Spices » Food and Grab 'n Go

I went into a McDonald's yesterday for the first time in quite a while. I drive through occasionally because every once in a while I crave a Sausage Egg McMuffin - old habits die hard! The inside of the store I went into was very different from what I remember. I would describe it as having left behind "cafeteria style" and as moving towards a... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. When it comes to the actions of your customers and potential customers there are a few things you can always count. First of all, we eat and drink with our eyes. Secondly, we love a good story behind what we are about to order. Finally, isn't it human nature that we always want to try what... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. Toddy, hot! Why? You have a commercial brewer and an espresso machine. You've got your hot coffee bases covered, right? Well, you also have that Toddy system that usually gets put away as the seasons change; why not make the most of it? Change the way you look at your Toddy, and don't let it... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. From the silky froth of the steamed milk on top to the gently wafting aroma of the exotic spices, chai has become the de facto alternative to coffee and a great way to transport your customers on an exotic journey of flavor. Nothing spices up a coffee shop like chai tea and although chai has... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. As the second most consumed beverage in the world, tea is popular. Health benefits, increasing frequency of availability, different caffeine options, varieties of flavor, and seasonality contribute to this high ranking. Mighty Leaf Tea leads in specialty tea as an innovator and crafter of... Read More ⇒

Food labels are thrown around regularly, and often exploited. The word "natural" has no definition these days, but Organic, Biodynamic, and Non-GMO carry weight because they are not just words, they have become third party verified certifications. Understanding what a product is or what the label means is complex—but since food equates to our... Read More ⇒

We all know it – tea has fantastic margins. The more you sell, the more profits you can enjoy at the end of the month. The problem? While tea might be the most consumed beverage worldwide next to water, chances are the demand for more expensive coffee products is what keeps you stressed during the day. Nevertheless, if you can take certain... Read More ⇒

Should you serve food in your coffee house? Most coffee house owners recognize that serving some food in their coffee house is beneficial to their bottom line. The question for most is "To what extent should we serve food?" We hope to help you answer that question with some observations we've made over the past 14 years of working with... Read More ⇒

Much has been made about Fair Trade coffee, which now represents about 7.1% of US specialty coffee sales (and 3.3% of total US coffee sales). But what exactly does "Fair Trade Certified" mean? And why are so many coffee shops opting to serve Fair Trade coffee? Fair Trade Certification verifies that the coffee you are serving (or buying) was grown... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. Let's talk tea, shall we? Did you know that tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water? And on any given day, over 127 million Americans are drinking tea. Interesting? Here's more: From 1997 - 2007, tea sales grew from $1 billion to $7 billion Of the $7 billion sold in... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. Serving Maté - In addition to being good for you, maté offers a high profitability margin, a unique way to diversify your menu, and is a great way to help the environment. Legend has it that the Goddess of the Moon and the Goddess of the Cloud came to Earth and were threatened... Read More ⇒

Fresh is in, and fresh fruits and vegetables are must-have culinary and beverage ingredients for any successful operator today. The Millennial and Generation Z groups have driven interest in freshly prepared food and beverage so ardently that the industry as a whole has no choice but to cater to the cravings of this emerging bunch of consumers.... Read More ⇒

Opening a new coffee shop or café can be a daunting venture, you must first find an ideal location that’s within your budget, remodel the space to meet your needs, and then you’re faced with the overwhelming task of creating a checklist for stocking that new store.  From the vast number of brands available to the breadth of... Read More ⇒

Coffee shops are leading the charge by meeting the demands of their conscience and customer requests by going organic. The organics industry is booming - here are some tips to get you started. There's a movement sweeping the nation, the globe. What may have started as an idealistic approach to food and eating existing only in isolated... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. According to Facebook, there are over 500 million active users of its site and the average user is connected to 80 pages, groups, and events. That's a lot of people finding and managing connections to their favorite businesses, groups, etc online….and that only represents one social... Read More ⇒

Getting through these tough times is on everyone's mind right now. We've been talking with a lot of our customers to come up with a list of ideas that might help you get ahead this year. Create your own stimulus package--sell prepaid drink coupons (buy 10 get 1 free) Be careful! You are creating a future liability by doing this (you owe the... Read More ⇒

As summer quickly approaches, many consumers are committing to eating healthier and exercising! Beverage category trends say that 58% of consumers plan to consume more yogurt drinks at foodservice establishments in the next 2 years. As drinks made with yogurt have become more popular, so has the focus on the health benefits of prebiotics and... Read More ⇒

Tips, tricks and surefire ways to incorporate signature drinks into your menu that your baristas will enjoy making and your customers will order again and again! Elaborate coffee orders still remind me of that scene from You’ve Got Mail. Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) observes that an indecisive person must make several choices to order a... Read More ⇒

Long gone are the stereotypes of all vegetarians being aging hippies who eat nothing but lentils and enjoy tie-dye clothes with a near-religious zeal. Making sure that your business is catering to the needs of the US's estimated 7.3 million vegetarians (which include 1 million vegans) and the 22.8 million who follow a near-vegetarian diet makes... Read More ⇒

Opening a new café can be a real challenge, especially if you have never done it before. Many of the problems that a new café owner encounters occur during the two months between signing a lease and getting a building permit. See article “Opening your dream café – don’t let it become a nightmare!” In... Read More ⇒

Soda has been a staple of Western culture for three centuries, and a significant part of American life since the late 1800s.  A huge portion of wholesome pop culture in the 1950s literally sits in the middle of soda fountains. However, over the last fifteen years, soda sales have trended downwards for several reasons, health being the most... Read More ⇒

Waste is a waste of resources. We are not a disposable products company trying to act green. Eco-Products is a green company who happens to operate in disposables. Sustainable disposables sound like an oxymoron, but we live in a consumer culture where disposable products are ubiquitous. And they aren't going away anytime soon. We see this as an... Read More ⇒

How to Create and Capture Picture Perfect Specialty Beverages As a millennial in my mid-thirties, I remember when Facebook was just an informal network for college students. At the time, “social media” was merely a place for Myspace musings and covert searches to find out more about a crush. However, jump forward to today, social... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. Opening a café or coffee shop can be a very challenging process. Every week, I talk to people who have just signed the lease and are very excited to get their café open as soon as possible. Over the last ten years in the café design business, I have heard the good, the bad... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. In this era of calorie-consciousness and menu labeling, sometimes your customers desire a warm, creamy indulgence. Besides, for every trend there is a counter-trend. Just like smoothies have a healthy aura and shakes are a nostalgic comfort item, for every sugar free, non fat latte there is... Read More ⇒

Q: What is Matcha? A: Matcha is a traditional Japanese green tea that is ground into a very fine powder.  It is traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony, but is now also widely used as a food and drink ingredient due to its unique properties and flavor.   Q: Where does Matcha come from? A: Matcha is best from Japan, where it is... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. It’s clear… Americans love smoothies. Lately, these sweet blended beverages have been especially popular, with an 80% increase over the past five years. With our population’s ongoing quest for great tasting, drinkable snacks plus a general interest in health, experts say... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. Blended iced coffees, frappes, frozen coffee, or whatever name you choose for those popular blended drinks are a natural product for the premium independent coffeehouse. Any drink on the menu that can be served hot, can also be served frozen and blended. If your customers love a certain hot... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. The essence of the coffee that we enjoy comes from natural oils that are largely responsible for coffee's aroma and flavor. Just as we enjoy the elegant sophistication of this natural oil, if it is left to accumulate on coffee or espresso equipment, coffee oil will have a negative impact on... Read More ⇒

Don't forget to check out our Drink Profit Calculator. Water - it's everywhere: in the oceans, in the puddles, coming out of the skies as rain and snow. It comes out of our taps and plays a very important role in our beverages. But what is water? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines water as follows: wa•ter (wôtr, wtr) The... Read More ⇒