Holy Smokes

See what I'm dealing with? Ok, so maybe it does not look to bad but still - it is killing me! I cannot get organized to save my life (or Cafe Evoke Catering's life). Every time I get my desk somewhat in order, State Farm sends me 17 insurance cards, I get 3 magazines, or I start a project. Soon, however, I will have all of my filing cabinets in OKC from Bozeman and it will be all great. Also, notice the photo. I finally figured out how to work this new MacBook (although I am bummed because they just released the new one for the same price yesterday). I took this using Photo Booth and am pretty proud of myself. There will be more pictures to come once the camera is here. I will show you around my new office and what the old office looked like during the move - sad. Lots of work to do here today so this is all you get. More later I'm sure. Oh, before I forget -here are a few other random things for this morning: 1. Did you notice this blog, A Thought Over Coffee turned 4 in January? Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday....ok ok. 2. Tell your friends to add this blog back to their "blogroll". We used to be ranked like 50,000 on Technorati and now we are like 962,510. Seriously. I promise I am writing again! 3. Drink more coffee and hire one of the coffee caterers talked about a few days ago to cater your next event. 4. Enjoy your Thursday. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

Waiting for Samples

When I have to do this, it feels like Christmas. The times you know you are going to be getting something in the mail and it seems like it takes an eternity! I began looking for a new roaster a week or so ago and now have samples from a few of them on the way. Our current roaster in Bozeman, Yellowstone Coffee, was gracious enough to send us our order when we need it but it just felt like they were not comfortable sending it (or charging me shipping because they had to raise their prices). Even after raising their prices, they were literally half of what I paid yesterday. No worries though (although that expensive coffee I bought was ground to coarse and it was really bad). So, here I find myself - waiting for the mail to come. I have no idea if it will be here today, tomorrow, next Monday. Maybe I should try the stuff Jason Haeger has been cupping. Who knows. All I know is that I will have to order it from outside of Oklahoma City because there is not much going on here on that front. Have any suggestions? So far, I have stuff coming from my friend Heather at Batdorf and Bronson, my old friends in Nashville at Bongo Java, and a new friend at Double Shot Coffee in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For all you Starbucks Challenge folks, you may remember this guys business from his dance with our friends at Starbucks. I will keep you updated on this. If we can't find something that really blows us out of the water, we may keep ordering from Montana. Why stop a good thing? If we are smart, the pricing, including shipping, will still be about the same as some of the other roasters in the area. Happy Wednesday. Oh, the event went great last night. We met many great new people that will hopefully be great friends in the future. Thanks for asking. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

OKC Firsts..

Today is our first event as an Oklahoma corporation. I am ready to pull some espresso let me tell you. I have been filling out paperwork, making phone calls, and doing other admin stuff and it is about to kill me. It is amazing that we moved here for coffee and I have yet to do any. Tonight was actually supposed to be our second event but we had equipment problems - again - and times two! Our main machine had a problem with the line that connects the gauge with the boiler. I was super bummed but ok as I had a "spare" MAC 2000 machine. I grabbed it, went to install it, and then began wiping water from all over the place. The MAC 2000 had a frozen flow meter - not good. So, I had to begin calling our clients at 8:00 pm the night before telling them we would not be there at 7:00 in the morning. They were gracious to us and we re-scheduled for this coming Friday. Lucky for us. So, after $375.00. we are up and going again better than ever and ready to pour some latte art and espresso. I will say it again, it is hard to believe we moved from the northwestern USA to Oklahoma for coffee. Our client wants drip coffee along with specialty coffee drinks. I say, no problem. Well, our bulk grinder is not here yet so I figured I would just go to one of the local shops and pick up some drip coffee and get it brewing for tonight. There is a place called Coco Flow in OKC that has probably the best espresso prep in town. They are actually a chocolate shop (thanks Captain Obvious) who hired some great coffee people who really care about what they are doing. I called this morning to see about getting some coffee and was about knocked over - $14.95 per pound! Holy shit! Is that normal for something not Cup of Excellence? They use Intelligentsia but I am pretty sure they are not serving anything from the top shelf - I could be wrong. I did check Intelligentsia's retail pricing, however, and it seems they are about the same. Wow. I miss the days of going down to see my friends in Bozeman when I needed coffee and paying $8.00. Oh well, it is what it is I guess. So, we will take our "black gold" with us tonight and serve some sweet espresso drinks and have a kick ass time. I'll tell you all about it. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

I have to talk about it - don't I?

When I was in high school in Edmond Oklahoma, there was not a Starbucks to be seen - seriously. Now, they are everywhere. In fact, I found this site that gives pictures and locations of every Starbucks in town. This image shows a few of them in the Oklahoma City area but not even close to every location. I stopped by the one close to my parents house (the lack of quality coffee in this area is incredible - more on that later) and saw the sign talking about being closed to "perfect the art of espresso" or something like that. I was thinking about that on my way home and was pretty excited that they would be taking the time to really learn espresso. I then began to think about it more. I have heard from several people that the company is planning on putting Marzocco machines back in each store which would be cool and training would be needed. But now, they still have super automatic machines. What training (on espresso most specifically) is needed? The barista must keep the machine filled with espresso but that is about it when it comes to espresso. The machine grinds, tamps, doses, and pulls the shots automatically. All the barista is left with is the milk (which from what I have seen needs to be talked about). So, what are they going to be talking about? I give them credit for taking the time to train but it almost seems like they are using this time as a marketing ploy. I mean, how many indie shops around do training? Most of them I would say. Do they close early for this? No, they have a training machine in the back or do it after hours (or, believe it or not, do it during shift!). I think about all the press this is getting. I think this day of closing is more about getting people to believe they are really taking a step forward (and maybe they are) and not really about espresso. But hey, if for nothing else, maybe they will begin to get their barista to think about espresso for more than a $7.00 per hour pay check. Go get um lead baristas of Starbucks. Train away. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

It's up. It's running. It's New!

We have had many different splash pages up at www.CafeEvoke.com over the years (wow, that is weird to say.."over the years") but this is the best. Our all new site is now up and going. The things I am very excited about are.... 1. It looks cool and feels different than most sites. 2. The mailing list and templates are going to be sweet. 3. The photo section is fun and will be very helpful in selling our services. 4. The new contact form works WAY better than it used to which is nice. Those are the four main things I like. The site is simple and is not the final version by any means but still really great for us. Go check it out and let me know what you think. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

I guess we brought it with us..

Check out this 7 day forecast from our friends at KOCO News 5 in Oklahoma City. Are you looking closely? Make sure you note the weather today (that is the first column on the picture). Yes, that says 33 degrees. I am pretty sure it reached that overnight however. Remember our last trip to Oklahoma City? I thought it was just bad because we were visiting but apparently it ices like this often. Yes, I grew up here. But after 7 years away (4 in TN and 3 in MT), I forget how icy wintery weather is different in the South than in the Northwest. I will learn again I'm sure. The crazy thing about weather here is that it was 73 degrees when I rolled into to Oklahoma on the 14th of February. It was blowing about 903 mph but other than that, a great day. The past week though has not been great. So, we are getting things together with Evoke. The new CafeEvoke.com is going to launch any minute now which we are excited about and things are beginning to pick up. I have about one more day left of getting my office cleaned and in order and then we should really be set. Events are filling up the calender and we are pushing hard to get more and more people on board with what we do. It is actually nice to have the competition in our market because we have something to sell against. I need to get back to work. Have a great Thursday and a nice weekend. More coffee news and posts starting shortly! ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

Just Updating Everyone

So, after 5 hours of installation done by the great young chap from Cox Communications, we are set up for internet! So, if you are at my new house (and office) you are more than welcome to use it - just don't ask me for a trash can, a glass of water, or something to eat or sit on. Sorry! I also kicked it in the closet for a few hours today getting some painting done - so pretty. My great mom came over to help which was great because no only did the closets get done, but so did the shelves above what will be the washer and dryer. Thanks mom! So, still no pictures. I have no camera and I don't know how to make the one on my new MacBook work for me yet. I am sure I will figure it out if I only try. Maybe I will borrow the rents camera tomorrow so that you can view - not just read - theses updates. We have lots to do. I need to get the rest of my office stuff unpacked and in order so that we are ready for our first event which is Friday. We are excited for it. I will write more tomorrow... ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

So, "Who" is on first?

...or, as I like to say when I go, "a 12 oz double americano please." Thanks to Arizona Coffee. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, starbucks, oklahoma city, oklahoma The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

We're Rockin It

So, I have been in Oklahoma City for a few days now. The weather has been dumb and I'm ready for something better but other than that, we have been rocking towards getting going with Cafe Evoke Catering. We have been booking events and getting things together for the ones we have already booked but there are a few other small things we are going to have to do before we can really begin selling our services. I am pretty excited for the future of Evoke as a corporation. There are so many great things we can do here for the community and for the coffee industry. We are ready to get going full speed ahead. I can say that I am missing Bozeman, Montana alot. I miss having a spot to get a great espresso but that is why we are here - to provide that to the city of Oklahoma City. I miss my friends in the Northwest but hopefully a shop like Evoke that is connected to what the industry is doing and is about will bring those friends here. Sorry there are no photos yet from Oklahoma City. The camera is with my wife in Bozeman so photos will have to wait until the first of March when she gets here. So much more to come from OKC. Coffee Shop reviews, happenings from around the city, and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma city, oklahoma The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

Has Anyone Seen My __________ ?

Head, Brain, Coffee, you fill in the blank. I think there is smoke coming out of my ears now, too. I'm in a world of shape right now. So, did I tell you I was in the middle of moving Cafe Evoke Catering to Oklahoma City? I'll tell you, moving is pretty stressful and I should know - I have done it 5 times in the past 3 years. Pretty awesome. I can also tell you that moving a business across state lines is even more stressful. The good news though is that I am here! My pup and I arrived yesterday afternoon after a 20 or so hour drive. We got in about 1:30 pm so it was nice. I went to our new house and got the trailer and car unloaded. Today, I have a long to-to list to get things in order. It is a bit crazy because I am staying at my parents place and setting up my office at our place. I have to go somewhere to use the internet because ours will not be installed until Tuesday. No problem though. I will keep writing as we get things done. Pictures will follow. Lots to do so a good day to you. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma city, Oklahoma The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

One Final Event

Our time in Bozeman, Montana is coming to an end (at least this part of our journey). We are down to our last event for awhile in this town and it is with our friends at the Museum of the Rockies. This is the second time we have helped them with their annual winter fundraiser. We did it last year and had a great time. This event feels different. I don't know if it is because it is our last one or if we have reached the point that we just understand what we do, how to get it down, and how to keep it stress free. Who knows. I can say that I am fairly calm about it even though it is a black tie ball with over 300 people invited. Once this event is over, packing the office takes top priority. I hope to be on the road Wednesday or so for Oklahoma City and the beginning of a new era for all of Evoke. It has been busy up to this point and it is only going to get busier. We are going to enjoy it tonight, however, and pick it up running tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can get some good photos of tonight to share with you. Have a good weekend. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, museum of the rockies, bozeman, montana The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

Ideablob.com and Belmont University

Belmont University had become very good friends with the beta version of Ideablob.com - a place where business and entrepreneurs can go submit their ideas and grow them into great opportunities. The winning idea wins $10,000. Not a bad idea at all! So, my past professor and chair of the entrepreneurship department at Belmont has been keeping us all updated on Belmont students that have been submitting ideas. There are already been a few students from Belmont in the top 8 and this months is no different with 2. Now, I like both of these ideas for this month but one is very close to my heart. Here is what Janice Dotti submitted: "I want to create a completely fair trade, completely organic coffeehouse that sponsors social justice causes while taking care with the environment. In addition to serving fair trade coffee, we will also only use fair trade sugar, tea, and cocoa as we educate our consumers on how their buying habits affect the working poor in developing countries. Every month, this coffeehouse would sponsor a social justice cause--promoting awareness to customers about worldwide issues of injustice. This coffeehouse will also have free wifi, live music, local art--all with a community emphasis." Does that sound familiar? So, I am glad that others are having the same idea and understanding that it is important to take care of our friends in coffee producing countries. This model she has described is very similar to what we have created for Evoke. I guess I only wish I had submitted Evoke's plans! I am proud that a conscious coffee shop owner is going after this type of exposure, just as the $10,000.00 will help her start-up, the press will help our goal of helping those in other countries. You can help by voting for her idea at here. You will need to create an account but it is not a big deal. Great day to you. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, bozeman, montana The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

Annoying Little Pop-up

So, are you getting that annoying little pop-up every time you come to A Thought Over Coffee? Well, if you are, I'm working on it. Here is the deal.. I used to run several different ad companies on this blog. I have in the past few months decided that I will not be advertising on this blog in the form of standard sidebar ads. I will post press releases for related companies and products if they are emailed to me but that is all. So, one of the companies I used to use is BlogKits.com and it seems the certificate has expired so it is going to ask you every time you come to this site if you want to continue. Please continue. I am looking in to my code trying to find the tag that needs to be deleted. My apologies for the pop-up. I will fix it I promise. Happy Wednesday to you. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma city, oklahoma The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

Dr. Ernesto Illy

My friend Bruce writes this great piece about Illy on Barista Exchange. I am reposting it as it is hard to put it any better than from someone who called Ernesto a true friend. I write this today with profound sadness combined with some tears. As I walked into the office today my son Matt told me about Dr. illy’s passing. The shock still has not set in as at this writing I have had only minutes to attempt to process the news. My personal association and that of Bellissimo… goes back many many years. When I entered this industry I used his philosophy and his benchmarks for coffee as the Bible of what was right and wrong. He was my ultimate teacher and mentor. I was so lucky that I had the chance to actually spend quality amounts of time with him over the years. What he did for me personally – for both my growth and passion cannot be summed up in a simple blog. There is no way I can even try to explain why I would never be where I am today in coffee without the encouragement and the standards set by this one of a kind man. I was asked to introduce him many years ago in Seattle at a special small dinner of about a hundred invitees… an honor I am humbled by. Before this… when edition one of “Espresso101” was ready for release or re-editing I sent him a copy and he told me he had watched it three times and said he appreciated what this film would do to further proper education around the world. For me it is a conversation I will never forget. He came by my trade show booth on numerous occasions and ask if we could sit down and discusses espresso in America. He once brought a contingency of men into my booth at a SCAA show and proceeded to wax poetic about what we (Bellissimo) had done for the industry. I was so humbled. The pride I felt after this experience and the respect he showed me over the years is truly one of the reasons I forged on. I cannot tell you how many times I would think… “What would Dr. illy do in this situation?” I looked at him as a man that possessed so many attributes… someone I wanted to learn from and somehow capture just a fraction of his essence -allowing me to be a better human being and a greater servant to specialty coffee. He flew one time on a few days notice to Milan to allow us to film him and produce what I believe is the ultimate definitive film and interview with him. I remember so vividly having breakfast with him at the Four Seasons Hotel before the shoot and asking him so respectfully… to try and answer the questions as though he was speaking to a high school student that had not taken chemistry and physics… he smiled and understood. The interview that we will now re-release (that was already in progress) turned out to be so amazing and so insightful – Ernesto so truly got it! He understood every aspect of coffee and retail… but most of all life. He is that rare individual and no one person can ever fill the void he now leaves. Over the past couple of years I have thought so many times how I wish I could have just one more hour in the presence of this man… and I worried that news such as today’s would come in and I would know this now… will never happen. So I just am thankful and so appreciative that I did have the honor to have the time that I did have and count that as a blessing. The last time we were together was when we were both speaking in Boca at the NCA convention. On the final evening waiting together in the large lobby outside the room our dinner was to take place… he ask me if I could work it out so that we sat together for the gala dinner. Each time something like this happened I would be so humbled and almost shocked that someone I held in the highest esteem in some small way considered me his friend. None of us know what the future afterlife brings but I pray somewhere someday he and I can have a great espresso together. Dr illy – I will miss you so. Of course I never had the chance to meet Dr. Illy or even hear a talk or seminar with him but I have always been a huge fan of what he did for specialty coffee. He will be missed. You can also check out the SCAE's site and read a nice piece about him as well. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, bozeman, montana The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts

There's Something Happening Here

So much is happening with Evoke right now it is crazy. What is even more crazy is the fact that things have been happening and I have not even posted one single blog post about it. Yes, I got a "happy holidays" post in while things were being stirred up with our company but that is all. Are you kidding me? So, what is all of the news? Well, let's start with the big piece of news that really drives the rest. Cafe Evoke Catering is opening it's doors in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma! As of March 1st, we will be officially opened in the Sooner State and ready to do business. I am planning on heading that way to get the office set up and legal stuff out of the way mid February with hopes to be busy shortly after. So, that being said (and no, I do not plan on leaving you hanging with just that. It will take several posts to explain it all, trust me!), we have much to do. There is the re-printing of marketing stuff, there are new contacts to be made, new vendors and distributors to set up, new laws (like sales tax!) that I have to learn, and so much more. Currently, here is where we are: An all new CafeEvoke.com. While this next edition of the website will still be far short of what we hope to have in the future, you can expect to see better content and a more filled out look. They are working on the site as we speak and I am excited to see what they come up with. I have seen the first structural ideas and I am excited with the progress. They hope to be wrapping it up in 2-3 weeks. You can check out our designers at their website. They do some cool stuff. All new printed material. As I have mentioned and talked about before, we have a kit that we send out to future clients that has all sorts of information about Cafe Evoke Catering - a brochure, an about us page, references, testimonials, menus, and a few other bits of information. The new sections are at the printers now and hopefully will be here on Tuesday. We are even working on a few templates to make the information come together a bit better. We have to do a bit of re-arranging on our business - legally. We need to get the contracts updated for Oklahoma, we need to get sales tax built in to our invoices, we need to find out about licenses and permits, and we need to register Conversations Inc., our parent corporation, in Oklahoma. I will do most of this when I get to OK as it is hard to get in touch with the people that have the answers. Booking events! We have already started this process with several out on quote, two booked, and lots of leads. I am excited with our position at the moment and plan on really going for it once I get there. These are the things I have been working on. We have been doing a pretty good job getting this stuff done so things are looking good. The main thing that is causing me some stress is the Bozeman market. What should I do with it? I think I will leave that for a post tomorrow or Saturday but we do have several options to choose from and that is a good thing. We have almost $2,000.00 in business for the year in open quote right now for Bozeman and I would hate to loose that business if we can avoid it. We have spent so much time working here that it would be great to keep it alive and kicking. More to come on that though. So, exciting news from Cafe Evoke Catering. Keep up with us as we begin our second generation of what we hope will become the top specialty coffee catering company in the country. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, tea, oklahoma city, oklahoma The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts