Summer Days and Goodbye Sarah!

redb2343 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:51:17 +0000

When the weather has been as nice as it has been, time really flies by. It is hard to believe that we are almost coming to the end of August and all the relieved parents are finally looking at the ‘soon-to-be-opened’ school gates. Here at the Bulb, we have also been busy over summer in trying to make our customer experience even better. Some highlights include:

We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary on 24th Jul. Seems like yesterday when Joe Palma stepped into Red Bulb a year ago at 7 am and order our first ever latte. Many drinks and customers later, we are happy to see Joe and many other customers who have become our regulars. Thanks again for your support and we could not have ask for better customers in our first year.
On top of delivering our signature espresso-based drinks, we have also added new food items like iced summer apple tea, sandwiches, and wraps. Together with our usual empanadas and tasty treats, we have the perfect complement to your coffee and tea.
We have added a new air-conditioner unit to help with those hot summer days. It almost feel like winter when we turn up the new AC.
We continued to add new merchandize in the store. Our summer collection is a good source for little gifts or your daily usage, and they include items like fun bags and pouches, bamboo cups and T-shirts, etc.

The end of summer also heralds the departure of Sarah Steiner from the Red Bulb team this coming Saturday. The coffee geeks in the coffee industry often talks about how wonderful and special their coffee are, but what we normally miss out is the people behind the counter. I am not talking about the rockstar baristas who can pull the most tasty espresso and draw the best latte art. Rather it is the common people who has abundance of energy, passion, and dedication to their role, who always gives the best experience to our customers. Sarah has those qualities and more, and she has been integral to our success in our first year. She has also helped to train a few of our new team members, some whom you have seen in recent weeks. With your support, we will continue to serve up the kind of experience you have come to expect from us in our second year.

Sarah – all the best in your next chapter of your life! You have been and always will be a special part of the Red Bulb Family.

Sarah at 6 am during a wintry morning in Feb 2011

Celebrate Coffee Daddy Day

redb2343 — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:53:00 +0000

This year Father’s Day is celebrated on Sunday June 19th. Make it HIS day with a Bodum & bag of Coffee beans. We have just the perfect promotion …

10% OFF All Bodums & throw in a bag of coffee beans together and also get 10% off that. Offer valid until Monday June 20th, 2011.

Scan the QR Code below to mark this promotion on your phone!
Or just go to our FACEBOOK page to find out more.

The Bunny invasion.

redb2343 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 19:07:44 +0000

Yes, Easter is around the corner and Year 2011 just happens to be the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Astrological calender. We are so happy to bring in a bunch of Handmade, One-of-a-kind Bunnies to celebrate the coming of Spring. Designed by Skyroom (a designer store in Singapore) and lovingly handmade by local craftsmen … and painstakingly hand-carried all the way back by Sching from her travels. The Bunnies will be invading the store next week (starting Monday, April 11th) There are very limited pieces, so hurry in to see them and take your pick !

Spring is almost here!

cheeyuenlim — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:14:46 +0000

Compared to last year, this has been a long and dreary winter. As we anticipate more flurries/snow tonight, we are also hoping that Spring is finally here. Most cafe businesses are impacted by the weather, particularly independent cafes that are located on streets with no drive-through or not in an enclosed compound like a mall. Through talking to other indie cafes and coffee roasters, this phenomenon is definitely happening more drastically this year, and it has been made worse by the extended wintry season

Red Bulb is not immune to this, and what we can do as a small business is to ride through the rough patches with careful planning and execution. Unlike big chains like Tim Hortons and Starbucks, we have no margin for error and no buffer room. Over the last few months, we have taken steps to minimize labour and also reduce any wastage. This is absolutely critical to our viability.

Nonetheless, the focus on quality and customer service from the team here does not deviate, and we are just as committed to each and every customer regardless of the season. We also like to thank our regular customers who continue to stop and come in(even during winter storms). Sarah and I were doing up a list of our customer names that we know on and the list is amazingly extensive. As we head into the Spring season, we look forward to your continual support and finally opening up our windows and door again

p/s: we are currently working on our Spring hours and food menu, and I will discuss this in my subsequent blog entries.

New website!

cheeyuenlim — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:54:30 +0000

Previous Blog - Red Bulb Movement

It has taken eight months but we finally have a new website for Red Bulb. We have been focusing our efforts on making things work in the cafe and the website has somewhat been left on the wayside. For those who have been following our updates on Facebook, it has been an interesting and fun 8 months since we opened our doors on July 24 2010.

While we are still pretty new to the community, there are a few significant areas that we are pleased with:

- we have established a consistent coffee and tea profile; in particular we have settled on a custom Red Bulb Espresso Blend that gives a unique bright and smooth flavour to our espresso, whether it is enjoyed by itself or with a latte.
- our tummy fillers are pretty tasty. Whether it is our breakfast scone, empanadas, or brownies, there is a wide selection of delicious food items for the whole day. We are working on bringing back our sandwiches for Spring and also potentially tweaking some of our food offerings.
- our team is striving and having a good time. Gloria, Sarah, Kate, Melissa, David, Shirley, Kelvin and I have learn so much about coffee and the community, and we have really enjoyed making our drinks and knowing the community.
- most of all, the community has been greatly supportive of the cafe and this means everything to us. We have met so many nice people and we continue to learn more about everyone, not only as customers but as friends. I still remember Joe Palma stepping into our cafe at 7.01am on 24 July 2010 and he is still coming back regularly; that hopefully signifies that we are doing something right.

As we looks towards Spring, we will continue to use this blog to update our progress and share our thoughts and tribulations. Stay tuned!

blogging and sipping

redb2343 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 08:32:50 +0000

This is Sching reporting from Auckland, currently visiting my folks with my daughter Kay. And we are unofficially surveying the cafe culture here in New Zealand. Cheeyuen is still busy making lattes at Red Bulb, so please visit him and keep him company.

The coffee journey is about karma, passion and meeting people. I didn’t believe it until I realize that the coffee I was drinking at my parent’s place every morning in Auckland is roasted by the same guy who has claimed to have developed the flat white. Read about the story of Derek Townsend, the co-owner of DKD café, and founder of Karajoz Coffee in Auckland.

Will post some images of our cafe adventures in coming posts.
Stay warm in Toronto !