Cafe Culture Magazine - Issue 59

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magazine NOVEMBER 2013 ISSUE 59

TASTING THE LIFESTYLE OF THE CAFÉ SECTOR

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Welcome!

CONTENTS

At the close of another busy year for the café sector, we report on what some of the sector’s suppliers are offering when it comes to all things festive. We also share some advice from a digital marketing guru and a corporate clothing specialist, take a look at some of the latest bean to cup machines, and provide an overview of pressure profiling.

At the time of going to press, we look forward to meeting and catching up with some of you at this year’s European Coffee Symposium which will take place at the Hotel Pullman Montparnasse in Paris (26-28 November 2013).

NEWS

Clare Benfield - Editor 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 Subscriptions and Customer Service 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

5 Esquires Coffee Houses UK to benefit from new global network.

6 Unilever brings tea into 21st century with Tea Fusion launch.

8 Dalla Corte launches two new products at Host.

11 Gluten-free, but you’d never know!

EVENT REVIEWS 22 lunch! 2013.

FEATURES 14 Christmas is coming – are you ready for the festive period?

26 Bean to cup – the coffee machines helping to make a barista’s life easier.

32 An introduction to pressure profiling – a look at pressure, and temperature, profiling.

ARTICLES 24 Steaming hot on social media – advice for cafés from digital marketing strategist, Susanne Currid.

34 A whole new way to make coffee (or tea) – George Sowden goes back to basics with a new design.

36 Tulip’s new recipe for growth – a foodservice focused re-launch at Tulip.

38 The case for corporate clothing – Lands’ End Corporate & Teamwear’s advice on looking good.

40 Hygiene rating display becomes statutory in Wales – businesses in Wales serving or selling food must display their food hygiene rating.

PROFILES 42 The café in the courtyard a temporary café at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.

REGULARS 44 New products.

46 Checkout.

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Probat to supply roasting and grinding solutions to Lavazza

A regular event on the coffee calendar, the European Coffee Symposium is where some of the latest thinking and industry trends are put in the spotlight.

European Coffee Symposium speakers announced Allegra has announced their 2013 European Coffee Symposium conference speakers, and they will include Nicolas Riché (CEO of Columbus Café & Co), Jim Slater (managing director of Costa), Stephen Holloway (director general of Costa) and Annabelle Jacquier (head of project McCafé for McCafé).

Allegra Strategies’ own managing director, Jeffrey Young, will address the gathering, as will Tom Clark (owner of the Paris-based Coutume Café), Eric Maillard (managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations France) and Robert W. Thurston of Oxford Coffee Company and Miami University (roaster/writer/professor and a coeditor of the recently-published Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry).

John Nylen (COO of Espresso House), Christian Kohlhof (CEO of Chicco di café), Christophe Reale (managing director of espressamente illy) and Laurent Bourgitteau-Guiard (general manager of Snapp) will also be taking part, as will Salvatore Malatesta (creative conceptualist, future proofer and owner of ST Ali), Matt Perger (director of coffee education and quality for St Ali Family), Reinhold Schäerf (managing director of Coffeeshop Company) and Rob Berghmans (owner of Caffenation Specialty Coffee Roasters).

The European Coffee Symposium also features a tailored Supply & Innovation Day, a host city Study Tour of the latest coffee and food concepts, the European Coffee Awards and celebratory gala dinner (it will take place at the Hotel Pullman Montparnasse in Paris from 26-28 November 2013).

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Probat (www.probat.com) has announced that it will supply four roasting machines and eight grinders to the Italian premium coffee roaster Lavazza.

Two tangential roasters and two drum roasters with a total capacity of 400t per day are soon going to be delivered to the Italian coffee producer, and in addition, Lavazza has ordered eight two-stage grinders from Probat for its roasting plants and machinery.

Flexibility and functionality are the essential characteristics of the Jupiter tangential- and Neptune drum roasters, say Probat, and which their latest customer decided on in order to expand its roasting capacity. To ensure the careful treatment of the products’ delicate aromas during the grinding process, Lavazza went for two-stage grinders from the manufacturer based in Emmerich, Germany.

This choice of roasting and grinding

components allows for all coffee varieties and blends to be roasted to any desired profile up to espresso and special coffees with particularly high aroma development as well as the consistent reproduction of any grinding result.

This continuation of the successful cooperation between Lavazza and Probat sustains the positive development the German-based company underwent during the past years.

“Quality is a value which we constantly create with our roasters and grinders. The confidence which Lavazza consistently puts in our products and service is something we are particularly proud of. Above all this purchase order turns the current business year 2013 into the one with the highest order inflow in the history of the company,” said Wim Abbing, managing director of Probat.

Costa’s best baristas in competition An assistant store manager from China has been named the best Costa barista in the world at the international finals in London held in London in October.

Tony Huang, who works at Guangzhou Grand View Mall beat stiff competition from some of Costa’s most accomplished baristas around the world to be named Barista of the Year at the Champion of Champions final held at Vinopolis, London (he wins a 10-day trip for two to a country of his choice with a Costa Coffee connection).

The eight finalists were tested on their ability to produce a technically perfect cup of hand-made coffee and their knowledge and understanding of the industry. They were also judged on their overall performance, flair and passion for coffee, and on their creativity by inventing their own signature drink.

Costa’s Szilard Hathazi also impressed the judges with his speciality coffee creation, a blackcurrant inspired short coffee that showcased the unique Costa Mocha Italia blend named the Cassis Cortado Shot. The barista, who has worked at the Isle of Man Sea Terminal branch for two years and seven months was even more pleased that his family, who were seated on the front row, got to see him win the speciality coffee accolade.

The espresso challenge which had the finalists competing against each other to see how many Costa brand standard espressos they could make in two

minutes was won by the European representative, Ricardo Costa from Portugal, who succeeded in making nine perfect espressos.

“Tony did a fantastic job against some outstanding competition. He’s just what we look for in our baristas: someone who possesses true Pride, Passion and Personality about their coffee,” said head judge and Costa Master of Coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia.

Joining Gennaro on the panel were UK celebrity chef Phil Vickery and food television personality Stefan Gates.

Tony Huang now joins a list of prestigious Barista of the Year winners including 2012 winner Victoria Stewart who, along with 2012 finalist Rob Pound inspired and helped develop Costa’s Chocolate & Orange Mocha Latte that successfully launched into UK stores this autumn.

Tony Huang who has won Costa’s Barista of the Year title for 2013.

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NEWS

Esquires Coffee Houses UK to benefit from new global network Cooks Global Foods has announced the acquisition of Esquires Coffee Houses UK. Esquires Coffee (UK) Ltd says that it is set to benefit from a new global network following the acquisition of the business by Cooks Global Foods Ltd (‘Cooks’).

The acquisition is just one of four that Cooks has completed in order to bring together a wealth of established businesses under one worldwide network (Cooks has also purchased Esquires Coffee Houses Ireland Limited, Franchise Development Limited and the business and assets of Progressive Processors Limited).

Following the sales, Cooks says that it will now work to deliver its vision for the Esquires Coffee Houses brand. Namely, to become the world’s leading Fairtrade organic coffee retailer. Having become the master franchisor of the global intellectual property rights to Esquires Coffee Houses, Cooks has also announced a six fold increase in the number of units it plans to operate worldwide taking the network to approximately 400 coffee houses by 2020.

Here in the UK, although business will remain as usual for Esquires Coffee Houses, general manager, Peter Kirton, is confident that the business’s integration into Cooks’ growing group will provide ample opportunities for the future.

“Esquires Coffee Houses is an extremely successful business and now, as part of Cooks Global Foods with its highly motivated board, we will be assisted to continue to deliver ambitious and innovative expansion plans,” said Peter Kirton.

“Having access to the company’s

experience and expertise will not only strengthen our current offering but will provide new opportunities for the future too.

The scalable model and efficient supply chain they have in place allows for rapid growth in both turnover and store numbers and we’re extremely excited to see what lies ahead.”

In addition to the acquisition announcements, Cooks has also issued approximately 37.1 million new shares to raise approximately $3.6 million in new capital, issued approximately 23.4 million new shares to capitalise debts of approximately $3.5 million, converted all convertible preference shares on issue to ordinary shares, resulting in the issue of 7,398,304 ordinary shares.

Cooks’ chairman, Keith Jackson, added: “Completing these transactions is a significant milestone and we now have a strong platform from which to pursue growth.

We have further potential acquisitions identified which we will now pursue with the expertise of our new Board and executive team.”

Costa to open new store at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 In a departure from its current store design, Costa has announced that it will be opening a new store within Heathrow’s Terminal 2: The Queens Terminal in June, 2014.

With an investment of close to £1 million, the 3,000 square foot store located in international departures will be a unique store design in the Costa estate, say the brand.

With coffee at its heart, the design will be making a clear departure from Costa’s current interiors, say Costa, and it will feature energy efficient lighting and bespoke coffee flower decorative panels will clearly zone a mix of both relaxed seating and meeting areas to meet differing customer occasions. The counter and service points form a central focal point and have been designed to maximise efficiency and speed of service. A dedicated iPad station will be installed for customer use to check emails, play games and browse the web ahead of their flights.

James Hamilton, head of UK acquisitions and estates at Costa, commented: “We are very excited to be bringing a bespoke store design to Terminal 2. Airport customers are looking for convenience, great coffee and

food and a quick service. By working closely with the Heathrow team we believe that the new store layout will clearly reflect our travelling customers’ needs whilst creating a sleek, modern feel.”

Muriel Zingraff, Heathrow’s retail director said: “We’re delighted to be working with Costa on delivering a new innovative store design for the new Terminal 2. The UKs favourite coffee brand already has nine other outlets within Heathrow and has proven to be very popular amongst our travellers from all over the globe.”

In 2012, Heathrow challenged retailers to respond to six key directions including multi-channel experiences, customised services and an emphasis on mobile interaction in order to win a contract at Terminal 2. Each unit at Terminal 2 received an average of five proposals, surpassing the tender process for Terminal 5, say the airport. Terminal 2 will have 67 outlets in total including shops, bars and restaurants.

Heathrow itself has been named ‘Best Airport for Shopping’ four times in a row at the Skytrax World Airport Awards, independently voted for by passengers (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013).

The Queen’s Terminal, phase 1 is a £2.5bn development. The terminal will eventually serve 20 million passengers a year and be home to 23 Star Alliance airlines, as well as Aer Lingus, Virgin Atlantic Little Red and germanwings carriers. An average of 55,000 passengers will arrive and depart from the Terminal daily once in full operation. Despite being built in the centre of the world’s busiest international airport, the construction project has not disrupted daily operations.

The project is one of the largest privately funded construction projects in the UK and will have supported 35,000 jobs across the country by the time it opens (The old Terminal 2 opened in 1955, shutting after 54 years of service in 2009).

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NEWS

Unilever brings tea into 21st century with Tea Fusion launch Unilever has announced the launch of Tea Fusion, an innovative tea solution that combines high quality, loose leaf tea blends and a unique brewing process to deliver 12 varieties of teas and infusions, at the touch of a button.

Inspired by consumer feedback about the poor experience of out of home tea, Tea Fusion is set to revolutionise the out-ofhome tea drinking experience by offering customers a great cup of tea and operators opportunities for business growth, say Unilever (outlets who trialled Tea Fusion have experienced double-digit growth on both their volume and value sales for tea, while also growing their hot beverage category, claim the company).

Tea Fusion offers a sophisticated and distinctive brewing process that allows customers to watch the tea leaves ‘dance’ in the brewing chamber, delivering a consistently high quality cup of loose leaf tea in just under a minute by combining the ideal balance between water temperature, brewing time and tea leaf movement. The capsule-based system is simple and mess free, and requires minimum training, point out the company.

“With Tea Fusion we are definitely changing the way tea we drink tea out of home. There hasn’t been a lot of innovation in this market for quite a long time and therefore the category lacks excitement especially when compared to the coffee market,” said Edgar Benschop, Tea Fusion’s global business director.

Tea Fusion is currently available to independent cafés in the UK, all of whom receive a selection of POS materials and a tea and food pairing kit to drive cross selling (visit: www.teafusionbylipton.co.uk).

“Tea Fusion was developed in response to this need for more exciting and better quality tea. The concept’s unique visual brewing chamber produces the theatre usually associated with a barista preparing a cup of coffee. This captures the customer’s imagination and encourages initial trial, and the fact that Tea Fusion delivers a consistently high quality drink, every time, helps to build loyalty.”

Aga, the manager of Kitchen & Pantry Coffee Shops in Chiswick and Notting Hill, London, which has been stocking Tea Fusion for over 18 months, commented: “Fast, loose leaf tea is clearly capturing people’s imaginations and Tea Fusion helps us make the most of that trend. Since trialling Tea Fusion, our tea sales have increased by 50% without affecting coffee sales. Tea Fusion has finally brought a quality loose leaf tea to the High Street with speed and simplicity. For us, there’s no going back to tea bags.

“What’s more, Tea Fusion couldn’t be easier to operate – you remove the cover from the capsule, slot it into the machine, push the button and that’s it. It’s easy to clean too and it’s helped improve the service we offer our customers as we’re able to multitask and cross sell products we wouldn’t ordinarily have time to do if we were making a cup of tea from scratch.”

The 12-strong range of loose leaf teas and infusions have been developed by Unilever’s tea experts and carefully selected to complement the brewing process. The range includes innovative fruit and herbal infusions, such as Crushed Peppermint and Refreshing Rooibos, classic tea like Traditional Black and Earl Grey, alongside green teas and more modern and exciting varieties such as Indulgent Vanilla Chai and Pomegranate White Tea. All the leaves are hand-picked and sealed in capsules to keep them fresh and to retain their delicate flavour.

The eco Christmas jumper cup that’s green all over!

Vegware, who claim to be the UK’s first and only completely compostable food packaging company, have launched a special Christmas jumper cup to bring some eco festive cheer to Britain’s coffeelovers.

The stylish double-walled cups are ontrend with knitted reindeer, trees and snowflakes on a matt finish, and come in two Christmassy colours - red 12oz or green 8oz. A subtle line of text by the join reads: ‘What’s knitty and pretty and GREEN all over? Me! I’m completely compostable! Caution - cheerful contents!’

They are available for order online at www.vegware.com in cases of 500, and individuals can order packs of 25 from £4.33. These festive cups keep hot drinks

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warm with two layers of sustainably sourced EU board, say Vegware. Lined with cornstarch, as opposed to plastic, these cups are completely compostable.

Made in the British Isles from low-carbon EU materials, this cup won Best New Product in the first ever Climate Week Awards.

The limited edition festive cups were designed by Vegware’s in-house creative team to fit in with the current knitwear trend (Vegware’s specialist Print My Cup service offers quality custom-printed cups as few as 1,000 cups, with the first hour of design time free of charge).

Vegware also recently scooped the top prize in the Scottish Green Awards 2013, winning 'Outstanding Contribution to the

Environment of Scotland' as well as Best Green Service Provider, the judges recognising Vegware for its groundbreaking work helping businesses recycle used catering disposables. This came in the same year as the fast-growing firm topped the FSB UK Streamline Awards and won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

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NEWS

Dalla Corte launches two new products at Host

Country Choice’s festive-themed Spiced Christmas Muffin.

Country Choice promises Christmas presence with new line-up Country Choice has launched two new savoury bakes in time for Christmas, as well as some Christmas pastry, muffins and gingerbread.

Its Christmas Cracker Sub features minced pork, turkey, ham, cranberries and stuffing combined in a soft bread roll sub that can be baked from frozen in 15 to 20 minutes and contains only 316 calories. In addition, there’s a Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Bake featuring gravy mixed with sage and onion stuffing balls and cranberry sauce in crisp puff pastry (both have a hot shelf life of four hours).

Their Cranberry Twist is a butter croissant pastry filled with crème patissiere and cranberries. There’s also a new Spiced Christmas Muffin (130g of spiced mixed fruit topped with snow white icing and a holly leaf decoration). Their shaped Christmas Tree Gingerbread has icing and chocolate decoration, turning the classic biscuit into a cool Yule treat.

There are also Christmas POS and ambient display units available to enable retailers to make the most of the lucrative Christmas impulse confectionery opportunity, say Country Choice.

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Dalla Corte presented its new coffee machine – the evo2 - and a new automatic steam wand called MCS (Milk Control System) at the recent Host exhibition in Milan, Italy.

The new automatic milk emulsifying system uses steam alone to generate the centrifugal turbulence producing an emulsified milk that is dense and constant in quality, say Dalla Corte, and an innovation they described as being “based on simplicity”.

System installation includes setting steam pressure – the intensity of which has a direct impact on foam density and volume – and the temperature at which milk frothing must be stopped (which must not exceed 65°C to avoid affecting the taste of the drink, advise Dalla Corte). Subsequently, all you have to do is dip the steam wand into the milk jug, say the company, and start steam production to let the system work quickly and autonomously while you prepare your espresso (the milk foam obtained will be dense and velvety, constant in quality, claim Dalla Corte, and not influenced by the user’s hand, making it of interest for cafés, bars and restaurants with a high staff turnover).

Dalla Corte’s classic model, Evolution, was the first multi-boiler machine to be launched onto the market in 2001, and now its successor, evo2, is starting to be distributed all over the world, report the

Dalla Corte’s new Milk Control System. company. Although its look is consistent with the original model, there are some changes. The front part is shorter and makes brewing groups – now wrapped up in a steel grill – and steam wand more visible, say the firm. Useful features include the standardised led lighting under the brewing groups and a new backlit control panel. The display (the external palm has been removed) allows the barista to set up functions, easily adjust parameters (such as the cleaning cycles, the temperature of boiler and brewing units) and control the extraction, also by means of a stopwatch.

The inner layout has been simplified to make components more accessible and provide greater quickness and ease of maintenance. The machine is also equipped with a serial port for the connection of a dc one on-demand grinder, so as to allow for a complete ‘system’ for the preparation of espresso, from bean to cup.

Smoothly does it The award-winning premium chilled juice provider, Coldpress, has unveiled four nutritious ‘new age’ Coldpress smoothies: an apple, pear & raspberry, a mango & passion fruit, a pineapple, banana & coconut and a strawberry & banana.

Coldpress first upset the apple cart back in 2012 with its pioneering HPP (high pressure processing) chilled apple juices that challenged the old school (pasteurised) juices that had historically dominated the UK’s flavour suppressed chiller cabinets.

“Although it might seem like folly to now take on the multi-national sponsored juggernaut that is Innocent, we wanted to create a distinct portfolio of ‘fresh-fromthe-tree’ raw smoothies that were brimming with pulp and beneficial dietary fibre (our smoothies offer at least 3g of dietary fibre per 250ml fill),” said Coldpress founder, Andrew Gibb.

“We’ve always baulked at the very notion of pasteurising, not simply from the perspective that sweaty subdued fruit makes us feel queasy, but because it allows some competitors to employ second-division fruit knowing that this outmoded 1950’s heat process is responsible for so many flavour notes and nutrients being cooked off.’

HPP is a rigorous process that ensures only the finest freshest fruit is ever considered and can provide their independent store partners with an extended chilled shelf life (three to four times the norm), claim Coldpress, as well as enhanced flavours.

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From dealing with issues on legislation to providing advice and help to support members, The CafĂŠ Society is an exclusively retail focused body which aims to encourage and promote excellence across the cafĂŠ/coffee bar sector.

tel: 01291 636333 web: www.thecafelife.co.uk/cc57 QUOTE: CC59

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NEWS

The Vizione® packs are environmentally friendly with recyclable lid and base, in line with Colpac’s green credentials (more information can be found at www.colpac.co.uk).

New Vizione® range from Colpac The innovative food packaging solutions provider, Colpac, has added a new range to its bakery packaging line.

The Vizione® range, due to its versatility, stackability and optimum product visibility, can be used to display bakery products in a cross section of outlets from traditional bakeries though to large supermarket chains, advise the company.

Consisting of a Kraft paperboard tray and a plastic

lid, this range is available in three different sizes, suitable for many occasions and uses, accommodating single and dual portions and holding larger products for catering, party and family needs.

Croissants, pastries, pies, sandwiches and all bakery products can be displayed to their best advantage and the base can be printed in up to six colours to give operators the best possible branding for your products on shelf.

Peros launches new cookies Peros has introduced three new cookies into its popular Fairtrade One World impulse bakery range, one of the fastest growing categories within the Peros foodservice portfolio.

The three new Giant Cookies - Stem Ginger, Spotty, and Oat & Raisin - join the two existing American Chewy Cookies in the single-pack range, each providing a mouthwatering and filling individual snack. Each cookie in the range is suitable for vegetarians, say the company, and they all

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achieve Fairtrade accreditation through their high proportion of Fairtrade ingredients.

Further information about each product is detailed in the Peros Product Directory, including Allergens, Certification & Assurance, Nutritional Content and Product Origin - an important resource for their customers and their customers’ customers, adding transparency, value and assurance to the procurement process, say Peros.

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NEWS

Gluten-free, but you’d never know!

The Handmade Cake Company has entered the gluten-free arena with the launch of four, Coeliac UKendorsed cake slices (caramel heaven, a raspberry & almond slice, a chocolate brownie and a fruity granola bar).

By adding a premium, ‘free-from’ selection to its well-stocked pantry, the Berkshire-based bakery says that it is now perfectly placed to support those customers looking to raise the ‘taste stakes’ in a fast-moving gluten-free food sector already worth £288m (+25% yr-on-yr).

“Gluten-free has been at the front of our mind for some while now. There’s a limited range in the coffee shop world currently and most offerings are either not good to eat or unduly expensive,” commented MD, Parry Hughes Morgan.

“We’ve built a segregated ‘gluten-free bakery within a bakery’ and we continue to make the cakes by hand

and from scratch (no mixes) as we always have. The only difference is that we’ve developed recipes that don’t contain gluten. As a result the cakes taste as good as our ‘everyday’ range and we don’t have to charge freefrom prices. Katie, the product developer at the heart of our gluten-free range gets her name on the fruity cereal bar in recognition of all her fantastic work.”

Branded with the same Handmade Cake Company livery as the bakery’s everyday single cake slices, this new, four-strong portfolio is nevertheless clearly differentiated by its own vibrant colour-coded packaging and the display of a colourful Coeliac UK logo, point out the company.

A new, modern muesli brand Cuckoo (www.cuckoofoods.co.uk) launched this month, offering consumers a revolutionary take on traditional Bircher muesli with exciting and innovative varieties designed to appeal to Britain’s adventurous palate, say the company.

Inspired by the century-old Swiss recipe for Bircher muesli and the wholesome Alpine lifestyle, Cuckoo combines tradition with pioneering flavour combinations and contrasting, complementary textures, say its creators.

From a range of five (including Elderflower & Cranberry, Dark Chocolate & Sour Cherry and Mango &

Coconut), the on-the-go pots are designed to be enjoyed at any time, not just for breakfast. Bold colours and attractive layers of finest quality natural ingredients have been used to ensure Cuckoo Bircher muesli appeals to the eye and stands out on the shelf.

With fewer than 300 calories per 200g single-serve pot, Cuckoo Bircher muesli is also wheat-free and low-GI, making it a great way to start the day, a perfect afternoon pick-me-up or a wholesome dessert option, say Cuckoo, who will also be offering smaller 90g pots (or bespoke sizes as required) for the travel market.

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NEWS

SHORTS Pipers Crisps doubles delivery capability in capital Following the successful introduction earlier this year of their own delivery service in London and the surrounding area, Pipers Crisps has now doubled this capability. Since they began business in 2004, the Lincolnshire-based crisp maker had been making their own deliveries to customers within a 130 mile radius of their base. In early 2013 this service was extended to benefit discerning retailers in London and the M25 region. Now, increasing demand for Pipers Crisps in the capital has called for the additional delivery capability, report the firm.

Boutique caterer and Creed are a perfect two-piece Creed Foodservice reports that it has won a multi-million pound contract to supply a London corporate caterer.

Artizian, one of the UK’s leading boutique corporate catering companies, has signed Creed as its sole national foodservice supplier (Artizian describes itself as a corporate caterer with a boutique approach to tasty food).

Small Business Saturday UK The Forum of Private Business is calling on councils across the UK to lend their support to small businesses by waiving parking charges on the first UK Small Business Saturday on 7th December. The inaugural Small Business Saturday UK will celebrate small businesses across the UK, and is the culmination of a campaign to encourage communities to shop local and support their small businesses.

Essential Café Live A new trade show – Essential Café Live (Sandown Park, 5th March 2014) – is being planned, and poised to be a trade show with a difference, say its organisers. Businesses of all sizes across the café and coffee shop community will be exhibiting, including headline sponsor, Melitta. A dedicated Learning Zone will be home to a range of seminars on topics including Technology and Social Media, Cafe Design, Licensing, Consumer Insight and Behaviour, and Fairtrade and Sustainability.

New launch supports Coffee Kids The Sweetbird brand has added Peanut-Butter-me-upbuttercup flavoured syrup to its line-up, helping to support its favourite charity - Coffee Kids – in the process with a percentage of the sales going to the charity, say its UK supplier, Beyond The Bean. Coffee Kids works with organisations in coffee-farming communities throughout Latin America to create projects in the areas of education, healthcare, economic diversification, food security and capacity building (www.coffeekids.org).

Award for Taywell ice cream Honeycomb Ice Cream from artisan ice cream and sorbet maker, Kent-based Taywell, has triumphed in the DessertsFrozen category at The Grocer’s New Product Awards 2013.

Taywell beat off stiff competition from big household names, including Cadbury Nuts About Caramel, Magnum Luxury Chocolate & Vanilla, Ben & Jerry’s Core Peanut Butter Me Up and Eezy Freezy Vimto Pyramids to scoop the award, which was presented by Celebrity MasterChef winner and ex-rugby player, Phil Vickery at a glittering ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square.

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New Deco Art from GO IN The two new additions to the Deco Art range from GO IN are ideal for use in restaurants, bars and cafés, say their creators.

Available as a chair or a barstool, they are a comfortable, robust and cost-effective choice for design-conscious operators, claim the company, offering seating comfort for guests thanks to the moulded foam cushion and carefully shaped wooden back.

The frame, manufactured in solid beech, adds strength and beauty through the natural properties and grain of the wood,

and design elegance has been achieved through the contrasting upholstered and wooden elements, as well as the splayed curves of the legs and backrest.

The Deco Art range is one of the most popular in GO IN’s portfolio of design-led furniture solutions, report the company (more details at www.goin.co.uk).

Latest Andy Thornton Catalogue now available A new 488 page Catalogue Eighteen from Andy Thornton is out now, containing hundreds of new products, say the company, and with many exclusive to Andy Thornton, in what they claim is the most comprehensive sourcebook ever compiled for UK hospitality, leisure and retail interiors.

The catalogue features the very latest furniture and lighting designs from Italy’s most exclusive manufacturers, as well as new industrial style furniture, lighting and visual merchandising products from their best-selling Urban Vintage

range.

As well as new furniture and lighting, there are also sections dedicated to architectural metalwork, wood carvings, interior props and accessories and a taster of Andy Thornton’s collection of architectural antiques, as well as metal ceiling tiles and fan systems from the USA and metal castings and joinery components from the Far East.

Catalogue Eighteen is free to trade customers (call 01422 376000 or register online at www.andythornton/cat-18).

Steelite International launches 18thcentury inspired Rococo design British tabletop manufacturer, Steelite International has unveiled its new distinction holloware range, called Rococo, and which meets the growing demand for timeless design mixed with contemporary craftsmanship for occasion dining, say the company.

Inspired by and named after an 18th-century baroque artistic movement and style, which influenced painting, sculpture, architecture and interior design, the range has been specifically created for fine dining, restaurants and banqueting, and is no doubt set to appeal to premium coffee shops too.

Manufactured at the home of pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, the

Part of Steelite’s Rococoinspired range.

Rococo range is covered by a lifetime edge-chip warranty to give the operator the reassurance that they are investing in a quality product that is specifically designed for the heavy usage of the hospitality industry, point out the company (www.steelite.com).

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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

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Christmas is

coming The countdown to the festive period is well underway, but it’s not too late for operators to seek out some appropriate supplies to capitalise on the seasonal opportunities presented by the end of 2013 and the start of 2014.

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FESTIVE FAYRE Planning ahead Research by Cotswold Fayre (www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk) has revealed that outlets such as food halls, garden centres and farm shops plan for Christmas in July, while delicatessens often leave placing their orders until much later in the year, some as late as November.

Last Christmas, their top selling product both in terms of value and volume was Selsley’s mulling syrup - a nonalcoholic syrup containing a special blend of spices to provide a simple and convenient way to make delicious mulled wine, cider or apple juice. Also taking four of the top ten slots, were home baking products, predominantly flour, matching the nation’s renewed interest in home baking.

This year, alongside traditional items such as panettoni, mince pies and mulling syrup, early orders would indicate that Turkish delight is set to be one of the most popular confectionery items this Christmas, reports Cotswold Fayre.

Gift sets, of course, come into their own this time of year, with people not only looking for indulgent treats but also gifts for friends and family. Interestingly, hot beverage gift tins are proving particularly popular in Scotland, say Cotswold Fayre (both Whittard’s and the New London Tea Company, feature among the top ten Scottish orders so far this year).

“This year, we received our first Christmas order in early May,” reports Paul Hargreaves, managing director of Cotswold Fayre. “Of course, we continue taking Christmas orders up to midDecember, but by then most products are out of stock and it is interesting to see how independent retailers are now maximising this key selling period by stocking up earlier than in previous years.

“Many of our customers are reporting increased footfalls and we have seen a 40% increase in business so far this year.

If this trend continues, I forecast a bumper Christmas for the fine food industry.”

A bountiful seasonal spread, of course, is usually the centre of any festive gathering or party and it’s not just Christmas day but the days before and after, point out the pastry maker, Pidy (www.pidy.com) who manufacture a huge variety of products, including a specialist range of ready to fill pastries that are ideal for the busy festive season.

Pidy’s ready to fill pastry range is a great time saver for any busy outlet, such as their pre-baked frozen tarts which can save operators an enormous amount of time in the build up to, and during, the festive season. Pidy’s pre-baked frozen tarts are easy to use and very versatile, taking only eight minutes to bake and

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Smoothies can still be hot!

In spite of us having what has been a pretty fantastic summer, as the temperatures cool into autumn and winter, there will be a natural decline in demand for a refreshing ice-blended smoothie, warn the café sector supplier, Beyond the Bean. Fear not, however, as the company say that they may have just the solution you are looking for to keep your smoothie sales moving into the winter months by turning them into hot ‘soothies’.

Look at any café’s menu and you are sure to see tea, coffee, hot chocolate and maybe even chai in their hot drinks range, but how about something completely different? Their Sweetbirdbranded range of smoothies can be used to make a warming treat, point out Beyond the Bean, and as they are made with water and not milk, they can also represent a treat for your vegan customers too.

For a 12oz drink, try combining 50ml neat smoothie mix with two pumps of flavoured syrup and 180ml water, suggest Beyond the Bean, then pour into a steaming pitcher and steam until hot, and serve.

If you’re struggling with the concept, Beyond the Bean suggest operators get started with Sweetbird Peach Smoothie and two pumps of Sweetbird Vanilla Syrup to make a Peach Cobbler, or Mango Smoothie with two pumps of Chai Syrup for a Hot Spiced Mango.

Lemon Smoothie worked a treat with a pump of each of Gingerbread and Raspberry syrup, and Strawberry was good with Lime syrup or a pump of each of Cranberry and Coconut, report Beyond the Bean.

Once you get started, feel the company, you’ll soon be able to come

resulting in a homemade and ‘oven fresh’ tart, say the company. As the tarts are prebaked they require minimum fuss. The structure of the tart prevents a soggy base and they can be filled with a variety of sweet fillings. Serving suggestions include lemon, chocolate to fruit fillings or why not try a mince pie filling to give the tart an extra festive twist?

“Pidy’s range offers a wide array of ready to fill patisserie items which can be packed with a variety of sweet ingredients such as fruit, mousse and ice-creams. The

up with your own house specials (the sales of your new drinks should also be supported via staff training and promotion on the counter using point of sale and social media - for more details and recipe ideas, visit www.hellosweetbird.com).

Recipe ideas Lemon and Pineapple Hot Fruit Soothie • 50ml Lemon Smoothie • 2 pumps pineapple syrup Berry Crumble Hot Fruit Soothie • 50ml Raspberry & Blackcurrant Smoothie • 2 pumps Cinnamon syrup Lemon & Ginger Hot Fruit Soothie • 50ml Lemon Smoothie • 2 pumps Gingerbread syrup Sweetbird Iced Tea Syrups can also be utilised to make a quick, easy and cost-effective hot drink delight.

Hot Peach Tea • 4 pumps Peach Iced Tea syrup Add boiling water to the syrup and stir well.

Pidy range of flavours, taste, textures and styles ensure that our clients are able to cater for a number of people particularly during the festive period when individuals are willing to indulge. Feedback from our customers has highlighted the time and cost saving advantage of our product as well the continuous taste and quality,” says Robert Whittle, general manager at Pidy UK. “For dessert products the demand to come up with interesting flavours is steadily increasing and we have recently

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FESTIVE FAYRE seen a surge in interest for vivid colours in cupcakes and macaroons. The demand for exotic and unique flavours is also rising, for example. I believe fusion flavours that draw inspiration from Asia like lemongrass, cardamom and ginger are going to be very popular over the next few years. Flavour marrying is definitely a future trend as the industry is always looking to innovate whether that is in terms of flavours, textures or colours – they are looking for a twist on the traditional norms.”

Pidy’s range also includes a number of classic sweet and savoury tarts, puff pastry tarts a selection of small and giant choux buns as well as sweet and savoury vol au vents all perfect for creating a range of nibbles, canapés, tasty appetisers, festive treats and seasonal desserts.

The catering supplier, 3663 is providing customers with a web site designed to offer the complete package to make the winter trading experience as simple as possible. Following the success of the initial launch, ‘taste of summer’, with 70% of customers saying they liked or loved the web site, as of the 4th October this changed to ‘taste of winter’.

This online and offline web site (www.3663.co.uk ) has been designed for 3663 customers and the 3663 sales team will showcase the best products and ingredients 3663 has to offer for the winter season. ‘Taste of winter’ will be refreshed on a monthly basis, say 3663, ensuring it is up to date on deals, seasonal trends and top tips, and allowing customers to browse inspiring seasonal ideas, quality ingredients, and a wide choice of food, drink and non-food products all in one place.

Throughout the month of November and December the web site will set out to become a portal to all things festive, changing to ‘taste of Christmas’ to help make Christmas as enjoyable and stressfree as possible. With the launch of over 30 new products for Christmas 2013 across buffet, canapés, joints, fresh meat, fish, desserts and confectionery, from classic flavours to festive favourites, 3663 says that it is aiming to cater for a variety of tastes and festive occasions.

“Our Christmas section aims to help customers plan early and make the festive period as simple as possible,” says Gail Bridgeman, campaign marketing manager.

Festive flavours The Yorkshire-based tea and coffee merchant, Taylors of

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Harrogate has launched two exclusive festive blends for this Christmas.

Available for a limited time only, Taylors’ Spiced Christmas Tea is blended with tangy lemon, fruity orange and mellow, warming spices. Coffee lovers aren’t forgotten either with a limited edition Christmas Blend made from a mix of Latin American beans for a chocolate richness and aromatic Ethiopian beans to provide a floral note to create a characterful coffee that’s a perfect match for rich and fruity Christmas foods, say Taylors. These limited edition blends should help to provide an easy way for operators to give their menus real ‘stand out’ over the festive period and drive sales.

“When it comes to seasonal sales opportunities, nothing comes bigger than Christmas! After a year of watching the purse strings, it’s the time of year when customers really want to get into the spirit of the season and will pay that little bit more to enjoy it – especially affordable treats such as tea and coffee,” says John Sutcliffe, Taylors of Harrogate’s out of home and convenience controller.

“The beauty of our Christmas inspired blends is that they instantly bring some seasonality to hot drinks menus and because they’re only around for a limited time, they allow operators to price them that bit higher.”

The Spiced Christmas Tea is supplied in cases of 6 x 50s string and tag format, and Taylors’ ground Christmas Coffee Blend in 6 x 227g (more information at www.taylorsoutofhome.co.uk).

The Drury Tea & Coffee Company’s 2013 Christmas tea is now available in pyramidshaped bags for purchase in individual Art Deco-style cartons of 15, or in catering packs of 100. New for Christmas 2013 is the option of Drury polycarbonate storage jars, say Drury.

The limited edition tea, which is only available in the run up to Christmas, is made from the finest black tea blended with apple, orange and Christmas spices. Warmly aromatic and spicy, with the rich scent of cinnamon and cloves, it is best served without milk, advise Drury.

The pyramid shape of the bag and the biodegradable material it is made from permits the use of larger leaf teas and allows the tea to brew more efficiently.

Consequently, it delivers more taste, but without all the mess associated with loose leaf tea.

The Christmas tea is packed in attractive cartons of 15 for display and self-selection with a list price of £2.95.

Alternatively, catering packs of 100 cost £16.20. The new storage jars are made from sturdy polycarbonate and fitted with an airtight lid. One jar is offered free with every 2 x 100 catering packs of pyramid teabags purchased on the initial order.

Alternatively, they may be purchased for £5 each.

“Our seasonal offering delivers the perfect taste of Christmas and the new pyramid packaging is particularly suitable for the blend. It allows the teas and spices to circulate and brew properly whilst at the same time avoiding any messy residue in the cup,” explains Drury director, Marco Olmi.

Coffee specialist, Cherizena, has launched its limited edition Christmas coffee. Last year, the company report that they sold almost three quarters of a tonne of its specially flavoured coffee, which features an aroma reminiscent of plum pudding. Created by flavouring the Colombian Excelsior medium bean with a tasty combination of rum, hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla, orange and pecan nut flavours, their Christmas coffee has also proved to be Cherizena’s most popular limited edition blend, report the firm.

It is available in personalised packs for retailers, cafés and other trade customers, or branded as Cherizena coffee. It is also on sale in a variety of pack sizes, as beans or ground, and either regular or decaffeinated coffee (visit www.cherizena.co.uk for more information).

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FESTIVE FAYRE Artisan ice cream maker, Taywell has created a selection of festive and ‘grown up’ ice cream flavours for the Christmas period including Mince Pie and Xmas Pudding flavoured ice creams made from Taywell’s extra-creamy Wealden milk and packed full of the finest and juiciest dried fruit. Other flavours include Baileys, Banana & Bailey’s and XXX Rum & Raisin, made with Jamaican high-strength Wray & Nephew ‘Overproof’ Rum, Apricot & Walnut, and White Chocolate & Raspberry made with premium Kentish fruit.

“Ice cream is incredibly popular at Christmas and it’s one of our busiest times of the year. So we thought it would be fantastic if ice cream fans could choose from a range of specially created Christmas flavours, which offer a brilliant twist on a whole range of popular festive desserts,” said Alastair Jessel, founder of Taywell.

Taywell makes all of its ice cream by hand in its kitchen in Paddock Wood, Kent, using only the finest British milk blended with high quality fruit and ingredients. Its products contain no artificial additives, colours, stabilisers, milk powder nor reconstituted whey.

Taywell’s ice creams are available in farm shops, delis and restaurants in London, Kent, Sussex and Surrey, nationwide from Costco stores and can be ordered online at www.taywell.co.uk for delivery across London and the Home Counties.

New Forest Ice Cream (www.newforesticecream.com) produces a range of festive themed ice creams and sorbets which make the ideal accompaniment to a delicious Christmas menu.

Their Mince Pie Ice Cream is made using a blend of brandy ice cream, interspersed with pieces of real shortcake pastry and mincemeat pieces, giving it a warming winter feel combined with the indulgent taste of the fresh double cream and milk sourced from Jersey cows.

Its Mulled Wine Sorbet is made using real mulled wine and produced in a traditional method, made using a gluten and nut free recipe, manufactured in a nut free environment and is suitable for vegetarians.

Its Apple Strudel Ice Cream combines a sweet apple flavour with hints of raisins and cinnamon to create an appealing look and traditional taste to this indulgent treat, and its Champagne Sorbet has been designed as a show stopping treat (made using real champagne and produced in a traditional method, it is made using a gluten and nut free recipe).

“In the mind of the customer, the

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White Chocolate & Cranberry ice cream. festive period is a time for indulgence, treats and good food, something canny café operators can exploit to increase sales, spend per head and repeat business,” says Christina Veal, director at New Forest Ice Cream. “To maximise on the Christmas trade, attention should also be given to the type of products being sold as well as the marketing and POS used to promote it.”

Divine, the chocolate company owned by cocoa farmers, has announced two brand new limited edition flavours to its range of 100g bars for Christmas. The Divine Dark Chocolate with Cranberries & Hazelnuts and the Milk Chocolate with Spiced Cookies have been created especially for the festive period and will be available from Essential, Green City, Goodness, Healthstore, Queenswood, Suma, Tree of Life at Mintons with a RRP of £2.49.

It’s the first time Divine has created limited edition seasonal flavours, adding cranberries and chopped hazelnuts to their rich dark chocolate and mixed festive spiced cookies into smooth milk chocolate. As with all Divine bars, they are made with premium Fairtrade cocoa from Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana (the co-operative that owns 45% of Divine).

“Divine chocolate has a great track record of combining really well with nuts and exotic fruits – and these two new products are no exception,” says Divine’s commercial director, David Francis. “Packaged distinctively in rich colours and decorated boldly in gold, they clearly communicate their delicious flavours and gift potential on the shelf. We are very pleased to add them to our seasonal gift range this Christmas.”

The new products add to the very successful and distinctive Divine Christmas range for Christmas including their Advent Calendar, with a new beautiful illustration each year, Dark, Milk and White Chocolate Christmas Trees, After Dinner Mint and Ginger Thins, and the ever popular Dark chocolate and Milk chocolate shiny coins.

Cream Supplies says that it has added Dr Adam Elmegirab's Bitters to the

Exquisite’s Brandied Chocolate Tiffin.

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FESTIVE FAYRE gourmet foods and ingredients section of its online shop (Adam Elmegirab created this extraordinary range of bitters to celebrate the work of Jeremiah P. Thomas who was a pioneer in bringing cocktails to 19th C America where he was dubbed ‘the father of American mixology’ and given the nickname ‘Professor’ Jerry Thomas.

Thomas’s 1862 book, The Bar-Tender’s Guide - alternatively titled How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion was the first drink book ever published in the United States and has been one of the main inspirations for Dr Adam Elmegirab's Bitters).

The range includes Christmas (a limited edition bitters using traditional ingredients to bring festive cheer to modern cocktails and made with the finest seasonal fruits, citrus peel, festive spices and a hint of port), Aphrodite (has alleged aphrodisiac properties! Ingredients include the finest 85% dark chocolate, Valrhona cocoa nibs, ginger root, red chilli, arabica coffee and ginseng) and Teapot (made with black tea, and inspired by the combined medicinal history of tea and bitters its ingredients include Yerba Mate, hazelnuts, citrus peel, vanilla and ginger root).

They are all priced at £8.13 (ex VAT) or £9.76 (inc VAT) and are available for next day delivery from Cream Supplies’ online shop www.creamsupplies.co.uk.

Syrups, sauces and smoothies producer DaVinci Gourmet (www.davincigourmet.com) is encouraging cafés and coffee shops to start looking forward to Christmas by planning crowd-pulling seasonal menus and promotions.

The UK now boasts 15,732 coffee outlets, point out the brand. The market is booming (turning over £5.8 billion per year, according to Allegra Strategies). To grab a share of this growth, operators must continue to offer customers new experiences and differentiate themselves from increasing competition, feel DaVinci.

DaVinci Gourmet’s syrups, sauces and smoothies can help outlets to do this by offering seasonally-themed beverages. A winter menu resonates with customers’ Christmas spirit and will capture customers’ increased spend over the festive period, advise DaVinci.

“The key to success at Christmas is balancing classic flavours against new trends. Finding this balance satisfies customers who want to stick with ‘old favourites’ like Gingerbread, as well as the growing number looking to experience something new and more exotic,” says Anthony Wilkinson, marketing manager for DaVinci Gourmet.

DaVinci Gourmet sees the key winter trends for 2013 as Gingerbread, Chai, Mint and Coconut. Gingerbread has long been a

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Recipe ideas MULLED MOCHA Ingredients: DaVinci Gourmet Chocolate sauce, DaVinci Gourmet Spiced Chai syrup, espresso, milk.

Directions: Add sauce and syrup in cup and mix well with half cup of hot textured milk. Add espresso and mix. Top up with hot textured milk.

CHOCOLATE MINT MOCHA Ingredients: DaVinci Gourmet Chocolate sauce, DaVinci Gourmet Mint syrup, espresso, milk.

Directions: Add sauce and syrup in a cup and mix well with half a cup of hot textured milk. Add espresso and mix. Top up with hot textured milk.

COCONUT MOCHA SNOW Ingredients: DaVinci Gourmet Coconut syrup, DaVinci Gourmet White Chocolate sauce, milk, vanilla ice cream Ingredients: Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

staple of the winter hot beverage menu and DaVinci’s syrup shows no signs of declining in popularity. This is perhaps no surprise, considering Gingerbread itself has been eaten for more than 1,000 years!

Spiced Chai syrup is also a bestseller for DaVinci Gourmet’s café and coffee shop clients. The inclusion of cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, cloves and cardamom gives any hot beverage the scent of Christmas and when added to espresso, milk and DaVinci’s Chocolate sauce, it creates a

warming Mulled Mocha, suggest the brand.

In terms of up-and-coming flavours, DaVinci Gourmet predicts that Mint will make a comeback in 2013 (DaVinci Gourmet’s Chocolate Mint Mocha works well both as an after-meal refreshment and a stand-alone beverage).

For operators looking for ‘something different’, a Christmas drinks menu can be given an interesting twist with the introduction of Coconut. This sweet syrup combines with DaVinci Gourmet’s White Chocolate Sauce, milk and vanilla ice cream to make an ice-white Coconut Mocha Snow. Operators will find this cold alternative easy to prepare, as all ingredients are simply blended together.

Capitalising on customers’ desire to try new flavours is important. 60% of consumers want to see new flavours and try new drinks every 60 days, claim DaVinci, so rotating a menu seasonally helps operators meet this expectation, and it is also highly profitable.

By giving seasonal specialities a name and a bigger presence on the menu, customers will purchase these for a price greater than that which they would normally sell a beverage and syrup shot for. Marketing drinks in this way boosts overall profit margins by up to 80% enough to get any operator in the Christmas mood.

Christmas cakes A decadent range of sumptuous Christmas cakes has been launched by Exquisite Handmade Cakes (www.exquisitehandmadecakes.co.uk) for coffee shop owners to offer to their festive clientele over this winter season.

The new range includes Rich Brandy Fruit and Iced Brandy Fruit loaf cakes, delicate Rum Truffle and Spiced Apple and Caramel sponge cakes, an indulgent Triple Layer Black Forest gateau, Mincemeat Shortbread, Brandied Chocolate Tiffin and Cranberry Brownie tray bakes, as well as zingy Cranberry and Orange and Spiced Apple mini loaves, a moist Mince Meat Tulip Muffin and a yuletide Iced Christmas Cake slice. All are finished by hand with decorations, including royal icing and opulent chocolate and sugar frosting.

When it comes to Christmas profits the brand power of confectionery products rule, claim the Swedish balers, Almondy (www.almondy.com/uk), and operators can maximise the sales season through confectionery-inspired cakes to cater for the phenomenon that peaks during the Christmas period. In their foodservice range, their best-selling cakes include Almondy with Daim, and Almondy with Toblerone.

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FESTIVE FAYRE “Christmas is the time when customers are open to indulgence and are likely to spend more when they eat out. We all know the popularity of confectionery brands such as Toblerone over the festive period with adults and children alike, and our cakes allow caterers to cash in and bring this brand appeal to their menus with minimum effort,” says Andrew Ely, managing director of Almondy.

With the added bonus of being glutenfree, Almondy also takes the headache out of catering for special dietary needs during the party season.

“Brand power aside, our cakes mean that customers with a gluten intolerance don’t have to miss out at Christmas, in fact we were highly commended at this year’s FreeFrom Food Awards!” adds Andrew Ely. “Plus, at a time of year when the kitchen is most under pressure, caterers don’t have to worry about sourcing a separate gluten-free sweet offering or risk losing out commercially.

The gluten-free market is valued at £240million and these diners have a big influence on where parties choose to eat, so they shouldn’t be ignored, especially at Christmas.”

Sweet bakery specialist, Dawn Foods, has launched two new appetising, filled tulip muffins in Orange & Cranberry and Carrot Cake flavours, wrapped in distinctive petal-shaped packaging. With its fruity orange taste, and juicy cranberry pieces, the 110g Orange & Cranberry Tulip Muffin has been delicately injected with a tangy orange sauce and finished with extra fine sugar for a truly festive feel, say Dawn.

Ideal for warming up during colder months, the 115g Carrot Cake Tulip Muffin offers a classic muffin sponge consistency, filled with raisins, shredded carrot and ground cinnamon, complemented by a smooth cream cheese frosting-injected centre.

“Following consumer research carried out by Dawn Foods earlier this year, we’ve chosen to extend our offering to help bakers give their customers what they want. Consumers today are on-the-move and opting for compact yet unique treats, with multiple fillings and flavour combinations that aren’t readily available in supermarkets,” says Jacqui Passmore, marketing manager at Dawn Foods.

“Nostalgia is also a key ingredient when it comes to appealing to customers who are looking for a sweet treat that sparks a familiar taste, but has a modern twist and with little ‘guilt’ factor. Our premium quality tulip muffins appeal to these needs and are versatile enough to sell during the Christmas period, New Year and beyond.”

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The new muffins, which are nut free and vegetarian-friendly have a shelf life of 12 months from frozen and five days from defrost for easy stock management and arrive ready to thaw, serve and enjoy.

These new products are the latest addition to Dawn’s thriving seasonal offerings, which include a premium readyto-serve Salted Caramel Muffin, limited edition 6kg Gingerbread and Salted Caramel flavour frostings, and festive chocolate decorations and toppings that help bakers capitalise on consumer demand for an innovative taste experience (for recipe ideas, or to learn more about Dawn’s range of sweet bakery products from Dawn Foods, visit www.dawnfoods.co.uk).

Presentation Artis (www.artis-uk.com) says that it has something for everyone for the Christmas season including glassware and tableware aimed at showing off festive delicacies, canapés, amuse bouche, desserts and drinks with maximum flair. The way food and beverages are presented, and the seasonal sense of drama that can be created, is crucial and key to success, feel the company.

To help your establishment stand out from the crowd there is a diverse range of Artis glassware, including on-trend, mix and match vintage style cocktail glasses and Champagne coupes/flutes, as well as handled glassware suitable for hot mulled wine, liqueur coffees and eggnog.

For dramatic food presentation Artis suggest their new bamboo and slate ranges, revolving glass plate, amuse bouche glasses, sampling plates, a range of elegant tasting forks/spoons and an extensive range of stylish cake stands that are ideal for serving and displaying Christmas patisserie or canapés.

Artis also has a wide range of serving dishes and platters, including the Isola and Symphony oriental-inspired ranges offering maximum versatility, allowing chefs to create sharing dishes, innovatively utilising many different combinations of presentation dishes.

Because of the number of smaller dishes that can be used together in many different combinations, these ranges are particularly suited to canapés, amuse bouche, tasting menus, sharing dishes and buffets, suggest the firm.

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REVIEW

Buyers demonstrate

their appetite

for lunch!

The recent food-to-go show – lunch! (www.lunchshow.co.uk) - has reported a significant increase in attendance with some 5,929 food-to-go industry professionals visiting this very popular event.

Sixth edition Organised by Diversified Business Communications UK, the two-day show took place on 26 and 27 September 2013 at Business Design Centre, London, and enjoyed an unparalleled 37% increase in unique attendees (excluding revisits), compared to 4,314 in 2012.

Renowned for attracting top buyers from across the retailing, hospitality, snacking and catering sectors, the show’s aisles were packed with a ‘who’s who’ of the sector, including buyers from Waitrose, M&S, Asda, Tesco, EAT, Pret a Manger, Costa, Caffè Nero, Harrods, Debenhams, Superdrug, Gate Gourmet, Greggs, Network Rail, Thomson Airways, Brakes, Aramark, BaxterStorey, Hilton Worldwide, Compass, Sodexo, Selfridges, and Coffee Republic plus thousands of independent retailers and foodservice operators.

The significant surge in visitor numbers has led many exhibiting companies to hail the 2013 show as its most successful ever.

And, as a result, a record number of exhibitors have already rebooked for next year, say Diversified Business Communications UK (lunch! will be returning to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on 23 and24 September 2014).

Positive feedback lunch!’s marketing manager, Grace Allwright, who has worked on the awardwinning show since 2009, is delighted with the phenomenal feedback it has inspired.

“We talk about lunch!’s fantastic buzz and unique atmosphere every year but it really was incredible for 2013. Of course, lunch!’s 37% increase in attendees makes a

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CAFÉ CULTURE

The following companies received Innovation Challenge Awards at lunch! 2013.

Gold ■ ¡Cho! – CHO The Drinking Gazpacho ■

The Nuttall Flexeserve Zone – Alan Nuttall Ltd

■

Mr. Sherick’s Shakes

■

Vivid Matcha Drinks

■

Wholeleaf Retro Fit – The Wholeleaf Company

■

WrapBag – ELLER FoodPackaging GmbH

Highly Commended ■ Little Big Shot – Health Energy Drink Finalist ■ Heavenly Cacao – Creative Nature ■

Fruity Cups – Pidy Ltd

■

Joe & Seph’s Peanut Butter Popcorn

■

Staybowlizer – Loxfield Distribution Ltd

■

mello – Mello Drinks

■

Passionfruit Chiffon Pie – Glamour Puds Ltd

■

Xue Bar – The Ying Yang Food Company

■

Thor Drinks

A full show review can be found online at www.lunchshow.co.uk.

great headline but it was the high quality of focussed buyers there that really grabbed everyone’s attention,” said Grace Allwright.

“We are thrilled that so many exhibitors, and visitors, are calling lunch! 2013 their best trade show ever and we really couldn’t ask for a better testimonial than that! We would like to thank all our valued exhibitors, visitors, supporters and partners who helped make lunch! 2013 such a great success.”

As usual, the exhibition lived up to its reputation for offering some informative show content, and so it wasn’t just the show floor that was buzzing at lunch! The show’s highly anticipated Keynotes were all well attended, with many enjoying standing room only crowds.

British Smoothie Championships Notable highlights for 2013 included ShakeTastic winning the live finals of the British Smoothie Championships (sponsored by Magrini) for the third time – having triumphed in 2009 and 2010. Their winning smoothie – Pop Eye! (made with banana, baby spinach and freshly pressed apples), is now available to enjoy in all their stores.

"Winning this award for a third time gives us great satisfaction and is a great credit to our on-going dedication to meeting our customers’ needs. It’s a team effort and big thanks must go to my business partner Amir Darabi, who is responsible for our operations, and, of course, Cherry – for making the smoothie on the day with such flare and passion," said managing director, Josh Kettle, speaking on behalf of the ShakeTastic team.

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Innovation Challenge Awards Audience participation was also key to the prestigious, new-format Innovation Challenge Awards. For the first time ever this year, all products entered into the

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Innovation Challenge Showcase – including food, drink, packaging, equipment and technology – had to win over the show’s visitors before making it through to the live final.

Designed to promote and celebrate genuinely new ideas in the market place, including brand innovations and new twists on established concepts, the Innovation Challenge Awards attracted

over 50 entrants this year.

The 15 short-listed finalists (as voted for by lunch! visitors on the first day of the show) were invited to pitch their innovative ideas to a panel of industry judges (which included Faith MacArthur, founder of EAT, Simon Stenning, foodservice strategy director at Allegra Strategies, and Maria Bracken, editor of Lunch Business magazine).

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Cafés and coffee shops need to pay attention to their social media profile, urges Susanne Currid, a digital marketing strategist and coach who specialises in helping businesses to successfully engage with their customers through social media.

Perfect partners I’ve always thought that café culture and social media make the perfect partners.

Both provide spaces where we can take some time out to indulge in a bit of light chit chat, mull over the daily grind and share a little slice of what we fancy with friends, lovers, family and work mates. So it’s no wonder that many coffee shop brands have become fine purveyors of the art of social media marketing.

As an illustration, here’s a showcase selection of café businesses who are serving up full-bodied social experiences on each of the UK’s leading social media channels.

Costa Coffee on Facebook With 62.49% of all internet users in the UK now on Facebook, this is the channel that undoubtedly proves the biggest reach for the major café brands. In the UK, Starbucks leads the pack with the largest number of page likes (1.78m). However, even though a year has passed since the tax non-payment scandal, its presence on Facebook is still dogged with daily negative blasts from irate online visitors.

In comparison, Costa Coffee has been quietly steaming away on Facebook. Its current number of page likes stands at 1,031,779 and approximately 2% of its fan base currently engage with its timeline content on a weekly basis. This is not a bad engagement rate for a brand such as Costa, especially when I note that their biggest demographic group is in the 18-24 year old age bracket. This age group are notoriously fickle about which brands they will follow and typically do not engage well with brands that focus on the hard sell.

Costa clearly knows how best to speak to a younger social audience by delivering

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Susanne Currid Over the past 15 years, Susanne Currid has worked with dozens of international brands and hundreds of fast-growth businesses including Channel 4, Sony Music, Cushman & Wakefield and Ping Pong Dim Sum. Since 2011, she has specialised in working with bar, restaurant and café businesses in both London and Birmingham. On the back of that experience she has recently launched a new book called Build Your Tribe – a new marketing manifesto for restaurants, bars and cafés (for more about Susanne and to read her blog visit www.the-loop.com, or follow Susanne on Twitter at: @susanne_currid).

daily doses of engaging imagery, by asking questions and by taking a more creative approach to competitions, using the photo competition format for example. Recently, they’ve also made a great job of using Facebook to give an insider view of The Tour of Britain cycling race of which Costa is a sponsor. All-in-all, Costa provides a great example of getting it right on the country’s biggest social network.

Kaffeine on Twitter As of February 2013, there were approximately 28% of UK internet users on Twitter. According to stats I’ve seen from 2012, around 60% of this group are in the 24 – 45 year old age bracket. With the

growing demand for a first class cup of coffee from the more discerning adult market, it’s no surprise then that Twitter is seen as the perfect channel for reaching out to this always-on, coffee on the go tribe.

As well as recently being voted by the Independent critics as one of the best coffee houses in London, Kaffeine (@KaffeineLondon) has also shown a real talent for using Twitter as the perfect mouthpiece for their Soho-based business. For a single venue outfit, they’ve clocked up an impressive 7.5k followers and with a little analysis I can see that out of every 100 tweets they send, they generate 66 re-tweets. This number is a clear indicator that they’re sharing content that gets a response and, most importantly, gets shared to a much wider audience on a regular basis. I also love the way they are clear and passionate about making great coffee with tweets like this: “I will not need to add sugar to my coffee. My coffee will be good enough without it” #therevolutionhasstarted #jointherevolution.

You can tell this message hit the spot with their followers as it got more ReTweets than practically any other tweet posted recently. Long live the revolution, I say!

The Hummingbird Bakery on Pinterest Pinterest may be a relative newcomer to the social media party, but it has started to make its mark in the UK with 2 million users listed in June 2013. From my recent research, the Hummingbird Bakery stands out as one of the most pro-active coffee and cake brands to step into this new arena.

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SOCIAL MEDIA At the time of going to press, they have already attracted around 5,000 followers on the channel. This following may seem small but I think this is definitely a channel to watch as the Pinterest UK audience has grown ten times since early 2012. The Hummingbird Bakery managed to build this following quite quickly with the clever implementation of a RePin competition.

Pinterest users were simply invited to RePin 10 images from the Hummingbird Bakery board to their own pin boards on Pinterest for a chance to enter a competition prize draw. The photographs used for the campaign were beautifully shot and would easily look at home in a glossy women’s magazine. Unlike other channels, Pinterest majors in professional photography, so don’t consider it for your own brand unless you are prepared to invest in the creation of very stylish, on trend images. If you already take this visual approach, then this is a great place to reuse your assets without much extra investment.

If you look at the followers of The Hummingbird Bakery’s Pinterest Board (it’s an easy thing to do, just find a board on Pinterest and then click on the followers link), you’ll very clearly see a predominantly female 25 – 35 year old audience. If this is your target audience and pretty cupcakes and fancy pastries are also your thing, then Pinterest could be a great place to pitch up on in 2014.

Monmouth Coffee Company on Google+ With all the hoo-ha about Facebook and Twitter, it’s been very easy to miss the growing charms of Google+. It’s already got 359 million active users worldwide and in the UK it’s become home to the most male audience of all our social channels.

The more educated or technologyfocused male has been the first type of user to really adopt G+. For example, 71.8% of UK G+ users are currently listed as male and this coffee-appreciating gent is very much in evidence when you search for a brand like the Monmouth Coffee Company on Google+. Its flagship Borough market venue has in the region of 250 reviews posted through Google Places, and then there is an on-going stream of tagged photos and name checks for the brand across the Google+ newsfeeds.

It’s a shame that Monmouth hasn’t taken this opportunity one step further and setup a Google+ business page, so it can better harness this widespread interest with a key customer group. Many of the world’s social media power users are now also championing Google+ as their favourite channel. It’s become a real oasis of deeper discussion and community

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In the run up to launch, Jo Kruczynska has drip fed her social media followers with progress pictures. when compared to the ad-choked, high turn-over environment of Facebook.

Interestingly, 60% of young people in California recently stated that Google+ was their favourite social media channel. With California’s penchant for driving new trends in social media and in food and drink, this definitely makes Google+ one to watch for the longer term.

Afternoon Tease on Instagram Last but definitely not least, we have Instagram, the one that kicks most other social media channels in the derrière with its passionate and highly engaged audience. The under 25’s rule the roost here, so as per Facebook, overt promotions will get you nowhere fast.

The best Instagrammers know how to slowly tell a story through a visual journey of images. They are experts at sharing ‘inthe-moment’ experiences and in expressing their creativity in a visually interesting way. This is a hard act for many brands to follow. I think the best examples of café businesses on Instagram are those small independents that are clearly still full of passion and enthusiasm.

As an example, I’ve picked out Afternoon Tease (Instagram: Afternoontease) as a great example of storytelling on Instagram. Jo Kruczynska is a talented cake-baker who’s been blogging

at Afternoontease.co.uk for the past few years. She’s also used Instagram to share images of her cakes, plus anything else that happens to catch her eye on the Cambridge scene, foodie or music front.

Ironically, she has only recently opened her café in Cambridge (launch date was actually October 2013) but in the run up to the opening, she has regularly shared photos of every little milestone as she actualised her dream of becoming a café owner. We’ve seen her collecting the keys, reviewing the interiors, picking wallpaper, recruiting for new staff and receiving business cards with her new logo. As a brand-building approach, this is so powerful and is sure to secure her a tribe of raving fans very early in the lifecycle of her business. Jo’s business may be just starting out, but she still offers some fantastic lessons for anyone who wants to understand how to communicate well on Instagram.

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COFFEE MACHINES

Bean to cup Bean to cup coffee machines are selected for a number of reasons related to speed and volume requirements, as well as the coffee making skills of the outlet concerned. As we outline here, many of the latest models come with intuitive, touch screen technology to help make a barista’s life even easier.

Choices There are three machine options available for those looking at which method to use for serving coffee – traditional (espresso), semi-automatic and fully automatic.

In particular, fully and semi-automatic bean to cup machines have come to be relied upon to offer convenience and speed (critical in a high volume environment) without sacrificing quality, thereby allowing an operator to concentrate on other aspects of their operation such as food or other types of beverages.

When buying a coffee machine, there are a few simple things to be considered, Namely, the kind of experience are you trying to create for your customer, the choice of drinks you want to offer, your anticipated volume, your staff competencies and rate of turnover, the quality of the machine (which will affect its reliability and longevity), your budget over the life of the machine and, finally, the company’s after sales/service backup. A coffee machine unable to make good quality coffee on a regular basis, after all, will not be able to generate profit!

Fully automatic machines have increased in popularity over the years due to advances in technology, report WMF (www.wmf.uk.com), who have over 80 years’ experience in the manufacture of high quality coffee machines.

Their latest launch - the 8000S - comes fully loaded with a 8” LCD MMI touch screen interface that is great for promoting offers to customers when used in a selfservice environment, suggest the firm. It also has four hoppers which can even be used to blend different coffee beans, an improved brewer and high performance grinders for quieter operation and a finer grind, as well as three steam options and a sensor which monitors the milk temperature so that if it becomes too warm, the electronic pinch valve adjusts

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the milk feed accordingly to ensure the best quality milk foam.

These, coupled with other features such as a fully automatic cup lift, Active Milk (the ability to be able to serve hot and cold milk drinks from the same machine), selectable mood lighting and three different water temperatures for speciality teas, mean that this latest machine can be bespoke to the needs of many different types of operation, claim WMF, and as a result is helping to lead the way in the new generation of bean to cup coffee machines.

Speed In an industry where speed is of the essence, Jura (www.jurauk.com), has made a name for itself as a significant innovator in luxury Swiss made bean-to-cup technology, and claims that it can provide twice the performance and a range of various heating and fluid systems that deliver higher hot water output to make multiple cups of coffee.

Jura’s Giga and Impressa XJ are its professional lines. The Giga line can create up to 30 litres an hour and even produce two speciality coffees simultaneously in as little as 26 seconds, making it well suited to busier environments.

The Giga range includes the Giga X7 Professional, which is suited to offices with several employees, say the firm. The machine has two thermo-blocks and pumps allowing for coffee and milk to flow at the same time, whilst the dual coffee and milk spouts mean two coffees can be perfectly prepared at the touch of a button.

A 3.5” TFT colour display helps to make the Giga X7 Professional easy to operate and maintain. It also prepares 20 different specialities, including a TFT display for maximum speed and efficiency, with another possible 12 programmable recipes.

The Giga X7c Professional also has a professional permanent water connection, ideal for everyday use, and can prepare ristretto, espresso, espresso macchiato, café crème, caffè latte and latte macchiato - two at a time.

Both the Giga X9c Professional and Giga X9 Professional have the power of three thermoblocks, say Jura, and also include multiple heating and fluid systems to deliver higher hot water output (up to 30 litres an hour). A larger water tank and coffee grounds container allow for flexible and mobile use of the Giga X9 Professional.

Developed in the style of a bistro machine, the Impressa XJ9 Professional and Impressa XJ5 Professional are ideal for studios, exhibition rooms, galleries, boutiques, and catering spaces, advise Jura, the wide range of coffees they can produce with maximum ease and minimal attention making it the perfect addition to such places.

The Impressa XJ9 Professional also features a 3.5” TFT colour display, enabling clear user guidance, and the 500g bean container with 4L water tank offers a high

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COFFEE MACHINES

Getting it right

The new Egro ‘One’ fitted with the iSteam auto-frother. capacity without the constant need for refills. Its fine foam technology delivers firm milk foam, and the 10 programmable specialities offer different styles of coffee to suit varied tastes.

The Impressa XJ9 Professional specialises in vessels from small cups to 150mm tall glasses with the press of just one button, again enhancing its appeal to a huge range of coffee-drinkers.

The Coffee Machine Company, UK importers of Swiss-made Egro espresso equipment, is distributing the Egro ‘One’ machine, which they claim is one of the most advanced bean-to-cup coffee machines available on the UK market. Egro is now owned by Rancilio (the well-known Italian manufacturers of with over 75 years’ experience of building high end espresso machines).

The Egro ‘One’ machine’s features include a brand new graphic interface with a 5.7” touch screen display in full colour and a rapid dropdown intuitive menu to help make a barista’s life easier. The multipage colour system enables the barista to choose from 48 products, each one with its own attractive user-friendly icon. ‘One’ also offers the option of uploading and customising screensavers, displaying promotional images or videos as drinks are served or teaching baristas by showing demonstration videos.

This latest machine is also available in a keypad (push button) version that will be appreciated by customers with more traditional tastes, and has a user-friendly 10-key keypad for selecting five, nine or up to 16 drinks. The drinks selection graphics

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A new coffee machine is of course part of the planning, or revamping, of a coffee outlet, but by no means the only consideration.

“We are continually asked by customers what they can do to improve their coffee offer, to differentiate themselves from their competitors. With so much variety out there when it comes to coffee and roasting methods, it’s pretty easy to become quickly baffled by all the jargon!” says Martin Sheridan, managing director of Ferns Coffee (www.coffeeisferns.co.uk). “And, if you really want to differentiate yourself - then you have to throw out the rule book and come up with a fresh offering that play to your strengths.

“Key to getting your coffee right is getting to grips with industry terminology. Roasters use words like ‘cupping’ (coffee tasting ) and ‘Screen 18’ (a high grade bean) so often, they forget that others don’t understand what they mean, leading to confused customers.

“Having a good understanding of what you are being sold will allow you to ask the right questions and pick a bean that’s right for you. One term that is particularly misleading is 100% arabica – which people take to mean something positive. In actual fact, it simply means made entirely of arabica coffee beans but offers no information as to the bean grade or whether there is a blend of different beans, which is a whole other question! But before you start making any changes, it’s always worth remembering the basics.

Get those right and you’re well on your way.” can be easily customised by the user, say the Coffee Machine Company, while the LCD display enables the barista to check on the progress of the order and the status of machine’s functions.

As it is equipped with a USB port as standard, the machine’s data and work parameters can be loaded quickly and easily. However, the real success of this model, feel its UK suppliers, is down to the quality of the espresso produced by the allmetal brewing group. Other features include a special automatic cleaning cycle and the patented Rancilio I-Steam, an automatic steam wand that is widely regarded by many as one of the best on the market, and that is now available as an option on most Egro models. Its small footprint will also make it of interest to

1. Serve fresher coffee. Don't fill a grinder hopper with beans so that it will take more than a day to use, or leave a pot of filter coffee for more than 40 minutes. It’s a completely free way to make a change and will instantly uplift your overall coffee offering.

2. Make sure you clean your coffee machine daily, with the correct fluids and equipment. You wouldn’t serve food cooked off a dirty cooker so why would you serve coffee from a dirty machine?

3. The UK has incredibly hard water, so use a Brita water softener system, for example, with a digital meter to tell you when it requires a change. You’ll be surprised what this simple change will do to the taste of your coffee.

4. Have your machine serviced at least every 12 months when getting your pressure test done (the pressure test is a legal requirement under the 2000 PSSR Act).

5. Ensure that you request regular feedback from your customers so that the blend of coffee that you are serving is what they like. It may seem obvious but you’d be surprised by how service industry businesses never ask for feedback.

6. Offer your customers a range of filter coffees and advertise that you change the blend you serve frequently. This is standard practice on the continent, but the UK is failing to catch up on this.

7. Take your coffee supplier up on any offers of free training. Most quality companies provide it as standard and your customers will thank you for it in the long run. outlets where space it is as premium.

Ringtons Beverages, who offer a range of hot beverage solutions tailored to meet the requirements of its customers, provide a variety of bean to cup machines across all price points and report that the latest addition to the company’s bean to cup portfolio - the Bravilor Esprecious machine with soluble milk - is able to serve up a wide variety of speciality coffees. This model joined Ringtons Beverages’ existing bean to cup offering which includes the La Cimbali Q10 Fully Auto Bean to Cup machine and the La Cimbali S39 Bean to Cup machine.

Bravilor Bonamat’s Esprecious was launched earlier this year and is the coffee machine company’s latest compact bean to cup machine. Each cup is freshly brewed

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COFFEE MACHINES and offers good in cup quality due to an innovative and in-house developed horizontal brewer, say Bravilor. It also features new software that is intuitive and comprehensive, enabling the customisation of every part of the beverage making process so that operators can deliver drink recipes that are truly individual.

“The clean and stylish design brings stainless steel and glass together seamlessly to create an attractive front of house bean to cup machine capable of effortlessly enhancing any location,” says Bravilor’s marketing manager, Adam Phillips.

“Ambient LED accent lighting adds a sense of theatre bringing life to the Esprecious. Fully customisable across the full colour range, the ambient lighting can be easily adjusted to complement your existing décor. By simply touching the picture of your choice the beverage is seamlessly delivered while the colour display gives an indication of the delivery progress. The fully adjustable metal outlet also enables many different cup sizes to be used with a variable height of 70 to 145 mm.”

The Esprecious’s horizontal brewing system boasts a maximum dispense of 250ml (20 grams of coffee). The pumped water system maintains the appropriate pressure for the perfect operation of the coffee brewer whilst removing the need for a pressure vessel with the associated insurance inspections and testing. This hot water system is also less susceptible to scale formation meaning less downtime, claim Bravilor. This, coupled with the built in descale indicator and automatic descale and rinsing programmes, helps to make machine maintenance quick and simple.

Available in stardust white, the Esprecious is can be supplied in a number of configurations - Esprecious 11 (one grinder, one instant canister), Esprecious 12 (one grinder, two instant canisters), Esprecious 21 (two grinders, one instant canister) and Esprecious 22 (two grinders, two instant canisters). Throughput per hour (espresso) is approximately 70 cups, brewing time (cup) approximately 33 seconds (40cc) and throughput per hour (coffee) approximately 83 cups.

Throughput per hour (instant beverage) is approximately 240 cups and brewing time approximately (cup) is 15 seconds, say the company.

Ringtons add that they have seen a growing trend for high-end premium machines, not least fully automatic bean to cup machines (as well as its traditional espresso machines fitted with turbo steam wands working in conjunction with ondemand grinders), as businesses turn to

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Bravilor Bonamat’s latest Esprecious bean to cup machine. simple-to-use solutions that provide consistent functionality so as to ensure that staff are able to brew high quality espresso-based drinks each and every time, and across all environments.

“Although traditional espresso machines remain our most popular coffee machine solution, outlets with a high number of employees are now looking to implement bean to cup equipment which will help guarantee the quality and consistency of their hot beverages,” explains John Broad, Ringtons Beverages’ barista and training development manager.

“This trend is being reflected across the industry as a whole – particularly amongst the leading national coffee shop chains which are becoming much more aware of the advantages of this particular type of equipment.

“With consumers’ heightened awareness of what makes a quality cup of coffee it is now more important than ever for all outlets to achieve the best results and improve the quality of their hot beverages for customers by always using the correct barista tools and equipment, which will in turn increase their coffee credibility.”

Bean to cup solution Quality Equipment Distributors Ltd (www.qualityequipment.co.uk), a UK designer and supplier of modular bar, coffee shop and food service equipment, was recently appointed to supply a selfservice catering facility for the newly opened Ure Café at Glasgow City Chambers

(named after former Lord Provost of Glasgow, John Ure).

Ure Café was commissioned by Encore Hospitality Services, part of the Cordia Group, in partnership with Glasgow City Council, and the brief handed to QED was to transform a rather dated-looking carvery into a modern catering environment that was, at the same time, in harmony with the existing character of the premises. This included the design of bespoke counters clad in the same classic picture frame wood panelling as the rest of the room.

The re-fit included a coffee station, complete with a bean-to-cup coffee machine (a WMF Presto bean-to-cup touch screen model, suitable for medium volume locations) chosen for its ease of use, ability to make drinks in under 30 seconds, compact size, a one litre milk fridge, easy to clean nature, and availability plumbed or unplumbed.

As a result, Ure Café is now able to serve as a popular catering facility for all council employees, elected councillors and other officials that work in the building and according to Jenny McIntyre (food and beverage services manager at Encore Hospitality Services), the new café has been a great success and been very well received by its clientele. She also praised the professionalism and expertise of QED managing director, Robert Campbell and his team, who installed and commissioned the facilities on time and on budget.

A bean to cup coffee machine was chosen by QED when they were commissioned to supply a self-service catering facility for the newly opened Ure Café at Glasgow City Chambers.

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“

When I was setting up my new café your website was a godsend! I went to it whenever I needed to find anything out.

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”

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COFFEE MAKING

An introduction to

pressure profiling The coffee world is constantly changing and consumers are paying increasingly more attention to the quality of espresso served in coffee shops. Baristas are responding to this demand for improved coffee quality by throwing away their recipe books and developing their own signature styles utilising techniques such as pressure profiling. Here, Cimbali UK’s sales and marketing manager, Matthew Tuffee, provides a basic outline of the technique, and we also hear about another option – temperature profiling.

Pre-brewing

Brewing

Tail

Pre-brewing

Brewing

Tail

More options Single origin coffees and ever changing house blends will require more flexibility and involvement from the barista to ensure that a perfect extraction is achieved each and every time.

The traditional approach to pressure profiling through the brewing cycle is very simple. Apart from the initial and final steps, a constant nine bar pressure is applied throughout.

Traditional pressure profile However, the new approach to creating that perfect in cup experience is very different. It is accepted that adjustments to the pressure need to be made throughout the brewing cycle in order to take into account the varying coffee blends in use and the type of drinks required - single espresso, double espresso, caffè creme etc.

Sweet Customised pressure profile The brewing cycle should encompass three different pressures: 1. Pre-brewing pressure: is the pressure on the coffee cake that mainly affects cream and texture in the cup.

2. Brewing pressure: is the pressure that mainly affects body, sour and bitter sensation.

3. Tail pressure: is the pressure that mainly affects bitterness and astringency in the cup.

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Bitter

Acid

Salty

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COFFEE MAKING Pressure profile: tactile sensations Whilst the amount of pressure applied and the point at which it is applied during the brewing cycle will have a direct impact on the texture, flavour and tactile sensations of the finished drink, the use of pressure to exploit the characteristics of the coffee has been the preserve of the skilled barista – up until now.

Cimbali’s new M100 featuring patented GT HD technology has been created to have an integral pressure profiling system which allows the barista to personalise coffee extraction by working simultaneously on the water temperature and pressure profile of each single shot at any point in the extraction process.

Moving away from a fixed nine bar pressure and allowing the barista scope to experiment using a simple, touch screen control panel, opens up infinite possibilities in terms of the in-cup experience. By making it possible to manage the full extraction process - taking into account the characteristics of the blend being used - it is possible to achieve the highest performance in sensory terms and in final in cup quality.

So in practice, for example…

• At the pre-infusion stage: Increasing pressure at this stage modifies the body of the espresso.

• During the infusion stage: Increasing pressure at this stage modifies the body and acidity of the espresso.

• In the final stage: Decreasing pressure at this stage enhances any bitterness.

The ability to highlight flavour characteristics, balance sweetness and acidity, adjust mouth feel and body, experiment with signature drinks and generally prepare the coffee exactly as the barista wishes will take the speciality menu to the next level. And it is this upward trend in consumer expectation and quality that we believe is driving the market.

A professional barista who has a real passion for their job and a desire to exceed customer expectations will really appreciate the benefits a machine such as our M100 with its integral pressure profiling system can offer, as this type of machine has been specifically designed to help the next

Cimbali’s M100 espresso machine offers pressure profiling.

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The Rancilio Classe 9 Xcelsius model is an ex-factory order with a list price of £7,300 + VAT for the 2-group. generation barista consistently deliver an exceptional in cup experience.

Temperature profiling The Italian espresso machine manufacturer, Rancilio has launched Xcelsius, a temperature profiling system that can also have a dramatic impact on the way espresso coffee is brewed and the taste profile of the resulting brew.

This new device, which should appeal to coffee aficionados, is initially available as an option on the Rancilio Classe 9 espresso machine and is being distributed in the UK by the Coffee Machine Company (CMC).

The Xcelsius system is in effect a secondary, mini-water boiler located in the group head, say Rancilio and it enables baristas to micro-manage the brew temperature to within a tolerance of just

“

0.1°C, so that the particular taste they are looking to achieve can be delivered.

In addition - and a patented feature unique to Rancilio - Xcelsius can also alter the temperature of the water through the group head mid-cycle by up to 5°C. Brew groups can be independently programmed to deliver water either at a stable temperature throughout the brew cycle or to have the temperature increase or decrease whilst the brew is in progress.

Each of these choices delivers a different taste profile from the same coffee and Xcelsius claims to be the only system in the world capable of producing such changes through temperature profiling (it allows baristas to match the temperature of the water in the brew group to individual coffees in order to produce the best taste profile for that coffee).

“It is hard to believe that a slight temperature change can produce such noticeably different taste profiles. Skilled baristas are going to love experimenting with it. It gives them the opportunity to fine tune their coffee to create the optimum taste,” says CMC’s sales manager, Bill Davy.

“In particular, it suits the recent trend towards single origin coffees, which need temperature stability to bring out their best characteristics. Certainly this is not a mass market product, but it will undoubtedly be a great hit with top baristas as they strive to produce an exact taste profile that they can replicate time after time.”

Comment The use of pressure to exploit the best coffee flavours has been viewed as the preserve of experienced baristas in trendy city cafés, but is this set to change?

“Pressure profiling is the ability to manipulate the brewing pressure during the extraction of a shot when producing an espresso. In the industry, there is a lot of debate over the technique with it being experimented with and used by some specialist baristas, as it can give additional control over the extraction and flavour of the espresso, and also aid consistency,” says Sean Pittaway, specialist barista at United Coffee UK & Ireland.

“As with all variables related to coffee, pressure profiling needs to be done correctly to produce effective results. A skilled barista can produce a lovely, balanced shot if a stable pressure profile is used. On the other hand, sour and bitter notes can also be brought out if a shot is not produced properly and in the worsecase scenario, lose all flavour completely.

Attention also needs to be shown to other factors including water quality, coffee

freshness, grind and temperature extraction. Without tightly controlling these elements, pressure profiling has no impact on taste.

“We are seeing more espresso machines being built with pressure profiling as a feature, but at United Coffee we lean towards temperature stability as a key benefit, as we believe it is a better technology. It allows the temperature of water to be consistent and has a more important role in espresso consistency than pressure profiling, creating a better extracted flavour.

“Temperature control technology, as featured in our Nuova Simonelli’s Aurelia II T3, for example, allows full control over water temperature with maximum precision and unprecedented accuracy ensuring quality is delivered to every cup. These machines also feature a Soft Infusion System (SIS), which allows a slow build-up of pressure from zero to nine – giving a more consistent, sweeter and richer shot. In our opinion, pressure profiling doesn’t offer the same level of consistency and control.”

”

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EQUIPMENT

A whole new way to

make coffee (or tea) Somewhere along the road to skinny caramel macchiatos and halfcaff frapuccinos, real coffee got lost, feels the Milan-based British designer, George Sowden. But the good news? It’s now back, he says.

George Sowden George Sowden, who grew up in Leeds, England, in the immediate post-war years, went on to Gloucestershire College of Art in Cheltenham in the 1960s where he studied architecture.

After college, and determined to be a designer, he set off for the ‘Mecca’ of contemporary design - Milan. It was here that he got his break working on the design of early computer products with the renowned Italian company, Olivetti. This experience taught him the complexities involved in handling industrial processes and where design fitted into it all, and Milan has been his home and inspiration ever since.

He came to the attention of the wider world of design in the 1980s with the Memphis Group and since then has picked up numerous design awards, including the prestigious ADI Compasso D’Oro award for design excellence. 2011 saw the thirtieth anniversary of SowdenDesign, the studio he set up in 1981 (www.sowdenathome.com).

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Back to basics?

Whilst the coffee world has been moving to ever more fancy and expensive ways of brewing coffee, George Sowden reports that he has gone back to old-fashioned basics - a jug and hot water and in the process come up with a whole new way to make the perfect cup of coffee. His big idea? An innovative, fullsize filter made from stainless steel with 160,000 microscopic holes so small that they are not discernible with the naked eye. Patented and marketed as SoftBrew, the filter fits within a porcelain pot.

“Simply decide how much of your favourite coffee to put in the filter, add water just off the boil and let it brew naturally,” says George Sowden. “The ultra-fine mesh of the filter traps all but a few traces of the coffee grounds, thus producing a natural, fulltaste coffee.”

This means no paper filters to take out some of the natural oils that add to the taste. No forced pressing to bring out the bitterness lurking in the coffee grounds; in fact, none of the paraphernalia that traditionally surrounds ever more complex and expensive coffee machines. Nothing, in other words, claims George Sowden, gets between you and the coffee bean other than water!

Tea also The same microscopic full-size filter has also been used in a range of teapots to tempt tea drinkers back into the realtaste world of loose leaf tea and away from what George Sowden and many real tea drinkers view as an abomination - the teabag.

The method is an improved version of the traditional teapot. Place the filter in the porcelain pot, put the loose leaves of tea directly into the filter and pour over hot water

at the temperature of your choice, and that’s it!

Blogosphere abuzz The word, on the coffee pot in particular, is already out there in the blogosphere and reaction from coffee aficionados and recognised experts has been enthusiastic, observes George Sowden.

Kevin Sinnott, or ‘Coffee Kevin’ as he is known in the US, was an early convert and reviewer of Sowden SoftBrew.

His conclusion? “It’s a

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EQUIPMENT is a warehousing and fulfilment facility that George Sowden has set up in Norfolk with the firm’s partner, Johnston Logistics, and thereby allowing fast delivery to its retail and consumer customers.

beautiful device – as much an artwork as a functional appliance....on a par with my gold standard,” he enthused.

And speciality coffee roasters in the US such as Peet’s Coffee and Tea and Oren’s Daily Roast were also quick to list the SoftBrew products on their web sites.

Now in the States there are also signs that SoftBrew is moving into the larger store chains with fast-moving groups such as Bed Bath & Beyond signing up to take the product.

Meanwhile in Europe, Germany has been the first market to take to Sowden SoftBrew where the products are on offer in leading department stores, as well as through coffee specialists, catalogues and online (Germany’s leading tea specialist, TeeGschwendner, named Sowden SoftBrew its ‘teapot of the year’ in 2012).

Growing market George Sowden says that he is now tapping into a rapidly growing market in the UK as elsewhere, which he likens to a ‘re-run’ of the coffee house boom of the 17th century in England, and that is filling a gap left by the continuing decline of the traditional British pub. Consider that, like Starbucks in the US, Costa

Coffee was only founded in 1971, now it is the second largest coffee chain in the world after Starbucks, boasting over 1600 stores in 34 countries.

“But alongside these coffee behemoths, there are hundreds of smaller specialist coffee houses and teashops rapidly emerging on UK high streets, some of them backed

by big names,” George Sowden adds. “It is these, and quality homeware shops, that I am targeting initially in the UK with a promotional campaign starting this month.”

Consumers are also being targeted with the launch of a new e-commerce web site featuring the developing range of Sowden homeware products. Backing the web site

A new brand of homeware There is no doubt that the Sowden coffee pots and teapots have become the eyecatching, innovative feature of a developing range of tableware, cookware and kitchen appliances that have now been launched in European and US markets by the designer.

Indeed, it is the first time that Milan-based Sowden (a co-founder of the Memphis Group that was so influential on design in the 1980s and a leading light in industrial design for the past 30 years) has put his name on any product range.

The new range, he says, draws on all his past experience with some of the biggest names in tableware and cookware, including Alessi and Guzzini, through Moulinex to Pyrex and Tefal, and is also the result of over six years’ experience in working with Chinese manufacturers to implement new design ideas combining old and new technologies.

A range of Sowden SoftBrew coffee pots.

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RE-LAUNCH

Tulip’s new

recipe for growth The meat brand that is already extremely well known in the retail sector (think Spam, Stagg Chili and Danepak bacon), as well as being particularly well regarded in the pizza business due to its well established brand of pizza toppings – SuperTops (popular with the likes of Domino’s and Papa John’s) - has now embarked on a concerted effort to engage more of its foodservice customers with the gourmet potential of its wide range of innovative products designed to help operators tap into the trends of today.

Background .

Tulip Foodservice Solutions is the foodservice division of Tulip Ltd, offering a variety of fresh and cooked meats including pork, bacon, sausages, gammon, chicken, lamb and beef as well as canned meats, pizza toppings, deli fillers and ready meals. Owned by Danish Crown, Europe’s largest meat producing company and the second biggest pork producer in the world, Tulip Ltd is one of the largest food producers in the UK. The company only use British and EU produce for pork products, which is fully traceable and sourced from high welfare, sustainable farming

Foodservice re-launch The re-launch of its foodservice business is being driven and taking shaping under the leadership of CEO, Chris Thomas, and foodservice solutions director, Simon Shirley, both of whom have long experience of the food industry, but who are also comparatively recent arrivals at Tulip (a company that, for many, is in no small part characterised by employees who can boast long, and therefore experienced, careers with the firm).

Tulip Ltd says that it has relaunched its foodservice division at this time to bring its food expertise to the catering and hospitality industry nationwide, in particular turning its Tulip Foodservice Solutions arm into a ‘one-stop shop’ for professional caterers by offering them sliced cooked meats,

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systems in the UK, Denmark and Europe. Tulip Ltd’s ‘Farm to Fork’ process is one of the most advanced and vigorous supply chains in the world.

Tulip Ltd are the largest processor of pig meat in the UK, producing 45,000 pigs per week. This includes Tulip Ltd’s pig production division, BQP, who produce 15,000 pigs per week to the highest standards of environmental, welfare and foodsafety legislation. Tulip Ltd is an active member of national trade bodies, who aim to improve the success of the British pig industry

shredded meats, pizza toppings, meal solutions and deli fillers.

Simon Shirley goes further, suggesting that having been so successful in the retail sector for so long and reached a point of critical mass, it is now the right time and they are ready to concentrate more of their effort on foodservice in order to pursue future growth opportunities there by

From left to right, Tulip’s foodservice solutions director, Simon Shirley, CEO Chris Thomas and Rob Hoare (commercial and marketing director).

revamping their foodservice offering.

The official re-launch was marked by a flagship event held appropriately enough on the River Thames in London, on a paddle steamer boat called the Dixie Queen, which provided a suitable vehicle in which to showcase some of Tulip’s many applications, not least the trend of the moment – ‘streaterie’themed food.

Many of Tulip’s members of staff, as well as customers, were in attendance to not only network and talk about some of the major issues currently affecting the industry at large (‘horsegate’ having been a particularly unwelcome distraction in recent times), but hear more about Tulip’s future plans as well as showcase and demonstrate the now reinvigorated potential of products such as tender BBQ pulled pork, grilled cooked bacon and beef steak strips for pizzas.

Another recent appointment – executive chef, David Bates – was also present to demonstrate and explain some innovative recipe ideas using Tulip products, on stage alongside CEO, Chris Thomas, who showed that he was willing to get his hands ‘dirty’!

Tulip also announced that they plan to grow their foodservice team over the next 12 months, extending their current product range by bringing new products to the market at key selling periods. In fact, over the next two years the company say that they expect to double current sales, and there were hints that some charcuterie and salami products of potential interest to the wider Italian restaurant business could be added to their line-up.

As they say, watch this space.

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RE-LAUNCH Ham Hock and Simply Best Wiltshire Cured Ham. The team has also looked to the emerging street food trend and has responded with a range of seven new slow cooked meat products, investing heavily in slow cookers across their 16 UK sites to meet this demand.

Clearer communication “Although we have been leaders in retail for over 20 years we recognise that the foodservice sector is significantly different.

Our dedicated foodservice division is focused on taste and customer care as well as quick service and delivery,” said Simon Shirley.

“Before launching our products we analysed the foodservice market and found that caterers were frustrated with the fragmented and confusing nature of sliced cooked meats buying. Meat content, provenance, slice count and serving suggestions were not uniformly clear. As such, our range was developed to address these issues and offer chefs and caterers not only a diverse range of products but clear product quality tiers with matching pricing.”

Tulip Ltd only use produce that is fully traceable and sourced from high welfare, sustainable farming systems in the UK, Denmark and Europe.

Their ‘Farm to Fork’ process is one of the most advanced and vigorous supply chains in the world.

“Our ‘Farm to Fork’ process means we can give our customers total peace of mind over our traceability as well as convenient, tasty and value for money products,” explained Simon Shirley. “We also offer innovative products that would not otherwise be available to smaller wholesalers and cash and carries such as our slow cooked Simply Best Pulled Pork and Shredded Chicken.”

Tulip Ltd’s premium foodservice range, Simply Best features award winning products including Simply Best Pulled

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New web site and new recipe ideas In line with the re-launch, Tulip has also developed a foodservice web site www.tulipltd.co.uk/ foodservice - specifically for professional caterers. The site allows users to navigate easily between

The product ranges In addition to the well-known Tulip Ltd brands of Danepak, Stagg® Chili, SPAM® Brand and SuperTops, Tulip Foodservice Solutions has gone a step further by launching a series of retail-inspired own label product ranges called Simply Best, Simply Better and Simply Good Oak Crown. These ranges are grouped by clear price tiers and meat content, point out Tulip, in order to help caterers and retailers choose products by budget and quality preferences.

Simply Best Tulip Foodservice Solutions’ premium range which includes sliced cooked meats, cooked bacon, and shredded and pulled meats. The majority of the meat is sourced in the UK. The range has a minimum 90% meat content and uses traditional cures and cuts, and includes award winning products Simply Best Pulled Ham Hock and Simply Best Wiltshire Cured Ham. Simply Better A range of quality sliced cooked meats, cooked and fresh bacon, with 80 – 90% meat content as well as deli fillers.

temperature ovens (this range includes pepperoni, salami, ham, pork, bacon, beef, meatballs, chicken and chorizo).

Danepak For over 40 years, Danepak has been supplying the food service sector, offering a range of bacon, pork and ham products (Danepak can claim to be the UK’s number one bacon brand with 85% brand awareness, supported by a nationwide campaign including TV, press and online promotional work).

Simply Good Oak Crown A range of everyday sliced cooked meats such as ham and chicken.

Stagg® Chili Stagg® Chili, with its authentic American Chili recipe, is a leading brand of canned chili in UK supermarkets and is made from shaped mince beef with kidney beans in a spicy chili sauce.

SuperTops The market leading and longest established brand of ingredient ranges on offer to the professional caterer.

SuperTops is eaten on pizzas throughout Europe every day and is designed for use in high

SPAM® Brand Chopped Pork and Ham is the leading brand of chopped pork and ham in the UK, with a history that spans over 75 years. It is made from a minimum of 90% prime shoulder pork and leg ham.

foodservice channels, product ranges and recipes.

Customers will also be able to avail themselves of new and informative marketing collateral featuring recipe ideas (including ones featuring their SuperTops pizza toppings) and accompanying high quality food photography that will no doubt make people sit up and take greater notice of a brand that Simon Shirley feels for far too long has perhaps remained something of a “big secret” in the foodservice arena.

In a passionate and committed presentation about the future of the foodservice brand that placed emphasis on provenance, authenticity and traceability, Simon Shirley drew attention to some little-known facts about Tulip, such as it being the UK’s largest pig farming operation, employing some 8,000 people across 18 sites and generating 359,000 tonnes of product sales a year with a £1,200 million turnover.

In particular, Simon Shirley acknowledged that the pizza sector still represents a major source of continuing business for them, estimating that in addition to the big brands, there are in the region of 5000 small independent pizza shops in the UK (the new web site offering greater communication to such operators in terms of finding out about new pizza recipe topping ideas).

Designed to be able to cope with, and perform well in, the high temperature environment of the sector’s pizza ovens, Simon Shirley described the SuperTops product as being a leader in the pizza sector, having become a £10 million business in its own right over the past 20 years.

He went on to add that the company was also very proud to be involved in this year’s Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association’s Pizza Chef of the Year Competition as a category sponsor (supplying their latest steak strips and chilli beef toppings for this year’s competitors to get creative with).

In fact, November will mark the official re-launch of the SuperTops brand.

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CLOTHING

The case for corporate clothing In today’s competitive market, first impressions count which is why successful business leaders invest in corporate clothing. Projecting your company through customised clothing motivates and builds team spirit amongst your employees and helps to improve brand recognition from your customers, in turn giving you a real edge over rivals, as Neel Raura of Lands’ End Corporate & Teamwear outlines here.

Professional image “The way you choose to outfit your employees speaks volumes about your business,” says Lands' End Corporate & Teamwear’s business development manager, Neel Raura.

“We outfit companies of all sizes from small start-ups to international corporations with logo embroidered clothing and accessories, and all are supported by our emphasis on customer service, as well as a global supply chain that guarantees to deliver on time and on budget. What’s more, we strive to ensure that our clothing is ‘built to last’, meaning that you won’t replace it annually!”

This approach and commitment, say the firm, is why they are now looking to bring their expertise and knowledge to the food business, where presentation increasingly counts for more and more when it comes to the impressions consumers get when they step into a food outlet.

Indeed, in the eyes of many consumers these days, independent outlets and small chains are expected to look just as professional and as ‘well turned out’ as their much larger, branded high street rivals who are already skilled in the art of using branding and presentation to their benefit.

Bespoke logo service Lands’ End’s dedicated customer service team specialise in putting together the right ‘look’ for their clients from their full product range,

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Background Established in 1963, Lands’ End is an international direct merchant of traditionally styled, casual clothing for men, women and children.

They also offer a comprehensive range of accessories, homeware, footwear and soft luggage.

As a multi-channel retailer, they offer their current ranges via catalogue and online marketing, as well as having a presence in retail outlets.

They have become particularly well known for providing products of exceptional quality at prices that represent honest value, enhanced by a commitment to excellence in customer

from the simplest personalised t-shirts to bespoke, embroidered staff uniforms, and their expert embroidery team can reproduce virtually any logo

service. A global business, with headquarters based in Wisconsin in the USA, Lands’ End Europe is based in Oakham in the rural county of Rutland, UK with over 600 employees. This location is also the firm’s European Distribution Centre.

By 1993, customers and businesses were asking Lands’ End to add logos to their clothing and not wanting to disappoint, Lands’ End Corporate Wear was born. They continue to deliver high quality embroidered work wear, as well as top quality branded promotional products, servicing more than 5,000 business accounts.

design, from simple, single colour monograms to complex, multi coloured logos.

“We do not do bespoke clothing designs, but we do offer a range of styles and

colours as well as the bespoke logo service which we feel will now help operators in the food business to communicate their brand effectively, and more importantly, in a high quality manner that will be instantly recognisable to their customers,” explains Neel Raura.

“We can also tailor your products and logo to ensure it suits every department- from the shop floor to head office.

“We have extended sizes in key items and so can fulfil orders from a size XS right through to 5XL. As we offer a personalisation service, we can add individual names to items as well as your logo. We even offer a free sample service to ensure that you get the right fit before ordering.”

“Transforming your logo into a thread-and-fabric work of art is the heart of our business. Simple stitches, perfectly planned, make a design come alive. Our inhouse experts have perfected the craft by combining technology with an artist’s eye. They consider fabric, stitch size, direction, matching colours or suggesting complimentary shades. It’s fussy work, but we treat your logo to the same care we give our own.

“Our state of the art embroidery facilities can handle up to 15 different thread colours at once and with over 2000 thread colours to match your chosen pantone references, we’re confident we can produce your logo with pixel-perfect precision!”

Operators will find that the current range is conveniently

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CLOTHING detailed on their web site (www.landsendteamwear.co.uk), together with the prices. But, point out the company, they are always happy to talk to our clients direct, and provide some advice and suggestions in order to help them realise there corporate clothing ambitions.

Ethical credentials Lands’ End report that they use suppliers from around the world, looking for partners who are able to give them the best combination of quality, price and service that will allow them to deliver honest value to their customers. As a result, in this global environment, they take a close interest in the standards of all their business partners.

Compliance with Lands’ End Standards of Business Conduct is a condition for becoming and remaining a business partner of Lands’ End, and they take special care in selecting partners who

“

follow fair, decent and legal labour practices, agree to their Standards of Business Conduct, and who are dedicated to producing a quality product.

And the misplaced apostrophe?

A lot of people ask why the apostrophe in Lands’ End is where it is, say the company, and there have been some silly explanations along the way.

Truth is, it was a mistake! A typo in their first printed piece, and one they could not afford to reprint and correct at the time.

However, in the years since, the misplaced apostrophe has remained, and continued to grace the company’s name and their label. And while it has prompted some raised eyebrows among English teachers, report the company, it also serves to set them apart as an enterprise whose continuing concern for what’s best for the customer is unmistakably human!

STOP PRESS! Having recently become a supplier member of the Café Society, Lands' End report that they are currently able to offer Café Society members a 20% discount on their products/logo via a corporate/business logo set up free (worth £55.00), and with free delivery within mainland GB.

As someone who has spent time researching their new café (opening soon) I was very impressed with the information provided by the Café Society. They also made some good connections for us and it was certainly worthwhile joining in advance of opening. Their on-line Hygiene training course was just what we needed to open fully trained.

Pauline Hennessy Croydon

”

tel: 01291 636333 web: www.thecafelife.co.uk/cc57 www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk

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LAW

Hygiene rating display becomes statutory in Wales From this month, a new law introduced by the Welsh government that is putting Wales at the forefront of promoting the standards of food hygiene, will mean that businesses in Wales that serve or sell food will be required to display their food hygiene rating at their premises.

A statutory requirement When people buy their food, they want to be sure that the place they’re buying from follows good food hygiene practices. After all, those businesses that aren’t hygienic put consumers’ health at risk, from minor cases of food poisoning to more serious, even fatal, illness.

For example, the 2005 E.coli outbreak in Wales – the second biggest ever in the UK – tragically resulted in the death of Mason Jones and included 150 other cases including 31 hospital admissions and long-term health consequences for several children.

It is estimated that there are around a million cases of foodborne illness in the UK each year, resulting in 20,000 hospital admissions and 500 deaths. As well as the obvious public health impact, it is estimated that the cost to the UK to be about £1.9 billion.

The now statutory scheme will cover places where people eat out, including restaurants, takeaways, mobile caterers, cafés, hotels and pubs; places where people shop for food, such as supermarkets, bakeries and delicatessens; and

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establishments such as schools, hospitals, children’s nurseries and residential care homes.

The statutory scheme introduced by the legislation is based on the current voluntary Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, operated by local authorities in partnership with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Food outlets will be rated from 0-5 on criteria such as how the food is prepared, cooked and stored and the condition of the premises and how food safety within the business is managed. A ‘5’ rating means hygiene standards are very good and 0 means urgent improvement is necessary.

While a 0, 1 or 2 rating requires businesses to make improvements, there may not be an imminent risk to health. If a business receives a low rating, local authorities undertake follow up action with the operator and can use a range of enforcement tools to ensure that the necessary improvements are made. Immediate action is taken when an imminent risk of injury to health is identified.

Mutual benefits Good food hygiene is

important to consumers and food businesses too, and the new scheme will benefit both consumers and food businesses.

For consumers, the rating will mean they are able to make informed decisions about where they choose to eat or shop for food.

For businesses, good food hygiene means a good hygiene rating. This could increase trade, as well as meeting food law requirements and protecting their customers from foodborne illness. Every business is capable of achieving a rating of 5 and food businesses that comply with food hygiene requirements have nothing to fear from the new law.

This will be the first statutory scheme in the UK – however, other countries, states and cities have similar compulsory schemes in operation, including Denmark, New York, Los Angeles County and Auckland. In Los Angeles, there has been a 20% decrease in food-related hospitalisations since a scheme was introduced in 1998.

Research into the Danish scheme has shown that 88% of food business operators in

Denmark think the scheme is a good idea. It has helped consumers make more informed choices, with 67% saying they would turn down a restaurant with a poor rating, and 59% having chosen another restaurant because of a bad score.

The FSA has said that it will be reviewing the operation of the scheme one year after its implementation.

More than 23,000 food businesses in Wales have already received a rating under the voluntary scheme, and many have improved their rating following advice from their local authority food safety officer.

Under the current voluntary scheme, however, businesses do not have to display their rating sticker if they do not wish to do so, meaning the information is not always readily available for the consumer as they enter the business. However, the new law in Wales will now mean that food businesses will have to display their rating in a prominent place –

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LAW such as the front door or window – and at every entrance. The business operator and relevant staff will also have to provide the information verbally, if asked, either in a face to face situation as well as over the phone.

Enforcement The date the statutory scheme comes into effect is 28 November, and local authority officers will enforce the statutory scheme in their area and ensure ratings are correctly displayed (they can be contacted by businesses needing advice on the display of stickers and how the legislation will apply to them).

Local authorities will issue new stickers from the end of November and businesses will be required to display these. As well as being displayed at businesses’ premises, ratings will also continue to be available on

the FSA website at food.gov.uk/ratings.

As in the current voluntary scheme, the frequency of inspections under the statutory scheme will be based on an assessment of risk to the consumer, such as the type of food business, the nature of the food handling which takes place, and the size of the business.

If a business feels that their rating is unjust, they can lodge an appeal and will also have the right to comment upon it. Any comments made in this “right to reply” may be displayed on the FSA website. And if they have undertaken improvements since their last inspection, they can also request a reinspection to see if the rating should be changed.

From November 2014, the scheme will be extended to include food manufacturers, wholesalers and transporters that supply to places where people eat and buy food.

some of our displays for Cafés and Bakeries

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PROFILE

The café in the

The Café in the Courtyard - a temporary café at St Martin-in-theFields by Platform 5 Architects (www.platform5architects.com) opened for business this year, and enjoyed a highly successful first season.

Space filler Situated between Trafalgar Square and The Strand, the East Courtyard at St Martin-in-theFields is a rare open space in central London. It had been largely under-utilised, however, despite the many thousands of tourists and workers who pass by every day.

St Martin-in-the-Fields saw the opportunities presented by the courtyard, and commissioned Platform 5 Architects to design a new temporary café to occupy part of it during the summer months.

The Café in the Courtyard expands St Martin-in-the-Fields’ well-established catering operation, complementing the church’s popular Café in the Crypt, which has been running for over 25 years.

The new building (constructed by Prestige Kiosks, www.prestigekiosks.com) acts as a useful street-side marker in a key location, drawing visitors into the courtyard to use the café and encouraging them to spend time at St Martins’ itself.

Whereas the Café in the Crypt is particularly well used during wet weather or the colder months, the Café in the Courtyard has proved to be a very popular outdoor catering facility during the summer, report its operators.

It is an extension of St Martin-in-the-Fields’ ethos of welcome and hospitality to its diverse mix of communities including congregations, concert-goers, tourists, local residents and office workers.

Both outlets generate important

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income to support the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the long term preservation of its listed buildings.

Temporary but functional The Café in the Courtyard is a small, self-contained temporary structure, positioned in a corner of the courtyard opposite St Martin’s East Window. Its simple design is sympathetic to its historic surroundings, while contemporary materials are used to provide a pleasing visual contrast and a focus for the site.

Conceived as a simple portico structure, its recessed sides give a lightweight appearance while deep eaves provide shelter or shade during the day as well as a storage area for tables and chairs at night. Its peened stainless steel cladding offers a softer counterpoint to the courtyard’s tall iron railings and a discreet presence alongside its Georgian neighbours. Inside, a contrasting bright brass mesh cladding catches varying light throughout the day, lending

visual interest to the open sides of the kiosk.

Lightweight yet stylish tables and chairs are used during the day to seat up to 40 people, and stored within the unit when the cafe is not in operation. Simple stainless steel roller shutters secure the unit when not in use.

The café was carefully designed to allow it to be fully set up every morning and put away each night in around 20 minutes. A key element of the brief was to design a kiosk that was comfortable and practical for two people to operate, while keeping everything as compact as possible.

“Our design successfully achieves this,” says Peter Allen, partner at Platform 5 Architects.

“When developing the internal layout we spent a great deal of time considering the practicalities and ergonomics of its day-to-day operation so that all equipment is within easy reach.

“Despite the very compact size (37.5 cubic metres), it is remarkable how much equipment is contained within

the unit. This includes a coffee machine and grinder, hot water boiler, two blenders, soup and stew kettle, panini grill, upright fridge, chiller display and undercounter fridge. Alongside this equipment there is still plenty of room to spare for tables and chairs to be stored within the unit every night.”

Planning consent for the Café in the Courtyard was granted in July 2012, and followed a thorough consultation exercise with St Martin-in-the-Fields and its many different user groups, as well as other local and amenity organisations.

“As St Martin-in-the-Fields is Grade I listed, we worked carefully to address the heritage concerns of conservation officers and statutory consultees,” adds Peter Allen.

“The existing planning consent is temporary and will allow the café to operate until October 2015.

“Asteco, a leading producer of prefabricated metal structures, built the unit in Italy to our bespoke design. The café took three months to build, and included a number of unusual elements including the brass mesh, which was shipped to Rotterdam to be resin encased before returning to Rome.

“From there, the kiosk and all equipment (specified by us and

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PROFILE

supplied by Asteco) was shipped to the UK by lorry. The kiosk arrived in two sections, and was craned onto the site during an operation that lasted around just one hour. Fit out and installation took one day, before the Café in the Courtyard was ready to welcome its first customers.”

All day service The café operates from 10.00am every day, and remains open until dusk. Hot and cold drinks are served throughout the day, with a range of high quality food to take away or eat in including cakes and pastries, soup, salads and sandwiches.

From 5.00pm, the menu changes, offering an eat-in selection of tapas, snacks and alcoholic drinks and making it a popular option for pre-theatre or post-work visitors (it is estimated that the café will have served up to 15,000 people at the end of the current season).

As the café only operates during the summer months, it can be easily removed from the site on the back of a truck and taken for storage during the winter. Once on site, it simply sits on the ground with no permanent fixtures. Although it is connected to water and power on site, everything else is completely self-contained including waste water tanks.

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Heritage site The Café in the Courtyard is not the first time St Martin-in-theFields has commissioned contemporary architecture to complement its Grade I listed buildings. In 2007 a major renewal project was undertaken by Eric Parry Architects to refurbish the original church, crypt and public realm, and introduce a new entrance pavilion.

In commissioning Platform 5 Architects soon after the completion of this refurbishment, St Martin-in-theFields is continuing a programme of using contemporary art and architecture to enhance the original building, designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1726.

“We are delighted at the success of the Café in the Courtyard, and pleased that our client is very happy with the end result too,” reports Peter Allen.

Allyson Hargreaves, business operations director at St Martin-in-the-Fields adds: “After several years in the planning we were delighted to see the launch of the first season of the Café in the Courtyard. Platform 5’s design has exceeded our requirements by creating a space that not only beautifully suits the environs but also provides a practical work area for our team. As for our customers they love it - and we are pleased to see some of them returning several times during the week.”

As all involved had hoped, the Café in the Courtyard has proved to be a stylish little building that has brought a fresh identity and new activity to an otherwise under-used pocket of London, as well as valuable additional income to St Martin-in-the-Fields.

While producing something temporary yet stylish for such a sensitive site was a challenge, all hope that the unit offers a contemporary and highly functional model for catering or retail outlets elsewhere, particularly in locations with high heritage value.

NOVEMBER 2013 CAFÉ CULTURE 43

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NEW PRODUCTS

Bateel’s first date with Adande® Adande® has supplied a refrigerated drawer system to the Bateel boutique café in New Bond Street, West London.

Bateel has 35 outlets, in 16 different countries, specialising in gourmet dates with 22 different varieties of the fruit. The New Bond Street boutique café also offers a broad range of speciality chocolate, confectionery, patisserie, ice cream and

savouries, together with a variety of hot and cold drinks for its discerning clientele.

Operating at frozen food temperatures, the Adande® drawer system is used for the storage of ingredients such as fruit, yoghurt and ice cream. Built into the café’s counter, the unit provides temperature controlled storage at the point of service, eliminating the need for staff to leave the workstation to

fetch ingredients.

Bateel has also taken delivery of two Adande® drawer systems at its concession within Harrods, one of which is used for chilled storage, the other for frozen food (call 0844 376 0023, or visit www.adande.com).

Benders launches latest green offering

Takeaway Combi Steamer Cooking: the space-saving, multifunctional Rational SelfCookingCenter® whitefficiency®

Benders Paper Cups has launched Verde, its latest eco-friendly, hot cup design as part of Elementi, the paper cup company’s environmentally-aware product selection.

There are nine cups in the Verde design, giving comprehensive selection to both the vending and catering markets. The UKmanufactured single wall hot cups are derived from renewable sources and accredited as suitable for commercial composting and are currently available to buy off the shelf, with no wait time involved.

The Elementi inner lining is made from a biopolymer coating derived from products such as corn.

The paper board used will degrade completely in industrial, regulated composting facilities. The entire process, from tree to cup production and disposal, has been created to reduce harmful effects on the environment, without compromising quality or performance. Water-based inks are used for the printing of all Benders’ cup designs. Custom print options are available with a full selection of domed sip through lids for safe drinking on the go (call 01978 855661 or visit www.benders.co.uk).

What’s the best sort of cooking equipment for the takeaway sector? Limited space means it has to be multifunctional, but customer expectations mean it has to be able to produce quality results, despite staff sometimes having limited cooking skills.

On Stand T331 at Takeaway Innovation 2013 (London Olympia, 28-29 November 2013) , Rational will demonstrate how the SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency can provide the ideal solution. Visitors will be able to see

the Rational combi steamer in action – and witness how much food can be cooked in one spacesaving unit from chargrilled piri piri chicken, pulled pork, steamed sushi rice, fresh ravioli with Parmesan and chicken with oyster sauce.

The latest model has up to 30% more capacity, cuts energy consumption by up to 20% and reduces production times by up to 30%, compared to previous models (call 0800 389 2944 or see www.rational-UK.com).

QED creates modern catering environment with period feel at Glasgow City Council’s new Ure Café Quality Equipment Distributors (QED), based in Glasgow, was recently appointed to supply a self-service catering facility for the newly opened Ure Café at Glasgow City Chambers (named after former Lord Provost of Glasgow, John Ure).

Ure Café was commissioned by Encore Hospitality Services of the Cordia Group in partnership with Glasgow City Council. The brief was to transform a rather dated looking carvery into a modern catering environment in harmony with the existing character of the premises. This included the design of bespoke counters clad in the same classic picture frame wood panelling as the rest of the room.

The complete servery system includes Bain Marie and heated counters, refrigerated counters, ambient counter, Panini grill, coffee station with beanto-cup coffee machine, condiment station and cash register, plus a back bar system with mirrored shelving and under counter refrigerated storage (call 0141 779 9503, or visit www.qualityequipment.co.uk).

Adande® is a sweet success for Slattery Adande® has supplied two refrigerated double drawer systems to Slattery, a Manchesterbased pâtissier and chocolatier featuring a 140 seat dining room offering breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, and serving over 2000 covers per week.

Located in the dining room’s busy kitchen, one of the Adande® drawer units is used for the storage of raw ingredients, whilst

44 NOVEMBER 2013

CAFÉ CULTURE

the other is used for holding cooked product, including meat and fish, avoiding cross contamination between raw and cooked food. The drawer units are located beneath the kitchen’s food preparation worktops, providing convenient and space saving temperature controlled storage, eliminating the need for staff to leave the workstation to fetch ingredients.

The unique and patented Adande® refrigerated systems feature insulated drawers and an innovative modified air flow pattern, which deliver high efficiency cooling, as well as accurate and stable temperature control, no matter how frequently the drawer is opened, even in the hottest kitchen environments (call 0844 376 0023 or visit www.adande.com).

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