All of us at Bellissimo are headed in different directions for the long 4th of July holiday. Soon I will be posting some pix of my sojourn on Facebook, and they should be interesting and different — and have nothing to do with coffee (well maybe cowboy coffee).

This summer will be an extremely busy for Bellissimo, and July, August and September will include some major travel for me. First on the flight docket is a week in Vancouver B.C. followed by a week of fishing in Alaska (halibut and salmon). Only days after I return, I leave for New York City and Connecticut on business. Then Matt and I will travel to China followed closely by a trip to Coffee Fest Seattle. After that, I’m off to Honduras for nine days and Morocco at the end of October (I just got word today). Later in the year, I will travel to the Bahia region of Brazil. More on each of these trips later. Whew!

We have many new projects at Bellissimo and I can’t tell you about most of them just yet, but stay tuned. In the next couple of months you will see more changes at Bellissimo (all very positive) than we have implemented in the last ten years. I am excited.

I wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July full of beautiful fireworks.

On any return flight (except for maybe one from Tahiti) it always feels good to be boarding a plane for home. For me, you can multiply that sentiment by ten when that flight is leaving from Las Vegas. A few days in the city are interesting, and can be fun, but personally I’d rather spend time in Los Angeles, Miami or Manhattan... places that have a culture that isn’t focused on a casino. However, I should not berate casinos — the roulette wheel was very good to me and the magic number 11 treated me quite kindly on this trip. I had to laugh when a new dealer arrived and asked who was building the Great Wall of China... I had lots of chips, and when I cashed in, I had five times more than when I started.

The show was busy in spurts and moved at a pace that allowed us get to know prospective clients, and we felt very good about the outcome. Matt was head judge of the Mill Rock Latte Art Competition, which was won by Chris DeFerio. If I had had the opportunity to bet on the outcome of the competition, I would have won — Chris is about as good as it gets when it comes to "magic pours". I was happy to see him win and wish him luck when he takes his skills to the United States Barista Championship next year.

My talks went well and I especially enjoyed speaking at the Executive Seminar the day preceding the opening of the show. Our full-day financial seminar, taught by Chris Legler, went well on both Friday and Saturday, and we will be offering it once again at the Seattle show this fall.

Our good friends and business partners, Splick-it, won best new product — congratulations to Rob and his team. Splick-it’s Thursday night party at the beautiful Bellagio was a huge success, as was Matt and Henry's Barista Exchange/ Oral Fixation party on Saturday night in a double suite on the 51st floor of the Palms (see photo).

We have a sold out class in the school this week, so we’ll all be busy. The weather is in the 70s and life is very good back here in Portland.

Matt and I leave tomorrow for Coffee Fest Las Vegas. It may be one of the busiest shows of the year — Matt and I have a number of important meetings to fit in between working the show floor, giving seminars and attending parties. Matt will also pull duty three mornings in a row as the Head Judge of the Millrock Latte Art Competition.

All day Thursday I will be involved in the new “Executive Seminar" put on by Coffee Fest. Many of the speakers will come from outside the world of coffee, but all of them are experts in certain aspects of business, so their presentations should help jump start attendees’ businesses. I believe the only coffee speakers on the agenda for the Executive Seminar are Lon LaFlamme, Chris Legler and me. I then speak twice on Friday and once on Saturday as part of the normal Coffee Fest schedule. Matt is also giving a seminar on Friday morning.

And then the parties… Splick-it will kick off their new product with a party at the Bellagio on Thursday evening. Matt’s Barista Exchange and Henry Rich's Oral Fixation will host a mega party at some upscale, yet-to-be-determined suite. With Henry involved, it will likely be the coolest suite to be found on the strip.

We are in booth #522, so if you are at the show, stop in for your free Bellissimo “Elvis” pin!

Bellissimo is proud to announce a new partnership. You probably haven’t heard of splick-it, but I assure you, you will soon.

Rob Taylor, the mastermind behind splick-it, visited our offices shortly after the first of the year — and we have had many meetings since then. From hour one, I was not only impressed with the concept but also with Rob, whose passion, connections and genius told me splick-it is going to be a revolution.

All About splick-it
splick-it is an innovative mobile Internet ordering and marketing system specifically tailored to the small and mid-size specialty coffee, deli and café retailer. splick-it provides its merchant partners with a user friendly platform that will boost sales, drive customer loyalty, and create new revenue streams rapidly – all at minimum cost and implementation hassles for the merchant. For consumers (your customers), the splick-it platform allows them to pre-order and pay for drinks, food and other menu favorites quickly and conveniently from their mobile device. Pretty cool!

But this is only half the equation. Not only can customers send you orders, but you can send them customized text blasts — highlighting a particular menu item, event, or “splick-it customers only” special you are offering at your shop. Did I mention the access splick-it merchant partners will have to templated, easy-to-use forms, video training, tips and useful retailer information, all supplied by Bellissimo and sent directly to the merchant’s dashboard? And this is just the tip of the splick-it iceberg.

For merchants, this groundbreaking platform offers a variety of ways to communicate discounts, incentives and other promotions directly to customers through mobile Internet marketing. In joining with Bellissimo, the splick-it team is able to offer merchants many new ways to make their businesses more successful, and we look forward to bringing these ideas to you in the near future. Stay tuned.

splick-it was founded in January 2008 by a dedicated team committed to helping the local independent merchant grow their business. It was quite apparent to them that using mobile ordering as a service platform would give business owners a better way to access and grow their customer base and offer them an alternative buying experience that is convenient, faster and simple . Time, after all, is what most of us lack in today’s text and email society. It is also a platform we all have become very comfortable with, especially the demographic group that contains specialty coffee consumers.

splick-it will soon have a large national footprint, not only in the specialty coffee world, but also in many independent foodservice establishments, serving thousands of local businesses and consumers across the country. If you are an independent merchant attending Coffee Fest Vegas where the roll out will occur, you can see splick-it in action at our tradeshow booth (#522) or at the splick-it booth (#529). If you are not going to be at Coffee Fest, call our office 800-655-3955 and we will tell you how you can get on board.

As you can tell, I am totally psyched about this new application that will revolutionize retail and the ordering process. Time is money — no one enjoys waiting in line, and with splick-it, all you need to do is walk into your favorite coffee bar, pick up your pre-paid order that will be waiting for you, and say nothing more than "thank you”.

What a wonderful surprise to return from my Arizona vacation and find spectacular weather in Oregon. Life is good...and Arizona was amazing. I did all the work I needed to do on my condo during my last visit, so this trip was pure relaxation. On many days I played tennis in the early morning and even a few evenings under the lights. Just like the pool, the court is a three-minute walk. The eight-dollar Naples orange float from Big Lots was the week’s best investment.

I made two visits to our former client Steve and his beautiful bar, "Press Coffee." His location is in a very upscale area surrounded by serene and pure desert — beautiful and impressive. My first visit was to connect to the Internet and answer any pressing email, which by the way, was the only time I took out my laptop. I have to say one of the highlights of the trip was to get off the "grid." Once off, I realized how liberating it is not to have Internet access.

At my condo in Scottsdale, I scheduled Cox to hook up cable television. After a few days without wireless Internet Access, I decided (at least this visit) I didn’t want it as part of the equation. Sure, it would have been great to Google an address, but I decided my time was better spent doing things other than staring at a screen, most of which involved being outdoors.

On my second visit to Press Coffee, Steve uncorked a bottle of wine that was his personal favorite — yum. His bar has an amazing selection of great wines and tasty light plates. It is really great to see someone's dream become reality. This, and the sincere friendships that we create with our clients, are the most gratifying parts of what we do at Bellissimo.

I spent one day in Sedona. Having attended school (Northern Arizona University) only a few miles away, I had been there a hundred times before. This time it was different. A storm was in progress and the beauty of the dark clouds framing the red rocks was actually beyond words. This excursion was a nice change from the valley, and it was great to experience, once again, "red rock fever."

I spent Memorial Day barbecuing, and even planted a small plot of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and zucchini. Today it’s back to work at Bellissimo.

We have so many projects and upcoming travel waiting in the wings that all of us at Bellissimo are trying to get in some rest and relaxing before the storm hits in a couple of weeks.

Kris just got back from her favorite haunt — NYC. Kris' heart lives in New York like mine does in Italy. Stacie went to wine county in Northern California last week to visit friends and attend a wedding. Whitney recently returned from Las Vegas and Jared has been spending a lot of time in Seattle. Matt has been playing a bit more golf than usual, but today is hard at work in the school with another great class of students from many destinations.

I will be leaving for a "real" vacation this coming week to my spot in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I will play tour guide in Sedona for a day, but mostly I hope to continue to work on my tennis game. I am getting my arm twisted to hit the links once or twice (heaven help those in striking range). Yikes…golf is not my favorite game.

I will also be visiting a number of our Arizona clients, which will be really enjoyable.

Shortly after I return I will travel to Las Vegas for Coffee Fest. Once we’re all back in the office, we will dive into three major projects, all of which we are quite psyched about. More later on all three soon... and also Vegas.

I am writing the forward for a new book, Coffee Business Success in a Turbulent Economy,” by Bellissimo's long-time senior consultant, Ed Arvidson. The book will be released in a week or two, but we will begin taking pre-orders this week.

Ed sent me chapters of the book as he completed them, and I can tell you this is an extremely timely book that offers a blueprint for success in coffee retail in this crazy economy.

On April 29, the following headline appeared in newspapers across the country: "Starbucks second quarter profit drops 77 percent on charges." Much of the loss was related to the closure of 123 cafes in the U.S., but I think much is due to the re-structuring of what consumers are looking for in a cafe experience.

Mistakes retailers made in the past will not fly today. If a cafe is to remain profitable (and our hope is... highly profitable), owners must attend to every detail.

Ed's new book is a basic hands-on, commonsense approach to achieving this goal. I highly recommend every retailer pick up a copy and benefit from Ed's 17 years of experience as a consultant in the specialty coffee industry and his vast food service management experience prior to that. Operation’s management is a subject that is near and dear to his heart, and there is probably no one more qualified in our industry to help the average retailer achieve maximum profitability in these tough economic times.

Click here to pre-order. Ships mid May.

I am not sure how the planets were aligned yesterday, but some unseen force brought us a non-stop stream of visitors all day long. The first through the revolving door of our office were two students from Uganda, who came straight to Portland from Atlanta after the SCAA show. After getting them settled, I planned to spend the rest of the day at my desk, but I had to put my work on hold — people just kept coming.

Next came an eight-person contingency from Brazil that stopped by to meet us and tour our school. After we showed them around, they asked Matt and I to speak at their annual meeting in Bahia in November. This was especially nice, since Bahia has always been on a top of my places to visit list. I love Brazil, and Bahia is a gem on the coast (well above Rio de Janeiro) that I can’t wait to experience (see photo).

After lunch, Greg from Fresh Cup magazine stopped in for a chat, and minutes after he left came an unexpected visit from David and Stephen from Sustainable Harvest, accompanied by two of the organization’s international directors. Sustainable Harvest plans to open training centers for farmers in three locations around the world, and they wanted our input in the direction they should take and the design of the facilities. We also firmed up plans for me to speak at "Let’s Talk Coffee,” a prestigious weeklong coffee event, which will be held this October in Oaxaca, Mexico. I consider this invitation quite an honor since only one or two speakers are chosen each year.

As for other travel and events outside of the United States, I will probably take a trip to Central America soon, and Matt and I are in the midst of contract negotiations with two countries that will involve even more travel for both of us... stay tuned.

Given the economic downturn the country is experiencing, it was encouraging to see the crowds in Atlanta last weekend for the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 21st Annual Conference and Exhibition. Our booth was packed for three solid days and the evenings were filled with lots of excellent opportunities to network with our friends and companies in the industry.

The fact that the 2009 World Barista Championship (WBC) was held in conjunction with the tradeshow made it difficult to get away from the booth to watch the 52 competitors from around the world vie for the title. Matt and I did make it down to the WBC venue after the tradeshow floor closed to witness the announcement of the winner.

Congratulations to all the competitors, and a special nod to Gwilym Davies of the United Kingdom, for being crowned the best barista in the world in 2009.

Here’s the complete breakdown:

• Gwilym Davies, United Kingdom, (1st place)
• Sammy Piccolo, Canada (2nd place)
• Michael Phillips, United States (3rd place)
• Colin Harmon, Ireland (4th place)
• Lee Jong Hoon, Republic of Korea (5th Place)
• Attila Molnar, Hungary (6th Place)

In a few days Matt and I will take to the air again, this time to Atlanta for the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 21st Annual Conference and Exhibition, April 16-19. Our booth is number 627, so if you are attending, stop by and say hello. Matt and I will be participating in a round table discussion, "Ask the Experts", on April 19, at 10:30 a.m., and if you are attending the conference, this session should be very informative.

For the first time ever, the World Barista Championship will take place simultaneously with the SCAA show. I was at the very first WBC in 2000 in Monaco, the 7th in Bern, Switzerland in 2006 and the 8th in Tokyo in 2007. It will be great to be front and center once again to see which barista from which country takes home the prize.

The SCAA show is always a reunion, and I get to see friends from all over the world that I only see once a year — this is the true frosting on the tradeshow cake. Our school is in session the day we return, so Matt will be putting on his teaching hat almost as soon as he gets off the plane in Portland.

This week I hope to firm up plans for upcoming overseas trips I have tentatively scheduled in the next few months. It will be good to have these dates firmly in place.

Hope to many of you at the show!

Rain, rain, go away! It’s definitely time to travel to the desert, and that’s where I’m headed — Scottsdale to be exact. Maybe I’ll spend a bit of time working poolside (one hour a day, max), but I’m mostly looking forward to doing nothing but playing tennis and furnishing my place so friends and staff can use it as a quick, fun getaway. Kris, Matt, Stacie, Jared and Whit can hold down the fort for a bit... no problem.

It will be nice to relax before undertaking some major business travel this month. Days after I return from Arizona, Matt and I will head for Atlanta and the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual conference and exhibition. After that, a possible trip to China is in the works — we shall see.

Jan Weigel, the publisher of Fresh Cup Magazine, and her husband Rod, also will be in Scottsdale. It will be great to get together with them in a different climate. Bellissimo has opened numerous coffee bars in Arizona in the past few years, and it will be fun to visit these clients/friends, too (by doing so, no doubt I will be treated to a great coffee each day!).

Look for photos on Facebook shortly after I return.

Last weekend the Seattle Center played host to yet another successful Ultimate Coffee Profitability Seminar led by Chris Legler. The next stop for Chris and his financial road show is Coffee Fest Las Vegas, where Chris will give the seminar three times in three days, June 12, 13, and 14. So, if you have missed the opportunity to attend in Portland and Seattle, you can catch the seminar in Vegas and learn how to sharpen your financial business skills and grow your business in these tough economic times. Click here for more info.

Prior to the opening of the tradeshow floor, Coffee Fest is hosting a one-day Executive Summit on Thursday, June 11. Included on the agenda is a full day of speakers from all aspects of business, along with a few of us from the coffee industry: Lon LaFlamme and David Morris from Dillanos, Chris Legler and me. If you are coming to Vegas, use this great opportunity to take your business to the next level by attending the Executive Summit and the Ultimate Coffee Profitability Seminar. Even after attending these two days of educational courses, there is still time to spend two full days on the tradeshow floor, checking out what’s new in the industry.

Well before Coffee Fest Las Vegas, is the SCAA exposition in Atlanta, April 16-19. It’s always great to connect with the industry people from all over the world at this show. And right before that, I get a bit of a sun break that is long overdue.

It’s a new week and a new class arrived at ABC's today. This month we have students from China and Korea, and as usual, the international flavor lends a nice perspective to the class.

Matt should be very proud — a few weeks ago his social networking site, Barista Exchange, surpassed the 5,000 mark in membership. As I write, the official number stands at 5,306 active members. The Barista Exchange party held the weekend before last was definitely the highlight of the USBC outside of the actual competition at the convention center. I am very proud of what Matt has been able to do with the site, uniting the coffee community worldwide. Individuals from more than 100 countries are represented in the membership — amazing.

I had a coffee at “Barista,” Billy Wilson's new coffee bar, in the Pearl the other morning. I was pretty impressed with what he has done in such a small space, and I’m not sure he could have designed it with more efficiency. Given it is Billy's bar, I knew the cappuccino would be perfect (see photo). Billy opened a new coffee business and became a father in the same week — now that combination is something to admire. Other than that, it is business as usual in the wet and wild Portland winter.

Whew... what a week…exhausting, fun and fantastic. The word "routine" is sounding pretty good right now because last week was anything but. Visitors started pouring into our offices last Monday, and I spent the next six days submerged in the USBC and all its associated events, culminating yesterday at the convention center, where I watched Mike Phillips of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea in Chicago win the 2009 trophy. In a word — WILD.

Here’s how the finalists stacked up:

> Visits by the many friends who dropped by ABC's and Bellissimo all week long.

> The terrific latte art and sensory skills classes we held at ABC's concurrent with the competition.

> The four hours that reporters and photographers from the Oregonian newspaper spent at ABC’s documenting what we do and the resulting article that came out on the FRONT page of Portland's Oregonian on Saturday.

> The video the Oregonian shot showing Matt and Jared teaching at the school.

> The Thursday “Welcome to Portland" party at ABC's, which was packed with coffee people from around the nation (some from around the world). Our partners (Fresh Cup Magazine, Nuova Simonelli, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Espresso Parts) were great and helped make the evening a huge success.

> A coffee break on Friday to see Shelby Lynne and Raul Malo at the Aladdin Theater.

> The other parties, especially the Barista Prom (over 700 in attendance!), sponsored by BaristaExchange.com (Matt’s awesome social networking website) and The Albina Press.

> Great dinners, and time spent with Roberto, Gianni, Julian, Tamara, and way too many others to mention.

I think you get the idea. Now on to business as usual — reviewing business plans, attending meetings, checking in with clients…and more. Bellissimo is once again working on an idea that may just rock the coffee world. Thinking out of the box is a Bellissimo trait, and we have begun work on something unlike anything that currently exists in specialty coffee. Stay tuned.

It’s a very busy week here in Portland and at Bellissimo. As most of you know, Portland is the site for the 2009 United States Barista Championship, which kicks off Thursday night with a party at the American Barista & Coffee School and ends Sunday with the crowning of a new national barista champion at the Oregon Convention Center.

Thursday morning and afternoon ABC’s is holding special Sensory Skills and Intensive Latte Art classes, but at 6:00 p.m. the school will be transformed to party central when ABC’s, Espresso Parts, Nuova Simonelli, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Fresh Cup Magazine host the "Welcome to Portland" party. There will be parties and events all weekend, so click here for a full schedule so you don’t miss anything:

Coffee people from all over the world have started descending on Portland and stopping by our offices. Pictured here is Stephen Morrissey (along with Matt), the 2008 World Barista Champion from Ireland. If you of you are in Portland, please stop by our office and school and join in the fun.

On another note, Matt got some great national press this week. He was quoted alongside Howard Schultz in the Chicago Tribune in a feature article about the battle that is heating up between specialty coffee purveyors and fast-food establishments that have added specialty beverages to their menu. The article was syndicated and appeared in newspapers throughout the country. Click here to get the scoop.

Matt also gave his expert opinion in an article in the Seattle Times last weekend about specialty coffee entrepreneurs in that city who are undaunted by the recession and going ahead with their plans to open their dream coffee businesses. Click here to read more.

And there's more. Matt can also be found in The Selective Echo: A Blog of Salt Lake City at its Cosmopolitan Best. Click here to read Coffee's Third Wave Holds Strong in this Recession.

Kudos, Matt!