Upper Midwest Gourmet

You’ve all heard me say it before…here on this blog on July 26th as a matter of fact, you need to raise prices when your prices go up to maintain your margins and a healthy business. The following excerpt is from my Coffee Article of the Month. It was taken from Specialty Coffee Retailer Magazines October edition, written by Jack Groot, owner of JP’s Coffee & Espresso Bar in Holland Michigan.

“…..As small business owners, we tend to think that if we raise prices, we’ll be looking at an empty store. Just like we think that if we give employees written warnings when needed, they’re all going to quit. We as owners must eliminate the fear, run our business like it needs to be run and not apologize for it.

Is the cost of employment the same for you today as it was last year? In Michigan the minimum wage jumped from $5.15 to $6.95. Has the price of your insurance gone up? How about the coffee you buy? Or how about those milk prices? Does your lease have regular escalations built into it?

So, if most or all of your expenses go up, why aren’t your prices going up?

It’s important to REGULARLY raise your prices. Don’t think of it as, “Oh my gosh! I can’t hold out anymore. I just have to raise prices,” but rather as a normal yearly event. Even if you only raise prices on some menu items or raise prices a small amount, it will put into your customers’ minds that your expenses are constantly going up.

If you lose a few customers, that’s OK. Some may also come less often. The ones that continue to come, and will be most of them, will be a more profitable group of customers, which will allow you to be successful and stick around for the long haul.

We raised our prices at the end of August and, to be honest, had very little feedback.

Don’t apologize. Make yourself a not to review and raise your prices every year and be more profitable!……..”

Wow, way to hit the nail right on the head Jack. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ve activated the comment section on this so feel free to poste a comment if you’d like.

Cheers, David

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Here’s a cheatsheet for your order guide of seasonal items that always go well this time of year. Items marke with a * are limited availablity and when they’re gone they’re gone until next year so don’t wait too long.

Fabbri Delipaste: Green Mint, Egg Nog, Rum Raison, Baba, Green Apple

Fabbri Simplé: Green Mint

Fabbri Syrup: Green Mint & Chocolate Mint

Big Train Ice Rage: Pumpkin Spice*, Peppermint Patty*, Pralines N Cream, Peaches N Cream
Big Train Chai: Gingerbread*

Artista Syrups: Pumpkin Pie (OUTSTANDING!), Gingerbread, Egg Nog, Butterscotch, Cranberry, Green Apple, Pralines, Creme D Menthe, Chocoalte Mint & Peach

Baristella Syrups: Pumpkin Spice, Butterscotch, Peach

Mocafe: Aztec Chocolate & Ancho Chili Chocolate

100% Natural Mountain Spiced Apple Cider

If you’re in need of any recipes using anything above, please let us know. If you have any great holiday recipes you’d like to share we’d love to see them.

Cheers, David

How often have you heard this request in your café? What, customers aren’t ordering straight shots of syrup on a regular basis? That’s exactly why our Artista syrups are formulated to taste their best when mixed with Milk and Coffee in finished drinks. After all, that’s how all customers end up tasting them, in the finished drink. Make sure, if you’re comparing syrup lines that you make a latté or cappuccino, full sized just like you would if preparing one for your customer, so you get the best results. We’re happy to say that when we demonstrate Artista syrups vs the competition, using Vanilla the number one selling flavor syrup world wide, we’ve never lost a taste test. If you’re up for an Artista taste test give us a call and we’ll get you a sample to try out yourself. If you like it, we can swap out up to 24 bottles of syrup at no charge to help facilitate your transition and keep you from losing money on current inventory. For more info on Artista syrups just give your friendly sales representative a call or Contact Us.

“ “ ” ” ” ” ” ” ” 

Have you been asked for Organic coffees recently? Do you offer them? If not, you should be. If so, you are part of a massive move on the part of the consumer looking for Organic products. Below are some recent statistics released by the Organic Trade Association.

US retail sales of organic coffee in 2006 increased by a whopping 24%, or $110.36 “Million” dollars! That’s MILLIONS! They say this is the result of increased consumer awareness, availability of more organic coffees and the high quality of those coffees.

This dramatic increase mirrors the continuing growth in the overall organic sector and reflects consumers’ increasing awareness of and demand” for these products.

Many of these highly sought after” organic coffees are also the recipient of” such awards like” the “Cup of Excellence” award which selects the best coffees produced in a particular country in a particular year. This” year’s winner is from farms in Nicaragua.

“  Read the rest of this entry »

BRAND NEW to the market.

Finally, a great tasting syrup that packs an energy filled punch!

Artista EnERGY + Syrup

Ah, the air is cooler, the leaves are falling, the coffee is brewing and you are desperately searching for that fall jacket that you put away this past spring somewhere! With all the sudden changes coming with the changing season, have you been able to spend some time thinking about your fall menu? What items to add and/or remove as the season comes upon us is a time consuming effort by any means. So, your friends at Upper Midwest Gourmet have spent some time on your behalf compiling a list of items that can be introduced into your fall & winter menus.

So relax, take a look at the list of items that can viewed” and downloaded by clicking on the link below” and enjoy the seasonal change. We are here to help. If you need some recipe inspiration, just give us a call or check out our latest edition of our “Brewsletter #31″.”  You can also download every copy of our past Brewsletters that also contain recipes from years gone by.

Remember, you will only sell a seasonal item if you market it properly and with enthusiasm. The more your customers know about these” items, the more likely they are to purchase and enjoy them. So get creative, that’s the joy of the season!” 

Please click on the image below to view or download.

Comments are open on this post so feel free to add your own recipes or ideas. Thanks.

Below” is a letter that I recently created after reading an article that I had received. It both shocked me and inspired me to share this info with you all. I am in agreement with the fact that we do not treat the espresso shot with the respect it deserves. I encourage you to read this article, download a copy (or many) to share with every barista (or cafe owner) that you have contact with. Together, we can overcome the misconception of what the “marketing machine” is trying to tell us what true and traditional espresso is and should be. “Stand up for your (or espresso’s) rights”. Teach your staff and customers the truth! Call your UMG staff or Contact Us if you need” any help or” ideas. We are here to serve you!” 

Please click on the image below to view or download.

Comments are open on this post so feel free to add to the discussion. Thanks.

Upper Midwest Gourmet is proud to now offer some ENERGY products to the mix.

Please check out our new product page dedicated to our NEW energy related products.

Thank you and Enjoy!

Check out our newest Brewsletter!

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 from all of us!