La Spaziale has come out with two different instant / no-dose espresso grinders with internal electronics and a digital display for measuring grams! The two versions are the Astro 12 Instant and the Top Instant. These espresso grinders are the way of the future and we will personally be working with each of these in-house to make sure we are happy with their performance. Now available at UMG!

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Where: Frontier Airlines Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Booth 748)

When: March 12th-14th (11am-5pm Monday, 10am-5pm Tuesday, 10am-3pm Wednesday)

Here is a link to the show for more information: WI RESTAURANT EXPO

If you would like more information or possibly a FREE pass to the show please Contact Us.

See you there!

The weather is turning cold though which means hot drinks likes coffee, espresso, steamers, chai tea, apple cider, hot cocoa, and hot tea are all going to really start picking up. 

Also, those Umpqua Oats Oatmeal bowls are going to be the perfect option for your customer looking for a warm, hearty breakfast or lunch on these chilly Autumn days.

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 45 - Fall 2011

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

Upper Midwest Gourmet now sells Mozo Shoes!

What is a “mozo”?

What is a “mozo”? In the time of pack trains and cattle roundups, a mozo was hired to help out with heavy work around the ranch, and was always on his feet. The spirit of the mozo inspired a footwear craftsman and entrepreneur to start MOZO®  in 1996. Today, MOZO makes revolutionary footwear for creative, passionate and talented professionals, shoes for culinary professionals who are artists, athletes and creators—not just cooks or servers. Any shoe that bears the MOZO name must be a shoe that we are personally willing to stand in and wear for 10 to 12 hours a day. Since making that promise, MOZO has set new standards for comfort, safety and durability for culinary footwear. MOZO is an approved footwear vendor for several leading industry partners. It is the combination of safety, comfort, and quality, which has advanced the brand rapidly since Deckers’ acquisition. 

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

We are very happy to now be able to offer a few new cafe equipment options to our customers. Currently in our showroom and available through us is a Sharp commercial microwave, an Ascend under-counter cooler, and an ITV ice maker. These are all NSF certified and perfect for cafe use.

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 44 – Summer 2011

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

That being said, we believe that drip coffee is a staple that will always need to exist along side the new style of BBTC. Cafes will always have customers that want their coffee to take no longer than a few pumps from the airpot to their to-go cup and then they want to be on their way out the door.

Here is a great article/blogpost by Jack Groot on the subject – BBTC – fad or trend?

If BBTC coffee brewing is something that you want to add to your cafe there are many options to choose from. We stock and recommend the following options:

•  Flamenco Stand, 4-cup Manual Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Station – this device is a great way to provide pour-over single-cup coffee brewing without spending a ton of money on fancy equipment. Just think, you can brew four different cups of single origin coffee at the same time!
•  Bunn Trifecta - this machine really is amazing! With trifecta, the barista creates an experience which unlocks the nuances of your coffee. Using an air infusion single cup process, trifecta brews so that each coffee’s unique voice resonates.
• Clever Single Cup Coffee Dripper – these have advanced the concept of Full Immersion Coffee Brewing by creating an easy way to brew without bitterness, acidity or loose grounds. The difference is it’s new shut-off valve system. Instead of pushing the grounds to the bottom of the brew carafe, the grounds settle naturally.
• Melitta Single Cup Brewer – this small device is portable and fits over any size mug or travel cup. The Melitta is wonderful because it gives you access to the important factors like water temperature, grind setting, even water distribution, and amount.

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Upper Midwest Gourmet is proud to now offer the newest line of Gelato and Pastry display cases from Ciam.

Here are some information sheets of their current options:

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

This, again, was a success and we owe it all to our customers, new and old. Here are some of the products we showcased and received most feedback on:

• Flamenco Organic Coffees and Espresso- per usual our wide array of micro-roasted Organic, Fair Trade, and Direct Trade coffees were very popular. The Nicaraguan Rio Coco and the Minnesota Mudd Blend were both talked about a bunch, but the Papua New Guinea, the Ethiopian Dara, and the Kona coffee (especially out of the Bunn Trifecta) were holding their own as well. The Matador Espresso Blend was also being pulled from the Casadio 2-group Espresso Machine and tasting just as sweet and smooth as ever!

• Amoretti Martini Mixes- yes, we are now carrying a martini mix line, and yes, it is awesome! David was making martini’s all show and everyone loved them. We will be bringing in the Apple, Blueberry, Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop, Mango, Mojito, Passion Fruit, Pomegranate, and Raspberry flavors, with more coming soon. They are super easy to make, made with the finest ingredients, and very reasonably priced.

• Umpqua Oats Oatmeal- this product never ceases to amaze us! We knew we liked this oatmeal when we first tried it, but never imagined how fast our customers would agree. It is one of the quickest products to take off for us and works perfectly for cafes to get that extra sale with your morning rush customer. These oatmeals are nutritious, delicious, and fast to make and with eight flavors including the “Not Guilty” which is salt and sugar free, who can go wrong?

• Cappuccine Red Velvet Frappe Mix- not only did this product win 2010 “best new beverage” at Seattle Coffee Fest, it continues to emerge as the next “must have” flavor at every cafe. We see a lot of new flavor ideas for blended beverages in our industry, but none have had the steam that the Red Velvet Cupcake frappe is making. It only helps the cause that Cappuccine has their own EXCLUSIVE Whipped Cream Cheese topping recipe on their website that completes this delightfully different cupcake in a cup.

• Fabbri 1905 Pastry Ingredients from Italy- delipastes aren’t just for gelato anymore. Tom Trieschmann from Fabbri has been helping us learn about all the amazing pastry applications for many of the products we carry and have only used for ice cream and gelato in the past. Tom personally sampled out the famous “Amarena” cherry of Italy that Fabbri is known for and started the company over 100 years ago. These Fabbri Amarena cherries are sour and intense and are like nothing you have ever tried before!

• David Rio Chai- this is a brand new product for us that we just had to bring in after sampling. We have known for years that David Rio Chai’s had a great reputation, but it wasn’t until we made some ourselves that we really understood just how good it really is. There are eight amazing flavors including Tiger Spice Chai, Elephant Vanilla, and Tortoise Green Tea. This chai is easy to prepare hot, iced, or blended, it is Kosher Certified, Gluten Free, and has No Hydrogenated Oils or Trans Fats.

• International Paper Hold & Go “Flamenco” Design, Insulated Hot Cups- these cups are the ultimate hot cup in the industry. It was hard not to spot a Flamenco hot cup in someone’s hand when walking the show. With so many people trying our coffees and espressos you wouldn’t have to look far to see the beautiful dancer silhouette. Even many of the presenters and speakers at the show could be seen sipping from our snazzy cups during their presentations! These cups are part of the “Sustainable Forestry Initiative” which promotes sustainable forest management and is something we feel is very important. Not only are they double-walled which means no sleeve is needed, but the lids are universal meaning the same lid fits the 12oz, 16oz, and 20oz cups!

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)