We always eagerly anticipate the arrival of the work of Jeff Holmberg (www.holmbergdesign.com), our design partner. Whether it is a pencil concept-sketch or as in this time, a number of custom coffee display pieces, they exceed our expectations. On this project, we needed some custom pieces that tied into existing millwork at our coffeebar and also provided some Bull Run branding and functionality. Specifically, we needed the following:
WHOLE BEAN DISPLAY: Jeff designed these display blocks that designate specific coffees for sale and also provide a slot to hold coffee information cards for each coffee. These blocks connect together and provide the flexibility to add or remove them as needed for the appropriate number of coffees available.
COFFEE BAR SIGN: Our coffee bar is inside of Rustica Bakery. We needed a subtle coffee bar sign and Jeff created one that fit right inside one of the shelves above the coffee bar. He even stained it with our Dogwood Espresso.
COFFEE CONDIMENT CUBBIES: We needed storage for napkins, utensils, etc and Jeff designed a wood cubby system that was distressed to match the island it is placed on.
Well, the café has been open a good two months now, which is awesome. We’ve finally got almost all of the necessary construction done (minus having comfy couches and such), and the place is looking gooood. Hopefully we’ll get something nice on the walls soon.
We started out with a lot of makeshift furniture and cabinetry, but it’s come a long way. People have responded amazingly well to the single cup brewing, and the fact that we don’t have a dark roast—I expected a lot of backlash from the start but mostly people are appreciative. The baristas have been more than awesome and I’m so excited about everyone that works for Bull Run.
Here are a few links to articles/blogs recently written about us that haven’t been posted yet. Also, we are featured with Rustica in the food section of Minnesota Monthly this month. There is a sweet picture of Derek using his siphon skills.
Southwest Journal: One cup at a time.
The Great Num Nums of the Twin Cities (hehe.)
Jenn on the Radar: No Bull!
2 espressos
and again!
More great stuff to come! Thank you so much to everyone who has shown support or interest in what we’ve done so far. We are excited to be a part of the growing third wave in the twin cities!
cheers! -stephanie
Our Reserve Mocha Java just received a 91 point review from Coffee Review.
Blind Assessment: Aroma and flavor display intense, pungent pine and cedar wood with soft hints of earth, cocoa and grapefruit. Balanced acidity, medium to full body. The flavor characteristics are sustained in the long, dry finish. (Kenneth Davids, Coffee Review, January 2009)
Read the whole review here: http://www.coffeereview.com/review.cfm?ID=2047
You can purchase this coffee here: http://www.bullrunroasting.com/shop/reserve-mocha-java/
We are so excited about our new reserve coffee labels. We worked with Jeff at http://www.holmbergdesign.com/ on the design of the labels and had them made by Ben & his crew at http://studioonfire.com/ , an amazing letterpress studio here in Minneapolis. They really turned out great and add an extra hands-on touch to a few exceptional coffees that we have. We currently have the Ethiopia Beloya #10 and Rwanda C.O.E. #16 as our Reserve coffee selections.
Here is a link to Studio on Fire’s blog post about the labels: http://www.beastpieces.com/2009/12/reserve-collection-coffee-package-labels/
Here are a few photos of the Letterpress production:
Eric Faust, at Heavy Table, wrote an article about us and our new coffee bar.
http://heavytable.com/bull-run-roasting-companys-new-cafe/
The past few weeks have been really crazy at Bull Run. With two months of training behind us, I think everyone is really itching to get in the space. There’s only so much you can do to organize your flow when the place you’ll be working doesn’t exist yet. We’re shoulder to shoulder dialing in coffee on the Clover and steaming milk. Speaking of milk, every couple of weeks I’ve had the opportunity to deal with what I refer to as “the milk crisis”. Perhaps it is only a crisis in my own mind, but thankfully, we were able to drop some of the milk off at the walk in fridge at the space in my jeep… which was weighed down more than it ever has been before, and now makes new noises:
This isn’t even close to the amount of milk we have right now. Other than that, a number of the baristas all have large quantities of milk in their apartment refrigerators.
I’m really excited about the milk we’ll be using at the shop, which is from Sassy Cow Creamery . We tried a lot of different types of milk in order to arrive at our decision. The farm is located just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, and is operated by brothers James and Robert Baerwolf, the third generation to farm on the land purchased by their grandfather in 1946. They take great care of their herds, and offer both the organic and traditional cows the same attention. The steamed milk is unbelievably sweet, and as Keith says “It tastes like ice cream!” Considering the fact that milk is most of what any latte or other espresso beverage consists of, it’s a pretty important ingredient. I think that everyone will be excited about Sassy Cow. We also get these awesome cow trading cards on each gallon:
I’ll trade you my Martha for your Bessie.
cheers! -stephanie
