Newsletter
October 19, 2007
I can hardly believe it's already (well into) October! This year has been such a whirlwind. Temperatures are dropping, days are growing shorter, it's that time of year when your mouth waters for something appley and cinnamony - like our fresh apple cinnamon streusel bars! Yum...
We are in the midst of planning for the holidays and for the coming year, and we have a number of exciting announcements to make.
First, we are excited to announce that we will be offering a number of gift items for the holidays, including gift cards, gift baskets, some books on gluten-free eating and baking, and of course our delicious baked goods, which make great gifts for the gluten-free folks on your gift lists. Please keep Cooqi in mind as you plan your holiday celebrations-our treats are guaranteed to delight, and will round out any party dessert tray, or make great host/ess gifts or potluck contributions. The holidays are a great time for delicious indulgence, and Cooqi's aim is to make sure no one feels left out of the festivities!
A little closer on the calendar, we are offering Halloween-decorated cupcakes. If you're feeling like a break from the junky candy routine, or just are in the mood to bring home a little Halloween indulgence, come on in and pick up a half-dozen or so. Our pumpkin bars go great with this theme, as well. Call ahead if you want to reserve some, as with all our items, and we'll set them aside for you.
We are also excited to announce that we're getting ready to introduce distribution beyond the walls of our St. Paul bakery, which is great news for those of you who are not in the neighborhood, or who have difficulty making it to the bakery during business hours. We hope to be starting to offer our Ellie Bread, Honey Molasses Bread, and Pizza Crusts for sale at Mississippi Market Coops in St. Paul, as well as at Lakewinds Coops in Anoka, Minnetonka, and Chanhassen. Stay Tuned! In addition, Park Tavern in St. Louis Park has already started carrying our pizza crusts, and they will make you an honest-to-goodness onsite GF pizza! We hope that you will frequent these stores and let them know how much you appreciate their carrying our healthy gluten-free baked goods. The next few months will be a test period for us, assessing demand and increasing our production capacity. As we move forward, we plan to expand our availability to more locations, advancing our mission of spreading gluten-free health and joy, one delectable bite at a time!
I want to thank the Northland Celiac group for hosting me for a talk at their October meeting. I was so impressed by the turnout and enthusiasm of the audience. There were loads of delicious GF foods to enjoy, great conversation, and wonderful energy. Learn more about this dynamic local resource at http://northlandceliacs.fastmail.fm/index.html. Also speaking at the meeting were Anna, of Breads by Anna, and Jennette Turner, of Dinner with Jennette. Anna did a fun cooking demo of her pie crust mix, and Jennette gave a wonderful presentation on natural foods nutrition for celiacs. I want to put in a plug for Jennette's online meal planning service-for only $5 per month, you can get 12 gluten-free meal plans each month, including recipes. Her ideas are creative and interesting, and of course nutritious. And who among us hasn't wished for a break from the routine meals we fall into, but that doesn't require a ton of translating from "regular" recipes. I recommend that you check out her website (and sample menus) at www.jennette-turner.com/dinner.
And finally, you may have noticed some new faces around the bakery lately. I want to welcome several new staff members who have joined our Cooqi family in the last couple months, Willie, K. Maileen, Max, and Jennifer. They join us in carrying out our commitment to serving our customers with the kind of friendly, knowledgeable service you have come to expect from your visits to Cooqi.
One last note-if you haven't seen the latest (October) issue of Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine, take a gander at the cover story on Twin Cities best bakeries. There's a whole section on gluten-free bakeries, and Cooqi is noted in its "best of" list! (And yes, that's our yummy-looking cupcake with a bite out of it in the picture.) Thanks to all our customers who have put us on the map, made for a great first year for our GF enterprise, and helped make gluten-free hip!! http://www.mspmag.com/multimedia/video/75868.asp
Happy Autumn!!
Judy
Other Newsletters:
June 2008 Newsletter
May 2008 Newsletter
March 2008 Newsletter
February 2008 Newsletter
July 2007 Newsletter
August 2007 Newsletter
October 2007 Newsletter
November 2007 Newsletter
December 2007 Newsletter
