Isn't it great having a second one? I kept my TM31 as well. I don't use it much, but every one in a while it is a lifesaver. :-) I just can't seem to part with it. It's like an old friend.

I wanted to let you guys know that I just learned today that Thermomix USA is offering a trade-in promotion targeted to folks in the USA who already have TM31s or TM21s. From now until the end of the year, they will actually offer a trade-in of $215 for any TM21, and $335 for any TM31 (regardless of country it is from, or condition). That means if you have a TM21 or TM31, you can purchase your new TM5 for $1084 or $964, which is cheaper than I have ever seen it anywhere. I was surprised and excited to hear this news as I think there are people in the US who have thought about purchasing the TM5, but with a fully functioning TM31, don't want to invest in the newer model. That was certainly me last year! :-) If you know anyone interested, have them get in contact with me here at ForumThermomix or email at melissaandmitch@ThermoLovers.com. Thermomix USA just announced this today, so I should be getting the details on how to do the trade-in in the next day or so. They are also offering a free Thermomix cookbook for anyone who purchases this month as well.

How does this compare with promotions in other countries? We have not had promotions before in the States, so this is quite new to me, although I have heard lots of talk about promotions elsewhere. I'd be curious to know what you all think about this approach.

The newsletter just came out, and it features a Halloween recipe for Bloody Almond Fingers. I am attaching the recipe.

Please excuse my absence from the forum, and I am very sorry if I gave anyone the impression that I am not interested in providing information about Thermomix in the USA and giving best customer service that I possibly can. Between giving pre and post purchase demos, working with our customers to help them learn to use their TM5s (we have almost 250 so far), getting our website up, etc., I not been able to check back on Forum Thermomix as often as I used to. I will make sure to check in more often in the future.

MEP, I would love to contact you directly regarding your concerns but you have asked us not to do so. I am so sorry that you did not feel supported in your purchase and wish you would allow us to try and remedy that.

In terms of some of the discussion that has been going on, I am happy to provide what information I know. Keep in mind that as a consultant I am not necessarily in the loop regarding broader strategic decisions made by Thermomix USA and Vorwerk. But here is what I know:

LAUNCH: Thermomix USA is still in its "soft" launch phase which is limited to Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. The idea is to use these markets to learn more about the USA while setting up the infrastructure needed to support the larger country. Consultants were told late last year that the larger USA launch would happen this month, September. This has not happened, nor have we been given a date for when this launch will occur. Best I can tell, it is taking longer than expected to get the necessary infrastructure in place. Things that consultants and customers take for granted in other countries (financing/payment pans, host gifts/incentives, recipe platform, multiple cookbooks, etc.) are either not yet available or only recently being tested. I can’t speak to why it is taking as long as it is, but I suspect it is a combination of a new country with different business rules, a small core Vorwerk team in place here, and the sheer size of this country, which Vorwerk has not dealt with before. 

SALES: Despite only recruiting consultants in LA and SF, Thermomix can be purchased from anywhere in the country. In these cases, where the customer does not have a local consultant, the Vorwerk customer service team is supposed to act in that role. Without getting in specifics, let it suffice to say that this is still a work in progress.

STRUCTURE & COMPENSATION:  I believe that Thermomix will be structured in the US similarly to other countries, with the traditional consultant/team leader/branch manager/area manager construct. At this time we have nothing above the Team Leader. To answer GERTBYTHESEA’s comment, there is no USA distributor (it is not a distributorship), nor do we have area, regional or state managers. All we have so far is consultants (all but 3 of whom are in LA and SF) and a very small number of team leaders. I am not able to share the exact compensation, but from what I can tell, it is similar to many other countries in that it is based on a set amount per order, plus a bonus/incentive for selling more than in a single month.

UNDERSTANDING THE AMERICAN MARKET: I believe this is and will be Vorwerk’s biggest challenge here. It is easy to generalize about the “American market”, but the truth is that there is no single American market. The person buying Thermomix in California is not the same as the one buying it in Iowa. We have many people who don’t cook and resort to pre-made foods, but we also have millions of people who still make home cooked meals every day. With over 300 million people, we may be a single country, but we are very diverse. GERTBYHESEA’s comments about European recipes not being as attractive to Americans is very true, particularly in the central part of the country. I had a customer in Utah tell me that the recipes in the USA Basic Cookbook were “too weird”. However on the east and west coasts, international recipes are very sought after. Fortunately, Thermomix has been working on USA-specific cookbooks, and will be releasing 2 American cook “booklets” next month. They also have a larger USA cookbook (and I think recipe chip, but not certain) coming out in November.

METRIC VS IMPERIAL: The USA TM5 (like all new TM5s being manufactured now) can easily toggle between Metric and US Imperial weights and temps. The USA Basic Cookbook, however, is only in US Imperial. I suspect this was deliberate and designed to appeal to Americans who are not familiar with the metric system and want to see something familiar to them. It is a great long term strategy as it covers 95+% of the people who live in the USA, but it does not take into account the early adopters – people who are buying now. Most people who are buying Thermomix now are doing so because they already know about it from experience in another country. And in that country, you can bet they used metric! Which makes the American-focused used of Imperial less attractive to these early buyers. And this has been compounded because until very recently we were not even able to get international Thermomix cookbooks for our customers! It is funny because I purchased a number of metric Thermomix cookbooks from Canada and used them for a promotion we ran last month. (As I mentioned, Thermomix itself does not yet offer promotions but I know people like them, so wanted to be able to offer something.) All of the cookbooks are metric. When I sent the list of available cookbooks to the people who won them I received frustrated emails from some customers because all of the books are metric while others wrote me thanking me for making metric books available!

Please let me know if you have other questions and I will try and do my best to answer them.

ACHOOKWOMAN - I just saw that you made the popovers. I am so glad you liked them! They are a weekend staple at my house and we all love them. :-)

Achookwoman - Popovers are similar to what they call Yorkshire Pudding in the UK. Yorkshire Pudding is generally made with drippings from meat, while Popovers, which are more commonly served for breakfast in the USA, are made with butter. They made made in individual muffin tins or special popover pans. If you want to try them, below is a simple recipe:
Popovers - This is the all-time best and most failsafe popover recipe – delicious, tall, full of air, slightly crispy on the outside, soft and eggy on the inside. Serve them with butter, jelly, or just eat them plain. I make this for my kids every Saturday morning. I use a popover pan, but a muffin tin will work just as well.
•   1 cup all-purpose flour
•   1 cup milk
•   3 eggs
•   ¾ tsp salt
•   2 Tbsp butter, melted
•   More butter for pan

1.   Preheat oven to 425°F with popover pan inside
2.   While the pan is heating, place all ingredients in the Thermomix and mix at speed 5 for 30-45 seconds. You may need to use the spatula once to scrape down any flour that sticks to the side of the bowl. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream
3.   When the oven is fully preheated, take the popover pan out and put small a piece of butter in each cup; Put the plan back in oven until the butter is melted and bubbly, about 1 minute
4.   Take the popover pan out of oven and fill each cup about 2/3 - 3/4 full with the prepared batter (if using a popover pan, this recipe will make 6 popovers, it will make more with a muffin tin)
5.   Bake for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 375°F for another 5-10 minutes; Check after about 5 minutes; the popovers are done when they are puffed up, browned on top, and top feels hard when touched

Cornish Cream - yes we are very excited, and thanks for the good wishes.

MEP- I answered you message, please let me know if you need anything else.

Hello all! It is Melissa again, Thermomix consultant in the USA.

I just wanted to give an update as things have continued to expand since the last time I checked in with this group. Thermomix continues it's "soft opening" here in the USA, which it began last November. Originally Los Angeles was the only geography served by consultants, but Thermomix has since expanded to San Francisco, and I suspect San Diego will be opening shortly. They have trained their first Team Leader group (I was honored to be a part of it) in anticipation of growing the size of the consultant base.

Thermomix has also recruited a small number of experienced Consultants in New York and Washington, DC, in preparation for opening these markets in the coming months. My husband and I will be opening the Washington, DC market, so if you know anyone in the DC area who is interested in a getting a Thermomix, hosting a demo, or in becoming one of the very first Thermomix consultant, please let me know.

I am happy to keep updating this group to the goings in the USA if anyone is interested.