Don't Get Left Out in the Cold: Tips for Ordering Sugar Free Syrups & Avoiding Out of Stocks this Winter

Wednesday November 19, 2014 by Barista Pro Shop

As a cafe owner, the changing of the seasons means a lot more than just a surge in hot beverage purchases.  The cold and inclement weather also brings with it complications that can impact your supply chain logistics. We don't often delay shipments due to poor weather conditions, but there are definitely times when we have to, in order to give your products the best chance of arriving ready to use.   If a shipment is delayed, for any reason, you will be contacted by a customer service representative.

Sugar free syrups make up the biggest category of products that we have trouble with in the extremely cold weather. Sugar in syrups raises the freezing temperature--but the substitute sweeteners in sugar free syrups don't have that same effect.  So, how cold does it have to be for sugar-free syrups to freeze?  20℉ and below is the critical range when these products tend to freeze and result in wasted product, broken bottles and messy shipments.  Although no one enjoys waiting on their orders, on extremely cold days our policy is to hold sugar-free syrups, because if we ship your order regardless of the freezing temperatures you could be worse off than if waited an extra day or two for the cold temperatures to pass.  

Here lies the problem, temperatures are almost certain to drop within this range during the winter months for many if not all areas across the United States.  This means, if you serve sugar-free syrups in any of your beverages you could be affected by potential holds on your order.  If this is the case, you run the risk of an out-of-stock which could result in a loss of sales if you can’t persuade her to try something new.  For every drink order you fail to fulfill, you not only lose that additional cash flow; you could also face the loss of a lifetime customer.  If a customer comes to your shop, but fails to receive what she wanted or expected, it is exponentially more difficult to convince her to return at a later time.  So, how can you avoid out-of-stocks and delayed shipments?  

Follow these tips and tricks to ensure that your orders ship and you have the sugar-free syrup stock you need:

-Before the freezing temperatures sweep across the nation, proactively stock up on your sugar free syrups when shipments will likely to go out the same day, as long as you place your order by 2pm.  Investing in additional inventory of sugar free syrups will benefit you in the long run, allowing you to avoid service interruptions and satisfy all your customers’ requests.