Published August 25, 2014 by

Trending: Coffee Shops are the Quickest-Growing Industry

coffee_cupAccording to a recent article by Bloomberg Businessweek, coffee shop sales are up by 9 percent last year. The article also states that:

The boom is being driven by large chains. Of the country’s roughly 26,500 cafés, Starbucks accounts for more than 11,400 of them, Dunkin’ more than 7,600 more, and both are expanding. Only about 5,000 cafés in the U.S. are now run by independent operators and small chains, defined as businesses with 30 or fewer units, according to Technomic. While independent coffee shops are doing well—sales increased 6 percent last year—small chains saw sales drop 5.5 percent.

Still deciding whether to open up your own coffee shop? Now is a better time than ever! And if you need supply ideas for your shop, check us out as we carry top quality coffee and beverage supplies including high-end specialty  beverage equipment.

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Published July 23, 2014 by

Video: A Day in a Life of a Coffee Shop Owner

Meet James Dickson, founder of Workshop Coffee Co., as he discusses his day-to-day activities running four coffee shops and his thoughts on the future of the industry.

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Published July 18, 2014 by

Part II: Social Media 101 for Coffee Shops

social-media

In our last post, we discussed the benefits of implementing social media as part of your marketing strategy. While many coffee shop owners like the idea of trying something new, the other concern is finding the time to do it. Here are some effective ways to manage your social media tools:

Defined Goal

  • Be specific and set up a goal to avoid hassle and time wasted.

Find Your Customers or Potential Customers

  • Set up Google Alerts to find your customers and find potential areas where you can add value to online discussions or presence online.

Limit Your Tools

  • Instead of managing six different kinds of social media tools, focus on doing 1-2 at a time and to target ones where most of your customers or prospects are.

Manage Your Time Wisely

  • Managing social media shouldn’t take all day. Spend at least 20-30 minutes per day but be CONSISTENT. For instance, in Facebook, your routine should include monitoring or reviewing wall posts, private messages (answer questions if needed), and comments (respond professionally to concerns or compliments).
  • Consider these time saving tools such as HootSuite or HubSpot to schedule posts in advance on a weekly basis in Facebook and Twitter. Remember, mixing your original content posts will keep your customers engaged (promotions, upcoming events, contests, thoughts, etc).

Set Your Own Voice

  • Use your own voice to establish you and your brand.

Measure Success

  • Take time to also track the success of your social media efforts. Increase in “likes” or followers may seem nice but your real focus should be on your sales. Ask yourself, did the one-week long roasted coffee bean promotion increase in your roasted coffee bean sales? You can also track some of these analytics through HootSuite and HubSpot. Another great tool is Google Analytics to help analyze your marketing activities.

Best of luck and we wish you all the success!

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Published July 17, 2014 by

Trends in Coffee Drinking

Here are some interesting findings from the 2013 National Coffee Drinking Trends Survey by the National Coffee Association:

infographicWhat does that mean for our customers? We will continue to strive in offering you a wider range of gourmet coffees. Check out our full list of Lavazza coffees.

We also carry bulk Lavazza coffees and espressos that range from cases of 6-count (2.2 lb bags), 12-count (1.1 lb bags), 20-count (weight varies on product type) and 30-count (2.25 lb bags).

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Published July 17, 2014 by

12 Ways to Run a Successful Coffee Shop

coffee shop

Ever wonder why some cafe startups fail? While there are many factors that go into the success of a coffee shop, Forbes reveals the secrets of running and managing one for the long run.

Offer the Finest Espresso – Quality is key but serve it up consistently. Customers don’t care how highly visible you are, it’s the beans they care about. Invest in a top quality espresso coffee machine and choose the best Arabica or Arabica 90%, Robusta10% freshly roasted beans and hire a well-trained barista.

Efficient Workstation Layout – During busy times, it’s important for the barista to work alone, taking more care in preparing the coffee for the customer without having to compete for space or cross-roads with the rest of the staff.

Loyalty Cards Rule – Treat your regular customers to something nice after their 7th or 8th cup and in return, they will keep coming back for more.

Offer Other Non-Coffee Items – Coffee sales alone will not pay the bills. Offer other complimentary items such as muffins, cookies, cakes, cold drinks and teas.

Limit The Choices – Don’t go over board by offering too many assortment of products as this will create anguish with your customers and it will not increase your revenue. Keep it simple (e.g.; three flavors, three sizes, three to four food items, etc.)

Price Well – Resist the temptation to apply a blanket markup for all of your products. It’s important to price according to the customer’s perceived value and market value.

Have a Clear Marketing Strategy – Have a clear understanding on the competitive marketplace and learn innovative ways to gain customers that not only keep coming back but those that help spread the word to their friends and family.

Counter Service – To reduce stress and hassle, especially during peak times, offer a number on the stand or a buzzer to your customers to call them when their order is ready.

Pre-Make As Much As Possible – Focus on custom making your coffee not the food (order or pre-make it elsewhere) as it limits your turnover during peak periods.

Understand Why You Are In Business – Customers go to coffee shops for many reasons, so understanding their needs will help you in your product offering and make wiser decisions that will get them returning for more.

Focus on Takeaway Customers – Takeaway customers pay the same price as sit-down customers without the occupancy costs.

Serve and Be Present on the Front Line – Personal attention is valuable both for the customer and business.

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