As discussed in our Summer Promotions and Building Business with Frozen Blended Drinks blogs, blended drinks such as frappés and smoothies are big sellers for Cafés in warmer summer months. To help you create some great menu items, the Stockton Graham & Co. team have chosen a few recipes to share. Our variety of allied products help create all these quick and easy drinks, so be sure to discuss all your options when talking to your Customer Care Associate.
According to the StudyLogic 2012 review, sales for frozen coffee beverages reached $4.3 billion, in the U.S. alone, in 2012. This is a huge and delicious market that you can easily take advantage of with a few products. It’s been reported* that the top 5 frappé flavors are: mocha, caramel, coffee, vanilla and chocolate. Offering at least one of these top 5 is a must, but explore more flavorings for a specialized option.
Torani has released their Real Cream Frappé Base for the summer of 2013, that makes a real easy and quick variety of frappé drinks. All you need to create a 16 oz. drink is 2 cups of ice, 5 oz. of Torani’s Real Cream Base, 1 shot of chilled espresso and 1 oz. of any syrup or sauce. Blend it well and you have a delicious and savory frozen coffee drink. We suggest Raspberry syrup with the Vanilla Real Cream Base. This creates a creamy raspberry milkshake flavor with the hint of espresso.
If your choice of frappé mix is powders, we have a variety of options there as well, from Caffe D’Amore, Big Train and Café Essentials. Consider making a “Peanut Butter Bliss” with 3 oz. of a vanilla frappe powder, 5 oz. of milk, 2 oz. peanut butter syrup, 1 oz. of caramel sauce and ice. You can adjust this recipe with a shot of chilled espresso or 1 oz. of chocolate sauce as well.
Entice customers looking to indulge, with a “Mocha Cookies and Crème Frappe”. Just take 5 oz. of milk, 2 scoops of a Mocha Frappe Powder, 16 oz. of ice, 1 chilled shot of espresso and blend, then add 1 scoop (70cc) of cookie pieces and pulse in until well blended. This rich and creamy mocha concoction will have customers begging for more.
Smoothies are very popular now as meal replacements, protein suppliers, tasty snacks or just a healthy specialty beverage to enjoy. The top 5 smoothie flavors are strawberry, strawberry banana, mango, peach and wildberry, so any of these options will satisfy your customers. Branch out by pouring different flavors into the same cup as a smoothie “mix-n-match”, it’s a 2 for 1 deal for your customers! Stockton Graham & Co. offers a variety of real fruit smoothie options for our customers, from industry leaders Torani, Jet, Big Train, Monin, Teawave and Dr. Smoothie.
Give your customers a taste of the islands with a delicious “Mango Pineapple Smoothie”. Put 3 oz. of Mango smoothie mix, 3 oz. of pineapple juice and 2 cups of ice in a blender and blend till smooth.
Dr. Smoothie has a great recipe called “Indigo Isle” where you mix 2 oz. of water, 3 oz. of strawberry banana concentrate, 2 oz. of blueberry banana concentrate and 16 oz. of ice in a blender. Then pulse in 1 strawberry and 5 blueberries afterwards for a great fruit texture.
Adding supplements or frappe mixes to your smoothie mix can make for a creamier, fruity drink. Blend together 2 oz. of a cream base, 6 oz. of peach smoothie mix and 16 oz. of ice for a delightful “Peaches N’ Crème” drink. Customers will enjoy how sweet and subtle the tart of the fruit is.
To help you get your blended frozen beverage program on the right track or for a minor tune-up, Stockton Graham & Co. has set-up a blender equipment special. If you purchase one of our Blendtec or Vitamix blender options, you can receive FREE cases of assorted product from Jet, Torani, Caffe D’Amore or Dr.Smoothie! Programs for Mocafe and Cappuccine products will be coming soon! We also have promotions going on from Dr. Smoothie (Whey Protein Promotion) and Jet (Flavored Lemonade Promotion) that can get you FREE product with your purchase of blending concentrates, click the links above to learn more.
Don’t forget to decorate your frozen blended drinks. Top them off with whipped cream, pieces of fruit, a drizzle of sauce or nuts to really impress your customers. These sweet and tasty specialty beverages will sell themselves, and have customers coming to your café all summer long. Give us a call at 800.835.5943 today to order some beverage mixes, or to discuss more recipe options with our sales team!
The warm weather is coming, and summer will be here before we know it, so now is a great time to start planning your summer promotions! June 21st is the official “First Day of Summer”, so it’s time to let your customers know about it with summer menu items and promotions to celebrate those refreshing beverages. With schools getting out and the absence of all night studiers needing their caffeine fix, many Cafés have to adjust for a different customer base.
Get your customers to vote from 4 different types of “summer” beverages to add to your menu on the first day of summer. On the weekend of June 21st, bring in the new menu item with a bang by offering specials on it and pairing it with tasty snacks from your shop. We suggest getting them to vote from options you don’t offer year round like a flavored iced latte, a flavored iced chai, a summer smoothie, a frozen lemonade or a flavored iced tea. Make these drinks fun by giving them summer or tropical themed names!
Iced beverages become a favorite when the temperature rises. You should continue to offer your same delicious coffees, but make sure they are all available iced. There are many different ways to create iced coffees: the Toddy process, chilling espressos, pour over methods, concentrates, etc., so there is no excuse for you to not be offering this delicious coffee option! To inspire regulars to try iced coffees, give coupons to customers who buy morning drip coffee. Have the coupon set for use in slower, afternoon hours to encourage those morning customers to come back.
Designate a week of Summer called “Iced is Nice” and offer discounts on iced beverages. Whether iced coffee, Italian sodas, flavored teas or lemonades, get your customers to celebrate by trying all your refreshing drink options! Flavored Teas and Italian sodas are a great way to make drinks with syrups you already have. Our vendor DaVinci reports that 55% of those who drink iced tea would be likely to try a flavored iced Tea. If your café serves iced tea already, adding extra flavor can add to the menu price without costing you much at all (and increasing profits for your shop)! Flavored Teas are also a “healthier” alternative to all the sugars and calories that can be loaded into coffee drinks or smoothies. This is a great way to appeal to your more health conscious customers.
Father’s Day is June 16th this year, and just like with Mother’s Day, encourage your patrons to bring their parent in for a drink with a BOGO promotion. If they buy something for themselves, they get a free one for their father! Offer $2 off on your retail coffee for gifts the week before. Remind customers that freshly roasted coffee is a great gift for any occasion, especially for a Dad! And don’t forget to offer gift cards for sale!
If there is a pool or other popular summer venue near your shop, reach out to them for co-op marketing opportunities such as hanging up flyers and posters for your events and promotions. Remind their guests how easy it is to drop by your shop on their way to or from the pool or concert. Summer is a big time for festivals and outdoor events. Try to volunteer or set up a booth with your shop’s name prominent and some of your iced coffee for sale. This will show your involvement in the community and help you reach out to potential new customers.
Smoothies are very popular in the summer months (see our newest blog on why you should make them a part of your menu). Consider a smoothie “Happy Hour” with discounted smoothies from 4 pm to 7 pm. This will give customers a reason to come in for a treat after work, or a day running errands.
The important thing when having special events is to market them properly. Social media blast your followers, set up flyers, table tents & posters, and have your baristas reminding customers of all your specials. Ask customers to “check in” with Foursquare when they visit your shop for an extra discount off their purchase! Set up a “social media special” for customers who write reviews for your shop on Yelp, Google +, Facebook or any other review site. Have them show you their review for a percentage off their coffee. This will help you get more marketing out about your shop and bring in new customers!
Here at Stockton Graham & Co., we are always looking to help our customers grow their business with new trends and new ideas. Call our Customer Care Associates today at 800.835.5943 to learn about our Summer product promotions, new ideas to market your shop, recipes or to place your order!
Smoothies and frappes are among the fastest growing segments in the specialty beverage industry. According to our product vendors, frappe sales bloomed to $4.3 billion in 2012 alone. Smoothies are also on the rise… they are increasing at a sales rate of $2 billion per year and expected to reach the $9 billion plateau (worldwide) by 2015. There is money to be made with these blended specialty drinks, and Stockton Graham & Co. is here to help you!
Frozen coffees and frappes first hit the stage in the late 90’s when Starbucks introduced the “Frappuccino®”. From then on massive franchises and independent, locally owned shops alike have implanted these frozen treats into their beverage menus with tremendous success. The flavors available are endless, drinks can be blended with milk alternatives for those with dairy aversions, and health supplements can be easily added to every drink! Frappes also appeal to coffee lovers when the weather is warm, and hot drinks, like drip coffee or espresso, seem less appealing. With leading industry brand names such as Big Train, Caffe D’ Amore, Dr. Smoothie- Café Essentials and recently Torani Real Cream, adding frappes to your menu can nearly quadruple your margin per ounce.
Fruit smoothies are nothing new to this industry, but in the past few years, their sales have reached all-time highs. Fact is, only about half of the population in the U.S. claims to be “coffee drinkers”, so there is still a large market for alternative specialty beverages. Smoothie sales are sky rocketing, not only due to the fact that smoothies are so delicious, but also because of the diversity of their market. The smoothie market appeals to children, adults, the health conscious, customers looking for a sweet treat, or those needing a meal replacement to get through their day. Nearly every fast food franchise has made smoothies a permanent fixture on their menu, showing how valuable they are to the specialty beverage menu. Here at Stockton Graham & Co., we offer leading smoothie brands such as Dr. Smoothie, Torani, Jet, Monin and more, so be sure not to miss out this smoothie season!
Dr. Smoothie is offering a promotion right now to show you how well supplements fit into your smoothie business. If you buy 2 cases or more of Dr. Smoothie concentrate, you will receive a 3lb jar of Whey protein for free. Read more about this promotion and the benefits of supplements in our recent blog. DaVinci and Jet are also offering a promotion to show you how blended drinks can be easily flavored with syrups to add a special touch. Click here for more information. Our vendors know that blended drinks are a big seller, and they are looking to meet all your needs in this market.
If one or both of these drinks are missing from your shop’s menu, this is the perfect time to add them. For the rest of this month, Stockton Graham & Co. is INSTANTLY giving away several FREE cases of frappe powder or smoothie concentrate with ANY purchase of a Vitamix or Blendtec blender. The sales generated from the free product will cover the complete cost for multiple blender packages, so be sure to check this promotion out if a blender is (or will be) on your shopping list! For more information on our blender/free product promotion, visit our blending equipment page.
The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to frozen beverage sales and the profits they can generate. Here at Stockton Graham & Co., we can help outfit your store with the right frappes, smoothies and blenders. We even offer a Specialty Beverage Basics Coffee College course to assist your shop in learning to prepare these blended beverages. Adding these drinks to you menu now can be fast, easy and most importantly, profitable, so be sure to call us at 800.835.5943 to get your frozen beverage program started today!
Stockton Graham & Co. will be closed on Monday, May 27th 2013 in observance of Memorial Day. Please allow an additional transit day as FedEx will also not pick up or deliver on the 27th.
All orders received after noon on Friday, May 24th will not ship until Tuesday, May 28th. We invite you to head over to FedEx.com to calculate the transit days to your area from our ’27612′ zip code.
FOR LOCAL CUSTOMERS: All pick-ups must be made by 3:00 pm on Fri., May 24th. Pick-up orders must be placed by the end of the prior business day – Thursday May 23rd.
We will resume our normal business schedule on Tuesday, May 28th 2013.
The Stockton Graham & Co. team would like to wish you all fun, happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!
Cinco de Mayo falls on May 5th every year, and is the celebration of Mexican ancestry and cultural pride. What started as an acknowledgement over an unlikely victory in battle, has become an national holiday where we celebrate all things from our neighbor, Mexico! It’s a great holiday to have promotions in your shop and special menu choices. To help your menu celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the team at Stockton Graham & Co. has chosen a few recipes and products to get your party started!
Whether alcohol friendly or not, Margarita’s are a must on any Cinco de Mayo menu! Stockton Graham & Co. has a Margarita mix from Jet that is delicious and a great base to any flavored Margarita your customer desires. It’s pour over, so to create virgin drinks you only need 8 oz. of Jet Margarita, 16 oz. of ice and blend. If your going to make your drinks with alcohol, substitute 2 oz. of the mix with the alcohol and blend away! Having flavored margaritas is just as easy. You can use only 4 oz. margarita mix and 3 oz. of your favorite fruit smoothie mix over ice and blend! This way strawberry, peach and raspberry margaritas can all be enjoyed at your party. If you run out of fruit smoothie mix, it’s no problem fruity syrups can be used as well! This only takes 7 oz. of Margarita and 1 oz. of the syrup of your choice. This Jet Margarita mix also comes in “Lite” for those looking to watch their figure for summer.
Where coffee is concerned be sure to to offer a “Mexican Coffee”. There are many different recipes for this, but a fun one is to add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the grounds of your coffee before brewing (we suggest Stockton Graham Coffees Organic Mexico Chiapas). After it’s brewed pour about 10 oz. of coffee into your cup. Steam milk with 2 pumps of Chocolate sauce , 1pump of Spice Brown Sugar or Cinnamon Brown Sugar syrup, 1 pump of Vanilla syrup and add to your coffee. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon! For more flavor, use Stockton Graham Coffees flavored K’lua & Cream.
Since hot chocolate was believed to have started in Mexico, it definitely deserves a spot on your Cinco de Mayo menu! Big Train, Caffe D’Amore and Cafe Essentials all offer a delicious Mexican Spiced Cocoa. You can serve them hot or cold, and since Cinco de Mayo is normally so warm, we suggest trying them iced. Put 8 oz. of the Cocoa mix into 3 oz. of hot water or steamed milk. Stir well until dissolved and pour over 8 oz. of ice. You can also add espresso to your hot chocolate for a Mexican mocha we call “Mocha de Mayo”!
Create a simple “Cha Cha Chai” to serve up iced or hot by adding 3/4 an oz. of your favorite cinnamon syrup to any chai! It goes well with liquid or powder, just be sure to stir well.
Horchata is another traditional Mexican beverage you can create for the holiday. Big Train and Caffe D’Amore have delicious Horchata Mexican Drink Mix that you can purchase from Stockton Graham & Co. special order! To create this almond and rice based beverage all you need is 2 scoops of mix and 5 oz. of water.
Torani has a Spicy Chocolate Sauce they use to create the “Mayan Mocha”. This calls for 1 oz. of Spicy Chocolate Sauce, 8 oz. milk and 2 shots espresso. Pull your espresso into a cup, steam the milk and the sauce together and pour over the espresso. You can make this iced or warm. Add an extra 1/4 oz. Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup and they call that a “Ring of Fire Mocha”.
Holidays are a fun time to add special menu items. Don’t miss this great opportunity to get your customers to try new products! To find some great promotions for Cinco de Mayo, check out most recent blog on the subject! For more recipes, promotion ideas or to order call our wonderful Customer Care Associates at 800.835.5943.
May is a warm month with two fun holidays to celebrate in your cafe: Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day! Cinco de Mayo (a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride) is the 5th of May every year, while Mother’s Day falls on Sunday May 12th this year. Promotions for these holidays will help to drive traffic into your shop, especially for more iced and blended beverages!
For Cinco de Mayo, consider a “Fiesta” in your shop. Set up a piñata (particularly in an open area) and let customers know it will be hit at a certain time Sunday the 5th. Encourage customers to bring their children for “free candy” and get the adults to indulge in your beverages at the same time. Have free salsa lessons in your shop during the party, and be sure to play mariachi music!
Margaritas, horchata and other traditionally Latino beverages make great promotions in your shop for the first week of may. Promote a Mexican Single Origin coffee the first week of May, or a free cup of Stockton Graham Coffees Organic Mexico Chiapas Single Origin coffee with every food purchase on Cinco de Mayo.
As for Mother’s Day, encourage customers to bring their mothers into your shop for a special treat. A BOGO promotion is great for this holiday. The customer buys their coffee and gets their mother’s for FREE. This adds their parent as another loyal customer to your shop! Have a free baked item for every mother that comes in that day and makes a drink purchase. Get the customers to show you a picture of them with their child or children to create a special customer/barista bond.
Utilize your retail coffee sales by offering Mother’s Day baskets for sale! Include a bag of your house blend, a motherly mug, a few tea bags, some chocolate covered espresso beans and more! Remind customers picking up their morning coffees that your coffee makes a great gift for any occasion.
Always remember to advertise your promotions thoroughly the week before they occur. Keep updated information about them on your social media accounts and encourage your customers to attend as they order. It’s more personable to invite your customer to the events face to face. Stockton Graham & Co. is here to advise you on all your promotional plans. Give us a call at 800.835.5943, to get more ideas and place your order.
As discussed in our Summer Promotions and Building Business with Frozen Blended Drinks blogs, blended drinks such as frappés and smoothies are big sellers for Cafés in warmer summer months. To help you create some great menu items, the Stockton Graham & Co. team have chosen a few recipes to share. Our variety of allied products help create all these quick and easy drinks, so be sure to discuss all your options when talking to your Customer Care Associate.
