The 50 Essential Supplies Checklist for Garden Centre Cafes

Hot Drink Ingredients

The backbone of your garden centre cafe! Your hot drink ingredients will be some of the items you’ll most often be restocking. We suggest to all of our customers to take stock of their supplies every week and place orders proactively on the same day before stocks run out. To serve great hot drinks, you’ll need at least:

• Coffee Beans (House Roast)
• Pre-Ground Coffee (Filter Coffee and Decaf)
• Herbal Tea Bags (Herbal, Green, Black etc.)
• Hot Chocolate Powder
• Chai Mix Powder
• Flavoured Syrups (recommend vanilla and caramel)
• Dairy milk
• Alternative Milks (Oat, Soya, Almond, Coconut)

Cold Drink Ingredients

Not everyone wants a hot drink! Especially in summer months when you can expect the majority of your orders to come in the form of a cold drink. Make sure you’re fully stocked up on ice, then ensure your coffee shop has a good supply of the below ingredients to serve great cold drinks.

• Soft Drinks
• Smoothie Mixes
• Frappè Mix Powders (coffee and non-coffee)
• Iced Tea Syrups
• Juices
• Ice

Barista Tools

Your staff are obviously going to need the right gear to serve great drinks to your visitors. Most of these will only need replacing when broken or misplaced, but we always recommend having a good supply of high quality barista essentials including:

• Tamper
• Tamping Mat
• Milk Jugs
• Thermometer
• Set of Scales
• Filter Papers
• Cleaning Cloths
• Towels
• Cleaning Brush and Paint Brush
• Espresso Shot Glasses
• Pouring Kettle and Pourover Set

Disposables

Garden centres, amongst other things, are seen as fantastic destinations to connect with nature. It’s therefore important to weave nature into all aspects of your business, with high quality eco friendly, compostable and recyclable disposables wherever possible. This will include:

• Takeaway Cups and Lids (6oz, 8oz, 12oz, 16oz)
• Napkins
• Wooden Stirrers
• Paper Straws
• Brown Paper Bags
• Takeaway food boxes
• Sugar Sachets and Sweeteners

Crockery

Sit-in customers are a huge part of the business for garden centre coffee shops, creating a fantastic day out for many. Make sure to properly cater for these visitors with high quality crockery:

• Mugs and Saucers (Espresso, Flat White, Cappuccino, Latte)
• Teapots
• Milk Jugs
• Water Glasses
• Teaspoons
• Cutlery
• Plates

Cleaning Products, Safety and Hygiene

Maintaining high standards is of the utmost importance for food hygiene and looking after your customers. Make sure your garden centre is fully equipped with the right cleaning products, including but not limited to:

• Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder
• Grinder Cleaning Tablets
• Machine Specific Cleaning Chemicals (bean to cup)
• Mop and Bucket
• Broom
• Liquid Sanitising Concentrate
• Spray Bottles
• Food-Grade Disinfectant
• Disposable Gloves
• Surface and Glass Spray Cleaners
• Wet Floor Signage
• Vacuum