Two NEW LOCATIONS Opening VERY, VERY SOON!

Waiting is hard. But as they say (whoever "they" is), good things come to those who wait. Even greater things come to those who work while they wait. ("They" didn't say that... we did.) The LASATERS® family has been hard at work for the last few months. If you haven't heard, there will be two brand-new LASATERS® locations opening very soon! One location will be in Clarksville, Tennessee, in the Tiny Town area at Exit 1. Our other location will be in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. We're anticipating to open the doors of both cafés for business at the end of November! Excitement!

Make sure to mark your calendars when we make our official, official announcement. Opening day at both locations will be one of grand and caffeinated (or decaffeinated) proportions! Certain drinks will be free (in-café only) while supplies last. The entire tasty LASATERS® menu will also be available. So bring the family, church group, neighborhood, or random person you met last Tuesday and come support your LASATERS®! Be prepared to leave with a few additions to your friends list because here at LASATERS®, our hope is that "those who enter as guests, leave as friends." We can't wait to see you at one of our new locations.

Feel free to follow the progress of our Exit 1 and Mt. Juliet locations on Facebook! There are pictures! And don't forget that ALL of our locations have their very own Facebook pages. Please like and follow each one to stay on top of store giveaways, special deals, and more! Links are below.
LASATERS® - Sango
LASATERS® - Riverside
LASATERS® - Wilma
LASATERS® - Gateway
LASATERS® - Cleveland

SOCIALIZE with LASATERS®!!!
Find us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!
Until next time.
<>< Kt Grace
Multimedia Manager | LASATERS® Coffee, LLC

OUR BLOG IS BACK! CHECK OUT OUR NEW MUGS!

Hello, hello! Welcome back to the blog, y'all!
THE BLOG IS BACK! Here you'll find EVERYTHING you need to know about LASATERS®. And there's a lot to know! Whether we're adding new and tasty treats to our menu or opening a new franchise, you'll be the first to know. After all, without you, our supporters, we don't have much. YOU ARE LASATERS®. We are also excited to announce that in the future we will have guest contributors to this blog. It's all about staying connected and sharing our thoughts. So, check back with us periodically and let's do this!

NEW MUGS! NEW MUGS! Did you hear we have NEW MUGS?!
In addition to the many beautiful mugs already on our shelves, we have FOUR NEW ceramic mugs handcrafted by Sunset Hill Stoneware. MADE IN THE USA, Y'ALL! Check out the photo below for a little preview. Visit your local LASATERS® for pricing. These would make wonderful gifts, don't you think?

Don't forget to GET SOCIAL with LASATERS®!!!
Find us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!
Thanks for taking a gander, everyone! Until next time.
<>< Kt Grace
LASATERS® Multimedia Manager

Ah, the memories... by Mat Lasater

Making memories.

As we prepare to open a franchised location in Cleveland, TN (facebook.com/Lasaters.Cleveland) I go about my day with planning, scheduling and forecasting for the coming weeks.  I take a quick break to look through the Lasaters pages of Facebook and I am reminded how many challenges we've had as a company, from the beginning, and the successes that we've had this far.  I wanted to share just a few pictures with you and hopefully blog about them all some day. There are many, many more to come, but here are just a few... 

Bumper stickers.

We took a poll to find out who like what bumper sticker that we had designed a couple of years ago.  While we never went forward with bumper stickers (yet) we did find out that most people liked this design the most:

Buttons.

A few years back some of the staff started wearing buttons of their favorite seasonal drink.  Fun!  Do you remember these?

The Great Flood of 2010.

Who could forget this?  Well, if you weren't here in Tennessee, you probably heard about it on the news.  Tennessee, specifically Clarksville and Nashville, were hit with a massive flood that ended many businesses and brought our regional economy to a near standstill.  Our original Lasaters Coffee & Tea Store on Riverside Drive (facebook.com/lasaters.riverside) made it through this tough time though.  Thank you to the owners, Ricky and Nicole Edwards, for putting in tireless efforts to get their store up and running again.  

Gift Cards.

This was the first gift card that Lasaters ever had - notice the original logo? :)

Trip to Finca La Perla, Guatemala City and Antigua, Guatemala.

Lots to tell here.  We were driving through a village to meet with a lower-elevation farmer when we passed these children.  They were playing on a small concrete coffee-drying bed.  When we showed them the picture that we took of them playing they were all-smiles!  The above picture is the one we snapped next. :)  Lots to share about this wonderful trip... one day. :)

Our first coffee roaster.

This awesome drum roaster was the beginning of REAL coffee for us! We've since upgraded to a much larger, fluid-bed roaster that is more efficient and won't leave the coffee tasting like smoke. :)

2008(?) SCAA World Barista Championship.

A couple of us have gone to a few Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) trade shows.  The above picture is of a shot of espresso by one of the top contenders of the World Barista Competition.  GOOD ESPRESSO!  Some baristas are unbelievably awesome at their craft.

2008 World Tea Expo.

This is Anando Chatterjee and his wife (her name escapes me right now, but she is very pleasant).  He is our contact in Kolkata India for all of our teas from the region of Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri. 

Even snowmen like coffee.

Franchise owner Nicole Edwards and Katherine Rowe put up a snowman when Clarksville got a bit of snow.  It makes it fun to enjoy working with good people!

Fluid bed coffee roasting.

This is a picture of our new coffee roaster at our old warehouse.  We can now roast 38 pounds of coffee in 8 minutes. This thing is awesome!  Anyone for a tour of our new roasting facility? :)

Ok, that's it for right now.  I'd love to share more photos and stories in the future.  We've got thousands of pictures that we've taken throughout the years and many, many memories.  Thanks for being a part of Lasaters Coffee & Tea.  We love you all!

-Mat Lasater

Day 38 and Counting...

Today is an exciting day. It's Day 38 in our countdown to our newest Lasaters location: SANGO!
Of course tomorrow will be a little more exciting because it will be Day 37!

We're especially excited about this location because it will be a sit-down cafe AND a drive-thru, so you'll have the convenience of grabbing a quick cup for the road or the relaxation of enjoying some coffee with a friend or getting some reading done with you favorite blend of Lasaters coffee...or tea...or hot chocolate...or panini (the list could go on)... Of course there will also be FREE wifi available so that you can surf the web while you're there.

I would love to show you pictures of the inside right now, but we've gone undercover with the construction...literally. The windows are covered and the public is not allowed to see the beauty that is being created.

Almost as exciting as Opening Day is FREE COFFEE DAY, which happens to be the same day as Opening Day: April 1, 2010! Each customer will receive a complimentary cup of coffee on April 1! So, while the rest of the world pulls practical jokes on each other, come on into Lasaters for a good, honest cup of coffee! We know you'll love it!

Make sure to spread the word, mark your calendars, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive updates and inside info!