Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Coffee, Tea and Equipment

Using good suppliers is my number one priority.  If I don't choose carefully the people that roast my coffee beans and source my tea leaves, then I'm not giving myself an advantage over the competition.  My entire business plan is based around providing a product that is of the highest standard.  Delicious coffee, tea AND food - all in a nice cafe.  Oh, and lets not forget that you should be able to have all of these things, and not spend much more than $20.  If that.

The main question I get asked in regards to suppliers is: What coffee are you using?
Logo
Then I reply with "5 Senses".  Then people respond with either "Oh nice! They are really good" or "Never heard of em'".
To quote directly from their website: "We are a family owned company that started as a single roasting site in Rockingham, Western Australia but have since grown to be a coffee roasting company with roasting operations and supporting infrastructure on both sides of the country. Our journey has been relatively short but how we are defined now bears testimony to our history — one filled with youthfulness exuberance and an unashamed desire to raise consciousness about specialty coffee."

I really like every cup of coffee I've ever had from these guys.  I've worked with their product in a couple of cafes now and have found it pretty damn excellent.  As a big supporter of the Australian hospitality industry myself, using an Australian roaster was a no brainer.  Their reputation as awesome roasters is growing rapidly and I have no hesitation jumping on that bandwagon.

Now that being said, using 5 Senses kiiiind of goes hand in hand with the use of some of the best equipment in coffee that money can buy.  I wanted, needed, kicked and screamed until I found a way to have one of these babies.....
:
Synesso Sabre
Ok so that is a pretty shitty picture, but I actually can't find one on the internet right now.  Anyway, its a totally badass cool espresso machine that cost many me many dollars so I hope it is a real one and legit on its way to Australia right now on some boat somewhere.

And now tea.  Tea was the easiest choice of them all.  Teacraft of course.
These guys are doing some really cool stuff with tea.  Nothing fake or flavoured.  Just real, delicious, amazing tea.  I visited them (in their secret squirrel operation garage hidden in a very large kennards storage outlet) to test teas out and get their opinion on what might be best for my operation.  I ended up with about two of each kind of tea, and the best method to brew them and a very full bladder.  Plus some really cool teapots that I think people will have fun dispensing their tea out of.

Now this is all I can tell you guys about my trade secrets.  My milkshake recipes are all confidential because they will blow your mind and all of my cakes are baked on site by myself, my newly retired and now re-hired Mama and maybe even my grandpa who is right into the baking.

My breakfast and lunch menu is nearly complete, but still in its final stages.  I would have to say I am most nervous about that.  I know what I like in a good menu, but I can't really speak for the general population.  It might be a bit of trial and error.  Any suggestions are welcome!

Cheers
SBP

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