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Upper Midwest Gourmet is a one-stop, wholesale distributor of specialty food service ingredients, Flamenco fair trade organic coffee, Italian gelato ingredients and equipment, hundreds of other gourmet beverages and foods, café equipment and machines, and environmentally-conscious supplies like cups, napkins, and eco-sleeves.
Upper Midwest Gourmet
1901 Traffic St. NE Minneapolis, MN 55413
Office: (612)728-7208 / Fax: (612)728-7227 / E-mail: info@uppermidwestgourmet.com
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5pm / Friday 9am-1pm (Central Time)
See About Us for more. Our UMG Blog starts below. Thank you.
     
     
    
By David Chall, on October 31st, 2006
By Michael Applen, on October 27th, 2006
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.
By David Chall, on October 19th, 2006
The next time you’re driving by UMG, take a look at the roof line of our building. You’ll notice (50) 200 watt Photovoltaic panels that generate 10 kW of electricity to help keep UMG up and running (sorry for an October pic. that is otherwise green-free). That’s right; half of our power consumption now comes from the sun with less harm to the environment around us. Part of our mission here is to be as environmentally responsible as possible. Our new solar array along with our Greenware cups, Eco-sleeves, and our Fair Trade Organic Roastery, is just another step towards assuring a better future for generations to come.
Cheers, David Chall – “Chief Beanhead” – david@uppermidwestgourmet.com
 If you’re interested in adding solar power to your business, please call Ralph at Innovative Power Systems in Minneapolis. Ralph can be reached at: 612.623.3246 or info@ips-solar.com“ you can also” see his website www.ips-solar.com.
By Kevin Selig, on October 17th, 2006
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 23rd. 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!
By Kevin Selig, on October 17th, 2006
It’s all a matter of personal preference. There used to be a day when Barista’s only had a choice between Cocoa powder or Hershey’s chocolate sauce. The other option was to seek a very expensive gourmet chocolate sauce that no one ever heard of. Well, times have changed. Now you almost have too many choices in both the powders and sauces.
 One of the touted benefits of chocolate sauces that hit the mainstream market was its ease of use and portion control with the pump system. They forgot to mention the constant drip on the counter, or the fact that the pump doesn’t even come close to pulling all of the chocolate off the bottom of the bottle. And what a full pump measures to one barista may not be the same to another. Is this easier to use than powders? Not necessarily. Both have their issues. A lot of the “old school” barista’s will tell you that back in their day, after walking 5 miles to work in the pouring rain with not boots or coat, opening up at 5:00 am on the dot every morning with no excuses, they had to use a chocolate powder. In fact, most of them would say that they preferred powders because of it true cocoa taste. Cost also played a large part of this equation. Powders can cost almost half as much per serving as a gourmet sauce does. Plus, powders are not susceptible to bacteria or mold like I’ve seen some sauces succumb to.
Nowadays though, chocolate sauces do rule the kingdom. It has become the preferred way of doing business. I believe mostly due to the fact that it’s much easier to blend with your espresso then a powder is. Another reason might be because it now has additional family members such as white chocolate and caramel sauces. I’m only aware of one white chocolate powder in use in the industry, Ghirardelli White. And hey, I’ve yet to see a caramel powder (not that there might not be one!). Powders do have their messy days though. In fact, all that dusty powder on the counter can become down right annoying!
So why am I commenting on this issue anyway? It kind of sounds like to me that I don’t prefer either one. No, no, that’s not the reason I wrote this comment. What inspired me to write is the fact that I had a customer ask me how many drinks that she would be able to get out or a Ghirardelli 30# box of cocoa powder. I have to admit, I didn’t know. So, I did what any good salesman would (or should) do, I called Ghirardelli to see if they had the answer. To my delight, they did! That saved me a lot of mathematical thinking. Math class was along time ago! This info is included near the end of this comment. What I also discovered is that per Ghirardelli, it takes 13 64 oz bottles of their chocolate sauce to serve an equal amount of drinks from their 30# Sweet Ground Powder at almost twice the cost! Something to consider when making your choice.
Before we get to the bottom though, I wanted to share a little technique that I like to encourage my customers to try when they’re making Mochas. Let me first just give these warnings. This technique can potentially increase your sales. Secondly, this technique is NOT for use by baristas who have no concern for the level of quality that they offer. Now that these disclaimers are out of the way, let’s get this class started. This technique works for both sauces and powders, but really kicks but in a powder. Some of the tools of the trade needed are, well, most of them you should already have. Like a steaming pitcher and thermometer. Yep, that’s it, no new and fancy equipment needed! I do recommend however that you dedicate a separate steam pitcher for this technique because I like to have my customers mark either the inside or outside of this pitcher at the appropriate level for the drink size to be made. For example; if you’re making a 12 oz mocha, you will probably use about 8-10 ounces of milk. Take this amount of cold milk, pour it into the pitcher and make a mark at that level. Do this for all sizes offered.
Continue reading Chocolate Powder Vs. Chocolate Sauces?
By Michael Applen, on October 16th, 2006
Coffee Festival Excites Audiences with More than Just Coffee.
Annual charitable event combines coffee, food, music, and community at Calhoun Square.
Benefiting Clare Housing – Partners in AIDS care.
When: Saturday, November 18th, 2006. (10am -2pm)
Where: Calhoun Square – Uptown Minneapolis, Minnesota
Please visit us at the Festival & Enjoy some “Flamenco” coffee for a great cause!
By Michael Applen, on October 13th, 2006
Upper Midwest Gourmet is proud to now offer the freshest and most flavorful of all the Italian vegetables available in today’s market.” ” ” ”
Click here to view all the different” varieties that we carry!
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These are available in Foodservice Trays or Retail Jars.
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By Kevin Selig, on October 11th, 2006
Have you ever had a customer ask you (or your staff) for a description of your feature or daily brew? Do you find yourself attempting to use (or create) words that sound sophisticated enough to convince your customer (or yourself!) that you really do know what you are talking about? Would you like to know what you are talking about? When was the last time you asked your roaster for a description of any of the coffees that you serve? Please keep in mind that your roaster is a valuable resource that can and should be used to keep abreast of the latest trends, newest origins or blends and just about anything else there is to know about coffee. Coffee is his passion and trade. The knowledge inside a roaster’s head is equal to that of a mad scientist! Just be warned, make sure you have some time to chat if you do decide to contact one. They are very passionate about coffee and love to share their knowledge. Now you might be saying to yourself that the last time that you did ask for a description, they threw words at you that were way over your head or not even in the English language (or so you thought!). We understand your dilemma and hope that the following “cupping terminology” will not only help clarify some of your own concerns, but that it will be a valuable tool to teach yourself & staff how to describe the coffees that you serve to your customers. We also hope that by understanding some of this terminology, you will be encouraged to offer some other unique origin coffees that you do not serve yet. Remember, knowledge is power! The more you and your staff know about coffee, the better equipped you will be to increase your sales. Customers will continue to patronize a business that they feel is knowledgeable about the products they sell and inspires them to try new things. Are you that business?
Please keep in mind that the following terminology is not an “absolute” listing. Throughout the Specialty Coffee Industry, these seem to be some of the more common descriptions used. If you have some time and want to read a more in depth discussion about cupping, check out Coffee Geek or Coffee University. Click on either to be taken directly to pages discussing this topic.
Continue reading Cupping Coffee, what does that mean anyway?
By Kevin Selig, on October 10th, 2006
Click to go to Tea offered by Upper Midwest Gourmet.
Well, the leaves are falling, the sun is sneaking away sooner and the cover is going on the swimming pool. The season that a lot of us regard as our favorite has come upon us. The fall requires us to search for the jacket, hat and boots stuffed in the back of our closets. It also requires us as coffee shops to make some seasonal menu changes and highlight some old stand-bys. One such item is the old stand-by known as Tea. One thing that might come to mind for most Americans when asked about tea is a memory of our Grandparents sipping on a fresh mug either in their favorite chair, or the front porch during a visit, or that mom gave us some as a good remedy for the common cold. Hot tea with a little lemon or honey will cure just about anything. The rest of the world has quite a different view on tea.
Did you know that Tea is the 2nd most consumed beverage in the World behind water? Not in the good ole USA. Coffee & Beer rule here baby!! Well, Tea certainly is a bit healthier for us then our favorite drinks. It’s also a very profitable item if promoted properly. Below is a list of quick reference tea facts. Please feel free to re-publish them for you in-store use. My hope is that they can be a good training source for both your staff and customers. For a more in depth look at tea, go to Planet Tea. (click on)
Continue reading “Tis the Season for Teas” (Part 1 of 3)
By Kevin Selig, on October 10th, 2006
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Over the past several years, we have been asked several times if we have any items for your gift basket needs. Our answer has always been yes, but we only sell our retail items by the case or box quantities. For some, this is too much because you do not or can not sell 25 to 100 gift baskets. If you can sell that many, you might think about changing your business into a gift basket store!
Well, this year we have made a bold decision. We have put together a “ready-to-use” gift basket content package. This box of goodies includes a variety of chocolate eats (or should I say treats!), chai, frappe’s and biscotti & shortbread cookies. We can add our Flamenco Organic Coffee in various sizes if requested (for an additional cost). You can add your own coffee & teas as you see fit. This kit was designed as a good selection of items at a reasonable cost to you. Customized gift basket contents can also be made to order if you need something special or unique. Please note that these content boxes of goodies DO NOT include the actual basket.
Your cost is set at $18.00 per box.
We suggest you retail your completed basket @ $30.00-$36.00. Add more if you are adding coffee.
Please call if you need a more in depth description of the contents, or if you would like to place an order. Hurry though, quantities are limited!
We can also suggest several other items and ideas for your Holiday Seasonal needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us for your EVERY need!
Thanks much for your continued support and patronage. We would not be who we are without our awesome customers!
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