The Pour Station is an independently owned coffee shop in Show Low, Arizona, and it deals with many of the same issues that smaller cafe brands face in 2020: competing with the three conglomerates that now own four of every five coffee shops in the country. Husband and wife owner/operators Adria Acosta and Mike Bosley say it’s difficult to find steady help in the current economic climate. 

“As a small business owner in a small town with a small workforce, it’s hard to find quality employees,” Bosley says. “So it’s nice to have products that taste consistent and meet that supreme level of quality that we’re always looking for, no matter who makes them.” 

Since the day The Pour Station opened its doors in 2013, they’ve partnered with Innovative Beverage Concepts, and use several ready-made or easy-to-make products offered by the brand. Here’s a look at four ways those products have helped keep The Pour Station a thriving business in a small town with neighboring competitors like Starbucks. 

1. Little To No Labor

The Pour Station has offered MOCAFE since the day it opened, and more recently added different chai applications, and even MODERN OATS, an oatmeal mix that comes prepackaged and sits in front of the register. 

“With these beverage products, you add the milk, add the powder, steam it, and less than a minute later you’ve got a chai or mocha,” Bosley says. “They are so easy to use. My newer employees always pick up the recipes very quickly, because MOCAFE has done all of the work for me.” 

2. Consistency 

A high turnover rate brings with it inexperienced employees. Every cafe owner wants to offer a consistent product and attract regulars with offerings that taste the same each time they come. 

“MOCAFE makes that so easy,” Bosley says. “Sometimes you’ll have customers who prefer the way a certain barista makes their drink, but that never happens with MOCAFE because the recipe is so ridiculously simple that it’s really hard to mess it up.”

3. Quality 

As a smaller cafe competing against corporations with seemingly bottomless pockets, there are some things The Pour Station can’t compete with, like state-of-the-art storefronts and equipment, or an advertising budget.

“One thing I can do, though,” Bosley says, “is offer a quality product that people love. There’s a group of people from Tennessee that come out here to visit family, and they always tell us they can’t wait to come back and get a MOCAFE at The Pour Station.”  

4. Trusted Brand Partner

Bosley is an unabashed advocate for Innovative Beverage Concepts, complimenting not just its products but its customer service, too. Having a vendor that is easy to get on the phone, and quick to help out, means Bosley and Acosta have one less thing to worry about.

“I really believe Innovative Beverage Concepts helped put us on the map,” Bosley says. “If it weren’t for MOCAFE products, I don’t think my business would have done as well as it has.” 

 

To read more about how to add instantly prepared coffee beverages to your menu, visit the Innovative Beverage Concepts website.