The Coffee Business  

You’ve just woken up, you have to be at work in an hour, and you can barely keep your eyes open, what’s the first thing you do? You make a good old cup of Joe of course! But what happens if you’re out of coffee? Never fear, your local coffee shop business is always open and waiting for your business! And any coffee shop owners will be happy to tell you that they receive just as much business in the early hours as they do throughout the day! This is mainly because Coffee is one of the most relied on drink in order to get us awake and moving when we’d rather be lounging about in bed! 

Of course, if you own your own coffee business, you might be wondering if you could have the potential to expand into different areas, or maybe you’re thinking about starting up your own coffee business, but you are at a loss for ideas, because what goes with coffee?? Never fear, because there are loads of different foods out there that you could potentially be selling alongside our favourite beverage! Including many different variations of the drink itself. 

There’s a growing demand for more unfamiliar versions of coffee, but if you’re unfamiliar with what to offer people, you might find your business dwindling, so it’s important you keep up with the current trends when it comes to coffee! 

For example, did you know that an amazing 50% of the population, equivalent to 150 million Americans, drink espresso, cappuccino, latte, or iced/cold coffees? This is the reason behind the demand for different types of coffee is so high; Everybody wants it! 

Of course there’s the famous Espresso, if you’re running to work in a daze and you need a quick fix of energy, then the Espresso is the best choice! Of course, Espresso’s have grown in popularity over the past few years, as people find it convenient as they’re so small, but very effective when it comes to waking yourself up!

 

And of course there’s the Cappuccino, very much like an Espresso, but a lot creamier, as the process involves pouring steamed milk and frothed milk into espresso with chocolate flakes sprinkled over the top. It sounds gorgeous because it is! And it’s popularity with workers and shoppers alike has increased so spectacularly that’s it’s now increasingly common to see home cappuccino makers in friend’s homes.  

But of course, it’s all very well and good serving all the different variations of Joe, but what if customers want to grab a quick snack with their coffee? There are a tonne of different foods that go really well with Coffee, and the recent coffee shop boom has been mainly down to the increase of mouth-watering snacks you could eat alongside your much needed coffee! 

Two foods that are customer’s favourite picks are donuts and cupcakes! Donuts are that perfect sugary hit you need after an Espresso! Or just that added extra if you have a sweet tooth! Of course, there’s nothing more satisfying than dunking your donut into your hot coffee in a morning, just that sugary wake up call you need to make it through the day! 

Due to the recent boom in cupcake sales, it would be silly not to serve them with coffee! Two nation’s favourite together! And of course, Cupcakes are so versatile, you could even introduce mocha flavoured cupcakes for that mellow coffee and chocolate flavour that we keep coming back for! Cupcakes can be the perfect compliment to any kind of coffee, and because they’re so popular right now, you’re bound to boost sales right from the get go! 

As well as this, offering whole-sale could really boost your profit margin! By doing this you’re massively appealing to the office market: People who pop in the early hours to grab a box of doughnuts, cupcakes, or even a stack of coffees for the hard working crew! Because companies and managers know that the key to happy workers is happy stomachs! 

And of course, you could always consider the possibility of a joint venture with another business. By doing this you could sell or promote another business or specific product, and every product you sell, leaflet you hand out, or whatever else you’re asked to do, you could receive money for doing it! It’s a great way to build relationships and boost money. Of course this could work both ways, as two businesses promoting each other, sure you wouldn’t get commission, but you’d get free advertising and promotion!  

Remember, in today’s economic climate, it’s important that the price is right. The average cup of Coffee in America costs $1.38, and the average price for an espresso based drink is $2.45.It doesn’t seem much, but due to it’s popularity, and cost-effectiveness, the money will be flying in, because there will always be high demand in the Coffee Business! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Ed Chastain, a recognized authority on the subject of culinary businesses and professional baker for two decades, is skilled in the art of making and creating quality donuts, breads and pastries with attention to traditional baking methods. His website, http://www.culinarybusinessreview.com, provides a wealth of information on everything you'll ever need to know about the culinary business.