Good morning Chicagooo Coffee Fest!!!

 

In seven days, we'll be broadcasting live from the Windy City as the  60th Coffee Fest kicks off on Navy Pier.

 

The Coffee Fest Live social media crew (Jeffrey Kingman of…

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Late today in Seattle, Coffee Fest Tradeshow released the 64 Person Latte Art Competition Bracket positions.

 

You can view it here.

 

As the social media professional for Coffee Fest Shows, I’ve been fortunate the last 14 months to visit with many, many baristas and coffee professionals. Everytime I pop into a new coffeeshop, I…

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Waterbury, Vermont - December 17, 2010

A major shake up in the coffee industry Friday.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has finalized a deal to buy the Canadian coffee company Van Houtte for $905 million.

Van Houtte employs nearly 2,000 people at its Montreal facility.

Excerpted from: WCAX.com article

 

PRIORITY DISTRIBUTION

Social Media Club Portland (OR) hosts Paul Barron, Publisher of Fast Casual Magazine and the USA Restaurant Industry's "Most Influential" Social Media Voice.…

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Bracket.pdf

Competitors for the Latte Art Competition at Coffee Fest Minneapolis have been announced. Click on the url-link above "Bracket". Also attached as a jpeg image.

I've become really fascinated with how small independent businesses can take advantage of emergent social web tools. Much of my professional experience has been in the non-corporate world (except for Ritz

Carlton, Hyatt, GTE Sprint, and some early career positions);

independents generating less than $5 million in annual revenues.

The growth challenges posed to independents are, I believe, much more difficult than that for larger organizations. With larger…

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Are you still trying to figure out how to use social media in your specialty coffee/tea shop? Social media heavyweight Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan on Twitter) lands at AJ Bombers restaurant in Milwaukie for a meal and video interviews a multiple location restaurateur on the power of Twitter...



Can you say 75% traffic coming from Twitter alone?



How AJ Bombers is Powered by Social Media



Let me know what you… Continue

This blogpost was originally posted on Chalkboarder and over at FohBoh



Guest Experience Staff Training



I'm researching a study of the restaurant industry, using Yelp and Urban Spoon as the main viewframe. While I've written in the past about how operators could use these two sites to their advantage, I feel compelled to share a different observation… Continue

This was posted on FohBoh.com today - the largest social network for the restaurant industry. The relief workers and citizens of Haiti could probably use some coffee and tea right about now. Please share this information with your culinary friends.



This is an alert seeking Chef Volunteers willing to work in field kitchens in Haiti.



Over the past 72 hours I've been networking with:



U.N. World Food Programme

American Culinary… Continue

Join Coffee Fest in Meadowlands NJ March 4, 2010 for the Executive Summit



Coffee Fest NYC Executive Summit

Thursday, March 4, 2010 from 9:00am-5:00pm



We are thrilled to make our Executive Summit a permanent fixture on the Coffee Fest line-up of events carefully crafted to help you build your bottom line. Held on Thursday, March 4, 2010, the Executive Summit titled Survive and Thrive in Coffee Today, culls from the industry's most respected professionals to bring… Continue

The week before Christmas, David Heilbrunn of Coffee Fest took me to Fresh Cup Magazine's Holiday Open House.



As a former Executive Chef, who did a two year sabbatical studying architecture in Boston, I completely understand having passion for a craft or trade. I'm quite passionate about creative culinary, gastronomy, sustainability and being a superior craftsperson.



Over the times I was Exec Chef, I participated in a number of coffee/tea purchasing decisions; I was aware… Continue

Originally posted at the new blog Leaf & Berry



I’ve been drinking coffee and tea all my life, since I was about ten. It’s always had a hold on me, remaining a constant part of my daily existence.



Much as I might think I could – there’s just no way I could ever stop drinking coffee and tea. I’ve finally given up the remote thought of ever quitting and as a result…



have turned my life… Continue

Are Your Baristas Rock Stars?



With Coffee Fest Seattle approaching this week, we wanted to share some ideas on how to drive sales in coffee houses using social media.



The explosion of independent espresso and coffee houses across North America in the last ten years is phenomenal. Over the last few years we’ve seen top barista competitions at not only coffee business conventions, but also at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago.



Most independent coffee… Continue

Social Media Use By Restaurants (NYC, SFO & PDX)



Initial Results of New York, San Francisco Bay Area and Portland OR Markets



Chalkboarder.com is compiling the results of an exhaustive study of social media use by the restaurant industry nationally. Some preliminary discoveries are very intriguing.



While the entire study encompasses sixteen (16) major metropolitan areas, we’d like to share initial results from New York, Portland Oregon and the… Continue