So many times when I was promoting and talking about my business people would say; I don’t drink coffee. People assumed I only served coffee. That is silly. Nothing in my business name said, coffee only. I would then educate them on all that my business had to offer. Funny how people have preconceived ideas on things they know nothing about. This is a great example of knowing your customers. In talking with people and asking the right questions; I found out what I needed to do to grow my business. (For a more in depth discussion on growing your business look for marketing ideas).
If you have ever gone through the doors of a quaint boutique “coffee houses” you learn with a glance of the menu, that they offer a lot more than coffee. One of the exciting options are flavored syrups. With flavored syrups you extend your menu greatly. With a single flavor syrup you can add it to coffee, espresso, espresso based drinks, make Italian soda, add it to smoothies, add it to tea, cook with it, use it in salad dressing, yogurt and icings for baked goods.
Most of the companies that manufacturer syrups offer 30-50 flavor choices and some companies make even more flavors. Many of the companies now offer these versatile syrups in sugar-free versions. Take this concept and mix flavors and the possibilities are nearly endless.
Examples:
- Chocolate/Coconut for Almond Joy flavor
- Chocolate /Peanut Butter
- Strawberry/Cream
- Dreamcicle
- Peach /Cranberry
- Peach/ Mango
A typical coffee roaster making “flavored” coffee uses syrups to flavor the coffee. They literally pour over the flavor while the coffee beans roast. The coffee has the smell of the flavor; but, seldom is the consumer left with a distinct or full flavored tasting coffee. One east coast coffee franchise advertised they offered like 80 some fresh roasted and flavored coffees. It would be highly unlikely to have as many flavors as they claimed, in all locations, have it be fresh, at all times, which was their claim.
Another pet peeve of mine is, when a coffee shop offers a rotation schedule of coffee of the day. Lets say you happen to show up on Tuesday, thinking it was Wednesday the day to always go by for your favorite flavor - your out of luck. I personally choose to serve pure espresso, pure coffee, pure decaf with the custom syrups. I was able to offer a better flavor and with much more versatility. Each drink was prepared and customized for each specific customer. This attention to detail and customer service always set our business apart from the others. The added attention lead the customer to feel that they mattered, and that my business valued them.
Sugar content and flavor concentration are the determining flavor factors in gourmet syrups. Sugar is measured in BRIX. A high BRIX level and concentration of flavor will allow you to use less syrup. At one time there were over 50 manufacturers of syrups. Before you make a decision on which company to align yourself with you need to taste try the syrups. When I lived out west rarely did you find Hershey’s chocolate syrup at a coffee shop. When I opened my first shop on the east coast, it was an espresso challenged area. The tastes and palates of the area definitely needed to betaken into considered. I opted to use Hershey’s chocolate and bring a familiar flavor into a new concept for the area. Hershey’s syrup makes great cocoa too! We also stocked and promoted the gourmet chocolate syrups and used them with exceptional results. Just a matter of personal taste and personal preferences.
I use to offer many cold drinks in my business. Because sugar is difficult to dissolve in an already cold drink I made a simple syrup to add to already cold drinks. The simple syrup easily sweetens an already cold drink. Now, lucky for you, several of the manufactures offer simple syrup. A user friendly syrup company can offer great signage promoting the use of syrups.
The syrups can add a sophisticated display flare and will help up sell your your drinks. Offering & taste testing sample beverages with the added syrups encourages customers to add syrups into their own customized beverages. A wide selection of syrups also sets you apart from the business that only offers 3 or 4 flavors.
A note about the sugar-free flavors. I had one of every sugar-free flavored syrups. I had an extensive customer base of college students, many liked the sugar-free options. Once the weight watcher group found my business and the sugar-free options, word spread like wild. I would publish a newsletter/suggestion sheet featuring recipes using the sugar-free syrups. I also had a large number of customers with specific dietary issues. And eventually word spread to some area nutritionist about the massive variety of sugar-free items our specialty business had. It is rewarding to be able to offer wonderful treats and drinks to people who were not served by other businesses.