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.

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

Cuppy’s Coffee: A Little Time Invested Goes A Long Way

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’.

Georgia Peaches Aren’t the Only Thing Happening: Cuppy’s Coffee Opening Two Locations

Cuppy’s Coffee is opening other locations in Georgia. Carrolton GA will be home to a 1200 sq ft cafe featuring true Italian espresso based drinks. Besides coffee, patrons can also order real fruit smoothies along with pastries and other items. As a cafe the owners will have the ability to offer up family friendly venues such as Open Mic Night, poetry readings and can serve as a community meeting place.

Franchisees in Savannah on the other end will utilize another product from Cuppy’s Coffee, the mobile coffee unit. Expect to see this mobile unit at community events like parades, outdoor events, and concerts. The flexibility of the mobile unit will allow the franchisees to go where the people are.

Grand Opening events are being scheduled for both the upcoming arrivals of the growing franchise.

Based in Ft Walton Beach, Cuppy’s Coffee is expanding nationally with its award winning coffee and smoothies products. For more information on Cuppy’s Coffee visit the website at www.cuppys.com

Cuppy’s Coffee Marketing: Social Networking Sites?

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 realize 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.

Hendersonville NC Get Ready For Cuppy’s Coffee

Barker Heights, Valley Hill, Flat Rock, Mountain Home and Hendersonville get ready. Cuppy’s Coffee, Smoothies & More has opened their newest location. Located inside the Ace Hardware store at 911 Greenville Hwy, customers can now enjoy a true Italian espresso while shopping for that new light fixture for the home.

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 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.

Marketing Your Cuppy’s Coffee Mobile Unit

Marketing Strategies

Here are some helpful guidelines for making your Cuppy’s Coffee mobile unit more profitable.

• Make your mobile unit visible!
  • Wind Socks on top of your unit provide height and movement.
  • Don’t forget to place A-Frame signs in front of your unit. Purchase A-Frame attachments from specialtycoffeecoop.com. Pictures sell drinks and encourage impulse purchases.
  • Determine and negotiate a prime location at the event (near entrance, etc.)

• Opt for events that have low or no fees for participation.
  • Event fees vary but a good rule of thumb is to try to keep your entry fees below $300.
  • Watch out for large deposits.
  • Don’t forget to pay attention to percentages of gross sales fees that some events charge.
  • Ask your local high schools if you can work their events in exchange for donating 10% – 15% of your gross sales to the school’s athletic program.

• Attend more local events.
  • Events that are within driving distance allow you to cut costs by not paying for accommodations and traveling.

• Offer other concession items.
  • Examples: Bottled Water, Chips, Muffins, Cookies, Candy, etc.
    • Make sure items won’t melt or expire when exposed to sun.
  • Hanging baskets are good storage options because it displays product and minimizes space.

• Pass out half off smoothie coupons with smoothie samples during slow times.
  • Other big sellers you can use for samples are:
    • Mochaccinos
    • Frozen Hot Chocolates

Helpful Hints from the Frontline

• Work efficiently by having one person work your register while another person makes your customers drinks.
  • Your mobile unit increases profits because you deliver quality products quickly.
• You should try to pace yourself to produce at least 4 espresso shots per minute.
• Don’t forget to prepare mixes for frozen drinks.
• Buy an ice machine that filters water and keep it at your house to save costs.
• Security tip: Don’t forget to inventory.
  • Count cups before and after events.
  • Keep a waste sheet for materials that are thrown away.