Upper Midwest Gourmet

Amoretti “All-Natural” Syrups are now in stock at UMG!

These used to be branded as Baristella, but now have a sleek, new look with the syrup being the same great product!

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

 Want a great new menu item for Fall? How about a milk chocolate bar in a cup? In Italy they are famous for their ‘sipping chocolate’ bars. My wife’s first stop in Bologna is always for one of these decant 3 oz cups of super thick and decadent sipping chocolate. We have a fabulous liquid sipping chocolate that simply needs to be warmed and served and your customers will think they’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven. Want to make your own from scratch? We can help you with that too, just give your salesperson a call today.

As the days grow shorter, the nights grow longer, and that first cold snap hits the air, two things are certain. Fall is coming and apple cider season is upon us. Cider has long been a staple of the fall and winter seasons and is also a profitable coffee alternative for any menu board. To ensure a successful cider season, Upper Midwest Gourmet has compiled the following list of five tips that will help boost your sales and please your customers.

1. In-store Promotion is a Must

Due to the seasonal nature of cider, customers must be informed of its availability as a menu option. Highlighting cider drinks as specials, putting up a counter sign and table tents, or even advertising can be used to get the word out. These promotional materials should not only bring awareness to the avid cider drinker, but will also help tap into the nostalgic demand of regular coffee drinkers.

2. Steam + Cream = Green (It Almost Rhymes)

Rather than simply handing over a basic mug of cider, it helps to add some ambiance to the preparation. Using the steam wand on an espresso machine to churn the mug of cider will not only make it frothier and release its aroma, but it will also make the drink more special for the customer. The more special a drink is, the more you can charge for it. Another nice value-adding touch is to top the mug with a dollop of whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.

3. Get Creative

Along similar lines, the more unique a drink is, the more you can charge for it. By creating signature drinks you can differentiate yourself from the other players in town. By adding orange rind, ginger, or any other final touches of your choice, you can create excitement for your seasonal offering. “Hey Jill, I hear Café XYZ is doing their ginger twist cider again. Bring the kids… and your wallet!” (Ok that was cheesy but you get the point)

4. Suggest Food Pairings

What better way to increase the average customer’s order than by selling complimentary products together. Cider will pair very well with scones, pies, pastries, and other baked goods. As long as you’re offering a cider special, why not also offer a “cider and slice of apple pie” special.

5. Reduce Waste (Warning: Shameless Plug for the Mountain Cider Company)

Cider can sometimes be a handful because of the refrigerator space it requires and the fact that it spoils within a week. By throwing away bad cider you are throwing away profits. This may tempt some to buy those powdered cider packets you see in the grocery store. Here at the Mountain Cider Company we refer to that as “chemical water”. Instead, we suggest you use the Mountain Cider Company’s all natural Hot Spiced Apple Cider concentrate. Our cider is just like what you would get from the orchard only it has been spiced and boiled down, giving it a shelf life of a year and a half without any preservatives. Even after our jugs are open they maintain shelf stability without having to be refrigerated. If you prefer to make cider in batches, a container of our cider can be reheated daily for a week without losing its flavor integrity. Talk about cider made easy!

So there you have it, five surefire tips for getting the most out of your cider season. We love to hear how our customers use our products, so if you have any other good tips feel free to let us know.

Cé Fair Trade Organic Syrup

Just in time for Fall, we are having a sale on our Cé Fair Trade Organic Syrup inventory.  For September and October take $2.45 off per bottle on all flavors, including Pumpkin Spice and Chai Tea! That’s a discount of $14.70 per case! Keep your FTO Lattés and Cappuccinos FTO even on seasonal holiday flavors by using Cé Fair Trade Organic Pumpkin Spice and Chai Tea syrups.  Add a pump of either to your whipped cream canisters for a killer seasonal garnish too. Chai Tea and Pumpkin Spice wont last long so get them while you can.

UMG is excited to now offer Sweet Maria’s Biscotti.

They have a ton of great new flavors and will always be delivered fresh!

Flavors include:

Apple Cinnamon Swirl: Apple Chips, Cinnamon Swirl and Cinnamon Icing

Apricotti Biscotti: Lots of Apricots and Walnuts

Chips-A-Licious: Chock full of Chocolate Chips

Fudge-A-Licious: Rich Dark Choclate with Chocolate Chips

Lemon Delights: Lemon and Coconut

Maple Walnut: Fresh Maple Syrup and Chopped Walnuts

Maria’s Special: Cranberries, Almonds and White Choclolate

Nuts for Amaretto: Almonds and Amaretto

PB Fudge: Rich Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter Chips

Razzleberry Chip: Raspberry with Dark and White Chocolate Chips

Red Velvet: Red Velvert Cake Batter drizzled with Vanilla Icing

Gingerbread: Gingerbread Drizzled with lemon Icing and Sugar Sparkle

Orange Creamsicle:  Our summer favorite- Orange Biscotti with White Orange Icing

Mocha Hazelnut: Espresso with Hazelnuts

Seasonal Favorites (Holiday Time only)

Santa’s Special

Cupids delight

Pumpkin Raisin Spice: Spicy Blend of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves drizzled with Spiced Icing

(For pricing, information on how to get a free acrylic display or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

We are very happy that the weather is finally getting hot and that means blended drinks are booming!

Here are two brand new blended ice drink recipes from Big Train.

One is a coffee-based frappe (Big Train Coconut Mocha Frappe) and

the other is an awesome blended fruit smoothie (Big Train Strawberry Lemonade Slushie or Smoothie)!

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

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.)

Crostata (Pastry Tart/Cake) delipaste is an amazing flavor option that can transform any gelato or ice cream to taste like a cake! This can be great when making creative flavors like “Birthday Cake Gelato” topped with sprinkles (kids love it!) or to make my personal favorite, “Wedding Cake Gelato!” This one is close to my heart as I made it for my own wedding reception and for our roaster, Alan’s, wedding reception as well.

This is our Fabbri flavor of the season and can be used to create hundreds of new gelato flavors with ease.

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

Don’t forget, we still have scone mix. One packet, a little milk and butter (or shortening), 30 minutes and you’ve got a half a dozen fresh scones ready to sell. They only take a few minutes to prep and cook in 15! I found that they are easier to mix and shape when using shortening, but you can use whichever you prefer. The cost per scone is approximately 32 cents, even after adding high quality inclusions, such as chocolate chips, fruit flavoring or nuts, your cost should still be under 50 cents per scone. Today, I made blueberry white chocolate chip scones in about 30 minutes from start to finish. For the blueberry, I added about a tablespoon of Fabbri blueberry delipaste to a double batch.

That’s right, just in time for smoothie season, Barista Fria introduces two new awesome flavors.

The peach is a must-add to any fruit smoothie line and with the success of hot chai tea in the colder months, an ice blended chai tea in the  warmer months sounds perfect!

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

After many requests over the years we have decided to bring in Monin Gourmet Flavorings and Sauces. We will even be stocking their organic line of flavoring syrups! Please click on the images below for more flavor information:

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

Please enjoy this awesome offer from UMG.

$10 off per case of Cappuccine Red Velvet.

It can steamed for a hot drink or made cold by blending with ice.

Must be purchased before February 14th, 2011. Limit (3) cases per customer.

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

Winter is upon us! Warm up with a blanket next to a fire and enjoy our newest brewsletter.

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 42 – Winter 2010

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!

It’s that time again:

Hayrides, pumpkin picking, visits to the apple orchard, crackling bonfires. Mmmm. I love fall, don’ t you?

Bring a little fall flair into your cafe this season by adding custom seasonal drinks to your menu. Here’s a few ideas.

Using our Mountain Cider concentrate (It’s pure and all natural!):

Caramel Apple

1 ounce cider concentrate
1 ounce caramel syrup
6 ounces hot water
Whipped cream on top.

Hot Apple Pie

1 ounce cider concentrate
1 ounce butterscotch syrup
6 ounces hot water
Whipped cream on top.

There’s even some adult versions you can try:

Hot Buttered Rum

1 ounce cider concentrate
1 ounce dark rum
6 ounces hot water
Butter pat optional

Broken Leg

1 ounce cider concentrate
1 ounce ginger brandy
6 ounces hot water

Also, try some variations on your flavored lattes and mochas with seasonal flavors from Artista Gourmet Syrups.

Toasty Marshmallow Mocha (16 oz drink):

1 ounce Toasted Marshmallow Artista Gourmet syrup

1 ounce Chocolate Artista Gourmet syrup

2 shots of espresso

10 ounces steamed milk

Top with whipped cream, chocolate shaving and mini marshmallows!

Or try flavoring your lattes with Artista Gourmet butter rum, hazelnut, praline or cinnamon.

Top with ground cinnamon, nutmeg or cinnamon sticks for a beautiful beverage.

Big Train‘s Maple Vanilla is great both hot and cold!

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