Have you ever wondered how we choose and create our Seasonal Signature Beverages at Stone Creek? On this installment of How it’s Made, we walk you through the recipe development process from start to finish.
Drink recipe development at Stone Creek is a great example of successful collaboration between teams, and it all begins with thinking hard and sharing our ideas.
3+ Months Before Launch
At least three months ahead of each season, the Director of Coffee begins by brainstorming drink ideas. In past seasons, we’ve run these ideas past public panels via S.I.P. (Simple Innovative Playful) events that showcase and survey the public on drink ideas. For our Winter 2021 Seasonal Beverages set to launch in January, we’re remotely surveying our employees to gauge interest, as well as to provide an avenue for them to speak up with their own drink ideas. [Fun fact: our Blueberry Lavender Lemonade was inspired by one of our baristas, Olivia O!] Once we gather the survey results and analyze them, we use the data to help guide which recipes we would like to further develop.
2 Months Before Launch
After the Green Coffee Team decides which recipes to further develop, the Stone Creek Bakery begins to work their magic and prepares different versions of each recipe. For instance, to create the peppermint syrup that goes into our Peppermint Mocha and Peppermint White Mocha, we tried four different versions to find just the right one. If one of the prototypes fits the bill, we can move on to finalizing the recipe. If slight adjustments need to be made, we get back to the Bakery with feedback, and they produce another prototype(s) until it is approved.
1.5 Months Before Launch
About a month and a half before launch, our Green Coffee Team tests and approves the final recipes after the Director of Coffee develops them for each drink size and preparation (hot, frozen, etc). Once approved, the Director of Coffee prepares drink guides with the help of the Director of Education to send out to all of our cafes, including full recipes, as well as ‘cheat sheets’ that are readily available near the espresso bar. At the same time, our Marketing and Retail teams are hard at work preparing materials for our cafes, wholesale partners (who get their own set of recipes), and more.
1 Week Before Launch
Our Bakery team begins producing syrup for our cafes. The Peppermint syrup is so fragrant that you can smell it throughout our Factory as it’s being made. At this time, cafes are hard at work starting to prepare for launch day-all the way from prepping squeeze bottles of syrups to sampling the new drinks.
Launch Day
Our cafes begin serving holiday drinks using the recipe guides that were created and the syrups that were delivered to them by our delivery drivers.
Stop into one of our cafes now to try our Holiday 2020 Signature Beverages, including Toasted Marshmallow Latte, a drink that’s new to our menu in 2020! Don’t want to wait in line? We got you! Click the button below to download the Stone Creek Coffee app and make ordering even easier.
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