Ethiopia Harrar

Good Morning, Coffee Crew ~

What a glorious summer day in Kalispell, Montana!  I hope each of you is experiencing beautiful weather, time to get outside, and a loved one to enjoy it with you.

I am on my second cup of Ethiopia Harrar this morning.  The blueberry aroma is pronounced, has full body, and the aftertaste is chocolaty.  This coffee is easy to pair with several foods: vanilla ice cream, green salad, and of course a chocolate chip cookie.  If you need to make this a “half caff”, add some decaf Brazil before brewing.  Your flavor profile and caffeine intake will be diluted a bit for a mellower cup of java.

An uncomfortable topic for many of us is theft in our businesses.  The reality is that a cash business such as coffee is prevalent for theft from staff.  The impact of each staff member giving 1 free drink per day can amount to several hundred dollars per month from your bottom line.  At an average of $3 per drink per day the total is $100 per month.  Now multiply that number by the shifts/workers each day.  This total can be staggering and yet easy to miss because you might not notice a total of 5 – 10 drinks per day.

A few things you can do to decrease the theft problem are having a written policy regarding daily procedures and termination that is signed by the employees; discuss this during meetings and encourage the staff to watch for theft and report it to you; count cups; track products; use a POS that will assist in this; and cameras.  As the owner or manager, if you are working behind the bar yourself you will know the proper product usage for the sales totals and this is also helpful.  The POS companies will have more ideas and procedures for you if this may be a problem in your business.

Trivia:  I met a gentleman at the Farmer’s Market this summer who shared some of his experiences in Indonesia.  He explained how the Buginese people in Sulawesi/Sumatra have a history of being fierce, warlike, and industrious.  He also told me this is where the myth of the “bugi man” started.  J

Make it a great day!

Peggy Sue Ennenga