Coffee Shop News March 2018

Latest News and Interesting Stories Relating to Coffee Shops – March 2018 Edition

Taking 10-minutes from your busy day or hectic workload to enjoy a great tasting coffee can be your moment of sanctuary. Here are some interesting news items relating to coffee shops to while away your “me time”.

Fully vegan doughnut and coffee shop opens in London

In our recent article “5 Ways To Differentiate Your Coffee Shop From The Competition” we noted one way to was offer something different for the growing trend and massive opportunity for people living the vegan lifestyle. The Metro reports that Crosstown,  the doughnut company famous for its gourmet sourdough doughnuts is doing just that – a fully vegan coffee and doughnut shop.

Crosstown’s vegan fans will be pleased to know that they can soon buy their favourite vegan doughnuts seven days a week, at Crosstown’s new vegan doughnut and coffee shop in central London. The store will be in Marylebone, opposite Selfridges, on Picton Place, so will be perfect for Oxford Street shoppers who fancy a little rest. It will sell vegan doughnuts, speciality coffee, and a selection of other vegan hot and cold drinks. To celebrate, Crosstown is launching two new limited edition flavours, as a taste of what’s to come.  One is a vegan sourdough doughnut with a pineapple glaze, coconut chips, and tropical fruit compote and the other a vegan sourdough doughnut, with a vanilla glaze, vanilla crumble, and forest fruits compote in the middle.

Coffee shop chains eye big ice cream margins from a small footprint

Carpigiani has found a way of giving operators such as convenience stores, pastry shops and coffee shops a chance to make a margin from ice cream by creating a machine that measures just 300mm wide and works off a 13amp plug, reports “Food Service Equipment Journal”

The manufacturer’s new 161 model is its narrowest yet and features air venting on the bottom rather than the side, meaning that it can be butted up against a wall or next to other equipment for operators that are short on space.

Scott Duncan, sales director at Carpigiani, said that operators that haven’t traditionally had room for any form of frozen dessert offering are showing a keen interest in the 161.

“The key message for this model is that it’s ideal for anyone not serving ice cream at the moment that wants to menu extend, so add an ice cream or a frozen offer to their business – coffee shops and convenience stores, for example. We are talking to a couple of coffee shop chains at the moment that have shown an interest, both for soft ice cream and frozen yoghurt. It gives them a flexible option.”

Previously Carpigiani’s smallest machine was 500mm in width, but given that it also recommends a 100mm gap on either side for that model the 161 fits half the space.

Mr Duncan said that creating a self-pasteurising machine with a 13amp connection is a game-changer for the industry.

“There are three benefits for the self-pasteurisation. The first one is food safety because people know their products are safe. The second one is labour saving, because rather than cleaning it twice a week you only need to clean it every six weeks. And the third is when you clean your machine you’ve got to throw the product away, so there is a product saving.”

The 161 will serve up a single flavour from the tank and is capable of delivering three portions a minute, or around 180 an hour. “We wouldn’t recommend it if you’re on Brighton seafront but as a menu extension you are going to be able to deliver soft ice cream, some shakes and frozen yoghurt,” added Mr Duncan.

Simon Thomas reveals stranger’s act of kindness in a coffee shop

Simon Thomas, the former Blue Peter presenter, told his followers on social media on Monday that he had received an anonymous note from behind the counter when he took a trip out to his local coffee shop, Nomad Bakery, in Reading. When the dad-of-one went to pay, he was handed a piece of paper, which read: “Please could you take this as payment next time Simon Thomas comes in with his son Ethan for a drink and cake! Let them know everyone is wishing them both strength and happiness.”

On social media, Simon commented, “some wonderfully kind people out there. Someone left this in @nomadrdguk today. Whoever you are – thank you. God Bless.”

Heartbroken Simon announced the death of his 40-year-old wife on 25 November 2017. “Today I am crushed with indescribable pain,” Simon told his followers. “Just three days after falling ill with Acute Myloid Leukaemia, my dear wife Gemma passed away yesterday evening surrounded by her family and friends.” He added: “If you are a prayer – pray for my boy Ethan. 8 yrs, precious and in bits. Thank you.”

Starbucks trials extra 5p charge for takeaway coffee cups

If you buy a Starbucks coffee in London, you might notice an extra charge on top of your £3.10 cappuccino reports The Metro.

The chain has started a three-month trial where 5p is added to the cost of each drink if people do not bring their own mug with them. It affects 35 branches in London, including some in the West End and the City, and money from the extra charge will go to environmental charity Hubbub, which is helping coordinate it.

Effectively, people will be paying for their cup on top of their coffee in a bid to encourage them to think more about the waste they’re generating. Many coffee shops, including Starbucks, already offer a discount to people who bring in a reusable cup. Pret is the most generous, offering 50p off, while Starbucks and Costa both offer a 25p discount. However, most people still don’t bring their own cup – so the hope is that customers will respond better to an extra charge (the stick, as opposed to the carrot.)

Why aren’t coffee cups getting recycled? Takeaway coffee cups are very difficult to recycle because of their waterproof plastic coating, and as such are a major problem for the environment, with 2.5 billion thrown away every year in Britain Almost all of these cups are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill, because their plastic lining makes them expensive to recycle. Fewer than 1% of coffee cups are recycled because there are only three facilities in the UK that can split the paper and plastic components. However, most people dispose of their coffee cups in recycling bins because they think they’ll be recycled. Starbucks surveyed people and found that 48% of people surveyed said they would carry a reusable cup rather than pay a charge. However, drinks in reusable cups make up only 1 to 2% of purchases at UK coffee shops currently. It comes after MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee said chains should introduce a 25p ‘latte levy’ last month to try and combat the waste generated. Committee chairwoman Mary Creagh said: ‘The UK throws away 2.5billion disposable coffee cups every year, enough to circle the planet five-and-a-half times. Almost none are recycled and half a million a day are littered. # ‘Coffee cup producers and distributors have not taken action to rectify this, and Government has sat on its hands. ‘The UK’s coffee shop market is expanding rapidly, so we need to kick-start a revolution in recycling. We’re calling for action to reduce the number of single-use cups, promoting reusable cups over disposable cups and to recycle all coffee cups by 2023.’