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

A Fresh Start For Cuppy’s Coffee

Cuppy’s Coffee was purchased by Dale Nabors, CEO of Fransynergy, on Friday April 18. This new acquisition has positive implications underway for all Cuppy’s Coffee franchisees and owners. The new management team, led by Nabors, has already commenced certain initiatives to increase the profitability of each existing franchisee.

Dale Nabors said, “Our number one priority is to get our stores open. Our number two priority is to make them profitable.” The new regime is curtailing franchise sales to focus on the long-term growth of a great brand. To increase the profitability of existing Cuppy’s locations the corporate offices will focus on increasing the retail segment of the business, educating franchisees on how to move products in their stores, and increase food item sales.

One of the first exciting changes Cuppy’s franchisees will undergo under Nabors’ leadership is a new national distribution system designed to save each franchisee 20 to 30 percent. Additionally, Cuppy’s will begin private labeling syrups, sauces and powders used for drink recipes in May of 2008. The new private label products are delectable and comparable in taste and quality to the brand’s original product.

Nabors initiated the development of new cups for Cuppy’s franchisees when he was consulting for the company. Now Cuppy’s franchisees can benefit from a cup that can serve hot and cold drinks, saving franchisees money and inventory space! Franchisees can also expect a new 24 ounce cup to be available soon. The new cups are not only less expensive for franchisees, but they are also environmentally friendly. They take less energy to produce and are recyclable. Most companies use paper cups coated with wax which cannot be recycled.

Cuppy’s franchisees are thrilled with the transition of the company’s management. Nabors listened to the franchisees requests as he consulted for Cuppy’s and honed in on their needs. The new distribution system and cups are just two examples of positive changes that are impacting Cuppy’s franchisees’ bottom line.

To ensure that the corporate office and franchisees are able to communicate effectively, Nabors has been instrumental in developing a Franchisee Advisory Board. The board consists of a variety of franchisees representing different regions and different Cuppy’s units. (The Cuppy’s franchise offers a dual drive-thru unit, stand alone or inline café unit, kiosk, coffee and smoothie cart and mobile unit.) The board’s role in the company is to provide the franchisee perspective on any upcoming changes and serve as a voice for the franchisees.

“I expect the Cuppy’s brand to grow into the number one specialty coffee franchise in America. I purchased this company because I believe in it, and I am strategically placing the right people to take this brand to the next level,” said Nabors. “I will focus on slow, controlled growth to build a profitable brand with profitable franchisees.”

Elite Mfg Delivers Another Cuppy’s Coffee

On the news of FranSynergy buying the assets of Cuppy’s Coffee, Smoothies & More, Elite Manufacturing delivers another dual drive thru coffee shop in Brooksville, FL. Located north of Tampa, customers in the surrounding communities will be able to enjoy hand picked, hand roasted espresso served in true Italian style.

The owners who’ve recently completed their training at Coffee College are excited to get their business open and to start serving coffee. The dual drive thru is designed for fast service for commuters going to and from their destinations.

Watch for the Grand Opening announcement for Cuppy’s Coffee located at 15250 Cortez Blvd. coming soon.

For more information on Cuppy’s Coffee visit our website 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

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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

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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.

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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

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

Make That a Triple Play: Cuppy’s Coffee Signs Another Lease in N. Illinois

Folks in the northern section of Illinois will have access to another Cuppy’s Coffee, Smoothies & More store located in Grayslake. This will make the third lease signed within the past 2 months in this state.

Owners in Woodstock and Wadsworth are moving forward with planning and construction schedules for their locations. The franchisee in Grayslake can now move forward as well. Look for Grand Opening notifications for all 3 northern Illinois locations soon.

To become a member of our fast growing family, visit us at www.cuppys.com . For information on the construction management company for these and other locations visit Elite Manufacturing’s website at www.elitemfgcorp.com

Palm Desert Cuppy’s Coffee Now Open!

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

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.