What bottled beverages do you sell in your store? - Barista Exchange2024-03-28T13:05:25Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/what-bottled-beverages-do-you-sell-in-your-store?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A1236530&feed=yes&xn_auth=noCoconut Water does great in o…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-10-08:1688216:Comment:12988532011-10-08T03:48:03.214ZCarmen Guardadohttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/CarmenGuardado
Coconut Water does great in our shop. Kind of expensive but well worth it for all the health benefits, and customers appreciate that.
Coconut Water does great in our shop. Kind of expensive but well worth it for all the health benefits, and customers appreciate that. David L said:I just found a…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-10-07:1688216:Comment:12987212011-10-07T21:11:46.043ZBenza Lancehttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/BenzaLance
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<cite>David L said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/what-bottled-beverages-do-you-sell-in-your-store?id=1688216%3ATopic%3A1236319&page=1#1688216Comment1289125"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I just found a soda company called Maine Root. They look interesting and I think I can get them from my food distributor in TX, so they are probably available all across the US. They are Fair Trade certified, use organic cane juice to sweeten,…</p>
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<cite>David L said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/what-bottled-beverages-do-you-sell-in-your-store?id=1688216%3ATopic%3A1236319&page=1#1688216Comment1289125"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I just found a soda company called Maine Root. They look interesting and I think I can get them from my food distributor in TX, so they are probably available all across the US. They are Fair Trade certified, use organic cane juice to sweeten, and if you live in their local area (Maine), they distribute with bio-diesel trucks. If I try them, I'll let everyone know what I think.</p>
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Maine Root is some of the tastiest commercial root beer I've ever had. The one I've always gone for (I think) is their original/standard root beer. Sorta heavy on the sassafras, which I dig a lot. David,
In regards to DRY So…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-10-07:1688216:Comment:12985142011-10-07T18:29:58.857ZStephen Cadieuxhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/StephenCadieux
<p>David,</p>
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<p>In regards to DRY Soda, phosphoric acid is a naturally occuring preservative. My understanding is that a preservative of some sort is required to keep bacteria from growing (because of the sugar) and that citric acid left more of an aftertaste than phosphoric acid when they were developing the product. As for the flavoring, each flavor of soda is flavored only with the distilled flavor extract of whatever the flavor is (cucumber, rhubarb, vanilla), ie no other…</p>
<p>David,</p>
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<p>In regards to DRY Soda, phosphoric acid is a naturally occuring preservative. My understanding is that a preservative of some sort is required to keep bacteria from growing (because of the sugar) and that citric acid left more of an aftertaste than phosphoric acid when they were developing the product. As for the flavoring, each flavor of soda is flavored only with the distilled flavor extract of whatever the flavor is (cucumber, rhubarb, vanilla), ie no other flavoring and no artificial ingredients of any kind. This is what I was told, as a salesperson representing the brand for their promotional tour this summer in portland.</p> One of the great things about…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-10-07:1688216:Comment:12981702011-10-07T15:10:33.770ZMark Jacksonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/MarkJackson
<p>One of the great things about creating your own brand is you can certainly control your image. Part of your image may be that you want to carry bottled beverages that nobody else has. I used to order pallets of sodas that nobody had ever seen that were delicious and created quite a buzz. Here is a contact and a company and it certainly is worth looking into.</p>
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<p>His name is Danny and here is what he had to say and a link to his website</p>
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<p>But we do have 1600 sodas…</p>
<p>One of the great things about creating your own brand is you can certainly control your image. Part of your image may be that you want to carry bottled beverages that nobody else has. I used to order pallets of sodas that nobody had ever seen that were delicious and created quite a buzz. Here is a contact and a company and it certainly is worth looking into.</p>
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<p>His name is Danny and here is what he had to say and a link to his website</p>
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<p>But we do have 1600 sodas and yes I would really appreciate your putting up the link; we survive on word-of-mouth support so that’s one way to do it!</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.realsoda.com/" target="_blank">http://www.realsoda.com/</a></p>
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<p>I think the other stuff to do is to private label your bottled water as well as looking for unique energy drinks.</p>
<p> </p> David, As the sole person wor…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-09-26:1688216:Comment:12925212011-09-26T15:18:30.482ZRon Ingberhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/RonIngber
<p>David, As the sole person working in my shop, I understand completely about doing most everything yourself. Sometimes I wish that I had that "extra" time to work on marketing or other "more important" aspects of the business, instead of the grunt work. At some point in time, if/when the business grows to the point where you can afford staff to do this work, you will have to face the real cost (of labor).</p>
<p>I am a bit jealous, as I have yet to draw a salary.</p>
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<p>Gen, I was…</p>
<p>David, As the sole person working in my shop, I understand completely about doing most everything yourself. Sometimes I wish that I had that "extra" time to work on marketing or other "more important" aspects of the business, instead of the grunt work. At some point in time, if/when the business grows to the point where you can afford staff to do this work, you will have to face the real cost (of labor).</p>
<p>I am a bit jealous, as I have yet to draw a salary.</p>
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<p>Gen, I was trying to add a touch of humor to the conversation, and was not intending to be sarcastic. I apologize to all who did not understand my response as I intended. I am very big on exploring ideas and healthy conversation and try to contribute as best I can.</p>
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<p>"the oldest guy at your party"</p> Ron, "no labor cost" may be a…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-09-26:1688216:Comment:12921052011-09-26T14:00:55.326ZGen Izutsuhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/GenIzutsu
Ron, "no labor cost" may be an exaggeration, but I think anyone reading these posts would understand that what David and I mean by that is "extremely low labor cost relative to other labor intensive items." And perhaps sarcasm is not an appropriate tone in a discussion forum where people are trying to explore ideas and help each other out through healthy conversation.
Ron, "no labor cost" may be an exaggeration, but I think anyone reading these posts would understand that what David and I mean by that is "extremely low labor cost relative to other labor intensive items." And perhaps sarcasm is not an appropriate tone in a discussion forum where people are trying to explore ideas and help each other out through healthy conversation. "As you point out, it's all p…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-09-24:1688216:Comment:12908822011-09-24T13:06:02.771ZRon Ingberhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/RonIngber
<p>"As you point out, it's all profit anyway as it requires no labor."</p>
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<p>I guess the person(s) doing the ordering, receiving the merchandise, stocking the storage room, stocking the cooler and breaking down the carton to put in the trash or bundle for recycling all work for free. Then someone has to reconcile the packing slip with the invoice and write out a check. More free labor?</p>
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<p>Everything that happens in the shop has a cost associated with it. I would be…</p>
<p>"As you point out, it's all profit anyway as it requires no labor."</p>
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<p>I guess the person(s) doing the ordering, receiving the merchandise, stocking the storage room, stocking the cooler and breaking down the carton to put in the trash or bundle for recycling all work for free. Then someone has to reconcile the packing slip with the invoice and write out a check. More free labor?</p>
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<p>Everything that happens in the shop has a cost associated with it. I would be cautious about assigning a "no labor cost" to any product.</p>
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<p>"the oldest guy at your party"</p> I worked for DRY Soda, and I…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-09-23:1688216:Comment:12904382011-09-23T20:30:15.306ZStephen Cadieuxhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/StephenCadieux
I worked for DRY Soda, and I found all of their offerings to be high quality and very drinkable. I am surprised more cafes don't carry them. The health-conscious consumer is going to be attracted to the small amounts of cane sugar (vs HFCS) per bottle, and the discerning palate is going to be attracted to the clean, subtle flavors that pair with food and liquor. Oh and your flavor list forgot Juniper Berry! One of my favorites.
I worked for DRY Soda, and I found all of their offerings to be high quality and very drinkable. I am surprised more cafes don't carry them. The health-conscious consumer is going to be attracted to the small amounts of cane sugar (vs HFCS) per bottle, and the discerning palate is going to be attracted to the clean, subtle flavors that pair with food and liquor. Oh and your flavor list forgot Juniper Berry! One of my favorites. I agree and disagree with you…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-09-23:1688216:Comment:12903062011-09-23T20:15:56.972ZGen Izutsuhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/GenIzutsu
<p>I agree and disagree with you. I agree with you that offering the DRY sodas could be a great way to differentiate yourself from your competitors and make you stand out, and drive customers to you. But sodas are not loss leaders--they do not drive sales of higher profit margin items. You don't want to get into a position where you're selling all DRY sodas because you've priced them at cost at the expense of the profit you could have been making by selling Cokes. It's one thing to take a…</p>
<p>I agree and disagree with you. I agree with you that offering the DRY sodas could be a great way to differentiate yourself from your competitors and make you stand out, and drive customers to you. But sodas are not loss leaders--they do not drive sales of higher profit margin items. You don't want to get into a position where you're selling all DRY sodas because you've priced them at cost at the expense of the profit you could have been making by selling Cokes. It's one thing to take a dime less per soda you sell to better your image (at 66 cent upcharge you're probably taking a 10-15 cent hit on profits you would make by selling Coke); it's another story altogether to make no money per soda you sell, especially since many of your library patrons may be buying a soda and nothing else.</p> I price anything that require…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2011-09-22:1688216:Comment:12902182011-09-22T22:07:05.780ZGen Izutsuhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/GenIzutsu
<p>I price anything that requires labor to produce (e.g. sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks) at least 3x cost (so that cost is at most 33%) and anything that requires no labor to produce (bagels that we buy from elsewhere and just bake off here, the cakes that a local baker bakes and brings here, etc.) at 2x cost (so that cost is 50%). Since there is no waste in cooler beverages (you're not throwing anything away at the end of the day or having to throw out bad pieces), you can afford to…</p>
<p>I price anything that requires labor to produce (e.g. sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks) at least 3x cost (so that cost is at most 33%) and anything that requires no labor to produce (bagels that we buy from elsewhere and just bake off here, the cakes that a local baker bakes and brings here, etc.) at 2x cost (so that cost is 50%). Since there is no waste in cooler beverages (you're not throwing anything away at the end of the day or having to throw out bad pieces), you can afford to price them at even lower markups. If you think about it, every cent you're charging is profit, whereas the other items you have to subtract the cost of labor and waste to get your true profit.</p>
<p>I would be weary of charging over $2 for any soda. People will get angry that they're paying $2.50 for a soda, no matter how good it is. Odwalla gets away with it because there's a perceived value added--you're getting a healthy smoothie, not a soda.</p>
<p>Also check out prices in your competing area. Unlike your food or other drinks that you make yourself, which you can argue you are charging more or less because of quality differences or ingredient differences, there is absolutely no product differentiation between your Coke and their Coke--you don't want to be caught charging more for the exact same product. Also check out your grocery store price. Obviously people know that grocery stores are charging less than you will, but grocery store prices give people a general idea at what your costs might be--you don't want to be caught being too greedy with your markups.</p>