Cuppy's Coffee Barista Scholarship Essay Contest Extended!

The 1st annual Cuppy's Coffee Barista Scholarship Essay Contest has been extended to May 7, 2008. All high school seniors working at Cuppy's Coffee are eligible to participate to win the grand prize of a $500.00 college scholarship to the college of their choice. Awards and prizes are also available for 1st and 2nd place finishers.

Details, prizes and submission requirements can be found in the past issues of "The Bean Street Journal" and/or at The Beanstreet Blog. Ask your manager for details on how you can enter.

To learn more on how you can become a part of our growing Cuppy's Coffee family, visit our website at www.cuppys.com

Specialty Coffee Gets a Weeks of its Own

Minneapolis, MN has declared May 2-5 as "Specialty Coffee Week".
Read more>>http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080428005375/en

Cuppy's Coffee Coming Soon to Nazareth, PA

Franchisees in Nazareth, PA a city north of Allentown signed a lease to open a Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More store. This moves them onto the next stage of planning and construction.

To learn more about the Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More family, visit us at www.cuppys.com

Franchisee's Response to New Mgmt at Cuppy's Coffee

News of the acquistion of Cuppy's Coffee by FranSynergy has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm by franchisees and vendors alike. Here is a sample of some responses to the news sent in by members of the Cuppy's Coffee family.

I've been a part of the Cuppy's family for three years now and it has been a great experience being a part of such a fast growing company. The addition of Dale Nabors, I think, is a great one. I have worked Dale on a number of projects and have found him to be knowledgeable and outstanding in his field. I look forward to working with him in the future.

Scott Smith

Cuppy's Coffee Smoothies & More

Hanover, MA

******************************************************

Dale, congratulations!

I hope you can keep your circle divided properly and wish us both the very best in the future. I look forward to building a stronger Cuppy's.

Jason Winters

*******************************************************

Figueroa Brothers is excited to hear the great news of Dale Nabors, becoming

the CEO of Cuppy's Coffee . I have been working with Dale closely to

establish the new Cuppy's distribution system and his vision to get the

company streamlined to the benefit of the current franchisees and future

store openings, is exactly what is needed to move the Cuppy's Brand to the

next level of success. Figueroa Brothers is looking forward to working with

Dale and Cuppy's franchisees to continually improve the bottom line profits

and customer satisfaction.

Gregory P. Figueroa, CEO

Figueroa Brothers, Inc.

********************************************************

Hi Dale!

Congratulations on Fransynergy acquiring Cuppy's. You have been very helpful with the problems I have had and it's nice to know we will have someone like you to come to. We still need to completely resolve our issue but I am sure we will be able to get it worked out.

Sincerely,

Brian D. Burgett

Cuppy's of Des Moines

Read the official memo sent out to franchisees here.

FranSynergy Acquires Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More

Business is a fast paced and sometime difficult road to manuever. It is also a series of evolutions from startup to completion. And it is in that process that Cuppy's Coffee is proud to announce that FranSynergy has acquired our fast growing coffee company to navigate it thru the next stage in that evolution. Below is a copy of the letter sent to all franchisees acknowledging the transition and welcoming the new management team to Cuppy's Coffee.

Dear Franchisees,

Cuppy's has grown leaps and bounds since our humble beginnings in May of 2006. We currently have more than 231 franchisees nationwide and 73 open stores, with many more stores in the works!

It's our ultimate goal to see the Cuppy's brand grow strong and be successful. In order for this to happen, change is inevitable. Our objective is to always keep you, our franchisee, up to date as these changes occur.

With that in mind, we have some really exciting news! We are pleased to announce that FranSynergy Inc., lead by Dale Nabors, CEO, has acquired Cuppy's Coffee & More, Inc.

Dale Nabors has over 25 years of franchising experience and worked for the Dwyer Group from March, 1995 to August, 2000....

To read the entire letter follow this link.

Granbury TX Set to Open Cuppy's Coffee

Folks in Granbury, TX will soon be able to experience a true Italian espresso when Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More opens later this year. Franchisees have signed a lease moving them into the next phase of planning and construction.

Look for the Grand Opening announcement later on this year.

To learn more on how you can become a Cuppy's Coffee owner, visit our website at www.cuppys.com

Cuppy's Coffee: Easy No-Cost Marketing Tips For Your Store

These are fantastic ideas for your location that is just getting started or to help improve sales. The good thing about them is that these tips also work! Choose two out of the five and move forward on them this week. Once you begin to see that in fact these promotional ideas can bring you business your momentum will build and drive you to pick two more.

1. Network at events. Go to Chamber of Commerce meetings, Local business group meetings, and other organizational meetings that will be attracting your "ideal" client. Gather business cards. Get as many as you can and then begin to phone and email to follow up. Do this immediately while you are still fresh in their mind. If they cannot use your services, ask them if they know of someone who can and get their contact information.

2. Attend public meetings. At every public meeting, make a commitment to say something that could be useful to those that are attending. This is a great way to not only share you knowledge and help others, but it also puts you in the eye of those who could use your services.

3. Create a "useful" handout. (Check with the Cuppy's Coffee marketing department on your idea, first) A handout that when given to a recipient they keep because it has value. Make sure that you include your name, phone number, email address, website information and your 30 second commercial that tells the recipient about your location and services.

4. Create joint-ventures. Find colleagues and business associates whose business compliments yours and do joint promotions.Who could you partner with? A bakery, an independent coffee store, the local businesses around your store? The list goes on and on.

5. Write letters to editors of local newspapers and business publications. Make them interesting and newsworthy. You'll be surprised at how often a good letter will get printed. Do not forget to include your contact information and website address.

By committing to one of these items on a weekly basis within one month you will see your business gain recognition and business. You can get the word out there without spending hundreds of dollars.

Cuppy's Coffee: Will McCafe Help or Hurt Your Sales?

Fear among coffee stores owners permeates whenever the news of a Starbucks move into the neighborhood arise. But for years, many independent coffee owners have flourished with the addition of the green neighbor. Customers will in fact visit each location a few times a week. If your product is superior, expect to see those customers more often.

But what of the McCafe? This burger powerhouse move into the specialty coffee arena and it's price structure, well below that of most coffee houses, will it affect the cash register and a independent coffee shop's ability to stay in business? This question and answer was raised in a recent web article on QSR Magazine. Read the entire story.

One group of retailers that probably won't be hurt is higher-end independent coffee shops. Contrary to popular belief, these types of retailers often experience a boom in business-sometimes as much as 20 percent-when a Starbucks sets up shop nearby, Hetzel says. The same phenomenon could presumably result from a neighboring McDonald's selling similar beverages.

"I believe it's only helpful," Hetzel says. "It educates consumers on a better quality of coffee that exists. There's so much more that the independents can do that it expands their market. When coffee tastes better…people drink more."

Learn more about the specialty coffee business at www.cuppys.com

Coffee War Heating Up: Take This Survey

There will always be competition among like minded businesses. This is what drives our society. This is no different in the specialty coffee arena as well, with each coffee shop touting their wares and prices, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

Recent press given to McDonalds and Starbucks reign for coffee superiority, Cuppy's Coffee would like to get your feedback on what you think is appropriate for a premium coffee beverage.

To take part in this survey just follow this link and place your vote. You'll find the survey on the right sidebar. Place your vote by Sunday April 20th to have your opinion counted.

Learn more about Cuppy's Coffee at www.cuppys.com

Cuppy's Coffee Open in Palm Desert CA

Palm Desert and the surrounding communites have pause to celebrate. Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More is now open serving hand picked, hand roasted espresso to the public. Look for this Cuppy's located at 73091 Country Club Dr in Palm Desert to host its Grand Opening celebration in the coming weeks.

Learn more on how you can become a part of fast growing family at www.cuppys.com and for information on the construction company, Elite Manufacturing visit their website at www.elitemfgcorp.com

WHAT IS "BUSINESS FORMAT" FRANCHISING?

Business Format Franchising vs. Company-owned Expansion

In business format franchising, the franchisor prescribes for the franchisee a complete plan, or format, for managing and operating the establishment. The plan provides step-by-step procedures for major aspects of the business and, anticipating most management problems, provides a complete matrix for management decisions confronted by the franchisees. The major advantage of buying a business format franchise is that the "system," the means for distributing goods and or services, has been developed, tested, and associated with the trademark. As a result, rapid expansion of a successful retail concept can occur more quickly than through company-owned expansion.*

Sales by business format franchisors continued to increase steadily throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century. In 2001, comparing business format franchising to product distribution franchising, business format franchising had about 4.3 times as many establishments, employed 4 times as many workers, generated 2.5 times the payroll, and produced nearly 3 times as much output.

Source: IFA faq

Cat Poop Coffee! Would You?

Considered to some as a delicacy to others an outright disgusting thought. Beans gathered by farmers only after they've passed thru the intestinal tract of a cat is considered to be the very best coffee available. The extent to which farmers harvest this rare coffee, makes it a very expensive cup of coffee ranging anywhere from $50 a cup and up.

What do you think? Would you or wouldn't you drink cat-poop coffee. Take part in our survey by clicking here.

Cuppy's Coffee College Underway

It's Monday and Coffee College is underway. Franchisees that are attending are within weeks of opening their locations.

While at Coffee College, franchisees will learn the nuances of espresso based drinks and smoothies. But that's not all, they will also learn operational processes of running their stores that will keep their customer's coming back for more. Marketing, customer service, procedural and business development training are just some of the knowledge these attendees will take with them after graduation from the week long course.

As a refresher, Cuppy's will send a field trainer to franchisee's locations prior to a opening date to assist with training and setup of their store. Soon thereafter, franchisees can set a Grand Opening date for their customers.

The attending franchisees are from the following cities and states:

• Athens, TN


• Savannah, GA


• Columbus, OH


• Salem, OR


• Carollton, GA

Withdraw From Mind Escrow To Grow Business

Entrepreneurs and people looking to go into the coffee business for themselves, either thru a franchise or from scratch, will greatly benefit from investing a majority of their time researching the specialty coffee industry. Information and knowledge leads to a better understanding of all the variables that go into the formation of a business. Be it financial, legal and/or marketing anyone will have a clearer picture once they've done their homework.

It can be compared to banking; deposits in to a long term CD (time) plus yields and interest (information) will greatly enhance your dividends (knowledge). The escrow that you accumalate over time, you will be able to withdraw or get a refund on your investment to grow your business more successfully.

There are countless resources for anyone looking to get into the coffee business. One valuable resource can be located at www.scaa.org and/or Google 'specialty coffee business'.

Cuppy's Coffee Opening in Athens TN

Nestled at the base of the Smoky Mountain Range, Athens TN will be home to one of the nation's fastest growing coffee stores,Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More. Franchisees are attending required training at the corporate office wher they will learn the nuances of espresso recipes, operational procedures and to learn the business of specialty coffee.

Grand Opening events are being schedule for the location to be held at 2037 South Congress Parkway.

Join our growing company. Learn more at www.cuppys.com

A Coffee Bean Conundrum

Recently I was asked "Is espresso, coffee?" There have been several debates on this subject through out our offices but now I'd like to poise the question to you, faithful readers of the Coffee Conundrum Blog.

This is my response: Espresso is a nectar of the Gods. Truly an elixer to stimulate the senses and awaken the mind. Although derived from the arabica bean which is used to make coffee, espresso can be compared in certain circles to that of a wine.

The leap isn't all that far if you follow my logic...wine is derived from a fruit, the grape; cider is derived from a fruit, the apple and let's not forget our favorite orange juice. So to answer espresso is not coffee, it is a derivative of a fruit seed, arabica beans.

What do you think?

Is Espresso...Coffee? Looking forward to your responses and comments.

~Coffeeknut

Social Networking Sites? Marketing to Gen Y

The popularity of social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook have opened the door to companies looking to capitilize on the Y Generation customers who frequent these locations. Viral marketing, word of mouth and buzzing are terms most experts commonly associate with this growing population. But merely signing up and showcasing your stuff will not attract customers to your location. There are other marketing techniques that have to coincide and interact with using networking sites to attract this youthful but powerful economic group.

Companies and experts agree that Y Generation will play a huge factor in the success of any given brand. Whereas TV programs like MTV and BET played a significant role in the success (or not) of brands of the previous generation, the internet, instant messaging and social networking sites are the medium of choice for Y Gen.

Companies and brands looking to capture a piece of this group, utimately will need to have a strategy in place that will address the concerns, likes and dislikes as well as the needs of Y Gen on their terms and on their turf.

One Cuppy's Coffee franchisee realizes the importance of social networking sites and was recently interviewed on his strategy to gain more customers by reaching out and meeting this young group head on. Read the interview here.

Cuppy's Coffee Coming to Westchester County

Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights, NY will be home to a new Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More kiosk. Franchisees there recently signed a lease to bring the growing franchise into the Westchester County area.

Cuppy's Coffee serves true Italian specialty coffee drinks, smoothies and a host of other products and pastries. Planning and construction will be the next phase in this location getting open to the public.

To learn more about Cuppy's Coffee, visit our website at www.cuppys.com

Cuppy's Coffee First Event with "Thunder Over Louisville" Festival

Look for the Cuppy's Coffee mobile unit to be grinding out true Italian espresso and real fruit smoothies at the Thunder Over Louisville event this month. The annual event is one of the nation's largest with an expected crowd total nearing 50,000 people a day. This event is one of many that kicks off the Kentucky Derby festivities.

The Derby Festival lasts just two weeks, but its impact on the local community is felt year-round. The Derby Festival is a non-profit organization, but it provides world-class entertainment for its customers. Thunder Over Louisville is the region's largest annual event, but the Festival makes virtually no financial return on the show. However, Thunder greatly benefits a large number of other local non-profit organizations. For instance, Thunder is the No. 1 fund-raiser for the Louisville Science Center, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, Louisville Slugger Museum, Easter Seals, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Louisville Ballet and the Belle of Louisville. In addition, a recent study found that Thunder produced an estimated impact of $31 million for the local economy on both sides of the Ohio River. For these and many other reasons, the Festival remains committed to producing such an important community asset.

If you are a visitor to this event, leave us a comment on your experiences at the event and especially your take on Cuppy's Coffee. Have fun and enjoy the event.
Want to join our growing family? Check us out at www.cuppys.com

Training At Cuppy's Coffee College: Barista to Management

When you join the Cuppy's team we stand behind you throughout the entire process of opening your store. Coffee College is a unique experience in which you will learn all of the basics to run your store. In 9 days you will not only be educated in the craft of espresso making, but you will also be able to network face-to-face with other store owners and learn from top industry experts on drink preparation, marketing, operations and so much more

Courses include everything from barista training to operational budgets. Sales techniques are explained thoroughly and goal setting guides are provided to get you on the right track. Our marketing team provides you with everything you'll need to start your company off right and our management and employee reviews will provide you with the knowledge you'll need to keep your customer coming back again and again.

Learning the nuances of espresso based drinks and how to deliver it with great customer service are just more ingredients that goes into building your customer base with loyal and satisfied customers. Learn how you can join our growing family at www.cuppys.com

Massachusette Opening 2nd Cuppy's Coffee Soon

Western Massachusettians will now have reason to celebrate. Cuppy's Coffee will be opening soon in Chicopee, MA a city outside of Springfield MA. Elite Manufacturing is scheduled to start delivery of the modular building to Chicopee witin the next week.

Before this location, Boston was the only Cuppy's Coffee cafe in the state. The store located in Chicopee will be the dual drive thru modular building. Built for high volume traffic, the franchisees plan to meet the high quality of espresso making with the speed of service that customers want .

Cuppy's Coffee plans to open other locations throughout the state. When asked about Dunkin Donuts stronghold in the area.

"People will soon get to see and taste the difference in what a real Italian espresso should be." states Andi Davidson, PR Director at Cuppy's Coffee.

Look for the Chicopee location Grand Opening soon in the area.

Cuppy's Coffee in The News

People are noticing. Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More is moving towards opening more locations across the US. This article in the GreenvilleOnline.com tells the story of one such opening in South Carolina.

Simpsonville got an extra shot of espresso last June when Steve Parker opened Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More in front of Big Lots on Woodruff Road. Read the entire article...

All Roads Will Soon Lead To Cuppy's Coffee: Normal IL

Where Interstates 75, 39 and 55 all merge, Cuppy's Coffee will be there to serve up a true Italian espresso to commuters and travelers alike. Franchisees in Normal IL have signed a lease to open a Cuppy's Coffee restaurant.

Look for the new Cuppy's Coffee to open soon.

Manufacturing Falls in March

Recent reports show a slight decline in the manufacturing sector of the country. A majority of data presented in the report stems from the automotive industry which has seen record drops in earnings due to the slow economy and the high price of gasoline. The Wall Street Journal published this article on the manufacturing slump.

[The nation's manufacturing activity shrank in March, but at a slower pace than in February, and construction spending fell for a fifth straight month.

The Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its manufacturing index inched higher last month to 48.6 from 48.3 in February.] Read more...

American Franchise Icons Cave In to Signs of the Times

The signs of the time is change. American icons such as Pizza Hut, Burger King and now Nestles Butterfinger are all jumping on the bandwagon of change. The new class of marketing experts are taking long established franchises and turning them on the time in an effort to be either politically correct and or capture the share of upcoming Y Generation consumers.

Will it succeed? Only time will tell. Some institutions such as Coke have waded out into this pool of reformulation, renaming and have fell on their faces. Consumers are a weird bunch and we await their outcries and/or acceptance of change.

For those who are at a lost, here are the changes.

Pizza Hut is now Pasta Hut, Burger King is adding the Whopper Bar, and Nestles' 80 year old Butterfinger will now be called The Finger. Marketing campaigns have already begun to educate the public to the changes.

Marketing Problems? Cuppy's Coffee Ideas to Get You Going

Cuppy's Coffee realizes that there may be problems associated with a slow economy. Here are a few techniques that may help your bottom line.

• Rethink the value of your employees-get them out their talking to their peers


• Team up with like minded business to cut advertising costs


• Knock on doors and give out drink coupons


• Don't get ripped off by vendors looking to take advantage of unfortunate companies


• Return coupons


• Give coffee to a fundraising activity


• Sponsor a little league


• Join community associations and network

The ideas are numerous. Keep your head up and continue to move forward.

Pizza to Pasta: Pizza Hut is Now Pasta Hut

Nothing stays the same. Business moves at the speed of light and keeping up with that light Pizza Hut after 50 years is changing its name to Pasta Hut. This comes on the heel of a successful pasta campaign featuring two new pasta dishes ready for delivery.

Read the entire article at QSR Magazine:

"For 50 years we've been all about pizza," says Bergren. "As we've prepared for the launch of our new line of Tuscani Pastas our customers have consistently told us these pastas are so good we should change our name to Pasta Hut. Starting tomorrow, Pizza Hut is Pasta Hut." more...