Greetings, Coffee Crew,

Peru is a lovely sweet and mild coffee.  Most of the Central and South American coffees are enjoyable when you just want a “good cup of coffee”.  Peru will pair well with a sugar cookie or toast and jelly.

We occasionally receive requests for Jamaica Blue Mountain, but most people don’t want to pay the price for it.  My suggestion is to try Peru or Honduras as a substitute.

Who are you and what are you in business for?  Certainly, we are all in business to make a living, buy groceries and pay our mortgages.  Beyond that, we have to determine our focus and goals for our business.

Are you interested in the coffee farmers, sustainability, and all the issues at origin?

Are you most interested in the quality of the coffee in the cup, and providing the very best drink to your customers?

Are you more interested in the art of being a barista and competitions?

In my opinion, we need to embrace all aspects of the coffee business, from farm to cup to really appreciate what we are doing.  We can still focus on our interests and why we have chosen the coffee business and what we want to do with it.  Identity yourself, your shop, and your customers.  Then go for it!  This is the time of year we have the opportunity to present ourselves, shops, and products to many people.  Let’s be sure we are passionate and focused.

Drink of the Week:

Venetian Coffee is easy to make.  Choose your favorite coffee beans; preferably a bolder blend such as True Blue, Lewis & Clark, Breakfast Blend, Sonoma Signature, or Safari Blend.  Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon over the grounds in the brew basket.  Put 1/4 – 1/2 cup of sugar in the bottom of the carafe to make a pot of this festive holiday coffee.  My suggestion would be to make it by the pot if you offer several drip coffees at a time; otherwise you can make this by the cup.  Simply add the cinnamon and raw sugar in the cup of coffee.

Take time to enjoy the festivities during this very special time of year.

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Happy Thanksgiving, Coffee Crew!

While sipping my Painted Lady Coffee, I am remembering a special lady who lost her life to ovarian cancer.  Please remember we donate a portion of the proceeds from all PL sales to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition & Quiet Oaks Hospice in memory of Marilyn Brown.  This coffee is balanced, complex, and full of flavor.  Sip Painted Lady while eating a blueberry muffin, brownie, or with a meal.

We are all looking for ways to save money, including our customers.  Carpooling saves gas, and could earn discounted drinks.

I didn’t have a delivery service when I had my shops, but DID offer a free drink for the driver if they purchased 5+ drinks to bring back to the office.  You could offer a discount to the driver with a full car of coffee drinkers or if they are playing the role of delivery person to their workplace.  There are lots of ways this concept could benefit you and your customers.

Pour over drip coffee is popular in some shops.  Here is a quick review of what this single cup brew style is all about.

Step 1:  Place a paper filter in the cone of the brewer and place both on a cup.  Then pour 8 ounces of hot water across the filter.

Step 2:  Grind your coffee as you would for a paper filter drip brew.  Use about 2 tablespoons of fresh ground coffee.

Step 3:  Pour 4 ounces of hot (200 degrees) water in the center of the bed of grounds, wetting all the coffee.  Let that “bloom” rise for about 30 seconds.

Step 4:  Just as the bloom begins to settle and drain, pour over the remaining 4-6 ounces of water over the coffee.  Pour in a circular motion to create a swirling effect.

A few things to note:  The rate at which you pour will greatly affect the profile of the cup.  Starting with a quick pour and then a bit slower will yield a lighter cup.  A very slow even pour will develop a heavier body and deeper flavor notes.

Enjoy a safe holiday!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Happy Thanksgiving, Coffee Crew!

I think it is appropriate to enjoy a cup of our Hearts ‘n’ Hands coffee and remember we are donating to the United Way a portion of all sales we make, wholesale and retail.  This is becoming a popular coffee by those who are trying it.  Hearts ‘n’ Hands has a medium body, nuttiness, with a rich finish.  This coffee will complement your Thanksgiving dinner very nicely.

Do you have a bulletin board in your shop, or wall of your drive thru kiosk?  There are many uses for a bulletin board and it can be a terrific communication tool.  Here are a few:

1.        Daily drink specials

2.       Trivia – Brazil is the top producer of coffee in the world even though Juan Valdez promotes Colombia  J

3.       Daily games, etc – Garfield Monday, Terrific Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, Fabulous Friday, Super Saturday – Game Day, Joke Day, etc

4.       Coffee trends and coffee news

5.       Local happenings

6.       Jobs or networking opportunities

Tanya’s Drink Corner:

Tanya is asked frequently about our bolder coffees, so I will give a quick review.

True Blue is my first suggestion as a blend; it is smooth, heavy, and just a good full flavor coffee.

Lewis & Clark is heavy, bold, with a little “kick” to it.

Safari Blend is full bodied, strong with lots of flavor complexity going on.

Venezia Blend is full bodied, with citrus and syrup notes.

Single Origin suggestions are the Indonesian Coffees.  Sulawesi is heavy, smooth, with a creamy finish.  Sumatra is heavy and earthy.  Java is syrupy and full bodied.  Papua New Guinea is heavy with a hint of berry syrup.

African coffees are considered “strong” because of the powerful citrus flavors.

As I count my blessings this year, I include each of you.  Thank you for your continued business and loyalty to our Fieldhead’s Coffee team.  We all appreciate you and your staff, and pray for blessings for each of you.

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Greetings, Coffee Lovers,

It’s time for us to start thinking about the holidays, so I am sipping a cup of our very popular Holiday Blend coffee.  In the cup, you will enjoy full body, chocolate and citrus notes.  You just can’t miss during the holiday season with this coffee.  It pairs well with desserts and meals, or savor the flavors of this customer favorite java on its own.

Tanya’s drink corner:

Orange Nut Latte – Orange and hazelnut

Pink Chocolate – White chocolate and raspberry

Do you have a POS system?  There are many good reasons to include them in your shop.

a.        “If a shop employee fails to charge a customer once per hour for a flavor, the lost revenue can top $1,300 per year”

b.      Employee timekeeping can save money by providing accurate records.  Employees may typically clock in ½ hour early and drink coffee.  This cost includes the actual hourly wage plus all payroll related expenses.

c.       Tracking loyal customers’ buying habits will help plan for promotions.  Starbucks offered discounts on iced drinks after 2:00 pm for customers who purchased a drink in the morning.  The POS system provided a cash register receipt with the time and date to keep everyone honest.

Used coffee grounds can be used in the garden to enrich the soil or around plants to keep the snails and slugs away.  Coffee grounds can be saved in containers you throw in the garbage and given or sold to your customers.  You are saving the environment and setting a good example for your customers.

Thank you for continued business.  Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Greetings, Coffee Crew,

What a luscious cup of coffee our Ethiopia Sidamo is!  This coffee has been described as a “chocolate covered lemon peel”.  It has nice body, citrus high notes, and rich aftertaste.  I enjoy this coffee with any citrus fruit desserts, salads, lefse’, or with a piece of dark chocolate.  This coffee is truly for coffee lovers.

Following are several tips and ideas for your consideration that work all year and especially during the holiday season:

Service:

Great selling is great customer service.

Put the focus on the customer and off your product.

Perfect purchase, not the perfect sale.

Please and thank you.

Sales tips:

Stocking stuffers throughout your shop

Talk about your coffees, teas, and any other retail items to every customer

Add ons – show every customer every time until they say “no”

Count the coffee beans contest, Monopoly, or any game or contest you can think of

Sales games for employees – Pass the Buck, Spiffs for meeting sales goals

Mark down slow moving merchandise before the holidays, not afterwards

Bag stuffers – flyers, coupons, or promos with every purchase

Collect email and postal addresses for future promotions

Decorate for the holidays

Treat regular customers as “special” to let them know you appreciate them year-round

Stay healthy, drink water, good shoes, plenty of sleep,

Remember it is the holidays; time for joy, fun, and love

Promotions & Marketing:

Trade for radio, TV, newspaper spots

Sponsor an informational column on a topic that you are passionate about

Make each day interesting with something different, like “Game Day”, “Joke Day”, etc

Have a suggestion box

Collect customer email addresses for regular newsletters, promos, etc

Pick a charity you are passionate about such as the Food Bank, asking customers to bring in food for a specific period of time and offer a discount on one drink;

the Food Bank may even have someone stop by to pick up your collections

During this shopping season, we need to keep our doors open longer to allow more customers inside.  Even if this means we work longer hours ourselves to save on payroll, we can’t sell coffee or other products if we are closed.  We need to be open for business and continually advertise with posters, flyers, word of mouth, internet, and any marketing promotions we can think of to tell everyone and increase sales.

Be passionate about your product, customers, business, and have fun.  Let’s “Git’r Done”!

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Greetings, Coffee Drinkers,

Autumn is the time we love apple cider and all things spice.  Don’t forget about our luscious Tanzania.  It is fabulous brewed “straight” or add a dash of cinnamon to the grounds before brewing.  Enjoy a cup with a slice of apple or pumpkin pie.  Yum Yum… 

I particularly like the African coffees this time of year with their fruit and spice notes.

Customer Service or Customer Helping??  Before you begin your day and caring for your customers consider these three questions:

1.       Why do people buy our coffees?

2.       What is the result if I don’t help them or serve the best coffee and service?

3.       How could I improve their experience with my business?

These questions should help you determine your purpose for opening your doors AND a guideline for customer service as you train your staff.

I recently read an article about how coffee houses across the country are weathering the recession.  Here are a few ideas:

1.       $5.00 gift card giveaways that produced a 70% return.  You need some capital to make this one work.

2.       Staffing with quality employees is as important as quality products.  Remember the mantra “ quality coffee AND customer service”.

3.       Flexibility in providing what customers want.  This can be challenging during these times when many people aren’t sure what that is.  How about trying a suggestion box asking for ideas?  Maybe give a free drink once a month for the best customer idea.

4.       If you have an ice maker with excess capacity, try bagging and selling ice if you have a customer base for this.

5.       Here is a favorite of mine; coffee tastings.  Offer a monthly coffee tasting and provide information about the coffee farms, varietals, etc.  Let me know if you want this indepth information on a particular coffee.

6.       If you have an evening clientele, add wine and beer.  Wine and coffee drinkers are often the same customers.  We all love to sip, swish, and spit.  Lol

7.       Customers are looking for better quality choices, not more of them.  This is just reinforcement that we need to step up quality and not skimp on our great products.

8.       More than merely an “affordable luxury”, coffee is now considered an essential part of everyday life by those who drink it.

Do you promote flavored black coffees?  Irish crème, hazelnut, and vanilla are great in a heavy, full bodied coffee.  Our True Blue, Sonoma Signature Blend, and House Blend work very well for starters.

What do you think of the bag clips we are sending to you?  Are they better than the tape?  Please chat with Tanya during her service calls to you or let me know.  Thanks!

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Good Morning, Coffee Crew,

I am sipping a cup of our House Blend coffee this morning.  This is a really nice blend of beans creating a balanced cup with citrus notes, hint of chocolate and full body.  The finish is clean and pairs well with most foods.  House Blend is another coffee I recommend for someone new to specialty coffee.

Do you have a theme for your shop?  We have talked about branding and its importance.  Once you have great coffee and superb customer service, you need to differentiate yourself from the competition.  One way is to create a theme for your shop, bring out your interests and personality.  Examples include Italian café, child friendly with a play area, business friendly with quiet areas for meetings, wi-fi for students and executives, club meetings, Tiki mugs, sci-fi movies, western, nautical, or whatever you can think.  Be “the place” for your favorite theme or interests.

We are entering the holiday season when our customers are looking for the perfect gift items and stocking stuffers.  Don’t miss the upcoming email newsletters with lots of holiday sales ideas.  First tip is to be sure and decorate for the holidays.  Your customers will love the ambience and want to spend their money in your shop.  So, decorate with your personal flair, turn on the music, and make it fun for your customers, staff, and yourself.

Tanya was an adorable M& M for Halloween several years ago.  J

Now that you are decorated, sponsor a Chamber of Commerce event or other civic meeting.

Last week we talked about the importance of cleaning your espresso machine and coffee brewer to create only the best drinks.  We can’t forget the coffee bean grinders as well.  Be sure to clean and dry the hopper of all oils.  Check the burrs, blades, and chutes and clean out ground coffee powder that might clog the moving parts.  Another thing I check when I go into a shop for training is to view the grinders and be sure they are not in direct sunlight.  Those little beans don’t appreciate the heat and “cooking” before they are brewed.

I was chatting with a gal who is not a coffee drinker.  I set her up with a Hearts ‘n’ Hands coffee and Sulawesi along with directions for proper brewing.  She serves coffee for a group of people once a week and shared with me the feelings she had when brewing coffee.  She loves the aroma of fresh coffee and the feeling of warmth and friendliness among the people.  Wow!  We ARE bringing people together with great coffee every day.  J  Coffee is not JUST a beverage, it is an experience.

A friend of mine just returned from Florence, Italy.  I asked him to check out the coffee shops.  Did you know the morning drink is a cappuccino (not super-sized), water for lunch (with or without gas), and wine for dinner.  Even in the land of coffee, they enjoy a variety of drinks, and it is all about quality, not quantity.  Interesting…  J

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Greetings, Coffee Crew ~~

Is summer over in your neighborhood?  Northwest Montana went directly from summer to winter and we are graced with the beauty of snow capped mountains.  What a glorious sight!

I am sipping a cup of decaf Colombian.  The citrus notes are mild, medium body, and fresh, lingering finish.  The decaf is as good as the regular Colombian.  Try it with a slice of zucchini bread or French toast.  Our decaffeinated coffees are some of the best you will find.  We use only the best beans, and as with all our coffees, they are roasted carefully to bring out the very best flavors.  Many roasters buy their decaf beans pre-blended.  I prefer to buy the individual beans and create my own blends to create special coffees for our decaf drinkers that are just as tasty as the regular coffees.  You can be proud of the decaf coffees and espresso you serve.

Customer Appreciation Day!  When I had my shops, I would randomly pick customer appreciation days to offer discounted drinks.  This way I was not predictable and my customers never knew what to expect.  I learned from one of our customers the other day he does this very thing with a twist.  He sells travel mugs and offers a free drink in the mug “whenever he decides to have a customer appreciation day”.  I like this idea because of the advertising with his mug in the car all the time.

Let’s talk about product costing.  This is important for all aspects of your business.  If you have a POS system, much of the work is done and all you need to do is calculate sales and margins.  If you are using a simple cash register you will at least have gross sales.  The next step is to determine the number of drinks sold.  When I first began my business, I kept a cup count.  You can do this with a notebook, marking down the number of drinks made.  Or you can count cups each day.  I chose to track the drinks made and sold.

Divide the gross sales by the number of drinks sold to determine your cost per drink.  To be more accurate, it would be helpful to do this for each size of drink.  Your product cost should be approximately 30%.  There are many explanations for a product cost that is too high, but waste or theft and pricing that is too low are the first things to consider.

Gross Margin = Sales – Cost of Goods.  Sales and gross margin are important numbers for managing your business.

Deep cleaning is an important task to maintain our espresso machines in top notch condition AND to produce the very best coffee.  We can have the very best coffee, but if our equipment is dirty, the coffee won’t be good.

Many coffee drive thru kiosks serve an Americano as their drip coffee.  I have heard baristas comment “there is no difference between brewed coffee and an Americano”.  Not true.  The taste difference is unmistakable.  The Americano is prepared with a shot of espresso and add hot water to taste.

Each brew preparation brings out a different flavor profile and your coffee drinkers will know the difference.  Our customers brewing drip coffee are experiencing much higher bean sales.

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Good Morning, Coffee Crew,

Does your life get busy and chaotic at times?  Don’t you look forward to a cup of coffee and relax for a few minutes?  My morning coffee and newspaper, coffee with a friend or family and time for a chat, or decaf cappuccino at the end of the day are all treats for me.  We need to always be mindful of our impact on our customers.  They are driving thru or walking into the café for their coffee and we have the opportunity to be a bright spot in their day.  J

I am drinking a cup of Colombian this morning; just a good basic cup of coffee.  The sweet citrus is mild, medium body, and syrupy finish.   This coffee is lovely paired with banana bread or sipping alone and save the calories.  Colombian is a good recommendation for customers who are new to specialty coffee and unfamiliar with the taste profiles of single origin beans.

I recently read an article about coffee in the workplace and how employees feel appreciated.  I see an opportunity for the coffee café and drive thru businesses, especially if you may be in a location that is out of the way or challenging to get to.  We have discussed our target markets and locations, now we have another target market that needs our product and service.

The key points for employers are:

• Employees who value beverages at work are highly appreciative of employers who make them available.
• The recession has increased many consumers’ reliance on refreshment beverages at work.
• Consumption of regular coffee and bottled water has increased in the workplace.
• Specialty coffee has reached the mainstream through fast food restaurants, but is still the least available in the workplace.

Make a list of all the businesses within 15 minutes of your shop.  Now create a limited “delivery menu” and present it to the owners and managers of these businesses.  Determine your delivery hours and the times you will accept orders via telephone or fax.  Some of you may want to take email orders if you have a computer on site.

I see great opportunities here regardless of your location, and a huge market.  I would present a proposal whereby the employer buys the coffee or the employee pays.  Either way, it is a benefit.

Managing employees can be challenging.  Here are a few tips for “parent as manager”.

• Explain the big picture.  Kids and employees often think of how a change affects them personally.
• A manager is two steps ahead in the process, allow the employee to catch up and accept the changes.
• Allow employees to have some control over their situations.
• Employees talk if they are treated poorly, there are no secrets.
• Speak to an employee clearly and directly and in private about poor behavior or work habits.

Making a rich, tasty cup of coffee may be challenging when you buy a new brewer.  Make a few pots to determine the proper grind settings for the coffee beans.  I recently had to replace my home brewer and realize I needed to adjust the grind for the beans because the water was running through very quickly and the coffee was weak and bitter.  Talk about proper brewing techniques when your customers buy their coffee beans.

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga

Good Morning, Coffee Drinkers ~

Have you tried the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe?  Oh my, this is a treat with a raspberry scone.  Yirgacheffe has distinct lemon and red berry notes, with a refined tea-like finish.  My suggestions to tea drinkers who want to try a cup of coffee are the African coffees, particularly Kenya and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.  Enjoy this coffee with a chicken and mandarin salad for an enjoyable lunch.

Are you asking your customers if they brew coffee at home?  This is a great opener to promote your coffee bean sales.  Statistics are showing more people are brewing coffee at home and bean sales are increasing.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity for more revenue.

Using promotions and “recession” messages relevant to the times show your customers that you care and are “in this together”.  We see this often with car dealers, furniture and appliance stores.  It is better to run specials than to cut prices.  Customers will appreciate sales and expect the quality drinks when you keep your current pricing.  If you lower prices, customers will expect you to maintain those prices even as the economy picks up.

Keeping a customer is one-sixth the cost of gaining a new one.  Focus on upselling and increasing the transaction to your current customers, while you continue to promote to new customers.

Training:  Have you opened your Field Guide Barista Training Manual provided to you when you became a Fieldhead’s Coffee customer?  This manual written by my son, Tony, contains a wealth of information on drink making.  My suggestion is to start with the beginning and take a section a week or month and focus on training, quizzing, and perfecting those techniques.  Use the quiz in the back of the manual for testing your staff.

Drink:  Macchiatto is a tasty and fun treat.  This drink starts with thick, rich shots of espresso topped with dense milk foam.  I like this with chocolate or vanilla sprinkles on top.

Make it a great week!

Peggy Sue Ennenga