Coffee Industry related subjects — Coffee Forum

Mobile coffee weekender

davidcol — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 23:04:11 +0000

Hey all, for sure this is not a new idea and maybe there’s a discussion on this already but couldn’t find it.

I work full time and live on the NSW Central Coast around Woy Woy are. There’s so many great spots around where people visit during the weekend and I want to fit a small machine in my car and sell truly great coffee (think Mecca, Artificer, Sample Coffee, Made of Many, Headlands, etc). Most mobile coffee vans I see around sell below average coffee, I guess focusing more on the bottom line than anything else… and serving cappuccinos. I love a milky coffee but also love filter and good black coffees.

Anyway! My question

Does anyone know the process of getting a permit to operate a mobile coffee “van”? And permit to park it in different places around the central coast?
I tried the CC Council webpage but it’s a bit confusing. Would really appreciate if someone has gone through this and shed some light!

I also have 2 toddlers and would love my oldest to see this little weekend venture off the ground not for money making, but mostly to create community, have some fun and yes, get a bit of extra income of course.

Thank you, all!

Tips lựa chọn địa điểm mở quán cà phê lý tưởng

Nhuongquyencaphe — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:21:31 +0000

Ưu tiên những vị trí:

1. Lựa chọn địa điểm có giao thông thuận lợi.
1. Khu vực mặt bằng thoáng đãng và dễ nhìn thấy.
1. Quán ở các khu đông dân cư như trường học, khách sạn, trung tâm thành phố….
1. Có bãi đậu xe rộng rãi.
1. Có trật tự an ninh xã hội tốt.
  Tránh những vị trí sau:
1. Gần các bãi rác, nhà máy vệ sinh môi trường.
1. Khu vực ít người qua lại.
1. Có quá nhiều quán cà phê khác đang kinh doanh.
1. Nơi không có chỗ đậu xe.
  Xem thêm thông tin chi tiết về: https://monacocoffee.com.vn/setup-quan-cafe/

MICE 2020

admin — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:14:46 +0000

HI guys, just a quick 'heads up': be in Melb from 4-7th May, if you can!

"The Melbourne International Coffee at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia from 4 to 7 May. MICE2020 will also host the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup. The events will bring national champions from more than 50 countries together to compete for the world titles"

Are you fast or slow with coffee?

Bottom Line — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 16:05:09 +0000

https://www.outsideonline.com/2289531/caffeine-makes-some-people-faster-others-slower

Hmmmm... Who cares? Coffee tastes good ^-^

London Int'l Coffee Festival

admin — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 18:31:26 +0000

Hi there, this is on from 28-31st March in The Old Truman Brewery Brick Lane, London; initial promo stuff from their press release:

"With brand new features to be announced, an exciting Tasting Room and Lab programme to be revealed, and a brand new Coffee Master to find; LCF 2019 is going to be unforgettable. We've been busy prepping and planning and we're pleased to announce that our first release tickets are now up for grabs. Expect live roasting, cupping sessions, brew bars, signature drinks and some of the hottest coffee concepts in town."

see: https://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/Home

Reviews on Aussie Vittoria mountain coffee needed.

vietnamcoffee — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 02:38:24 +0000

One of our customers from Australia has recently sent us a samples of Vittoria mountain coffee, (blending of 100% arabica). After tasting it, we found that this arabica tastes lighter than arabica from Vietnam. Is there any body here used to taste Vittoria? Is it a coffee brand of mainstream quality or specialty coffee quality?

Illy Coffee. Ultimate Factories

Lwowiak — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 11:11:08 +0000

Season 5. Episode 18.
Currently on 7mate.
Quite an interesting show, showcasing the Illy factory.
Worth viewing.

I haven't seen any coffee shops (in Australia), using the tins in their grinder hopper. Not recently. A few years back quite a few establishments had them. In Europe, I came across quite a few, and enjoyed the espresso served. Mind you, the shops were busy, so there was a good turnaround of coffee, and it was definitelt fresh. I am not sure how long the coffee lasts once the tins are opened, I believe it deteriorates quite quickly.

In the TV show, they mentioned some of the coffee is aged from 3 to 20 days before it is packaged.
The other interesting aspect was the three stage roasting process. Drying, Roasting and then cooling. Each step taking 15-20 minutes.

I believe the episode will air a few times this weekend.

RFG. New growth plans, or are they flogging a dead horse.....

Lwowiak — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 11:22:54 +0000

I came across this Fairfax article, and was wondering what others thought of it:

https://www.afr.com/business/retail/fmcg/retail-food-group-hopes-di-bella-push-will-give-growth-a-caffeine-hit-20180709-h12fb9

Apart from it being a simple regurgitation of the CEO's sales pitch to try and stop the share price falling even further, the typical Farifax reporter did not add any insight or breadth to the story. Basically I read it as RFG are trying to push sh*t uphill.
The new CEO seems to have achieved very little and is grasping at straws to keep his job. Hoping that the Di Bella arm will topple Vittoria as market leader, is pretty far fetched. My humble opinion is that RFG have no clue as to the true state of the market and have hired the wrong people.
Some questions to ponder....
If Di Bella was to topple Vittoria as market leader, why didn't it happen under Phil's leadership?
What are they going to do that hasn't already been done?
Are the other large roasters going to sit around and let RFG take their market share?
What is their strategy to increase market share?

Personally I see nothing other than a lot of hot air, and the possibility of another "price war". If they really wanted to increase sales of coffee, they should start in their own backyard. All of their franchises could easily increase their coffee sales, if they improved their offering in the cup to start. Revitalizing their stores with more modern food offerings would also potentially bring in more customers. Increasing sales by opening more stores is not going to happen (not with their reputation), so how will they increase their wholesale division? When RFG bought Di Bella, the other roasters took steps to protect their market share, fearing such a move would happen. So many years later, expansion plans are finally being announced by a CEO who is out of his depth.

Not only has the horse bolted, but their reputation is so badly tarnished that RFG have a very difficult journey ahead of them. Their only ray of hope would be to lump all of their coffee roasting under one brand, and heavily promote it. They could also sell that product to the public via their stores, as long as it is fresh. Potential is there, but do they have the leadership to make it happen?

coffee in Ethiopia under threat

admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 11:26:48 +0000

Always worries me when I read about stuff like this (especially in the 'birthplace of coffee'!

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-coffee-khat/coffee-faces-a-double-threat-to-its-existence-in-eastern-ethiopia-idUSKBN1IA20V

London Coffee Festival

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 10:18:37 +0000

Hey guys, London Coffee Fest. in on this weekend; when I lived in London, good espresso coffee was hard to find, but things have clearly changed in the last 10-15 yrs - has anyone been to London Coffee Fest. or intending to go this year?

Sounds like a great event https://www.londoncoffeefestival.com

A

MICE 2018

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 09:31:26 +0000

Hey guys, remember the Melbourne International Coffee Expo is on next week from 22 to 24 March at Melb Showgrounds.

I can't make it, but anyone who's attending should feel free to use this board as a meeting point arranger, if you want! For social media aficionados, you can follow MICE on Twitter @MelbCoffeeExpo #MICE2018

A

World Of Coffee :: Amsterdam 21-23 June

admin — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:11:13 +0000

and of course, this is the big one: https://mailchi.mp/sca.coffee/world-of-coffee-2018-registration-open?e=8d2e0a1179

Must say, wish I could justify it, as it would be a fantastic destination!

SCA Coffee Expo - Seattle 19-22 April

admin — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 12:25:27 +0000

Billed as 'Nth America's largest coffee trade show', so am sure it would be a great experience...

Click the link here for more info.: https://mailchi.mp/sca.coffee/expo-2018-lecture-proposal-submissions-open-850377?e=8d2e0a1179

recent headline: Coffee & teachers lead the way to jobs...

admin — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 22:54:42 +0000

as we know, a lot of people are struggling at the moment; interesting article from the Australian (last Friday): "Professionals and baristas have dominated jobs in the private sector, while teachers and healthcare workers have inflated public sector payrolls over the past year"

I guess the only downside is many of the barista jobs are probably part-time rather than full-time?

Fair work or won't work?

admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 19:37:09 +0000

the Fair Work Commission has agreed to reduce penalty rates for permanent staff (apparrently not casuals) for Sunday work and Public Holidays.

Bill Shorten thinks it's terrible but the Tourism Minister thinks it's great; obviously there are two angles to this - the small business owner (who's presumably happy) vs workers like baristas and wait staff. What are your thoughts, whichever side of the fence you're on?

Barista Robot Prototype at CES 2017

Kevohere — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 20:35:36 +0000

"Coffee made with love" :question:

I suppose it had to come to this one day. ::)

https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/videos/10154462094189440/

Coffee shop/Cafe. Cost of doing business.

Lwowiak — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 22:26:12 +0000

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12099760/TripAdvisor-York-Bennetts-cafe-owner-leaves-brilliant-response-to-one-star-review.html

While a year old, the above is still relevant. One of the points that stood out the most in the article was the cost of GBP27.50 per hour of trading. For rent, rates, power and associated costs.
I doubt that you could obtain premises at those rates, in any busy city centre, in Australia. The wages at GBP12.50/hr are a lot lower than in Australia, even if you double it (exchange rate), as they include holiday pay etc.

The cost of doing business in Australia is very high, and when you have a close look at the prices set in cafes, restaurants etc, they do not always reflect this. Some are way to low in comparison to the cost of doing business. Greedy landlords, and Super funds investing in commercial real estate only exacerbates the issue, and makes it difficult for the shop owner trying to offer value.

Whilst in Europe recently, I talked to many a cafe/coffee shop owner (or manager), and while wages were lower in Eastern Europe and reasonable in other parts, the rents were not as high as here in Australia. Granted, certain prime real estate (especially city squares) commands high rents, but overall the costs were reasonable and businesses were viable. Most places I came across were run by managers.

I have family who work in the industry supplying restaurants etc,and their insights were quite an eye opener.
Europe has a lot of tourism all year round, and empty shops in busy areas were non existent.

Our standard of food and coffee is very high in Australia, but there are too many shops and not enough patrons to support them.

I feel for the coffee shop who gets complaints for $5 coffees (perceived as high by some), especially when a neighbouring "health food/juice bar" charges $10 for fruit juices/smoothies.

In Eastern Europe (and parts of Germany) coffee was more expensive than beer or juice, but not quite as tasty.

World Coffee Events

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 10:16:57 +0000

suppose I should probably give this link for those interested: http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=7bdcb038afc6e48ff4d7d980a&id=2e9e198627&e=fce5eb8c7a

I'm getting a bit cynical about all the 'events' on the world coffee scene these days - World roasting championships, World Brewers Cup, Latte Art, Coffee In Good Spirits, Cup Tasters Championship, along with the World Barista champs (which I used to look forward to); don't know if I'm just getting a bit jaded, or if this really is overkill!!

???

weekend penalty rates?

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 20:59:43 +0000

Ok this is potentially a big one - what do we think of the Productivity Commission's view that Sunday rates should be around 125% of weekday rates [ie like Saturdays] rather than approx 175% as they are currently?

Link to a review of the report from the Age: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/sunday-rates-aside-the-productivity-commission-finds-we-set-wages-pretty-well-20151220-gls1ox.html

Aussie Coffee Beans

Brett H — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 09:59:54 +0000

I'm starting this thread anew largely because I can't find the old one. I was recommended to try some Australian grown and processed green beans from the place in New South Wales recently. They also roast there so I got some of their blend as well as the wet and dry processed greens to try. I have really enjoyed trying all of their offerings although found their roasted beans just a little dark for my tastes. They were still frankly very good!! The name of the place is Ashton's and I know nothing of them apart from that I've enjoyed they are offering is far more than anything Australian grown being I can think of in my recent history.

Are there any other Aussie gems out there that folk enjoy that I'm missing??

I remember having some Aussie beans from Another forum supplier and then the same lot from Merlo here in Brisbane. I thought frankly thought the beans were defective. Nothing I could do could get a good cup out of these particular beans and when I saw that lot at Merlo bought them to see how the experts handle them. Even the cup they made me at the roastery had a kerosene aftertaste and with their roasted I had no success. Imagine how perplexed I was when Forum folk were reporting that they were fabulous and had notes, notes and notes.

Well, now I'm onto and finally enjoying some Aussie beans and I want to know what's out there that you all like.

What's your favorite kind of coffee?

jimmyjim1299 — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 01:23:47 +0000

Hi all,

As someone with high blood pressure, I had to find coffee that fits me. So, I fell in love with decaf, but after finding an article about coffee facts, I'm thinking of changing my habits, as I think it relates to caffeinated coffee. I'll just drink less coffee, but caffeinated…and what's your favorite coffee?

Music for New Cafe

SKH — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 08:51:11 +0000

Hi guys this is my first post- really need some help if there are any Cafe owners here that can assist me!

I am opening a Cafe in Melbourne (ideally opening next weekend but there have been lots of delays- builders driving me crazy!) :doh:

I am trying to source music to play in my cafe and would love some advice. To obtain a license to play music to the public seems so expensive (approx $2,500 a year), I have been looking at companies that offer royalty free music to you for a fee per month (not as expensive but in the long run will probably be similar). There seems to be a limit on how much music you can download too...and I'm worried the music mightn't be suitable. I'm really stuck.

I'm wondering what do other Cafe owners do for music?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
Sarah

Photos of HOST / MILANO 2015 Exhibition

FreshCoffee2 — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 18:16:25 +0000

Moving this thread to here where more appropriate ;D

Spotted yesterday at the exhibition

A cafe without decaf is like........

Brett H — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 21:40:14 +0000

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/caffeine-free-coffee-shop-opens-in-nyc_5638e739e4b079a43c04b51b?section=taste

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/caffeine-free-coffee-shop-opens-in-nyc_5638e739e4b079a43c04b51b?section=taste

A Coffee Bar for Decaf only. Why, that's so crazy it might even work. The analogy in the article as 'a bar without alcohol'. I'm going with my own and I hope you can top it:

It's like a toy store that only sells socks.

Bean Scene's Roasting Directory

Kevohere — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 18:32:06 +0000

Thought it a bit odd seeing Krispy Kreme listed as coffee roasters in Bean Scene magazine's Roasting directory. ???
Their website doesn't indicate they roast their own.

Longevity of your cafe

JF — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:41:42 +0000

Hi all,

I noticed on the today show this morning that Bar Coluzzi (Sydney cafe) celebrated 50 years serving coffee in Sydney.. It attracted the TV cameras and a huge audience including many well knowns.

Having had coffees there many years back (not for a few years now though), I always thought the coffee was OK (not great), but they ambience, quality of food and great service made having a cuppa there worth while..

Just interested in those of you who own and run a cafe - How long have you been doing it? and are you as pasionate today as you were on day 1, and is your business growing each year (customer base as well as revenue)?

Just interested as from what I understand it is rare these days for a cafe to survive as many years without change of ownership, change in coffee bean etc etc..

A penny for you thoughts??

Are the signs emerging ?

mycuppa — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 12:35:00 +0000

I like to think that we care about our customers - whether they are existing or prospective.

As suppliers with knowledge and experience, we have a basic obligation to guide, coach, offer our best and most honest informed opinions in the context of helping our customers become and continue to be.......successful.

Every decent and long-term focused supplier does this - it's not a unique value proposition and the majority of suppliers think and act in the same ways.

For a while now I have been lamenting the state of a saturated cafe market here in Melbourne and how it's now a high risk, short-term game of build and flip (sell) at the peak because it will always ultimately trend down as new places open in the vicinity and customers drift via attraction to something new and different.

These cycles are now becoming increasingly and dangerously shorter with higher entry costs and lower goodwill residuals - or in some cases zero goodwill.

For clarity, I'm not talking about the supply side of the cafe market, e.g. roasters and distributors, etc. which have also arrived at the same destination - with perhaps similar implications - but the cafe outlet market that prepares coffee beverages for the paying consumer, e.g. the drinker.

On weekend mornings I drive past footy fields and there are numerous mobile coffee vans staking out their small patch of area in the hope of luring the parents for a cuppa - hustling for the best spot.

At almost every event now in Melbourne the picture becomes similar - coffee operators desperate for turnover and staring with daggers at their competitors a short distance away.

In the commercial estates where we work, the mobile coffee vans can be seen and heard trying to solicit customers.

Cafe owners are unhappy about increasing competition. It's not that they are greedy or selfish - they are just trying to survive.

Landlords rub their hands at escalating property prices and raising rent yields, cafe customers are addicted to the myriad of TV food shows and armed with their Urbanspoon, Yelp and Beanhunter reviews are only too happy to trash a business's reputation if they have to wait 2 mins longer than their patience can tolerate at that time, or the order was wrong in the morning rush.

The hospitality industry has been suffering from an acute staff shortage for a long time and this is reflected in service levels.

These days owners can not afford to leave their premises are are constantly running their eyeballs across the entire space to keep service running efficiently.

Sure, you can publish a vacancy online and receive a handful of responses very quickly, but it's generally accepted that the quality of candidates will be relatively low and inexperienced with core problems in hospitality labour of declining attitudes towards responsibility, commitment and loyalty.

You can see the staff churn everywhere and it's now accepted that to keep a good staff member for 12 months can be a rare blessing. Is it a pay issue, a pressure issue, a truncated career path or a work ethic issue.......who knows.

I had been looking at some retail space in Melbourne and needed to speak with an Agent because the property portals tend to have more and more listings with that annoying "Contact Agent for Price".

Before I could explain who I was and what I wanted, the very earnest and helpful agent stumped up this opening cracker "please tell me your not going to do coffee or a cafe in that space" !.

This opened up an opportunity then for me to have a bit of fun........

Me: "Geez, that was a good guess......I didn't even need to give you any clues about why I was inquiring and the space is not setup for cafe at the momentn - have you got special powers"

Agent: "It happens all day, every day mate.......every single bit of space that comes onto the market, I get 10 - 20 calls from people wanting to put a cafe or serve coffee"

Me: "really.......it is that bad"

Agent: "We are in XXXXXX road (a suburban road in Melbourne) and there are 38 coffee places within 70 metres and only 2 of them are coping"

Me: "Surely that is a good thing"

Agent: "not when they can't pay their rent and we burn so much time going back and forth between tenant and landlord. Everyone that makes an enquiry about a cafe for a space tells me they are different and their coffee is better and food will be superb....."

Me: "Sounds a bit delusional"

Agent: "Yes, everyone's coffee is the same - the people in our office just go where it's convenient and the food is reasonable"

At this point, the agent was still unaware of who I was, my background or my intentions......

Me: "OK, so that kills that idea........thanks for the information"

Your typical property agent makes money on signing up and then leasing premises - whether it's a winner or not - they want to close the deal and move onto the next transaction.

The episode got me thinking more about the current state of retail and whether this cycle has always been the case but just not as prominent - or did I encounter a person with a thoughtful or unexpected conscience.

For many cafe owners, beverages and in particular the coffee sales actually prop up the rest of their business - food is marginal or a loss leader at best.

What will happen to the cafe market - will it continue to grow, will it specialize into more pronounced and visible segments or will it mature into a commodity where price and cost overrule quality (e.g. Europe).

Hobart Fine Food Show and Coffee Awards

FreshCoffee2 — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:21:13 +0000

Hi all, just wanted you to know that CosmoreX Coffee has been well rewarded for its hard work.

It won the 2 highest scoring coffees overall, winning both Show Champion and Show Reserve Champion Coffees. The scores respectively, were 96.5 and 95.5.

It also took out the 4th highest scoring coffee in the comp. so for the whole of show, 1st 2nd and 4th places...

A big congratulations to the very hard working team involved.

Based on ranks attained:

Espresso blend category (out of 56 entries): 1st and 2nd places.

Plunger SO category (out of 23 entries): 2nd place.

Cappuccino (out of 75 entries): 1st and 3rd places.

Decaf cappuccino (out of 7 entries): 2nd place.

Whole of show (out of 218 entries): 1st, 2nd and 4th highest scores attained in show.

Based on medal tally:
GOLD x 2
SILVER x 5
BRONZE x 7
TOTAL 14 medals

Very proud of everyone involved, and a very big thank you.

Caffeine over breakfast.

Cuir Beluga — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 12:25:04 +0000

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/sa-lifestyle/coffee-replacing-breakfast-for-south-australians-who-really-love-their-cappuccinos/story-fnizi7vf-1227480883447?utm_content=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=EditorialSF&utm_source=AdelaideAdvertiser&utm_medium=Facebook

Free Instagram workshop for café owners in Melbourne

UpsideHL — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 15:17:48 +0000

Hey guys, I hope I'm posting in the right board here.

There's a free Instagram workshop for café owners in Fitzroy, Melbourne on September 9th. I think most business owners, especially in the hospitality industry, know how much Instagram is blowing up right now. There will be a free viewing of an Instagram course presented by Sam Mutimer, one of Australia's leading social media experts. There will be free refreshments on the night, and plenty of opportunity to network with other food and beverage owners.

It's free, all you have to do is reserve your seat through EDIT: a URL I will send interested parties that PM me!

Hope to see some of you there!