Think simple, Simple Coffee

mental_floss magazine - Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix

The video is classic.

Good luck on the program. Hope to talk to you soon; especially if there is any thing you think we could help on. I’d also like to post a summary of the inmate program as it is a good cause.

Congrads on the “traction” as you called it,
Mike

“Costs, market fragmentation, and new media channels that let customers bypass advertisements seem to be in league against the old ways of marketting. Relying on mass media campaigns to build strong brands may be a thing of the past.

Serveral companies in Europe, making a virtue of necessity, have come up with alternative brand-building approaches and are blazing a trail in the post-mass-media age. In England, Nestle’s Buitoni brand grew through programs that taught the English how to cook Italian food. The Body Shop garnered loyalty with its support for enviromental and social causes. Cadbury funed a theme park tied to its history in the chocolate business. Haagen-Dazs opened posh ice-cream parlors and got itself featured by name on the menus of fine restaurants. Hugo Boss and Swatch backed athletic or cultural events that became associated with their brands.

The various campaigns shared characteristics that could serve as guidelines for any company hoping to build a successful brand: senior managers were closely involved with brand building effortsd; the companies recognized the importance of clarifying their core brand identity; and they made sure that all their efforts to gain visibility were tied to that core identity.

Studying the methods of companies outside one’s own industry and country can be instructive for managers. Pilot testing and the use of a single continuous measure of brand equity also help managers get the most out of novel approaches in their ever more competitive world.“

- Harvard Business Review on Brand Management

“Amen”

- Simple Coffee

powered by performancing firefox

It was obvious to me there had to be a solution for the nasty junk that builds up in a coffee maker. I thought at first filtered water would solve the problem. The filtered water eliminated some ‘lime’ type buildup but couldn’t cut through the tan colored coffee oil buildup.

I was aware of coffee cleaners but they were inconvenient to buy. No grocery stores I frequented had them, and no coffee company was promoting them.

Simple is taking a stand.

Free Coffee/Espresso machine Cleaner/Descaler.
If you don’t want to order from our online store and receive a single use packet of cleaner for free then send a self addressed stamped envelope to:

Think Simple LLC
ATTN: Clean my coffee maker!
1801 Holian Drive
Spring Grove, IL 60081

Thanks for all of the support from our loyal fans and we’ll be doing this while supplies last.

Think Simple,
Josh

The Boulevard Lakefront Tour went off well. We had some problems with our generators but in the end we got them running well enough to serve a stream of coffee. What we didn’t expect was the weather: gloomy and wet. Oddly enough this was good for us but not the best for the bikers. They were cold, wet, and beaten by wind from the lake by the time they got back to basecamp. Which made a cup of coffee the thing to hit the spot.

It went well because we got to interact with people there. We got to explain why we have the values we do. We got to explain that they can help us out by asking grocers. We were told about food co-ops and beaneries. We were told about people’s lives and brewing methods. We simply got to talk to human beings  on a genuine level.

We’ll see you guys at the next Chicago Bike Federation event hopefully. And if you saw us there, if you talked to us, please leave a comment

Link to all photos on Flickr…

Coffee Habitat - It might have been obvious by the title; I’ve found this to be a solid site for a true coffee drinker that is concerned about it’s ecological footprint.

Part of Simple Coffee is doing business and understanding the effects of our business on a large scale. And part of that is how the coffee we grow effects the rest of the world, both nature and people. On http://www.coffeehabitat.com you can read about how the coffee industry moves and how it effects such things as the Cerulean Warbler or what is going on with the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA).

Think Simple,
Mike Minor

technorati tags:scaa, blog, education, enviroment, conservation, french, coffee, simple coffee, specialty

Blogged with Flock

Gotta say it’s everything a cafe should be… Bottomless cup for 3 bucks, free wi-fi (encrypted too), solid but not-too-loud music going on in the background, live music every Tuesday. Hints of nostalgic appreciation line the walls; from Eight O’Clock Coffee circa 1930’s signs to delicate carafes of glass and intricate build, and notably a portable tangerine record player older than me. It’s perfect for sitting down and working considering the huge front window and outlets galore for laptops.

The staff adds to it all. Dennis the owner is easy to talk to and has an underlying pride of his cafe when talking, which makes sense all things considered from an outside perspective. Sam has been the only employee I have met but is also easy to talk to and seems to like his job. It’s a bit odd typing this considering he’s behind the counter diligently cleaning out the equipment, but you can tell he’s happy to be doing so or he’s putting on an act but I doubt that. The cafe is also appreciated by the locals (including myself) and shows when they come in the cafe. I could be wrong given first impression but people know Sam, people know Dennis. And if they don’t then it speaks even more on how nice the staff is. Mistaking what I see as light friendships with the community would speak bounds for MoJoe’s Cafe, it’s just that kind of place.

It’s an inspiration. This 4 year old establishment is why we are making Simple Coffee a strong brand. To help a place like this attract people who might pass it up only due to it’s modesty. It’s heart is not turning the best dime, but quality product which includes an unbeatable atmosphere. And through that, it has survived a larger coffee chain moving down the block.

If you are ever on Roscoe and around Western Avenue in Chicago, stop in. They know what they’re doin’.

And a message specifically to Dennis and Sam; I didn’t mean to come in and write a review of sorts but given the impression the cafe made, wanted to tell people about it. You guys of all people know how sparce a cafe like MoJoe’s is.

Think Simple,
Mike Minor

technorati tags:MoJoe’s, cafe, IntelligensiA, free, wi-fi, Roscoe, Village, Chicago, 60618

Blogged with Flock