Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope all have a great, relaxing day with friends and family. A Thought Over Coffee will be on hold until January 15th as I will be taking a great vacation with my family to Africa. We have had a great year with Cafe Evoke and Cafe Evoke Catering. While we never did find a location or get our doors opened for our cafe, I am very excited about our chances to serve this community and also the global community through coffee catering. One of the things I love about it is that it is new, difference, and excited. Not only are we one of the only companies in Montana doing this, we are one of the few in the specialty coffee industry. We are on the front lines and have the opportunity to set the bar for this type of catering service. Starting January 15th, this blog will again focus on progress -- documenting our push through Q1 of 2007. We will be recording our goals and our accomplishments towards them. We will talk coffee, business, and community. I will disclose, as always, as much true and honest information as I can in hopes that it will help you with your business. Thanks for a great year. This blog will have it's second birthday while I am gone -- happy birthday A Thought Over Coffee! Be good this Christmas and have a great holiday season. ..be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, bozeman, montana

You can tell that it is Christmas

Yes, it is in the air. The smell of Christmas and the cheerful attitudes that go with it. I can tell you, Christmas is more of a time for relief it seems lately for me. I have been working many hours a day trying to get ready to leave for 3 weeks on a family vacation, I work for an online retailer and everyone can imagine how that is going right now, and people are angry. Now, keep in mind that this is a blanket statement and not about everyone but you know what I mean. What makes this time nice for me is our catering business. I am very excited about confident in our position going into next year and, despite what our P&L looks like, think we will be in an even better position after this coming year. I love to see people excited to see us serving coffee at their events and the passion that I feel for coffee and the process seems to latch on to them in ways I love to see. Along with the good feeling of increased business, we are moving as soon as we are back from Christmas holiday (pictures to come) and I am very excited about it. Things are going well and I hope everyone is having a stress free holiday season -- as it should be. ..be bold

Upcoming

We have been doing a lot of planning. We have been thinking up ways to really get our name out there and educate people about what coffee catering really is. We have been going around to people and telling them that there is a company in town that is more than just a business. A company that provides a service that produces more than a product. We have been telling people about Cafe Evoke Catering. Not only have we been telling people, we have been trying to show as many people as possible. There has never been a doubt in our minds that our concept, design, and dedication to the art and process of specialty coffee is as good as anything around, we just did not know really how to get people excited about it. We have a few things that are coming up that could spell the beginning of our future here in Bozeman. I have written before about our chance to particpate in the bridal show, A Bridal Affair that is taking place at the Gallatin Valley Mall on January 20th. I am very excited about this event as I know this is where many brides finalize their plans or get new ideas for their big day. I am confident that when a bride has a chance to talk with us, try our products, and see it all set up, it can only mean more business. This is a show that has many brides but also others just walking around. We will really have to make sure we are spending our time dealing with the right people. I had heard rumors about a great show over at The Woodlands on "January 7th that caters to more of the serious wedding crowd. This is a show that, for vendors, is invite only and for brides, one that cannot be missed. I called to find out if they had spots opened only to find that there was already a long waiting list. I was a bit bummed that we could not particpate as I know it would fit us perfectly. I came home to an email from the director inviting Cafe Evoke to particpate and informing me that we would have the first both as people enter the show. This is a big deal for us and our future. I am very happy with our positioning and think that things can only get better. So, as a recap, we are really going after it during Q1 of this year. We have two big events with the bridal shows and I hope we can continue to book events as we go. This is when we must pedal harder and faster and attack each corner like it is our last. We have been preparing for this for a long time now it is time to see the fruits of our labor, the stage win, or the stuck landing -- whatever your fancy. ..be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, bozeman, montana

A Busy Weekend

Well, it did not look as though we were going to be very busy this weekend but we were. We were called a few days ago by a lady throughing what she called a Home Business Expo at the fairgrounds in town and they wanted a coffee service for vendors and guests. The event was going to be a long one (9:00a-8:00p on Saturday and 9:00a-6:00p Sunday) and we were already booked with our normal weekend gigs so I did not expect to be able to help. I decided it was worth a shot to quote her out a price for service up until about 3:00p -- enough time for us to pack up and get to our other event -- and she accepted. I ran around on Friday trying to get it all in order and get to the location to set up. The main reason I wanted to do this event was for the marketing opportunity. The more people who see us the better. We have done many of these fund raisers with not much success as far as booking future events. I was really hoping this one would be different -- and it was. We booked an event for next May at another Bozeman school. This will be our third school function with is great. It gets us in front of young families and allows us to cater to a very large "audience". Being out in public has proven to be a great way for us to market. I have learned what types of events suit us and I hope to continue with these paid advertising opportunities as we more forward with Cafe Evoke Catering. ..be bold. Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, bozeman, montana

The Coffee and Tea Festival (#18)

Thanksgiving is over and it is time for the Coffee and Tea Festival. We had a few submissions for this week -- thank you. I am still looking for coffee/tea place reviews so send them. Until I get a few, I will keep pushing that edition back. Also, most of the post I received through the great little form I always talk about were spam. Yes, I am getting spam in every way possible. Anyway, I see no reason to not move forward with the festival so here we go.. Zevbo presents Coffee and Acid Reflux posted at Coffee, K-Cup Coffee and Tea Reviews. Is it that I never get tired of hearing that the amount of coffee I drink is not bad for me or are we all trying to prove that it is ok that we drink so much? Here is yet another article about the benifits of coffee. Ah, but wait, there is a twist to this one -- acid reflux. Ever had it? I have and it is not good. I am one of the masses who really thought it had something to do with the coffee, the acidity everyone always talks about. Wrong, oh so wrong. Another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in May 2006 showed that not drinking coffee does not reduce acid reflux. Instead, researchers from the Stanford University found that only two behavioral changes can reduce symptoms of acid reflux - eating less and elevate your head while sleeping. This thing tells us that coffee is actually very low in acid which is good to hear. Ok ok, I guess I need to begin eating right. So, how about a Miele Nespresso machine of your very own? Yes, for those of us who really enjoy the process of coffee, it might not be prime. It is cool though. And for a mire $2,100.00, it can be yours! People in Arizona are talking about it. Join in. Did you hear that Starbucks coffee can stay fresh for 6 weeks? That is some coffee! I am reading this book and while I am impressed with alot of the business ideas behind this company, can their coffee truly be considered fresh after 6 weeks? I have seen this doll before and Morning Coffee, Afternoon Tea is talking about it. The doll has a green apron..hum. Oh, and a few other coffee blogs I have found...CoffeeStash, CoffeeSage, The Year of Coffee Well, that will do it for this weeks edition. Thanks to everyone who submitted and please keep the posts coming. The more we get, the more we can all get to know each other and these great industries. If you find anything that should be included, please pass them along! As always, you can submit your posts with this fantastic little form or click on the ad on the left side-bar of this blog. It would be great to have a Coffee and Tea Festival about coffee shops and tea rooms. Do you have a favorite? Write a post about it and include a picture and get it to me for the next edition. I will keep bringing this up and hopefully we will have something going before long. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. ..be bold Tagged: coffee and tea festival, blog carnival, espresso, coffee, tea

What is your market?

For the past several months, I have been trying to figure out what our market really is here in Bozeman -- who really wants coffee catering, who can afford it, and how do we get to them. Coffee Catering is really getting popular around the country as an althernative to an open bar and also for those that are interested in throwing parties with a unique twist. I am online every day looking at other companies around and feel that our set up (equipment), service, and quality are amongst the highest out there. That does not get us business as you all know. We need to be sure we are getting into the pockets of the community. We have defined our target market as woman, weddings and corporations. We have began to tailor our marketing dollars to only these areas and are going to begin a very big push (more to come on this very soon). We are particpating in bridal shows in which we will set up our equipment and serve free coffee in hopes to book events on that same day. We are advertising in papers that woman mostly read and have our ad coming out in the yellow pages next fall. We also have our Montana Bride ad coming out any day now which will get our name and information in front of many brides to be that will be getting married in Bozeman. We are also going to begin offering airpot coffee service in which we brew coffee and take it to businesses for meetings, etc. I hope this opens more doors for us. This will be a big thing for us to offer to businesses around Bozeman and Big Sky. The money is not as good for this service but the fact that the prep time is so short, it should only ad to our services -- and bottom line. Sometimes you have to create your market. Yes, being the first to enter this market is nice but it certainly makes the road difficult. I like to think of it as a backcountry ski day. Someone has to cut the trail on the way up. It is hard and will wear you out. What is the benifit of this? First tracks on the way down. That is what we are doing with Cafe Evoke Catering -- carving our way for the future. We have to educate people and tell them what coffee catering really is. We have to show them that they want and need us at their events. We will be doing many things that we have not done before which will lead to things we have never had before -- business, customers, community. This blog is going to change corse in a matter of weeks. It will be honest and show the struggles this "big push" will cause. It will also be an exciting time to see what happens when we carry out our plans for serving the community of Bozeman Montana the best tea, coffee, and espresso the industry has to offer. ..be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, bozeman, montana

Egg Nog

So, I have a gallon of Egg Nog. What drinks should I make with it? ..be bold

We can't give it away -- what gives?

I wrote yesterday about some great ways to give for the holidays. I also wrote about how we as Americans throw away so much stuff each year that is surpases that of some small countries. That is staggering. It began to trigger many thoughts about what we do with our "old" stuff that we do not use anymore. I feel very strongly about the "3 R's" and try my best to reduce and reuse as much as possible. Here is my problem -- and maybe you can help. We have many old articles of clothing that we have tried many times to take to thrift stores, The Salvation Army, and other organizations like that who all tell us they are closed for donations and are completely filled. Really? Can they truely be completely filled? I see at least one person each day walking the streets of Bozeman that could use some of the stuff we are trying to give. It is in good shape and should be something they can match up with someone that needs it. Why is it so hard to donate? Where do we take this stuff? I really hate to throw perfectly good clothing away but what are my options? What I would love to see in Bozeman is something like The Hope Center in my home town of Edmond , Oklahoma. This is what they do from their website: The Hope Center served approximately 30,000 people in 2003 of which 75% were women and children. Problems seen at Hope Center include divorce, unemployment, illness, homelessness, and child abuse. An important function of Hope Center is to provide referral service to clients on resources available to them in the Oklahoma County area. The Hope Center strives to focus on long term solutions to client problems by requiring them to complete a specific plan to improve their situation, such as, look for employment, apply for disability, reduce expenses, or seek financial counseling. While this group is more than just a place for us to donate our "old" things, it is great to see them reaching out to the local communities. What are other ways we could use our old stuff? GreenlaGirl would probably find a great way to change them into coasters or flower pots but I am not that creative -- nor that great with my knitting needles! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. ..be bold

It's that time of year...make something out of it.

It is the holiday season which means you are surely out and about finding gifts to give your friends, family, and others. What are your plans? Here is the thing, there are many ways that you can give gifts that will also benifit others. Cool huh? Global Exhange has a great store with all sorts of great things to give. Not only will you have something to give at the end of the month, you will also be giving people in other countries a chance to earn a living and support their families. Yes, this time of the year is a time of giving but is it the same to give a bunch of stuff to others when our friends in smaller countries can not even put a meal on their table? At this point, you might be asking what other options you have if you cannot find anything by clicking the above link. Well, you could shop at Oxfam. This is a bit of a different type of giving. There are many cool deals that are going on with Oxfam this year. One of them is Oxfam Unwrapped. Here is how it works according to their site: Oxfam America works in 26 countries around the world. This catalog contains gift items that symbolically represent our work. The items selected represent project goals from grants disbursed by our seven offices around the world. The purchase of each gift item is a contribution toward Oxfam America's many programs, not a donation to a specific project or goal. Your donation will be used where it is needed the most--to help people living in poverty throughout the world. I really like the fact that you can buy -- say, a cow -- for instance. How great is that? You get a nice card with a cow on it sent to who you are buying it (you are giving it in their name) and a cow is purchased and giving to someone how needs it. Very cool. You would surely be amazed at how far a cow can go -- milk, food, training, commerce, etc. Oxfam also has a nice list of places you can shop for your loved ones and friends. I would pick a company from their list and watch you gift keep on giving. If one of these does not work, how about helping your local food bank or shelter? Maybe even donate some of your stuff to a local organization or give money to your animal shelter. Really, what it all boils down to is taking care of our friends and community neighbors wherever they may be. If you are having a problem, like I am, with giving stuff away, go around the orgs and find someone to personal give you stuff to. I heard the other day that Americans throw away more than some countries will ever produce. Wow. Do something nice this year and help out a friend here and far away. .be bold