Upper Midwest Gourmet

Please check out our most updated offerings from Flamenco Organic Coffee Company:

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

What an amazing Fall it has been so far! Warmer than usual temps have really made for some great weekends and good business for all. 

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!

Way to go Numi Tea on officially becoming the largest buyer of Fair Trade Tea in North America!  We’re proud to be a Numi distributor for the past decade and glad to help them support the mission of Fair Trade pricing at the source.

Please enjoy our most current list of Flamenco Organic Coffee offerings:

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

UMG is always trying to improve on all levels.

By adding alternative payment methods beyond cash, credit card, and check we hope to make it easier and more convienient for our customers.

We now accept PayPal as an option for all UMG orders. 

 If this is something you are interested in, please call us at 612-728-7208 to get set-up and get the information you need.

We will also have other alternative payment methods coming soon!

You’ve been asking for them and we have listened. Upper Midwest Gourmet now is stocking 12, 16 and 20 ounce Blue Stripe RPET Recycled content Cold Cups and RPET flat lids. We can ship these all year long so you can lower your inventory and not worry about running short on a hot week when we can’t ship; you can pour HOT espresso into the cup without it turning into a balloon; they are easier to recycle than PLA cold cups and go into your common plastic recyling bin; THEY ARE MADE WITH A MINIMUM OF 50% RECYCLED CONTENT!!! Using recycled PET saves resources, keeps waste out of landfills, and lets you make a smart choice without compromising performance. Did I mention they are a little less expensive too (just a little, but hey, every dollar counts). The lids and cups are the same diameter as your current Eco Products PLA so don’t worry about having to waste any of your current inventory. If you have a few extra sleeves of cups or lids they are compatible with the new cup. Our plan is to eventually discontinue the PLA cup and move every into the RPET cup for all the reasons above. It’s our belief that this is the better cup for holding your beverages and a better choice in our mission to be more environmentally conscious.

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

Summer has been really hot so far most likely meaning you are selling a ton of cold drinks! Let’s all continue to enjoy the sunshine and outdoor fun while we can.

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!

Please enjoy our updated coffee offerings sheet:

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

For the past year I have not had a week go by without being informed of a price increase of some sort from one or more of our vendors. Coffee, sugar, cocoa, paper, plastic, petroleum are all being traded at historic high levels and the manufacturers are raising prices across the board. Paper and plastic companies on an almost weekly basis. As our business volume has increased we’ve tried to make up a lot of those increases on volume vs passing the increase along. Sometimes it’s simply impossible but most of the time we’re splitting the difference and only raising 25-50% of the increase passed on to us. On the positive side, we’re seeing a steady rise in same store purchases showing an increase in volume on the retailers side as well. Hopefully we can all weather this storm and as commidities recover, we see some manufacturers begin to pass that saving back towards the retailer. We’re commited to keeping prices as competitive as possible while still being able to provide you with the great service we are so well known for.  

A number of customers have asked why we don’t call them when there are price increases?  It would be impossible for us to notify you all without hiring a full-time employee for just that job alone, which would again lead to more price increases.  However, we try and update the brochure as the increases occur and UMG customers have 24-hour access to the latest version 365 days a year.  Just go to the Upper Midwest Gourmet home page and click on the Information and Training materials link on the right hand side.  The very first item is our most current catalog.  This is for UMG wholesale customers only so make sure to get the current password from your UMG sales representative.   Of course, you can always call or email if you’d like a hard color copy mailed to you.  Hang in there everyone and remember, raise your prices, too, so you can still provide the best product and service that your customers expect.

The emergence of brew-by-the-cup coffee has taken our industry by storm. You can’t help but see single cup coffee brewing at many cafes that used to only offer a drip-brew option. We believe that the increased understanding and popularity of Specialty grade coffee has helped push and promote this new style of coffee preperation and we think this will be a staple in most cafes that want to offer many single origin options without having to brew a full airpot everytime someone orders a certain coffee.

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.)

Please enjoy our updated coffee offerings sheet:

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

Spring is finally here! Here comes the sunshine and outdoor fun for all.

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 43 – Spring 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!

Check out an updated list of our coffee offerings!

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

We would really like to thank everyone that visited our booth at the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo this year in Milwaukee. We were very happy to be a part of this expo for our 16th or 17th year. Who can keep track anymore…

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.)