The iced age
Hot weather kills coffee sales - that's a fact. Sure, bottled water and cola move faster when the sun beats down, but the margin is hardly significant.
So how do you move coffee in hot weather? By taking a leaf out of America's book and selling iced coffee.
We're about two years behind the USA with this trend, estimates Gary McGann, general manager of Espresso Warehouse, but it is a trend that's growing. Take a look at the figures. Tchibo reports that in the hot summer months of July and August of last year, iced coffee sales soared to 30% of total coffee sales. And at Caffe Ritazza, frappes accounted for 25% of all soft drink sales, with its UK Rail division reporting it to be the best-selling soft drink last summer.
The key to achieving a premium price of between £2.50 and £3.50 is to blend the drinks to order. A popular way in the USA is to use the Toddy Cold Brew System to make a coffee concentrate, which can then be added to milk or water and served over ice. The system was developed 40 years ago by chemical engineering graduate Todd Simpson and is simply a plastic brewing container which sits over a glass decanter. Ground coffee goes into the container along with cold water and is then left to brew for 12 hours. Remove the stopper and there you have a glass jug full of coffee concentrate. See www.toddycafe.com for more information. n
Recipes Lavazza has developed recipes for two chilled offerings based on espresso and cappuccino under the banner "I Piaceri del Caff‚" for food service operators. Those wishing to add the drinks to their menus are required to attend training at the Lavazza Training Centre in London, where they will be taught to make and serve them. The range is supported by point-of-sale material, including posters, counter boards, big boards and table menus. Materials to create I Piaceri del Caff‚ recipes are supplied by Lavazza and include a range of syrups and a recipe book with step-by-step illustrated instructions. Contact 020 8740 3820.
Tchibo has put together an iced coffee pack to enable caterers to offer a menu of iced coffee recipes. The pack contains a chrome finish electrical blender and a contemporary cocktail shaker as well as marketing material to promote iced coffee drinks. The starting price is £79.99, and the company estimates the cost will be covered after the sale of 40 cups of iced coffee. Contact 01372 729644.
Mocha Breeze is a ready-to-blend iced drink from Espresso Warehouse incorporating coffee, chocolate and ice (there are two other drinks in the Breeze range based on green tea). To prepare, add the concentrate to a cup of ice, blend, pour and serve. The drinks come in 12 x one-litre Tetra packs that can be stored ambient and stay fresh for five days once opened, if kept in the fridge. Each carton provides about 10 finished 8oz drinks. The brand is supported by free point-of-sale material. Contact 0141-420 2422.
