View entire thread: using syrups?
Posted by phats on 2007-02-22 20:22:27 Post Subject: using syrups?
hey guys,
i just recently bought a barista espresso machine and i was wondering how i use the flavor syrup. Do i put the syrup in the milk first then steam it
or steam my milk and then add the syrup?
thanks alot
Back to top | view poster's profile
Posted by phats on 2007-02-22 20:22:27 Post Subject: using syrups?
hey guys,
i just recently bought a barista espresso machine and i was wondering how i use the flavor syrup. Do i put the syrup in the milk first then steam it
or steam my milk and then add the syrup?
thanks alot
Back to top | view poster's profile
View entire thread: Barista
Posted by Hobbes on 2004-10-02 09:06:22 Post Subject: Barista
I'm thinking about buying the Starbucks Barista espresso machine. Is this a decent machine for someone who doesn't really know good espresso and has no experience making espresso at home?
Back to top | view poster's profile
Posted by Hobbes on 2004-10-02 09:06:22 Post Subject: Barista
I'm thinking about buying the Starbucks Barista espresso machine. Is this a decent machine for someone who doesn't really know good espresso and has no experience making espresso at home?
Back to top | view poster's profile
View entire thread: Espresso machine and grinder question
Posted by tommyle on 2003-09-30 03:42:34 Post Subject: Espresso machine and grinder question
Hello everyone
After visiting a few sites that sell Espresso/Cappuccino machines, i still don't have a clue what i should have for my store . Here are what Ãve found
1. Barista Espresso machine (must buy grinder)
2. La Pavoni Espresso club combo duet (grinder included)
My questions: Should i buy Espresso machine and grinder separatedly ? What is the most popular Espresso/Cappuccino machine on the market? Any suggestions ? Thanks alot
Back to top | view poster's profile
Posted by tommyle on 2003-09-30 03:42:34 Post Subject: Espresso machine and grinder question
Hello everyone
After visiting a few sites that sell Espresso/Cappuccino machines, i still don't have a clue what i should have for my store . Here are what Ãve found
1. Barista Espresso machine (must buy grinder)
2. La Pavoni Espresso club combo duet (grinder included)
My questions: Should i buy Espresso machine and grinder separatedly ? What is the most popular Espresso/Cappuccino machine on the market? Any suggestions ? Thanks alot
Back to top | view poster's profile
View entire thread: Speciality Coffee Vending Business Thoughts
Posted by tastylildrink on 2006-11-15 01:31:59 Post Subject: Speciality Coffee Vending Business Thoughts
Hello all. I'm new here and I really love this forum. I have a question please. I consider myself an coffee fanatic. I love my vanilla lattes especially. Got my own barista espresso machine, grinder, set of syrups with pumps, even some coffee art for the wall in my coffee area, the whole nine yards. With my passion for coffee, and my entrepreneurial sprit, I an wanting to start and be a part of the coffee industry to share my passion with others. With that said, I have been looking at everything, and looking at forums like this one for months and months. I'm really trying to be thorough cause I have just a little cash and only one shot to get it right. I first looked at opening a retail store, but these days, without a drive-thru, your automatically loosing business, and putting one in is expensive, plus all the other costs associated with the build-out, equipment, etc for the rest of the store. For a 1200 sf size location without a drive-thru in my area, my best estimates put the cost at 80K minimum for everything. I’ve got a little cash, but not tha much, and I have struck out 3 times with 3 different banks for any kind of SBA loan even though my credit is rock solid. Next, I’ve been looking at the mobile coffee trailer. An outfit out of Canada has a hot dog style trailer, but built for espresso, complete with butane espresso machine, and battery for the built-in refrigerator, sink, water, storage. Really quite a sweet rig, but also costs about 20K with shipping, but still not a bad deal which I may still do. I would love to get the local Home Depot or Lowes to let me operate out front on weekends. So that takes to my question here and now. I have seen and talked to several outfits that are offering franchises where they sell you their espresso machines, and they assist you in placing these machines in other businesses like deli's, small restaurants, office buildings, etc, and you make your profit on the coffee modules they sell you at .25. You mark up the price of each module to .75 to the merchant. That is your profit; .50 per drink. Oh, by the way, the merchant pays nothing for the machine. Just the coffee, milk, and syrups. These machines look cheap, and I don’t like the coffee module concept for three reasons. Freshness, lack of varieties, and your locked into one source for your main product. I have however, in my entrepreneurial way, thought of doing this same concept, but using more superior quality fully automatic espresso machines that grind fresh beans, and includes a built-in automatic frother. The machines I am looking at have a digital counter that tells you how many times the machine has dispensed a drink. That is how the merchant can be billed, rather then by the capsules they must buy from you in the previous example. Using my concpet, my calculations are if I charge the vendor $1.00 for each drink dispensed, and if each vendor sells just 30 drinks per day, and I have 10 machines placed, subtract a little gas, insurance, and taxes, I should net about $4,500 per month. (the vendor will buy from me or buy themselves, the coffee, milk and syrup). My only job after placing the machines is stopping in regularily to clean the machine, get the counts, re-supply the merchant with coffee, etc. and collect my money for the drinks counted.
Does anyone have any experience in this endeavor, and if so, what? And are my figures even close to reality? What are the drawbacks, the plusses (obviously the big one is no rent and your own hours)?
I have not seen any posts at least in my initial searches on this forum for this subject. Thnx much…
Back to top | view poster's profile
Posted by tastylildrink on 2006-11-15 01:31:59 Post Subject: Speciality Coffee Vending Business Thoughts
Hello all. I'm new here and I really love this forum. I have a question please. I consider myself an coffee fanatic. I love my vanilla lattes especially. Got my own barista espresso machine, grinder, set of syrups with pumps, even some coffee art for the wall in my coffee area, the whole nine yards. With my passion for coffee, and my entrepreneurial sprit, I an wanting to start and be a part of the coffee industry to share my passion with others. With that said, I have been looking at everything, and looking at forums like this one for months and months. I'm really trying to be thorough cause I have just a little cash and only one shot to get it right. I first looked at opening a retail store, but these days, without a drive-thru, your automatically loosing business, and putting one in is expensive, plus all the other costs associated with the build-out, equipment, etc for the rest of the store. For a 1200 sf size location without a drive-thru in my area, my best estimates put the cost at 80K minimum for everything. I’ve got a little cash, but not tha much, and I have struck out 3 times with 3 different banks for any kind of SBA loan even though my credit is rock solid. Next, I’ve been looking at the mobile coffee trailer. An outfit out of Canada has a hot dog style trailer, but built for espresso, complete with butane espresso machine, and battery for the built-in refrigerator, sink, water, storage. Really quite a sweet rig, but also costs about 20K with shipping, but still not a bad deal which I may still do. I would love to get the local Home Depot or Lowes to let me operate out front on weekends. So that takes to my question here and now. I have seen and talked to several outfits that are offering franchises where they sell you their espresso machines, and they assist you in placing these machines in other businesses like deli's, small restaurants, office buildings, etc, and you make your profit on the coffee modules they sell you at .25. You mark up the price of each module to .75 to the merchant. That is your profit; .50 per drink. Oh, by the way, the merchant pays nothing for the machine. Just the coffee, milk, and syrups. These machines look cheap, and I don’t like the coffee module concept for three reasons. Freshness, lack of varieties, and your locked into one source for your main product. I have however, in my entrepreneurial way, thought of doing this same concept, but using more superior quality fully automatic espresso machines that grind fresh beans, and includes a built-in automatic frother. The machines I am looking at have a digital counter that tells you how many times the machine has dispensed a drink. That is how the merchant can be billed, rather then by the capsules they must buy from you in the previous example. Using my concpet, my calculations are if I charge the vendor $1.00 for each drink dispensed, and if each vendor sells just 30 drinks per day, and I have 10 machines placed, subtract a little gas, insurance, and taxes, I should net about $4,500 per month. (the vendor will buy from me or buy themselves, the coffee, milk and syrup). My only job after placing the machines is stopping in regularily to clean the machine, get the counts, re-supply the merchant with coffee, etc. and collect my money for the drinks counted.
Does anyone have any experience in this endeavor, and if so, what? And are my figures even close to reality? What are the drawbacks, the plusses (obviously the big one is no rent and your own hours)?
I have not seen any posts at least in my initial searches on this forum for this subject. Thnx much…
Back to top | view poster's profile
View entire thread: I want to roast & sell from home - why not?
Posted by lachris on 2008-08-11 14:58:11 Post Subject: I want to roast & sell from home - why not?
New to this board (second post)
I’ve been into specialty coffee for over two years now. By that I mean I caught the bug by buying some just roasted beans from ROJO roasters in the Northeast. Once I tasted that, I was off and running to find out more – I sought out and found folks that sell specialty greens – like Sweet Maria’s and tried roasting some on my very own popcorn popper. Even that was very good – better than my Eight –O’clock from Kroger.
I started seeking out specialty coffee houses in the local Louisville, KY area and found some very good ones – and some not so good, yet still in business. I got so caught up in the whole thing I found myself buying and roasting greens all the time. Friends and family are now seeking my next roast dates to scrounge fresh roasted coffee. I bought a *$ Barista espresso machine and a Virtuoso grinder and have been making some surprisingly good shots and milk drinks – more scroungers…
This past February I decided I wanted to look into opening my own coffee house in our small town outside Louisville – did I say small – 5000-6000? I found out about coffee fest in DC and attended and met everyone and attended ten or more seminars – sampled some really great espresso and packed home three bags full of brochures and business cards from folks I met and spoke to that weekend. From the follow ups I was swamped by coffee and flavor samples and other stuff like POS systems and counter/cabinet makers. Everything you can imagine.
I found a location - perfect, did several layouts, priced everything down to the frothed milk in an espresso macchiato and did all the due diligence we could think of. I spoke to and attended our local SCORE folks on business and opening a new start up. Worked out a brand and logo, colors and anything else you could think of.
At the end – our landlord decided we were taking too long and moved in a different direction with the space. Most likely this was better for me – our numbers for all the effort were coming up to be pretty pricey. More that I had capital for – of course that was the idea in the first place – the plan writing exercise was to find out if we could do it or not – right? NOT was the answer
– at least for now.
Meanwhile, my wife don’t want to stop thinking about the business, so we’ve been toying around with starting a small roasting business from home and growing it until we can make a good move to opening a small store selling espresso and beans. I want to renovate my garage and install an Ambex YM-2 and get on with the training.
Why shouldn’t we pursue this? Is it not a good idea to try and roast greens at home to eventually sell retail locally at markets and retailers – or internet? Someone tell me why I shouldn’t keep getting experience roasting and peruse this two year + old dream in the specialty coffee roasting business.
Money is tight but we can buy the roaster and set up shop. I have capital to work on getting more cupping knowledge and more experience - profiling experience and sampling. Is the retail environment good for this right now? Are there too many micro-roasters out there?
Need advice in LaGrange, KY.
Lachris
Back to top | view poster's profile
Posted by lachris on 2008-08-11 14:58:11 Post Subject: I want to roast & sell from home - why not?
New to this board (second post)
I’ve been into specialty coffee for over two years now. By that I mean I caught the bug by buying some just roasted beans from ROJO roasters in the Northeast. Once I tasted that, I was off and running to find out more – I sought out and found folks that sell specialty greens – like Sweet Maria’s and tried roasting some on my very own popcorn popper. Even that was very good – better than my Eight –O’clock from Kroger.
I started seeking out specialty coffee houses in the local Louisville, KY area and found some very good ones – and some not so good, yet still in business. I got so caught up in the whole thing I found myself buying and roasting greens all the time. Friends and family are now seeking my next roast dates to scrounge fresh roasted coffee. I bought a *$ Barista espresso machine and a Virtuoso grinder and have been making some surprisingly good shots and milk drinks – more scroungers…
This past February I decided I wanted to look into opening my own coffee house in our small town outside Louisville – did I say small – 5000-6000? I found out about coffee fest in DC and attended and met everyone and attended ten or more seminars – sampled some really great espresso and packed home three bags full of brochures and business cards from folks I met and spoke to that weekend. From the follow ups I was swamped by coffee and flavor samples and other stuff like POS systems and counter/cabinet makers. Everything you can imagine.
I found a location - perfect, did several layouts, priced everything down to the frothed milk in an espresso macchiato and did all the due diligence we could think of. I spoke to and attended our local SCORE folks on business and opening a new start up. Worked out a brand and logo, colors and anything else you could think of.
At the end – our landlord decided we were taking too long and moved in a different direction with the space. Most likely this was better for me – our numbers for all the effort were coming up to be pretty pricey. More that I had capital for – of course that was the idea in the first place – the plan writing exercise was to find out if we could do it or not – right? NOT was the answer
– at least for now. Meanwhile, my wife don’t want to stop thinking about the business, so we’ve been toying around with starting a small roasting business from home and growing it until we can make a good move to opening a small store selling espresso and beans. I want to renovate my garage and install an Ambex YM-2 and get on with the training.
Why shouldn’t we pursue this? Is it not a good idea to try and roast greens at home to eventually sell retail locally at markets and retailers – or internet? Someone tell me why I shouldn’t keep getting experience roasting and peruse this two year + old dream in the specialty coffee roasting business.
Money is tight but we can buy the roaster and set up shop. I have capital to work on getting more cupping knowledge and more experience - profiling experience and sampling. Is the retail environment good for this right now? Are there too many micro-roasters out there?
Need advice in LaGrange, KY.
Lachris
Back to top | view poster's profile