the mchine with some kind of powder which we haven’t ever used before. Is this the best way to clean your machine or even better is there a set procedure as to when and how we should clean our machine? We are new to the industry and were still trying to find our feet a little.

Robin, Lincolnshire

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!

Question We need a little help on the engineering side please. Our restaurant has a bean to cup machine and we have a couple of problems that we would like to be resolved with it. I’ve called quite a few engineers in the London area, but they have all said that the only people that can repair this machine is the manufacturer and I’ve called them, but they are saying they will charge £795.00 for a visit/service as we haven’t got a warranty with them. We are really not happy to spend that much as they say that any repair parts will be extra on top. Do you know of any engineers that repair all types of bean to cup machines? Any help would be appreciated.

Hamza, Ealing, London.

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Answer Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! The biggest reason for call outs in our industry will be for cleaning issues.

Either they have used too much cleaner in the group or not been using any at all. The most common cleaner on the espresso market is called Pulycaf which most companies can get hold of easily. It comes in either a powder form or a tablet form.

We have a bit of a rule of thumb that if you use the powder, use 1/4 teaspoon per day if you are using over a bag of coffee a day. If you’re not selling that much, do it three times a week otherwise you will get a build-up of cleaning powder in your coffee groups if you dont flush it out correctly.

Answer I’m sorry but I think I’m going to have to agree with the other engineers as a few of the larger bean to cup machine manufacturers only allow their own engineers to repair there type of machines.

They are known to charge quite a lot for any machine not in warranty as well.

If the fault is a leak, or small, you may be lucky enough to find an engineer willing to look at it but I’m sorry to say that you are more than likely going to have to call the manufacturers and pay their fee if it is a serious problem.

The procedure I suggest if you don’t have a machine that has an automatic cleaning function on it would be as follows.

1) Put 1/4 teaspoon of powder in the blanking filter (the one with no holes).

2) Insert it into the group to be cleaned.

3) Press the start/ continuous button and let it run for 10 seconds.

4) Press the same button to stop it.

5) Let it rest for 5 seconds.

6) Repeat step 3 again.

7) Repeat step 4.

8) Repeat step 3.

9) Repeat step 4.

10) Once you have carried out the cycle three times remove the group handle and flush with clean water.

11) Re-insert the handle with NO powder, and repeat step 3 (this will remove any of the powder built up in the group head).

This will clean the internals of your coffee group out, allowing for you to make consistent tasting coffees without the fear of a bitter taste coming through.

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BARISTA TALK

Lynsey Harley is a Q grader and is also UK chapter co-ordinator for the Speciality Coffee Association Europe (SCAE) and the 2012 UK Cup Tasting Champion. Following her look at speciality milk-based drinks, Lynsey now discusses how seasonality in coffee and your approach to sourcing coffee can impact upon its quality.

More important Seasonality of coffee and buying fresh beans at the right time of year is becoming more important as consumers demand better quality coffee out of home. As a relatively newly recognised factor in the quality of the final drink, it’s important to understand why coffees are seasonal, what ages coffee and how this impacts on the flavour and quality that is served to your customers.

Why is coffee seasonal?

All coffees, including the two most common Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta, are species of the coffea genus.

Within each of these species there are several different cultivars, which are unique varieties of plants with individual characteristics.

Each of these cultivars lend themselves to different growing conditions. Some grow better at higher altitudes, some can handle direct sun light and others need shade. Caturra, for example, is commonly found growing in Central America.

Meanwhile Typica, needs different conditions to grown and so is found mainly in South America.

As well as the variable conditions, which affect where in the world the coffee is grown, the timing of the coffee crop is linked to the country’s own rainy season meaning different coffees are ready at different times of

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year. Generally, African coffees are at their best from November to April, Central American coffees from May to October and South American coffees from December to March. Some equatorial countries such as Colombia and Kenya also have a ‘fly crop’, which is an extra, smaller harvest yield. It’s all these variable factors that determine when a coffee is in season and determine when it is best to source these different types of beans.

Seasonality and the quality of coffee Though it seems like speciality coffee has been around for some time, it often still feels as though it’s in its infancy, as we keep experimenting to improve quality. The farmers are improving processing, exporters are shipping more efficiently, roasters profiling more and the industry communicating better with

their customers. This is a cycle that has had only one result - improved quality and seasonality is starting to become a factor in this.

Seasonality has recently started to be acknowledged as having a bearing on quality.

In the past it was accepted that green coffee could be stored until it was roasted without affecting the taste.

Many roasters used to stock green coffee from a range of countries all year round, storing the beans in the green hessian sacks it was shipped in and waiting for a customer to order before roasting. The industry is now better educated and know this isn’t good for quality coffee. This knowledge on seasonality is a result of direct farm relationships, better communication between farmer, exporter, importer and roaster, more interest from consumers and an overall drive for better quality.

Tasting fresh Fresh crop coffee can sometimes taste a little green and grassy when cupping, but this passes in a few weeks once the coffee has started to age. But there’s a limit - older coffee starts to taste stale as it loses its complexity of flavours and aromas. This can happen quickly if the coffee is not stored correctly and as the majority of world coffee production is shipped in hessian sacks, this limits how long the coffee can remain

TALK

Barista talk

RISTA A B

fresh. Green coffee that has been stored for too long in these sacks develops what is called a ‘baggy’ note. This is hard to describe but to me it's almost like a mouldy sweaty aroma and a bland cardboardlike underlying note – which is not a desirable characteristic.

Moisture has an important bearing on the taste of the coffee. When harvested, coffee has about 60% moisture but during processing this is reduced to 12%. It will stay at the 12% point for some time but eventually the fats in the green coffee will oxidise and turn rotten. A woody, perhaps straw like flavour develops in this older green coffee, and the acidity drops affecting the taste. This will go unnoticed by some roasters who don’t cup and grade coffee regularly, and perhaps may like this subdued acidity in their blends.

There are several ways of limiting this ageing and loss of quality - buying seasonally, and the way you store your green beans. Two alternatives to hessian sacks - Grain Pro and vacuum storage - have started to be used for the micro-lot coffees, which are the exceptional, high quality part of the crop to ensure these beans don’t get spoiled.

Grain Pro only adds on a few pence extra, vacuum storage a bit more, but it is completely worth it when the coffee quality can be extended for that extra few months.

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BARISTA TALK

The future Seasonality in fruit is nothing new. In the winter our raspberries come from Mexico or Guatemala, and in the summer they are sourced locally in the UK. This leads us to question why isn’t coffee always fresh?

With chains such as Harris + Hoole and artisan coffee shops communicating coffee quality to the masses, this is something that will become

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more transparent in the coming years. Consumers are being educated on brew recipes, coffee blend specifications and farm information – seasonality will be next.

In the future consumers will learn that coffee is indeed like fruit, it ripens and goes off, it has an optimum window where it is at its best, and when it’s consumed during this period, it can taste no better.

MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 49

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It pushes up to the table to enable your smallest guests to join the meal as well as conserving valuable aisle space. It also features

a permanent T-bar for intrinsic safety as well as an adjustable, instantrelease buckle. Designed and manufactured in the UK, it is available in a choice of colours (call 01543 375311, or visit www.magrini.co.uk).

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Victor, not just a pretty counter!

Taking an idea and turning it into reality is what drives Victor Manufacturing to design, build and install bespoke foodservice counters. In conjunction with leading distributors, the company has completed and fitted servery counters in a range of sites up and down the UK. The counters take on all forms, from massive institution-size energysaving counters fitted with all the bells and whistles, to small three unit counter runs, as found in cafés and delis. Counters are finished in a plethora of finishes –

ceramic tile, Corian, quartz, granite, brass or stainless steel with configurations, variants of curved or straight layout, to suit the sites.

They’ve produced a colour brochure of bespoke counter installations, available in hard copy or downloadable from the company’s web site (www.victoronline.co.uk), or call 01274 722125.

Snowbird rolls out International Meatballs

QED launches new Avalon range of coffee shop counters at ScotHot 2013 Quality Equipment Distributors (QED), based in Glasgow, is a leading UK designer and supplier of modular bar, coffee shop and food service equipment, with a large selection of contemporary and classic module styles for catering and retail environments.

The company launched its new Avalon range of serveover counters, bar modules and retail refrigeration products at ScotHot, SECC

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Glasgow, UK, 4 – 6 March 2013.

Avalon straight glass counters and bar systems are designed for coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals and many more retail and catering locations.

They are available in a wide selection of sizes, temperature ranges (chilled, heated and ambient) and wood veneer or coloured laminate finishes (call 0141 779 9503 or visit www.qualityequipment.co.uk).

Snowbird Foods has added even more international appeal to its award-winning range of frozen and fully cooked meatballs with the introduction of two new flavours which are redolent of Iberia and the Americas.

Spain’s most famous cheese – Manchego – has been finely grated and blended with beef and pork. That mix is flavoured with onion, garlic, salt, parsley, smoked paprika and black

pepper to produce a round shaped product which is oven cooked and available in sizes from 10g upwards.

Also weighing in at 10g or upwards is the Devilishly Spiced Chilli Meatball, a round, oven cooked and flash fried pork product which is flavoured with peppers, onion, black pepper, fennel, salt, brown sugar, basil, garlic, nutmeg and thyme (call 020 8805 9222, or visit www.snowbirdfoods.co.uk).

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RECIPE

No-bake bacon lasagne Serves: 3-4 Cooking time - approximately 35 minutes Ingredients 240g dry cured oak smoked bacon rashers 15mlsp (1tbsp) olive oil 2 large mushrooms, sliced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 400g (approx) can chopped tomatoes 15mlsp (1tbsp) tomato ketchup 15mlsp (1tbsp) fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped Black pepper 8 fresh lasagne sheets, cut in half–or if dried lightly soaked in boiling water Grated Parmesan cheese Fresh basil leaves Method 1. In a large non-stick saucepan heat the oil and fry the bacon, mushrooms and garlic for about four minutes.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. Plunge lasagne sheets into boiling water for about two to three minutes (follow pack instructions). Remove from water, rinse well and allow to drain.

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4. Assemble and serve. Cut each lasagne sheet in half. On to each plate start with a square of lasagne, top with a spoonful of sauce and repeat making up to three-four layers of lasagne.

5. Finish with the top being with a piece of lasagne, sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan and scatter with fresh basil leaves.

6. Serve with mixed leaf salad.

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MARCH 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 53

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magazine SUBSCRIBE NOW CAFÉ CULTURE is published six times a year and currently distributed at the promotional subscription price of £55 per annum (£95 outside the UK).

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I enclose a cheque for £55 (£95 outside the UK). Cheques should be payable to Café Society and returned to: Café Culture, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow NP16 5DB or contact Tony Lorimer on 01291 636333 or email on tony@cafesociety.org.uk Alternatively, if you wish to pay by credit card, please enter your details below.

Card No: ________________________Valid From ______ /______ Expiry date: ______ /______ Last 3 digits of Security No. on Reverse _____ Name on Card:__________________________ Post Code_____________ House No. ____________(for security purposes only)

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INDEX & CHECKOUTS

Café Society Suppliers Index Beyond the Bean Ltd. Unit 6, Cala Trading Estate Ashton Vale Road, Ashton Vale Bristol BS3 2HA Contact: Paul Maxwell Tel: 0117 953 3522 Fax: 0117 953 3422 Email: info@beyondthebean.com Web: www.beyondthebean.com Café Boutique 25 Dale Road, Stanton by Dale Derbyshire DE7 4QF Contact: Greg Campher Tel: 0800 028 3175 Fax: 0800 471 5205 Email: hello@cafeboutique.co.uk Web: www.ipanemaespresso.co.uk Coffix Unit 25 Hill Lane Close, Markfield Leicester LE67 9PY Contact: Glenn James Tel: 01530 242800 Mobile: 07790 402144 Email: info@coffix.com Web: www.coffix.com Edgcumbe Tea and Coffee Co Ltd. Wicks House, Ford Lane, Arundel West Sussex BN18 0DF Contact: Alice Rendle Tel: 01243 555775 Email: sales@edgcumbes.co.uk Web: www.edgcumbes.co.uk

Erlenbacher Backwaren gmbh Wasserweg 39, 64521 Groß-Gerau GERMANY Tel: +49 6152 / 803-0 Fax: +49 6152 / 803-347 Email: erlenbacher@de.nestle.com Web: www.erlenbacher.com

Technomic Inc. Knowledge Center, 300 S Riverside Plaza, Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois IL 60606 Contact: Patrick Noone Tel: +01 205 991 1234 Fax: +01 205 980 3770 Email: pnoone@technomic.com Web: www.technomic.com

London School of Coffee 2 Princeton Mews, London KT2 6PT Contact: Gayle Reed Tel: 0208 4397 981 Email: info@londonschoolofcoffee.com Web: www.londonschoolofcoffee.com

United Coffee 2 Bradbourne Drive , Tilbrook Milton Keynes MK7 8AT Contact: Elaine Higginson Tel: 01908 275 520 Fax: 01908 648 444 Email: info@firstchoicecoffee.com Web: www.unitedcoffeeuk.com

Nelson Catering Equipment Unit 1, Rowley Industrial Park Acton, London W3 8BH Contact: John Nelson Tel: 0208 993 6199 Email: john@nelsoncatering.co.uk Web: www.nelsondishwashers.co.uk

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Rapido Coffee Services The Garden House, Sugnall Eccleshall, Stafford, Staffordshire ST21 6NF Contact: David Wiggins Tel: 01785 851348 Fax: 01785 859388 Email: sales@cappuccino-rapido.com Web: www.cappuccino-rapido.com

zine maga

CAFÉ CULTURE is published six times a year and currently distributed at the promotional subscription price of £55+vat per annum (£95 outside the UK).

Sugar & Spice The Old Bakehouse, Bakers Yard Ardington OX12 8PS Contact: Martin Popple Tel: 01235 835194 Fax: 01235 862212 Email: info@sugarandspicebakery.co.uk Web: www.sugarandspicebakery.co.uk

For more information call

01291 636 333

Checkouts Bean there Fixed that Repairs Servicing Sales

glasswashers & dishwashers EXPERT ADVICE - SALES AND SERVICE SUPPORT NATIONWIDE

HUGE SAVINGS

Installation Delivery Training * available subject to conditions on certain models.

E: info@coffix.com Tel: 0845 257 4316 Mob: 07790 402144

W: www.coffix .com

www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

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SAVE: £’s - Up to 30% Discount* SAVE: £’s on Electricity Usage SAVE: £’s on Water Consumption FREE: Help picking the right model FREE: Site Survey (Obligation Free!)

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NELSON DISH & GLASSWASHING MACHINES

CALL FREE

0800 592 833 FEBRUARY 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 55

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The world leading brand Mazzer is synonymous with coffee bean grinding as it has been manufacturing for more than 70 years and distributes into 90 countries and has become the choice and preference by the vast majority of the speciality coffee community and for good reason.

Mazzers proven reliability with every single unit build being factory tested with coffee guarantees the consistency and accuracy that achieves the highest quality grind with minimum heat and static build up protecting the essential and volatile coffee aromas.�

Do not hesitate, call for further trade information and pricing 0845 6885282