Coffee is one of the most widely researched ingredients and the growing body of scientific research shows that coffee, when drunk in moderation (four to five regular size cups a day) is safe for healthy adults and can even have beneficial health implications as part of a healthy diet and physically active lifestyle.

Medical and scientific organizations around the world advise pregnant women to consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day (equivalent to 3 regular size cups of coffee). Recent guidance from the Food Standards Agency in the UK recommends that pregnant women limit their caffeine intake to 200 mg per day (approximately two regular size cups of coffee). It remains to be seen whether this precautionary point of view will be endorsed by scientific bodies around the world. All sources of caffeine should be considered when considering total daily intake; including coffee, tea, cola drinks, energy drinks and chocolate.

To best equip yourself for a successful 2010 try these ideas. You need to be distinctly better than your competition. As well as being better than your competition, you need to find a way of communicating this to them.

If you run a small coffee shop, and there are other coffee shops in your local area, you need to help customers choose you over the others. Once you have decided how you will be better (faster, better atmosphere, cleaner, better coffee) you can start to support this message with some low cost activities:

Painting: A fresh coat of paint will make sure you are cleaner and fresher than the competition.

New coffees: Introduce some new coffees. Maybe run a new coffee each month on special offer, so people continue to come and see what’s on offer. Monthly specials work nicely too.

Get the word out: Get a Facebook, Myspace, Twitter account for your business and get the word out to everyone. Let every customer know about your new venture and get them to sign up by leaving email so you can go invite them or tell them to sign up. This is a good way to keep them thinking of coffee all month long!

Create a kid friendly experience and place for children: Color books, dominoes and checkers, as well as puzzles are some easy and cheap ideas that kids will love!

Music: Who frequents the coffee shop in the week, make the music relevant, you can change it again at weekends. You can change it at different times of the day. In our shop, for instance, we have an older crowd in the am and a younger pm crowd. Change music accordingly to accomodate your customer base.

Loyalty cards: These are a great way to get and keep customers. The cost is low, but this can help you keep your fan base.

All of these ideas are little to no cost and can help you build your edge against your competition. Business is tough with the likes of McDonalds and Starbucks and many more big guys selling coffee. We as small business owners must work hard at setting ourselves apart. No matter what you do as long as your effort is there you will see an advantage. Working together for a better coffee future!