Upper Midwest Gourmet

The next time you are in Norwood Young America, Minnesota, please stop in and visit the historical Young America feed mill that has been beautifully restored and renovated using recycled building materials from the Upper Midwest United States!

The huge historic building houses three different businesses that work together in perfect harmony.

1) The Flower Mill is a full-service florist specializing in wedding, funeral and all-occasion floral needs.

2) The Mill House offers home furnishings (old and new), antiques, candles, gifts, soaps and lotions and much, much more!

3) Millstone Pantry offers specialty cakes for all occasions and is a full-service specialty coffeehouse and cafe.

The Millstone Pantry offers top-notch baked goods along with fresh coffee, perfect espresso drinks, tasty paninis and pizzas, and a whole lot more. One of the nicest features of the three businesses under one roof is how well it all goes together. Feel free to shop or look around the multiple floors of products offered by The Flower Mill and The Mill House while you wait for your food and drinks to be freshly prepared by Millstone Pantry’s friendly staff.

Please click on this link if you would like to schedule a consulation for a cake to be made by Millstone Pantry for your next celebration.

Please Contact Us if you would like further information about any of these businesses.

Comments are open on this blog post, so please feel free to add any positive experiences you may have had at The Mill.

Look for the Big Red Roof!

18 3rd Ave SE

Norwood Young America, MN

(one mile North on County Road 34 from 212 West)

Thank you.

Next time you make the trip to Grand Casino, Hinckley please stop in and visit our friends at the Velvet Bean Coffee Cafe.

They make the best coffee, espresso drinks, frappes, and smoothies in town!

They also have yummy gelato among with many other tasty treats like panini’s and pastry.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful cafe.

Please Contact Us if you would like any other information about Velvet Bean Coffee Cafe.

Comments are OPEN if you would like to ask questions or give a personal review of your experience at Velvet Bean.

Thank you.

Here we go again. Upper Midwest Gourmet is taking another road trip to Milwaukee Wisconsin to participate in the “Wisconsin Restaurant Expo” being held this March 10th through the 12th.

Go to www.wirestaurant.org/expo for more details and to register on line.

The show is being held in downtown Milwaukee at the “Midwest Airlines Center” on Monday the 10th of March through Wednesday the 12th.

Upper Midwest Gourmet will be in Booth 948 this year. We will have several products on display and for sampling. We will be highlighting our Flamenco Organic & Quarry Coffee lines and our Fabbri Gelato ingredients and various gelato equipment this year, so stop on by for some tasty samples!

If would like to attend for FREE, we have a limited number of passes for Wednesday the 12th, the last day of the show. Please contact us so we can mail them off to you as soon as possible.

We wish to thank you in advance for your continued patronage and support of Upper Midwest Gourmet. You are the reason we love what we do!!

Hope to see in Milwaukee!

Your beanhead staff. 

Now you can go for FREE if you register before February 2nd, 2007!

Register after February 2nd, 2007 and get $20 OFF the”  $30 admission with coupon.

Click here or below to open the Discount Admission Coupon compliments of UMG.

Upper Midwest Gourmet will be in booth #122 making Gelato.

See you there!

“ UP Show – Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN – Feb. 18th-20th, 2007

Coffee Fest Chicago – Navy Pier, Chicago, IL – Feb. 23rd-25th, 2007

WI Restaurant Expo – Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee, WI – March 12th-14th

As we prepare for the 2007 show season, we’ll pack our travel bags, kiss our kids, wifes or girlfriends goodbye, make a doctor or chiropractor appointment for the soonest available date in April and replace the “Dr Scholes” inserts in our shoes because we are in for a fast ride for the next few months!

Seriously though, we are entering into one of the busiest periods of the year for us, but it’s also one of the most exciting times for us. We love to see our customers face to face again or for the first time. We also are usually showing off some of our newest digs. This year is no let down. We have plenty to show you at each one of the shows listed below. You will just have to come to see us or wait till the “Brewsletter” or blogging’s after the show season to find out what.

Read the rest of this entry »

I recently paid a visit to one of my favorite café’s in the North Country. Zoomski’s is located on the main drag in the heart of downtown Little Falls Minnesota. Her decision to open a full service coffee café in Little Falls has turned out to be a good one. It was non-stop customers during the 2 hour period that Gloria and I visited. She has an excellent selection of coffee & espresso specialty drinks along with an awesome food menu.

Gloria started out the way most of us do by purchasing most of her food prepared or ready to serve. She was also using a lot of food items that she could combine to make edibles, i.e. condiments and baked goods. After being unsatisfied with the quality and health aspects of these food items, Gloria did the unthinkable! She decided to make and offer as many as possible items that are either home made by her or by others in the industry that use all natural ingredients. Therefore, her café is now offering a complete line of healthy and natural foods. She even makes the soups from scratch! Although this may take more time and effort, Gloria is happy to report that her customers absolutely love her food menu, as was apparent during my visit.

Read the rest of this entry »

What do you do if you find your independent café suddenly wedged between two major competitors? I say count your blessings. You may need to work smarter (not harder) at drawing your customers away from the “hype” of the big name players. Remember, you are independent and not restricted by corporate decisions. So get creative in your marketing strategies and do some things that you know that they can not do.

This is the conversation that I had with Patty Morris of “Metro Coffee Café” in Mound Minnesota. She requested some help with her marketing and training programs. I spent a lot of our conversation on the seriousness of training your staff to become and remain “consistent”. This will either make or break any café. Why do you think that the Starbucks and Caribou’s of the world have gone with the super-automatic espresso machines? It takes the issue of inconsistency out of the equation of bad product. As an independent café owner, it is crucial for you to train, re-train, and continue to re-train your staff not only in the basic techniques and procedures of drink making, but also in “above reproach” customer service. Go visit one of the big guys, and I’m quite sure you will discover what I mean. The sad fact is that most independents don’t have these crucial issues under control at all.

Read the rest of this entry »

Why sell Fair-Trade Organic Coffees? Ask Nesting Grounds Café.

If the coffee doesn’t have the certification of Fair-trade and/or Organic, Jim Mericle of The Nesting Grounds Café does not offer it. Jim has owned the Nesting Grounds in Wyoming Minnesota now for just over 2 years. He is a Pastor by trade, but has recently decided to give his full attention to his Café. From the Start, Jim was focused on turning his café into a place where the community wil benefit. Not only is he focused on supporting local businesses and groups, but has recently broadened his efforts to supporting growers and producers of Fair-trade, organic and natural grown products from around the world.His efforts are displayed in the product lines offered from FTO coffees and teas to regional and local grown produce and edibles. Jim’s visit to coffee farms has him very concerned about ensuring that these growers and producers are not exploited, but that they receive fair prices and fair treatment. He believes in making deposits of hope and feels like he is making a difference for both the present and future generations.

After several hours of discussion with Jim about his passion…

Read the rest of this entry »

Flamenco Fair Trade Organic Coffee was proud to be a part of the 17th Annual Calhoun Square Coffee Festival on November 18, 2006. Our Master Roaster, Jesse, and our Western Sales Manager, Michael, were present to give away samples of our great coffee and discuss how and why we do what we do. Al, our Grindmaster equipment vendor, was also present and we thank him for his knowledge and efforts to help us with our equipment.

The show was a definite success. People really loved our new Ethiopian Natural Sidamo with its blueberry undertones, as well as, our City Roasted Dominican Republic “Barahona” with its nutty complexity.

We were quite happy with the great response that we got from our Fair Trade Organic Matador blend espresso. We went through 5 lbs in 4 hours, wow! All in all, it was a great time and we recommend any coffee enthusiasts to check it out next year or at least watch our video of it this year.

Click play to watch. Total time: 2 minutes, 5 seconds.

Next time you’re in Downtown St. Paul swing on by the James J. Hill reference library for a great cup of coffee, soup and a sandwich or maybe even some ice cream. Cuca at Zelda’s Cafe will be there to greet you with her famous smile. I stopped by Cuca’s place last Saturday and snapped a few pics of her cute shop. Notice the variety (not just coffee) and the simple sidewalk easel pointing people in without blowing their mind with too much information. Try the Panama coffee from her native country, it’s delicious!

David, Kevin, & Michael made and served gelato at the Reinart Food Show on October 24th with our friends from Taylor and Reinart. It was a good show and people seemed to really enjoy our fresh made Italian Gelato!
Please see video below of David and Kevin serving gelato.

Click play to watch. Total time: 1 minute, 31 seconds.

This past week I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite shops right here in our own back yard. It’s named the Liberty House Café & Creamery in Stillwater, Minnesota. The thing that I like most about this shop is the passion of its owners, Sal & Mary Rosa. Sal is originally from Italy and understands that his business is not just about serving good coffee and gelato, but more importantly, it’s about becoming a part of his community and to become a part of their daily life and culture. It’s about being a place where you can get to know your neighbors, a place where customers are proud to call “their local coffee shop.” It’s about being that place that you will tell your friends and family about and encourage them to visit.

Espresso and Gelato in Italy are an integrated part of daily life. The average Barista is thirty or forty and has been in their position for 10 plus years. It’s more like a career, not just a job! They are very passionate and proud of the products and atmosphere that their shop projects. Sal projects this passion. He understands the heart and soul of the espresso and gelato businesses. Just take a look at his shop’s layout. It has it all! (See photos)

The Liberty House Café & Creamery is a friendly and inviting place. Grab a specialty drink, a bite to eat or a desert, take off your coat, drop your bag, pull up a chair at one of the many tables (inside or outside), or just plop down on one of the oversized leather couches in front of the fireplace. Life here is meant to be slow and enjoyable. There’s even a cozy little corner for the kids, complete with toys for any age. This place is about community.

The aspect that impresses me the most about the décor and layout of Liberty House Café & Creamery is the fact that Sal & his wife designed it all, right down the paint colors and light fixtures. This gives them the advantage of understanding every little operational detail involved in owning and operating a coffee shop or café. It also gives them a deeper respect for everything within their shop. Including the wall plate covers!

Their menu includes Fair-trade Organic coffee (some of it’s the “World Famous” Flamenco Organic brand!), delicious pastries & pies, savory soups, salads and sandwiches (plain or grilled), and their on-site homemade gelato (using Fabbri ingredients). They even have an old fashioned soda fountain serving up mouth watering treats from days gone by. This can all be enjoyed in an atmosphere of hospitality and timeless elegance. Sal & Mary have figured out that just having great coffee or ice cream will not make it alone; you need to enhance/supplement these things with additional items that will draw in a verity of customers. Remember though to stay within the boundaries of what you are attempting to promote your shop or café to be, too much will keep customers away! They have also discovered that although location is very important, your shop’s atmosphere will keep customers coming back more than a good location and beautiful layout. Combine these two points together, and you have a formula for success!

Upper Midwest Gourmet is very proud to be associated with The Liberty House Café & Creamery. We encourage you to stop by and check out their café, or contact Sal & Mary Rosa for suggestions. They are firm believers in creating, maintaining and being part of a larger community of coffee shop café owners and are more than willing to share their secrets for (as long as you don’t want to put a shop next door to them!). You can contact them via phone at 651-430-3708 or by email at libertyhousecafe@msn.com.

Upper Midwest Gourmet is also a firm believer in this larger community and strives to stay on top of our industry. We believe in assisting our customer with long-term success. We also still believe in the American Dream of owning your own business. We are here to assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us for any matter relating to the industry. We can get a little sick of talking to each other all the time and do enjoy a fresh face.

Both Michael, our other sales manager, and I frequently travel and would love to stop by your shop or café to chat. We’d love to share your stories with our community of coffee lovers. Also, if you would like some ideas on how to market you shop or concept, give us a call, we can share some ideas and success stories from other café’s that are successful.

One last plug for the Liberty House Café & Creamery. NBC, Kare 11 stopped by a few weeks back and had a great time with Sal & Mary discussing their café. This interview will air on Kare 11′s “Morning Show” on Monday, October 23^rd. The teaser is at 9:30 am and the full interview should air around 10:00 am. If you are reading this past that date, go to Kare 11′s web site, you can watch the clip from there.

A special thanks to Sal & Mary for their willingness to share their café with us and this site. I really encourage you to see their place. It is indeed inspiring!

Remember, your passion is what started your shop, never lose sight or hold of it! It’s the driving force that will ensure your success!