Advice Wanted - Cinnamon Packets

[CinnamonKing]

I have a question for everyone in the coffee industry regarding cinnamon. I recently opened a business (Cinn-Credible Cinnamon Packets) that produces individual cinnamon packets...like sugar packets, but with cinnamon. We've never seen it done before, and think there is a need for such a product. We believe it adds convenience (especially for coffee shops with a drive-thru), ensures sanitation (by getting rid of the common-use shakers currently being used), and provides the freshest possible cinnamon (in a vacuum-sealed, moisture-proof packet). They can also be used at home, and are perfect for coffee, teas, and oatmeal (and anything else you want to put cinnamon on).

In your opinion, would coffee shop owners be interested in such a product? How would you recommend approaching coffee shop owners with this new product? Based on current costs associated with buying/stocking the common-use cinnamon shakers, what do you believe would be an appropriate cost that coffee owners could afford?

We're obviously new to the business, and would appreciate any info you can provide!

-Will Atkins
The Cinnamon King

 

[topher]

I wish you well on your new business. What are the minimum orders and what is the price and where is the price break? I saw your kickstarter before and it looked like you were selling them for $1 each packet. I assume that isn't your wholesale price. Well...welcome to the forum and again good luck.

 

[PinkRose]

Many cafes don't offer cinnamon at their coffee "fix-it" bars, anymore. People tend to walk off with the cinnamon shakers, and they get tired of having to replace them. Most places, where I've worked, offered cinnamon, but they always bought the cheap Dollar Store cinnamon to fill their cinnamon shakers.

I'm guessing that people would fill their pockets with the cinnamon packets, like they do with the Splenda packets (because Splenda is pretty expensive).

I think cinnamon packets could be useful for people, who want to bring their own cinnamon, but how many people would actually do that? If a packet accidentally came open in a person's pocket, it would make one heck of a stain on their clothes.

I like the idea of having the cinnamon packets available in cafes. If people would behave themselves, and not fill their pockets with them, it would actually be a good idea.

Rose

 

[CinnamonKing]

That's awesome that you saw the Kickstarter. The cost on Kickstarter is elevated, and just provides me room leading into the final weeks of the campaign to double or triple the number of packets I can give out.

We have a 1,000 packet bulk case available on our online store for 97.99 and 100 packets for 9.98 (essentially 10 cents a packet). It costs us about 6 cents to produce each packet. Do you think those prices offer something coffee shops might want?

I wish you well on your new business. What are the minimum orders and what is the price and where is the price break? I saw your kickstarter before and it looked like you were selling them for $1 each packet. I assume that isn't your wholesale price. Well...welcome to the forum and again good luck.

 

[coffeeroastersclub]

I'd say your bigger market is home use. You could possibly sell them in the sugar isle at a supermarket. I do not see a real big market in the coffee stores, except to say that possibly owners would purchase them at supermarkets for their store. There is that theft issue that others her have remarked about.

Len

 

[John P]

CK,

The number of shops using cinnamon for coffee drinks gets smaller and smaller every year. I can't think of any shop I have been to in the past 12 years that even has cinnamon out for use. And I've been to a lot of coffee shops. We have cinnamon for chai, but it's for our use only. I see packets of any kind (sugar, Splenda, etc.) a poor idea and, as mentioned above, it's a great way for a shop to consistently lose money. A shop can easily lose via theft (as in not being used in the purchased drink) 100+ packets per day. And if you are using cinnamon at all, it's a sprinkled topper and you can't sprinkle or disperse properly from a packet. This would make it inconvenient for the customer, not convenient. And there is nothing proprietary about it. If 7-11, or Starbucks, or McDonalds wanted to do it, they could do their own branded version at a much lower cost.