 |
Kudo Beans Featured in Daily NewsDaily News It seemed that all I saw for the longest time in community newspapers around NYC were stories about a new cafe bar concept called KUDO Beans, which apparently empowers the smaller mom and popshops to compete against the larger more generic coffee companies that have proliferated across the USA . You might not have noticed, but there has been a bit of a war going on amongst the coffee companies over the consumer, ironically it is the consumer that suffers. In the all encompassing chase for the business of restaurants and supermarket shelves, the price is often targeted as the easiest point to battle on. Reduction in price leads to reduction in costs, as about the only thing that you can reduce cost in the coffee business is the bean itself, it becomes an easy conclusion that the bean itself is not the bean it used to be, it is not the quality it might have started out as. KUDO Beans, doesn't try to be all things to all stores rather it takes into consideration the specific needs of individual businesses to survive in their specific environment. The concept of KUDO Beans is that the basics are established, great coffees, great tea and the education that needs to accompany the products. The need arose from the realization of these smaller or independent store owners that people were no longer walking in to buy coffee and a paper or a bagel or donut, instead where coming in with a coffee and muffin already in hand, to buy a paper. People were going patronizing those stores that have huge marketing budgets and have created strong brand recognition. The vision of Jeff Ryu, in developing KUDO Beans was not to try and be the authority himself on all things but to utilize the best people in there fields to achieve the qualities needed to compete in this market place. Mr.. Ryu brings the most important elements in recognition to the table, that of marketing, consulting and public relations, those elements that a smaller store might not be able to afford on their own, they can now enjoy as a part of a greater quality standard being made known to the greater public. Simply put, this is a program that maintains the money in the community that is spending it. Simple enough in theory, but the execution had to be a little more thoughtful. Mr.. Ryu realized that the durability of any concept would eventually have to rest on the quality and service that it provided not simply with the name. Today's marketplace is rapidly becoming a more educated consumer that demands a better product and so shortcuts were not an option. The incorporation of one of New York Cities most respected and indeed almost legendary Coffee roasters, Dallis Bros.., were a key element. Serendipitously, Dallis Bros.. has also been a leader in the field of entrepreneurship, more often than not nurturing concepts and businesses that holds merit and putting their money where their mouth is. This support for young business people culminated in the purchase of one of there fledgling ventures, Planet Java, by the Coca Cola Company, early this year. And when the local restaurants and chefs needed a company to coordinate the collection of coffee being donated from around the world they called on Dallis Bros.. who also then delivered to ground zero, eventually turning over the distribution to City Harvest. Coffee aside, Dallis Bros.. has the experience of people like Mort Weinstein, CFO of Dallis Bros.. and Planet Java, and David Dallis, President of Dallis and past President of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the current Chairperson of Training and Education of the National Coffee Association that are lending their advise and experience to this blossoming enterprise. On the tea side there is the relatively young, 6 years young, Serendipitea, already a New York institution, helmed by Tomislav Podreka, President of Serendipitea adjunct at the Culinary Institute of America and President of the American Premium Tea Institute. Mr.. Podreka is also the Author of "Serendipitea; a guide to the Origins, Varieties and rituals of tea" as well as a respected contributor to various publications across the USA . Mr. Ryu, with a strong base of New England businesses that he had guided into profitability, is uniquely qualified for the job. Having around 2000 small and medium sized businesses to his credit as a consultant to the food service industry, he has been watching and noting carefully the niche that was escaping the industry leaders. Mr. Ryu has selected as VP of Operations Stephen Schulman, renown in the business for his adherence to quality and integrity within the coffee industry. In the business seventeen years, Mr.. Schulman has seen and partaken in every facet of the industry from running commercial coffee roasters and packaging equipment to developing flavor profiles and blends, and has worked with every conceivable venue serving coffee. Mr. Schulman is responsible for the quality and consistence of product and service. Mr. Schulman will be available to all the KUDO Beans partners for the invaluable advice and experience that he can divulge. An important element in KUDO Beans is that participating businesses are not franchisees so much as partners; they participate in their own development utilizing the name and expertise of the KUDO Beans marquee. The technology offered is exceptional, the "super automatica" machines do everything at the touch of a button without any loss of quality or taste and without the need of a specialized "Barrista", someone trained only to make coffee in It's various forms! This automation that has never really been developed successfully before allows the smaller shop owners to produce superlative cups of coffee, cappuccino, espresso etc. with very little labor or expertise. The KUDO Beans customer list is already impressive, from Prince Farm in Soho, to Bread Deli in Gramercy Park , to International Bagel in Queens and Good Nature Supermarket in Fort Lee NJ . The average numbers of a KUDO Beans customer are impressive with increases in Business being as high as triple previous numbers and averaging in many case a thirty percent increase in coffee sales alone. Dallis Bros.. already well established with accounts like Gramercy Tavern, Aquavit and Patria to smaller accounts like Bendix Diner and Comfort Diner. Serendipitea likewise looks after Restaurants of the caliber of Jean George, Union Pacific and Le Bernardin to the smaller cafes like Connecticut Muffin, The Cupping Room and Sarabeths at Chelsea Piers. These already formidably knowledgeable companies, become even more so when working together to create an atmosphere of competition for businesses that need it most, our local stores keeping money within the community. KUDO Beans does not capitalize on consulting or training, which can run to as much as $1000 to $2500 per business. These services incorporate the choices of coffee and tea to the layout of the floor space to the choice of machines and signage. The package further incorporates uniforms, menu boards and a plethora of marketing materials. More importantly, there is an ongoing presence and availability to ensure quality and education. Bullets for Tomislav-just a few * Coffee wars * Battle for customers * Full programs * Turn key solutions * Proven to make money |