FAQ

Mountain Mudd was founded in 1994. It started as one specialty coffee kiosk in Billings, MT. Over the years it has grown to an International Franchise. In October of 2006 Mountain Mudd joined Cenex Harvest States, Inc. (CHS), a Fortune 200 Company, in expanding our concept into a national franchise.

In August of 2007, Mountain Mudd was officially registered to sell franchises. Contact us to see if we are currently registered in your state.

The Franchise Fee is $10,000. The standard cost for the industrial single kiosk (Model 88), equipment package, supplies, education, training, start-up, and delivery from Mountain Mudd is $95,000. Additional expenses including: lease(s), installation (above and beyond what we provide with the kiosk), insurance, permits, licenses, and additional operating capital are estimated at $67,000 to $203,000 per kiosk. (Refer to Item 7 of Offering Circular).

The estimate for your initial three-month start-up expenses, less income earned, not including salary or personal expenses for you is $2,000-$50,000. This includes but is not limited to: lodging, meals, travel for training (no training is provided for your third and subsequent Stores), initial employee recruitment, training, wages, prepaid expenses, deposits (e.g. utilities and rent), initial inventory, supplies, insurance premiums, legal and accounting fees (if any), taxes, licenses, permits, advertising/marketing, other variable costs (e.g. electricity, telephone, heat, etc.), and general and administrative costs. (Refer to Item 7, note 5 of offering circular). These figures are just estimates and we cannot guarantee that you will not have higher costs, or that you will ever achieve profitability. Also, competitive conditions described in Item 1 of the offering circular affect these costs.

Mountain Mudd Espresso, Partnered Beverages LLC, or Beverage Partners, LLC do not offer financing. However, we are happy to facilitate calls with financing vendors. Please contact your sales representative for more information.

Recently, it seems everyone has leapt into the roasting business, jumping on the trend of artisanal coffee.  It has been Mountain Mudd’s philosophy that our coffee is exceptional because we leave it in the hands of a true artist and master roaster.  It would be absurd to believe we could replicate the complex flavor without the knowledge, skill, and attention to detail our roaster has gained over many decades of roasting discriminating coffee.  His experience includes his time spent learning traditional, all-natural, oak wood coffee roasting from an old-world master during his youth in Salerno, Italy. We could never replicate his vast knowledge of buying the finest green beans, and all of the relationships he has built with coffee growers all over the world. Our roaster uses a method during tasting process of bean selection he learned in Italy, using espresso instead of an infused coffee to taste.

Each shot of espresso has approximately 50 mg of caffeine, so a double shot latte still has less caffeine than a cup of brewed coffee.  At Mountain Mudd each specialty coffee beverage is made to order, so we do not automatically add x number of shots to y sized drink.  If you would like a 20 oz. latte with a single shot, or a 12 oz. latte with four shots of espresso; our professional barista will gladly handcraft it for you.

In the simplest terms, it is an innovative approach to the traditional coffee supply chain aimed at returning a greater share of profit to the grower.  Fair Trade certification guarantees that coffee producers receive a fair price for the coffee and in turn have opportunities to invest in education, housing and community infrastructure.  By displaying the Fair Trade Emblem, 2% is paid directly to the organization. Our roaster continues to source top-quality beans that meet these standards “with an eye towards widening our selection of Fair Trade certified coffees.”

Organic refers to an agriculture process which strives to strike a balance with our natural environment.  It accomplishes this goal by employing methods and materials that will minimize our impact on the land.  Organic farmers do not use pesticides in an effort to maintain the soil’s fertility and decrease harmful exposure to farm workers and the coffee consumer.

Shade grown simply refers to an agriculture method which seeks to preserve the natural habitat of coffee plantations.  For many years, coffee beans have been grown on plantations shaded with a diverse array of trees.  These trees are habitat to many birds, they protect the topsoil from erosion, and they produce the oxygen that helps clean the air we all need to survive.

The goal of the Rainforest Alliance is to integrate productive agriculture, biodiversity conservation and human development.  The end result is a concerted global initiative which will reduce the impact on ecosystems around the word.  Certification of coffee plots and plantations by the Rainforest Alliance is a stringent assessment of the facilities, the land, the product and the worker’s lifestyles.  Once certification is achieved, annual inspections are conducted to maintain the certification.  The Alliance strives for both “greenness” and sustainability of the land, the product and the multitude of families now thriving in this economy.

Coffee cherries come from an evergreen coffee plant, and although many varieties exist, the two major commercial varieties are Arabica and Robusta.  A coffee plant takes about 4 years to reach maturity and is grown in the Equatorial belt between the Tropic of Capricorn & the Tropic of Cancer.  Coffee plants require fertile soil, no frost, and thrive between 4,000 & 6,000 feet above sea level.

Coffee is harvested during the dry season, and each tree is picked several times over the course of the harvest, only the ripest cherries are chosen each time.  The cherries are then processed to remove the bean from the hull, by either wet processing, semi-washed, or dry processing.  Wet Processing uses pressurized water to remove the skins and after a fermentation period, the remaining pulp.  The coffee beans are then dried to a specific moisture level prior to being shipped for roasting. The semi-washed process uses the same method for removing the skins, but is then dried before removal of the pulp hulls.  Dry processing simply requires a place to dry the entire cherry prior to removal of the remaining hull from the bean.

An additional step sometimes used is to “Monsoon” the coffee.  This requires aging in locations that allow the moist air to circulate through the coffee, giving a distinct flavor, not always appreciated by the average coffee drinker.

Arabica grows at higher altitude, usually above 2,600 feet; it can grow at altitudes of 8,000 ft. It is characterized by fine aroma, less body and pleasant acidity. Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Central America, Mexico, India, Eastern Africa are among the best-known Arabica producing countries.

Robusta is less expensive,  grown at low altitude, from sea level to about 2,600 ft and is characterized by a strong body and very little acidity. It has greater caffeine content and is often used as the major component of inexpensive commercial coffee.  It is mainly grown in Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia. A ground coffee with high Robusta content can be identified by the presence of noticeable amounts of larger particles of husk.

Mountain Mudd’s coffees use blends of different Arabica beans as they fit our flavor profiles and overall desired complexity.  We pledge never to sacrifice quality for cost.

Our coffee is blended after each variety of bean is roasted separately over oak wood to get the taste of each unique flavor in the cup, avoiding the mediocrity of pre-blending results in.

Whole Bean Espresso

Ground Espresso (Espresso Grind)

Decaf Espresso (Espresso Grind)

Whole Bean Villard Viennese

Villard Viennese (Drip Grind)

Mountain Blend (Drip Grind)

Our roaster uses the SWISS WATER® Process, which is a taste-driven, 100% chemical free decaffeination process that delivers coffee that is 99.9% caffeine-free while protecting the unique origin characteristics and flavor. Most other processes use chemical solvents, like Methylene Chloride or Ethyl Acetate to decaffeinate coffee beans. SWISS WATER® Process uses a diffusion process which allows the gentle displacement of caffeine from green coffee. Green beans are soaked in our Green Coffee Extract (GCE) which is pure water saturated with soluble solids from green coffee.  With time and temperature, the caffeine migrates out of the green beans into the Green Coffee Extract (GCE). The water is filtered, capturing and extracting the caffeine molecules. The flavor and body of the coffee is protected by closely monitoring the solids, caffeine levels and moisture in the coffee. The process takes approximately 10 hours resulting in green beans that are 99.9% caffeine-free. Once the decaffeinated beans are removed from the GCE, they are then dried, finished, bagged and shipped - ready to be roasted by premium and discriminating roasters.

www.swisswater.com

Espresso:  Thick, rich, and unadulterated, espresso is created from the pressurized push of water through tightly packed finely ground coffee, using a specialized machine. Espresso is the basis for Latte’s, Mocha’s, Cappuccino’s, and Americano’s.

Café Latte: The most popular espresso drink has espresso, steamed milk, topped with a layer of milk froth (a thick meringue-like foam), and often paired with one of our gourmet flavored syrups.

Mocha: A café latte blended with our chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Cappuccino: Espresso with steamed milk and lots of foam.  A “Wet” cappuccino has more steamed milk, and a “Dry” cappuccino has mostly dense froth from steamed milk.

Americano: Espresso with hot water, hotter than brewed coffee.

Steamer: Milk of choice steamed to the perfect temperature to caramelize the milk sugars to a sweet intensity and often paired with a shot of gourmet flavored syrup.

Granita: Ice-cold delightful granular slush, can come flavored in Coffee, White Chocolate, Coffee Toffee or…

Italian Soda: Club Soda and gourmet flavored syrup.  Can be “creamed” with half-and-half and topped with whipped cream for a decadently delectable treat.

Our specially formulated coffee pods are made of 10 grams of our finest Villard Viennese Coffee surrounded in filter paper to create an easy cup of brewed coffee. Available in decaf and regular, the pods are primarily used in hotels, but are gaining popularity for home use.

Cupping is the term for the method of tasting coffee to measure flavor profile.  Cupping is started by grinding beans in a clean grinder, usually a fine espresso grind.  Then, after adding boiling water it is set to cool for 2-4 minutes or so.  The next step is “breaking the crust”, or agitating the grounds, and skimming back the foam. You then get your nose close to the grounds to smell the aroma and prepare to taste.  In the tasting process you are also using your nose to smell the aroma.  You want to taste for acidity, complexity, flavor, and body.  When tasting, you slurp the coffee hard from the spoon to atomize it, getting the flavor all around your mouth to taste, and then spit it out to help keep the palate clean. Several people repeat this for several rounds to taste the difference between rounds as the taste & body does change.