Hey Everyone, I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the arrival of summer. It’s been a busy season for us – we’ve been preparing for the Shorewood remodel while we’re seeing customer counts continue to rise across the cafes. Over the next few months we’ll continue to evaluate our schedules and shift structures to make sure we are well staffed to manage our customer volume. We will also finalize our preparations for the fall to make sure we’re staffed up and trained well for the season of transition we always experience in late August. Overall, I am very proud of the work we’ve done together and I look forward to enjoying the next few months with you all. Reminder: Shorewood will reopen on July 8th! So, plan to stop in and see the improvements. Even as we complete this work we’ve started getting the plan dialed in for the Oconomowoc remodel this fall.
Also in this update:
- Summer Launch
- New Coffees
- Workshops coming up.
Summer Launch
We have a big summer launch this week. A few highlights from Riley, our Director of Coffee.
Cookie Butter Latte: The flavor itself is “cookie butter latte” and is meant to taste more like the combination of the ingredients (cookie butter, espresso + milk) rather than just “cookie butter”. This one is phenomenal as sweet foam! S/O To HB + DP for this one!
Bergamot Latte: We brought back the Bergamot latte because it is a barista favorite and, to me, captures the essence of summer in a cup. It’s a perfect balance of citrus and sweetness, paired exceptionally with our green bike espresso.
Butter Pecan: We’re bringing in a new syrup, Butter Pecan! Our favorite time to eat ice cream is summer and what a classic flavor Butter Pecan is. Pro tip: Try it as a frozen latte!
Cosmic Lemonade: Our cosmic lemonade is a combination of our favorite Natalie’s lemonade and Rishi Butterfly Pea Powder Tea. The density of the tea allows it to float on top, causing the drink to change colors once mixed. This one is totally caffeine free and an absolute joy to look at.
New Coffees: Sweet, Clean and Juicy
I am excited about a handful of new coffees that will be launching over the next month. Our summer line-up is filled with some of the best coffees we have ever had at Stone Creek. Here is the all-star lineup.
- June 2nd: Reserve – Antigua Bourbon 1700m Guatemala – This coffee perhaps more than any coffee in the last few years hits the center of the target for Sweet, Clean and Juicy. I have been drinking this each morning for the last week and LOVE it.
- June 2nd: Decaf – Very Cherry Moped Decaf Peru – Over the next few 3-4 months we will be making a few changes to our overall coffee line structure. One of those changes is to end Decaf Green Bike and replace it with a rotating seasonal coffee. First up is the Very Cherry Moped Decaf Peru. We hope our decaf drinks will love this new rotation.
- June 23rd: Small Batch x2 – We are launching the same coffee with two different roast profiles – both coffees are light roast but we are playing with roast and sharing them under two names: Candied Grapefruit Ethiopia (slightly lighter) and Violet Ethiopia. This is an experiment we have not tried before….sip and compare.
- July and August: We have two more Ethiopian coffees slotted for late July along with two more Geisha’s arriving toward the end of the summer – one from Costa Rica and another form Guatemala.
Summer Workshops
In a few weeks we are hosting our summer workshops. We will be tasting coffee and doing our normal “what is Hot and what is Not” sessions. We will also be spending a few hours together discussing what makes us a diverse workplace and how to continue to build on, and celebrate, our uniqueness.
At Stone Creek Coffee, we want to cultivate a company culture where we can be our authentic selves, gather around coffee, and celebrate our differences together. Therefore, during our June NSL Workshops, we are excited to have the opportunity to engage in a two hour Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion class. This class will focus on inclusion and will require participation in order to be productive.
We have been humbled by the thoughtful Speak Ups that come about through our workshops and surveys, and we are hopeful to spend that care and energy on mindful development in this class.
Finally, I want to wish you all a Happy Pride month. It’s been my hope that Stone Creek Coffee would be a safe & welcoming place for all, where each person might find care and belonging. This month we will be donating the proceeds of our decorated sugar cookies to the MKE LGBT Community Center as we did last year. Angeline is also working on a print series that we will release later this month. The proceeds of those prints will go to benefit Courage MKE.
Thanks everyone! On we go.
Eric
Managing Director
eresch@stonecreekcoffee.com