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Ordering Tips

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Perfect your order!

Amoretti French Vanillashipping-boxesCappuccine Red Velvet Frappe

 

Here are few pointers & tricks to make the ordering & the shipping process that much easier.

When calling your order in, remember the best way to lead the call is;

Hello, this __________ from ___________ Café in__________, City.

-If you are from a café with multiple locations, don’t be shy let us know who you are right away.

 

Please allow yourself enough time when ordering.

-We want to make sure we understand, hear you clearly & deliver the correct product.

-This goes for while on the phone & making sure you have enough products to last until you receive your order.

-Keep things organized. If you order multiple brands, try ordering things in sequence.

From Ghirardelli, I would like 1 30lb box of Sweet Ground Chocolate & 1 case of White Chocolate Sauce.

-Make a list of what you need.

 

To ensure you are getting the items you want, order the products buy; Brand Name, quantity, flavor & be specific.

From Monin, I would like 5 bottles of French Vanilla & 2 bottles of raspberry.

I would like 2 cases of Big Train Spiced Chai & 3 bags of Vanilla Chai.

That’s 4 jugs of Torani Caramel Sauce & 1 jug of White Chocolate Sauce               

-If you are ordering syrup & or sauce please say so. We carry syrups & sauces in multiple brands & flavors.

-Make sure you know if it’s a case vs. box (they are 2 different quantities)

 

Some tips on saving money when ordering!

Ordering full cases (single flavor) of Big Train, Cappuccine, Ghirardelli, etc…Save you $5.00.

-Plan ahead & order that full case, it will save you money!

 

Did you know if you place an order for $600 or more (in our SpeeDee Zones) it will ship for free? That’s right FREE!

There are many products you already get that, ship for free if you order certain quantities:

-Two or more Big Train or Cappuccine cases

-Three or more Innovative/Mocafe cases

-Four or more cases of Umpqua Oats

-25lbs or more of Flamenco Organic Coffee

 

Lastly…

Please don’t be afraid to ask. Want to try an brand of chai? Or smoothie mix? We have a lot to offer. Ask for  samples.

-Did you know we have over 8 brands of chai?

-Want to try another method of brewing? We have multiple pour-over products!

-Curious about the difference on Fruit Tea Blast, Dr. Smoothie & Exotic Island? Now is the right time to find that perfect smoothie before Spring & Summer!

 

We are here to answer all your questions. (Or at least try are best too!)

Our Customer Service Receptionist, Carinna is here to answer questions on product, pricing, shipping & samples. And can direct you to your sales rep or the roasting department. 

-You can always use our on line ordering form: http://uppermidwestgourmet.com/order-form/

-Don’t forget, Spee Dee is amazingly fast but they don’t guarantee next day service.  Please try and order 48 hours in advance so that you never run out of products.  We roast your coffee to order.   Please try and order your coffee 48 hours prior to delivery so we have time to roast, bag and label your beans.

 

(For pricing or additional information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Let the Show Begin

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Let the Show Begin

 

The time has come upon us once again to get our show season started. For the 2014 show season, Upper Midwest Gourmet will be exhibiting at 3 shows. These shows are being held in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and St. Louis MO.

 Please check out the web sites below for each of these shows. You can sign up to attend or discover more about what each show is focused on. You can also contact our friendly staff for details about these shows, and obtain the booth number we will be at for each.

 

selling-desserts-logo

2nd Annual Selling Dessert Show

Wednesday March 19, 2014, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

McNamara Alumni Center, University of Minnesota

http://sellingdesserts.com/upcoming-show/registration/

foodexpo1

www.everythingfoodservice.org

coffeefest2014

http://coffeefest.com/Event/Attendee/Default.aspx

 

Please join us this year at one, or all of these shows, if you can. One of the best parts of our job is having the pleasure to meet with our customers face to face to learn more about you and your business needs. Please feel free to contact us for further information, or check out the show websites above. Call 612-728-7208 or email Kevin@umgcoffee.com

Hope to connect with you this year,

 

Sincerely,              

Staff at Upper Midwest Gourmet

(For pricing or additional information, please Contact Us. Thank you.) 

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year 2014

Closed New Years Day – Jan 1st, 2014

Back to normal business hours Jan 2nd

Hours: Monday-Thursday 7:00am-5:00pm / Fridays 9am-1pm (Central Time)

Office/Orders: 612-728-7208 / Fax : 612-728-7227 / E-mail: info@uppermidwestgourmet.com

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

A bunch of great, new products we now carry!

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We are an ever-evolving company and are always willing to bring in new products at the request of our customers.

Here are four new product lines that we are very happy to now stock and offer:

Monin Smoothies

Monin Fruit Smoothies

Jet Tea

Jet Fruit Smoothies

Davinci bottles

DaVinci Gourmet Syrups

Torani

Torani Syrups

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Showcasing at WI Restaurant Expo 2013

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We will be highlighting a bunch of great products at the WI Restaurant Expo next week.

Please make sure to come visit us in booth 748 to check out:

Our Hario and Chemex brewing systems with our own Flamenco Organic Coffee.

hario electric buono - UMG

*Note we stock the brand new Hario Electric Buono Kettles and can ship immediately!

We will also be sampling Fabbri Cremagelato out of the Elmeco Quickreams, Cappuccine blended mixes, and David Rio Chai!

Please Contact Us for more information.

We hope to see you there!

New Phone System

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We really appreciate your patience and understanding as we upgrade our phone system.

This new system will allow for easier ordering, shorter hold times, and many other great features for the future.

Please email us or Contact Us through the website if you have any issues or questions about the system.

Thank you!

Brewsletter – Volume 47 – Spring/Summer 2012

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What a hot spring and summer we have had this year and we haven’t hit the really hot months yet! Let’s hope business continues to improve for everyone with these beautiful days!

The weather will be turning even warmer, though, which means cold drinks like iced espresso drinks, cold press coffee, smoothies, frappes, iced tea, and lemonade are going to continue to pick up. It also means that those of you that are making gelato will continue to see some serious sales increases.

We have been really busy making some serious improvements around here with a focus to better serve you, and want to let you all know again how much we appreciate your business!

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 47 – Spring/Summer 2012

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

Chicago Coffee Fest is a little over a week away!

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Only a week or so to go until Coffee Fest!

That is why we are reminding everyone that we are in booths 100/102/104/106 at Chicago Coffee Fest next weekend. We will be making gelato on a Carpigiani Coldelite batch freezer and displaying in one of the new Ciam Pozzetti display cases. We will definitely be serving our award-winning Flamenco Organic Coffee along with a ton of other great products for you to check out and sample. Also, be sure to stop by and check out our Synesso espresso machine pulling our very own Matador espresso shots!

Here are the basics:

When – June 8th-10th 2012

Where – Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611

Registration Information

$30 per person.

Onsite Registration Hours: Trade Show and educational Classes
Friday & Saturday: 7:00am to 4:30pm
Sunday: 7:30am to 3:30pm

Show Hours:
Exhibition Hours:
Friday & Saturday: 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Sunday: 12pm to 4:00pm

Educational Training
Friday & Saturday: 8:00am to 6:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am to 4:00pm

If you have any questions about the trade show, please Contact Us.

Is Your Cafe Composting?

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Please enjoy this article about composting from Heather at Badger Brew Express in Rice Lake, Wisconsin that she wrote for the Twin Cities Coffee Guild.

ARTICLE – “Where Do Your Grounds Go? by Heather H. Haller”

Remember that UMG carries a bunch of compostable disposables like the Eco Products Green Stripe cold cups that Heather uses.

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Winter Brewsletter – Volume 46

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What a winter we have had this year! It’s either been the worst or the best, depending on your perspective. We hope that the warmer than usual weather has helped business for everyone.

The weather will be turning even warmer, though, which means cold drinks like iced espresso drinks, cold press coffee, smoothies, frappes, iced tea, and lemonade are going to really start picking up. It also means that those of you that are making gelato will start to see some serious sales increases.

We have used this winter to make some serious improvements around here with a focus to better serve you, and want to let you all know again how much we appreciate your business!

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 46 – Winter 2011/12

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

PayPal and other alternative payment methods

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UMG is always trying to improve on all levels.

By adding alternative payment methods beyond cash, credit card, and check we hope to make it easier and more convienient for our customers.

We now accept PayPal as an option for all UMG orders. 

 If this is something you are interested in, please call us at 612-728-7208 to get set-up and get the information you need.

We will also have other alternative payment methods coming soon!

NEW Brewsletter – Summer 2011 – Vol. 44

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Summer has been really hot so far most likely meaning you are selling a ton of cold drinks! Let’s all continue to enjoy the sunshine and outdoor fun while we can.

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 44 – Summer 2011

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

Price increase madness!

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For the past year I have not had a week go by without being informed of a price increase of some sort from one or more of our vendors. Coffee, sugar, cocoa, paper, plastic, petroleum are all being traded at historic high levels and the manufacturers are raising prices across the board. Paper and plastic companies on an almost weekly basis. As our business volume has increased we’ve tried to make up a lot of those increases on volume vs passing the increase along. Sometimes it’s simply impossible but most of the time we’re splitting the difference and only raising 25-50% of the increase passed on to us. On the positive side, we’re seeing a steady rise in same store purchases showing an increase in volume on the retailers side as well. Hopefully we can all weather this storm and as commidities recover, we see some manufacturers begin to pass that saving back towards the retailer. We’re commited to keeping prices as competitive as possible while still being able to provide you with the great service we are so well known for.  

A number of customers have asked why we don’t call them when there are price increases?  It would be impossible for us to notify you all without hiring a full-time employee for just that job alone, which would again lead to more price increases.  However, we try and update the brochure as the increases occur and UMG customers have 24-hour access to the latest version 365 days a year.  Just go to the Upper Midwest Gourmet home page and click on the Information and Training materials link on the right hand side.  The very first item is our most current catalog.  This is for UMG wholesale customers only so make sure to get the current password from your UMG sales representative.   Of course, you can always call or email if you’d like a hard color copy mailed to you.  Hang in there everyone and remember, raise your prices, too, so you can still provide the best product and service that your customers expect.

Thanks so much for visiting our booth at the WI Restaurant Expo 2011

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We would really like to thank everyone that visited our booth at the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo this year in Milwaukee. We were very happy to be a part of this expo for our 16th or 17th year. Who can keep track anymore…

This, again, was a success and we owe it all to our customers, new and old. Here are some of the products we showcased and received most feedback on:

  • Flamenco Organic Coffees and Espresso– per usual our wide array of micro-roasted Organic, Fair Trade, and Direct Trade coffees were very popular. The Nicaraguan Rio Coco and the Minnesota Mudd Blend were both talked about a bunch, but the Papua New Guinea, the Ethiopian Dara, and the Kona coffee (especially out of the Bunn Trifecta) were holding their own as well. The Matador Espresso Blend was also being pulled from the Casadio 2-group Espresso Machine and tasting just as sweet and smooth as ever!

  • Amoretti Martini Mixes– yes, we are now carrying a martini mix line, and yes, it is awesome! David was making martini’s all show and everyone loved them. We will be bringing in the Apple, Blueberry, Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop, Mango, Mojito, Passion Fruit, Pomegranate, and Raspberry flavors, with more coming soon. They are super easy to make, made with the finest ingredients, and very reasonably priced.

  • Umpqua Oats Oatmeal– this product never ceases to amaze us! We knew we liked this oatmeal when we first tried it, but never imagined how fast our customers would agree. It is one of the quickest products to take off for us and works perfectly for cafes to get that extra sale with your morning rush customer. These oatmeals are nutritious, delicious, and fast to make and with eight flavors including the “Not Guilty” which is salt and sugar free, who can go wrong?

  • Cappuccine Red Velvet Frappe Mix– not only did this product win 2010 “best new beverage” at Seattle Coffee Fest, it continues to emerge as the next “must have” flavor at every cafe. We see a lot of new flavor ideas for blended beverages in our industry, but none have had the steam that the Red Velvet Cupcake frappe is making. It only helps the cause that Cappuccine has their own EXCLUSIVE Whipped Cream Cheese topping recipe on their website that completes this delightfully different cupcake in a cup.

  • Fabbri 1905 Pastry Ingredients from Italy– delipastes aren’t just for gelato anymore. Tom Trieschmann from Fabbri has been helping us learn about all the amazing pastry applications for many of the products we carry and have only used for ice cream and gelato in the past. Tom personally sampled out the famous “Amarena” cherry of Italy that Fabbri is known for and started the company over 100 years ago. These Fabbri Amarena cherries are sour and intense and are like nothing you have ever tried before!

  • David Rio Chai– this is a brand new product for us that we just had to bring in after sampling. We have known for years that David Rio Chai’s had a great reputation, but it wasn’t until we made some ourselves that we really understood just how good it really is. There are eight amazing flavors including Tiger Spice Chai, Elephant Vanilla, and Tortoise Green Tea. This chai is easy to prepare hot, iced, or blended, it is Kosher Certified, Gluten Free, and has No Hydrogenated Oils or Trans Fats.

  • International Paper Hold & Go “Flamenco” Design, Insulated Hot Cups– these cups are the ultimate hot cup in the industry. It was hard not to spot a Flamenco hot cup in someone’s hand when walking the show. With so many people trying our coffees and espressos you wouldn’t have to look far to see the beautiful dancer silhouette. Even many of the presenters and speakers at the show could be seen sipping from our snazzy cups during their presentations! These cups are part of the “Sustainable Forestry Initiative” which promotes sustainable forest management and is something we feel is very important. Not only are they double-walled which means no sleeve is needed, but the lids are universal meaning the same lid fits the 12oz, 16oz, and 20oz cups!

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Chicago Coffee Fest 2011 – Feb. 18th-20th

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Upper Midwest Gourmet is excited to announce that we will be exhibiting this year at Coffee Fest Chicago being held at the Navy Pier on the shore line of Lake Michigan.

This year’s event is being held the weekend of February 18th-20th, 2011. The show hours are Friday and Saturday 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Sunday from 12:00 P.M. to 4:00 P. M. Upper Midwest Gourmet and our Flamenco Organic Coffee Company will be showing off our goods in booths 101 & 102. You may also find one of us assisting one of the many vendors and/or manufacturers in their various booths throughout the show floor on any one of the open days.

We would love to have you stop by and visit with us, take a look at some new and exciting products and sample some goodies. If you would like to attend this show, please contact us as we have a limited number of FREE PASSES for up to four persons per business. You will need to obtain a pass code from Upper Midwest Gourmet in order to receive this free admission. You only have until January 30th to take advantage of this offer so act soon if you are planning on attending. Please Contact Us for more details.

You can go to www.coffeefest.com for more info on this show and to see who will be exhibiting this year.

As always, we greatly appreciate our customers continued patronage and support and always look forward to a face-to-face opportunity to visit with you.

Hope to see you at the show!

UMG Staff

“My Customers don’t care about Fair Trade and Organic”

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Yeah right. I hear it many times a week from coffee shop owners who wonder why their sales are going down and their shop isn’t going to survive. They continue to offer non FTO coffee because it costs less money and kid themselves into believing that they have the only consumers in America that don’t care about FTO products.  I argue that they are not saving money but driving customers away from their store.   Sales of Fair Trade Certified Coffee in grocery stores alone rose 30% this year to $140 million dollars! Fair Trade is growing despite the bad economy. Why? Fair Trade is 100% consumer driven, that is why. If you think your customers don’t care you are flat out wrong and don’t understand Americans philosophy on Fair Trade. Three fourths of respondents in a 2009 BBMG conscious consumer report stated that they believe they can make a difference by buying products from socially and environmentally responsible companies. Two thirds said buying products with social and environmental benefits is important in tough economic times and MORE THAN HALF SAID THEY WOULD PAY MORE!!!!! If grocery stores are adding more Fair Trade it’s only because consumers are demanding it. Nobody wants to sell products that cost more. They do it because customers are leaving their stores and going somewhere else to buy what they believe is as good a product if not better and they are making the world a better place at the same time. Stop kidding yourself, your customers care and you should too. The specialty coffee customer is the number 1 buyer for FTO products. If you own a Specialty Coffee Store and don’t sell Fair Trade Organic coffee what are you waiting for?

New Brewsletter – Volume 41 – End of Summer 2010

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Summer is almost over with Fall on the way!

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 41 – End of Summer 2010

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

Berry Ricotta Gelato

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I recently found myself craving a “berry cheesecake” style desert and promptly decided to make some gelato with our Fabbri Ricotta base. I used blueberries, because this craving was a very specific one, but there are several berry options that would do quite nicely in this recipe, namely Fabbri’s Amarena (Cherry), Frutta di Bosco (Wild Fruits) or Fragolosa (Strawberry) Variegates. Luckily for me I have Fabbri’s imported Italian gelato ingredients and a Bravo Trittico 18 Mechanic “hot process” batch freezer at my fingertips.  (You may also obtain these ingredients, this batch freezer, and a plethora of other products and equipment by contacting our office @ 612-728-7208, hint. hint).

For one 5 liter batch of the Ricotta gelato you will need:

750 grams Fabbri Ricotta base

1500 grams milk

175 grams sugar

200 grams fresh ricotta

Directions:

Add ricotta powder and sugar into milk, mix well. If using a cold process machine, heat milk so that the powders dissolve completely.

Once powders are mixed well, add in fresh ricotta and again mix thoroughly.

According to your machine,  hot process your mix or move directly onto freezing.

When extracting the gelato from your batch freezer, stop half way through and layer in the fruit/berry variegate of your choice.  Finish extracting the second half of the gelato, then layer your remaining variegate on top in an aesthetically pleasing fashion.

Proceed to serve this tasty treat to the delight of all!

Coffee Fest Minneapolis is just a few days away!

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We hope to see you there, please visit us in our booths 326 & 328!

Coffee Fest Minneapolis
Minneapolis Convention Center – June 04 – 06, 2010

In this challenging time of economic uncertainty, with trusted advice more valuable than ever, Coffee Fest brings you the nation’s best retail operators and industry professionals and consultants to ensure your business survives and even thrives with today’s profitability threats and tomorrow’s challenges.

Event Location
Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 Second Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55403-2781
612-335-6000

(For additional information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Flamenco Organic Coffee Co. Origin Trips

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UMG/Flamenco was able to go to Dominican Republic last month for a coffee origin trip. It was a blast overall! We all learned a ton about coffee and a whole lot more about the island and its history.

Please check out our Flamenco Origin Trips Page to view pictures and videos. We will have some stories and more information soon. Enjoy!

Flamenco Hold&Go Hot Cup NOW IN STOCK!

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UMG and Flamenco Organic Coffee Company are ecstatic to now have our own hot cup! These beautiful cups are now in stock at UMG and are ready to be ordered today.

These International Paper hot cups come in 12oz, 16oz, and 20oz, have a universal lid for all three sizes, and their patent-pending Thermashield™ technology, combined with the overall durable construction of our cup provides better insulating performance than any other paper hot cup in the industry.

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

Happy New Year from all of us from UMG!

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New Year 2010 Signpost

All of us at Upper Midwest Gourmet would like to wish you, your family, your friends, and your staff a very Happy and Healthy New Year in 2010! We truly believe that your success creates our success and we promise to continue to support and serve you as much as possible!

Please always know that we are just a phone call or email away. UMG has been on the cutting edge of the coffee shop and cafe industry for almost 20 years! We have seen the latest and greatest fads come and go, but there are a few constants that will always remain the same. Coffee drinks and blended beverages are your bread and butter because  of their great profit margins. I agree with my previous statement, but I’ve learned that to be truly successful offering retail sales and food is a must.

One constant that makes any businesss successful is a self-motivated staff with ambitious goals along with a desire to always work hard no matter if it is within their job description or not. This is something amazing that I witness everyday working at UMG, but also something that is very obvious in many of the most succesful cafes that we work with. Striving to always be better is something that rarely breeds anything, but success.

Our guarantee to you, our customers, in this new year and decade is that we will continue to strive to always be better. In fact, we will be taking a coffee origin trip to Dominican Republic to meet our Flamenco Direct Relationship coffee friends and their families in February. This will give us a better understanding of all aspects of coffee production, but will more importantly build a stronger relationship with people we care about, just like our customers. We want you to know that there may be other companies that sell similar type products, but you will never find a company with more personal dedication to their customers than us.

We aren’t just a Midwest distributor of coffee shop products or just a Fair Trade Organic coffee roastery in Minnesota or just a gelato equipment and ingredient company. We are so much more than all of those titles and all we want is a chance to prove that to you this year!

Please Contact Us if you have any questions about what we can do for you.

Thanks for your support!

Flamenco Organic Coffee Co. – Fall 2009 Coffee Offerings

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Please click below for an updated Flamenco Offerings List – Fall 2009

Flamenco Offerings - Fall 2009

Thanks again to all of you that love your Fair Trade Organic coffees from Flamenco Organic Coffee Company.

Feel free to Contact Us for more information or Order Yours today!

NEW Brewsletter – Volume 39 – Fall 2009!

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Welcome to Fall!

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 39 – Fall 2009

Brewsletter - Volume 39 - Fall 2009

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

Gelato Seminar

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Halloween Gelato Seminar

We’ve had many requests for another gelato seminar.  Now that business appears to be getting back to normal for most of you we thought this was a great time to host another.  Now is the perfect time to start planning and getting financing together for a Spring startup.

Come to UMG on Friday October 30th @ 1pm and see all that Gelato can offer your business.

Fabbri will be sending Pastry Chef Tom Treischmann to co-host the event with us.  We’ll go over what type of equipment you’ll need, simple and artisan gelato preparations and have some fun with seasonal gelato ideas (beware of the Gelato Brain!)  Already making gelato?  Feel free to come over to meet Tom and pick his brain (not just the gelato one….getting curious aye?) and find new ideas for spicing up your gelato display.  Space is limited so please RSVP to david@uppermidwestgourmet.com and reserve a spot.

NEW Brewsletter – Volume 38 – Summer 2009

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Hello Summer, please stay for awhile.

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 38 – Summer 2009

Brewsletter - Volume 38 - Summer 2009

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy and thanks again from all of us at UMG!

NEW Brewsletter – Spring 2009

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Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume  37 – Spring 2009

brewsletter-spring-2009-thumb

Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy the new format and thanks from all of us!

Flamenco Organic Coffee Co. – Spring 2009 Updated Offerings List

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Please click below for a new Flamenco Offerings List – Spring 2009.

Make sure to check out the new “Private Reserve” origins now offered by Flamenco!

Flamenco Organic Coffee Co. Offerings - Spring 2009

Thanks to all of you that love your Fair Trade Organic coffees from Flamenco Organic Coffee Company.

Feel free to Contact Us for more information or Order Yours today!

Show me this, Show me that?

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It’s show season again!  Look for Upper Midwest Gourmet at the shows this weekend, next month and all year:

Chicago, IL – Coffeefest 2009: Friday, Sat, Sun: Feb. 20th – 22nd:Look for Kevin and David, we’ll be mixing up all those yummy Frappes in Cappuccine’s booth

Minneapolis, MN – UP Show 2009: Monday, Tuesday: Feb. 23rd & 24th: Look for Kevin in the Vita Mix booth for some delicious smoothies.

Moorhead, MN (Concordia College) NACUFS Conference: Monday,Tuesday: Feb. 23rd & 24th: Michael and Jesse will be giving a presentation on the benefits of using Fair Trade, Organic Specialty Coffee. They will also be focusing on ‘Going Green’ and how it can improve your profits and strengthen sales, all while leaving a better mark on the world.

Milwaukee, WI Restaurant Show & Expo 2009: Mon, Tue, Wed: March 9th-11th:  Jesse, Kevin and David will be demonstrating all the new products for 2009.

Minneapolis, MN – UMGWHQ 2009 (Upper Midwest Gourmet World Headquarters): February – December 2009: The show that never ends!  Come to our showroom and try out any product anytime. Our showroom is fully functional so you can brew coffee, extract espresso and froth milk, make gelato and sorbetto, prepare pastry or even bake bread! You can also see the latest equipment in action, watch training videos, see what’s new and exciting before anyone else or just come to play some foosball (beware, Michael can really run a table).  We’d love to have you here.  If your going to the UP show, stop by before or after the show?  David,  Sarah, Eric, Alan, Brandon and Charles will all be around to help you.

We hope to see you all soon!

Cheers,

David – Chief Beanhead

New Customer New Year FREE Shipping Special!

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Happy 2009!

FREE S/H on 1st order made by new customer! No Minimums! Must be 1st order ever made with UMG.

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UMG would like to extend a special New Year’s offer of FREE SpeeDee shipping/handling on the FIRST order made by any NEW customer in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Illinois.

Offer only good on 1st orders made between January 1st-31st, 2009.

 Please Contact Us to set-up a new account and make your first order with FREE shipping and handling today!

Coming Soon… Zola Acai Superfruit Juices & Smoothies!

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UMG is proud to announce that we will soon stock the Zola Acai Products.

Zola Açaí is the world’s first Açaí Superfruit Juice!

Zola uses 100% unfiltered pulp from hand-harvested, organic Açaí (Ah-sigh-EE) berries to lock in the natural goodness and great taste, which is why we say “The Power is in the Pulp!™”  Plus, with organic Guaraná seed for sustained energy, Zola fuels both your mind and body.

Brazilian Açaí berries are loaded with antioxidants – 500% more than blueberries and 60% more than pomegranates!  In addition to antioxidants, Açaí berries contain omega fatty acids, the good-for-you fats that help protect the heart, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve depression, and fight cancer.

Zola’s combination of antioxidants, healthy omega fats, amino acids, calcium, iron, and replenishing electrolytes make it the true superfruit juice!

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Please Contact Us with questions or use our Online Order Form to pre-order today. Thanks.

Flamenco Organic wins 1st at Calhoun Coffee Fest!

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Flamenco Organic Coffee Company is proud to announce that we WON 1st place regular coffee and 1st place decaf coffee at this years Calhoun Coffee Fest!

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We love taking part in the Calhoun annual coffee festival in Minneapolis every year and are ecstatic about our 1st place finishes in the coffee competition. The festival is a great cause (raises enough money in one day to feed 20,000 homeless people) that showcases Minnesota’s top coffee roasters.

Here are the results: http://www.calhouncoffeefest.com/vendors.php

Feel free to Contact Us for more information or Order Yours today.

If you are a customer that is already ordering, there is a good possibility that a sample of the winning coffees will be in your next order.

Happy Holidays!

It’s Time for Coffee! Calhoun Coffee Fest 2008!

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Please join us (Flamenco Organic Coffee Company) on November 22nd, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 pm for the 19th Annual Coffee Festival at Calhoun Square in Minneapolis, MN.

For only $9, coffee aficionados receive a specially designed 19th annual Coffee Festival mug and access to vendors—samples include a large variety of coffee and teas, breads and sweet desserts, and a number of other tasty surprises. Admission will also give you access to various educational seminars as well as some fun entertainment options. In addition to the unique entertainment and the tasty treats and drinks, there will be prize drawings and special offers from participating vendors.

Proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Heartland, with a one day goal of feeding 20,000 people.

For easy parking on the day of Coffee Fest, park in the Sons of Norway parking lot (3016 Holmes Ave S), then catch a shuttle to Calhoun Square. This shuttle will run continuously from 9am to 4pm on November 22nd. The shuttle is free, while the Sons of Norway Parking is just $2 during the event. The Calhoun Square parking ramp is open to customers, with valet parking only, at standard parking rates.

We hope to see you there and remember, that if you like our Flamenco Organic Coffee better than the other coffees you sample on Saturday, please VOTE for us in the local coffee roaster contest!

Thank you,
Your UMG Beanheads

Seasonal Recipes with flair

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Looking for some fun ideas for the Holidays?  Having trouble coming up with good ideas?  Give your salesman a call and we can help you come up with some great recipes.  Remember, give your drinks names with flair.  Would you rather buy a Cinnamon Pecan Latté or a Sticky Bun Latté?  A White Chocolate Mocha or a Polar Bear Latté?  Spice up the names and watch the syrup sales flow! Adding Hot to Pumpkin Pie is simple but affective.  Add Toasted to your Gingerbread, Hazelnut, Almond and Marshmallow menus. 

Don’t forget to garnish your drinks!  Whipped Cream, shaved chocolate, ice Cream/donut sprinkles, fresh spices all go a long way when presenting the drink to your enamored customer.  If you make your own whip cream (why wouldn’t you), give it a shot of flavor matching some of your featured drinks.  We stock both White and Semi-Sweet Dobla Chocolate Curls (pictured below) for the ultimate garnish……also great on any of your favorite deserts!

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Don’t forget to print off a copy of our seasonal items.  You can get them all right off our website, just ask your salesperson for a password to the POS vault.

Wishing you all a Happy, Safe and Profitable Holiday Season,

David 

New Brewsletter with a new format!

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Brrr… Hello Fall, here comes Winter!

Please check out our newest Brewsletter – Volume 36 – Fall/Winter 2008!

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Also, please go to the Brewsletters Page on our website to download and read previous Brewsletters. They contain lots of useful information!

Enjoy the new format and thanks from all of us!

Upper Midwest Gourmet going to 4 day work week?

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Hi Everyone.

It is part of my daily mission at Upper Midwest Gourmet to find ways to:

a: Be a greener company (improve our environmental impact on the earth)

b: Lower operating costs to help offset price increases

c: Improve quality of life for staff

I came across an article in this weekends Minneapolis Star and Tribune that addresses all of these issues through the conversion to a 4 day work week.  If you paste the following link into your browser you can read about how this change can work to benefit a company like ours and in turn help us to benefit your company as well.  The link:

http://www.startribune.com/local/28333109.html

I’m looking for feedback from all our customers as to what you would think of this change?  We would adjust our hours to be open Monday – Thursday from 7:30 am to 5 pm (currently M-F 9am-4pm).  We would be consolidating the Tuesday and Friday Van routes to both take place on Tuesday.  This should save us money on: fuel, labor and utilities while giving our staff the ability to enjoy more time with their families on the weekend.  While price increases are still unavoidable, this may be able to help offset the significance of some of the increases we’re seeing on the horizon.

If there is no uproar from our customers I’d consider implementing this change, on a trial basis, some time in October?  If it turned out that it was causing customers problems and we did not see any benefits to the change we could always change back to our traditional 5 day work week.

I’d really appreciate any feedback you may have so I have set up an online poll.  Please take a moment to check whether you’d be for or against this change.

Thanks in advance for your business, all of us here at Upper Midwest Gourmet appreciate it very much.

Cheers,

David Chall

 [poll=8]

Tim Eddy Joins UMG Sales Team!

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Alternative titles for this entry could be Coffee fan realizes dream! or Sales rep now selling something he loves! For the past 9 years I have been a part of growing a small frozen pizza company from a small local player (Appleton, WI) to a strong regional player (WI, IL the UP). This was challenging and satisfying work but I was ready for a change.

I have for a longtime been a fan of the espresso/coffee house industry. My first Cappuccino experience was at the Ovens of Brittany restaurants in Madison, WI. in the early 80s. The people in my life know of my love of coffee and many have told me that I should be working in the industry, and now happily I am. This came about because I learned of UMG at Backroads Coffee in Hayward, WI. (By the way, very nice people, who took time when busy, to answer this customers coffee questions). I am so pleased to be a part of the team at UMG where my responsibilities will be to grow our business in IL and eastern IA. The blend of products, expertise and committed people at this company will be a joy to share with new customers.

If you would like to contact me my cell # is 612-432-8119 , email tim@uppermidwestgoumet.net.

Tim Eddy – Southeastern Sales Manager