February 2014 • www.specialty-coffee.com | 31
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astries. Sandwiches. Bottled water. ese are just a few of
the add-on items you'd expect to see in any coee retail
shop. ese days, it's considered unusual for a retailer not to
oer something in addition to traditional coee options in an
attempt to increase sales and appeal to a broader customer
base. So what about adding alcohol to the mix?
ALCOHOL AS AN ADDON
For most coee retailers, oering beer and wine at their
locations is seen as a natural extension of their business. e
intention isn't to become a leader in a new industry; it's to give
existing customers another reason to visit the store, and to
potentially attract new customers in the process.
e idea of coee retailers adding beer and wine to their
menus isn't exactly new. Starbucks rolled out its Starbucks
Evenings program back in 2010. e concept has evolved
since then, and is currently being piloted at 22 locations in
six test markets across the country. At participating Starbucks
locations, the Starbucks Evening menu is made available aer
4 p.m., and features a selection of wine and beer, along with
several small plates and dessert items. e Starbucks Evenings
menu is oered as an additional option for customers, who
can also purchase items from Starbucks' regular menu during
that time.
Other retailers have featured beer and wine on their menus
even longer that Starbucks has. Ross Beamish is the Head of
Training with Cae Vita, a specialty coee chain founded
in 1995 with 11 retail locations spread across Washington,
California, and New York. In addition to add-on items such
as atbread sandwiches, juices, yogurt, and cookies, Cae Vita
has oered beer and wine across all locations for many years-
-so many, in fact, that Beamish can't quite remember exactly
when it started.
Beamish reports that alcoholic beverages currently make
up less than 10 percent of Cae Vita's total sales, although
the company is hoping to increase that prot margin slightly
with some additional in-store marketing materials to raise
awareness of the alcoholic beverage options. Each Cae Vita
location has dierent beer and wine oerings, which are oen
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