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The Crew
IVOIRe FOReMANIt took my mother six days to name me on the sixth day she named me Atheiyna Dystney Foreman. On the drive home from the hospital she started calling me Ivoire Danielle. My father wanted Danielle to be in my name. When I was two she legally changed it, but at some point all the records were lost … I think it was a fire. Anyway all my documents were reverted back to Atheiyna. I have only ever been called IVOIRe. I did not know how to spell my first name until I was in the fifth grade. I am a foot short for my age, left handed and tend to trip over invisible objects…I am an angry little big person. I am that girl who wants to start a revolution…and Peace Coffee has flexible hours, I love the coffee, which can also be used as currency…When I am not at Peace Coffee grinding up caffeinated goodness you can find me in front of a mirror making silly faces, Making art, riding my bike, or as Josh says doing something more than Lenny Kravitz. 
BRIAN STEEHLERAfter having been born under an auspicious sign (one that read "Maternity Ward") in Arvada, Colorado, I moved around like an Army brat due to my father's employment in the volatile grocery industry. Suburban Denver was for a scant three years, then Santa Rosa, California for a year, then Green Bay, Wisconsin for four years, then Columbus, Ohio for five years, then to Eden Prairie, Minnesota for the remainder of my life (12 years). And because everyone always asks, my favorite place climatewise was Ohio. They would cancel school for an inch of snow! Yeah! A freakin' inch! But Minnesota and the Twin Cities are close to my heart. I'm now and hopefully forever a "good old St Paul" boy instead of a "big time Minneapolis" guy. I like that side of the river and my efficiency apartment on the bus line. I love cars and food, so naturally, driving a van that uses food crops and some other random food-related products as fuel is the ideal combination, right? I love her, my van, or "La Tortuga Locosita" as I call her. Check her out on our Biodiesel page! I've delivered soup, party rental items, and water heaters, but coffee is by far the most fun and best smelling delivery item I've ever done. For fun I love seeing architectural wonders, especially churches, especially my church, the Cathedral of St Paul (4th largest church in North America...St Paul rocks!) But also the many fabulous buildings around town...just ask me and I'll talk your ear off about architecture, local architecture, history, all that stuff. And the horrible truth is that I'm actually more of an herbal tea drinker than a coffee drinker, but hopefully reeducation camp will cure that. 
MEAGAN O'BRIENI fell in love with bikes at a young age as I raced around town on my rusty, blue Freestyle. It was the perfect combination of simplicity and speed, accessibility and innovation. My fondness for bikes helped me navigate the big, bad world and find my direction. It has led me on countless side trips including a few years working as a bike mechanic. It caused me to look deeper into sustainable living and I took a few years to work on a local, organic produce farm. The desire to go as far and fast as I could landed me on foreign soils with no real goal than to follow my whims until the money ran out. And now I'm here, in my favorite city, roasting coffee for a company devoted to fair trade and sustainable business, a company that has bikes scattered over the warehouse and hanging from the ceilings! Things that make me happy: hoodies, the color orange, merino wool, hiking, kayaking, canyon jumping, baking bread, gardening, cooking spicy food, knitting, reading, learning new things, traveling and making lists (My first grade teacher told me one day I could NOT write all my journal entries as lists, but I persist to this day). Things that make me unhappy: biking in gusting wind, uncomfortable shoes, and mean people. 
MEGAN TARDIFFI am typically referred to as a PM (project manager) by some friends, but I am definitely more kicking in the AM! This is evident now more than ever as my job at Peace Coffee has me wired up and allows me to put my fiery Aries side into promoting Fair Trade and the unique attributes of Peace Coffee. Being a life long PM has lead me in many different directions, some taking me outside the country (Viva Espana!) and some down local roads through volunteering in the Twin Cities. I have also spent an extensive amount of time road trippin’ through the United States and feels as though there is nothing better than the wind in my hair and the sun on my face! But, encountering waterfalls is a delightful turn of events. Cooking is a favorite pastime of mine (ethnic & spicy foods especially) yet gardening is my new challenge….who can find time to can tomatoes? Ice cream is the only super food in my book! When I’m not at Peace Coffee, you can find me on the softball diamond, at the gym, solving crossword puzzles, reading a book or hanging out at one of the local arts or cultural venues. 
LEE WALLACEI joined the Peace Coffee staff first as Interim Director. Then something clicked. A job where I get to combine my determination to make the world more just and get folks to connect the local and the global, my love of travel and my appreciation for good coffee. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m hooked. In my hours away from Peace Coffee, I am likely reading, gardening, engaged in a massive never-ending house project or playing ice hockey. 
STACY ADRIANSONI was born and raised in a tiny rural town in Michigan. I spent my summers at gymnastics camp dreaming of competing in the Olympics. Later in my teens I worked in the corn fields detasseling and dreaming of the big city. After graduating from Michigan State in '01 my job relocated me to Cincinnati where I lived for five years. Looking for change, I decided to move to Minnesota where I was told the people are nice and the weather is cold. I am loving everything about the Twin Cities especially the lakes and the bike trails. Many of my friendships have been forged through a shared love of coffee and the ritual of making a good cup. Brewing a pot brings back many soul warming memories for me and this is what drew me to my job at Peace Coffee. 
LIZ WAWRZONEKComing from a background in community organizing and arts and music programming, I have a passion for bringing people together and making unlikely connections between diverse people and interests. This can probably be blamed on the highly social and ever sprawling group of Milwaukeeans known as my family. I feel fortunate to work for a company that is helping to address the economic disparity in the world, and that supports bikes in the workplace & a truly groovy office setting (thanks to funk radio hour). OTHER than drink and sell fair trade coffee, I also love to dance, ride bikes, play scrabble, drink beer, do crossword puzzles, and support the amazing live music, performance and art scene that has kept me in Minneapolis for the last 9 years. I can’t wait to finish building my new/old bike, which will be a light-weight single speed on an old Astro-Daimler frame, with much assistance from fellow staff members. Stop by to say hello to me while I’m serving coffee at one of the over 100 events a year Peace Coffee supports – I’ll be the highly caffeinated one at the Peace Coffee table rambling excitedly about bikes or fair trade or asking you to sign up for our email list. 
KYLE FELDMANI grew up in the same part of Minneapolis as roaster Ryan, and other than some living in London and jaunting through the rest of Europe, I've spent all of my life in this wonderful corner of the world. I've had a very fruitful relationship with coffee for most of my adulthood, and thankfully I've not only been enlightened to the universe of fair trade, but I now get to be a part of one of its shining stars. At night, I work in a wonderful restaurant (that serves Peace Coffee!), and most of my free time is spent sitting on the porch of the beautiful apartment I share with my Anna, my beautiful girlfriend of many years. I also read whatever I can get my hands on, enjoy biking, have a fledgling but hopeful yoga and meditation practice, and surround myself with creative, passionate, and loving people. I am grateful for the blessings that have been bestowed on me, and I am committed to spend my life giving them back and paying them forward. "I slept and dreamt that life was only joy. I awoke and I saw that life was but service. I acted and behold, service was joy!" – Rabindranath Tagore 
ANDY LAMBERTOn me: I'm two parts day dreamer and one part elbow grease monkey. My dog Lobo is the most Zen dog you've ever met and teaches me a lot about relaxation, having fun, and the proper technique for the "downward dog" yoga position. My cat Twig's breath smells like cat food. Last but not least, Princess Loushka is my better half and sunshine of my life. On life: I search for happiness, real, true, everlasting happiness. On work: If we do what we've always done, we'll get what we've always got. Bring enough free-thinking, open minded people with open hearts together and what do you get? Revolucion mi amigo, r-e-v-o-l-u-c-i-o-n. I absolutely love Peace Coffee, especially the fact that by simply drinking this stuff, one can literally change the lives of the people who grow the beans. It is that simple and that easy. 
ANNA CANNINGI'm from Oregon, where I learned to love rain and curling up with a good book; spent five years in New Mexico where I learned to love the desert and green chile. I came to Minneapolis in 2003 where I further refined my fondness for wool to include a preference for wool knee socks and knitting warmers for all my extremities. While I miss mountains and intense greenness, even the Minnesota nice is starting to grow on me. My job as Production Manager at Peace Coffee allows me to combine my bizarrely acute sense of smell with my mad Excel skills in the interest of getting good coffee out the door. I enjoy the day-to-day Sisyphean cycle of production and the challenge of balancing those logistics with the on-going mission of rethinking trade relationships and the supply chain. 
MELANEE MEEGANI drank a sweet shot of Peace Coffee Espresso and readied myself for a river run with one final bite of my all-time favorite fruit, the banana. The source of peel-and-munch power, nutritional goodness and multinational-controlled atrocities by the bunch. My fascination with the mighty banana led me to discover the similarly exploited coffee crop. Bananas and coffee are adored worldwide. Yet banana and coffee growers are screwed globally. Fair trade, ethical business and an authentic partnership with growers is the only way to bring responsibility and justice back into the trade equation. Peace Coffee is 100% committed to doing this. That's why I'm here as Advertising and Marketing Coordinator, spreading the fair trade word! The job allows me to work for a real life impact, one pound at a time, the fates of so many good people. 
KEITH TOMLINSON- Born in Texas. 
JOE MOSKOWITZMy job at peace coffee is... to count all of the beans. 
DEREK DE LA PAZI was born in Los Angeles, California but my mother moved us to the Twin Cities when I was five. I was raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul where her family lived. Eventually we moved to Hudson, Wisconsin where I went to high school. After high school I had an opportunity to work with a Master Chef from France, it was a life changing experience. Food was always a big part of my family, so wanting to be a chef was a natural choice. Northern California was my next destination, to go to culinary school. It worked out great. I was a Chef in Napa Valley for seven years. In 2004 I opted for a better life, and took a job with a coffee giant. It wasn't for me. So I planned to return to my home, the Twin Cities. I've had a good year (2006). I landed a job as a roaster for Peace Coffee and relocated to lovely Minneapolis. It's a great new chapter in my life. Friends, family, a great job and the city I love. 
NATALIE RYNOI was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but moved to this great state when I was 2. I grew up in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis and attended one of the largest high schools in the state. Coffee was an essential part of my college career and helped me spend endless nights cramming for exams. One of my proudest moments was graduating from the U of M with a degree in Nutrition. My love of caffeine, fair trade, and sustainable agriculture led me to my amazing job at Peace Coffee. I can't wait to see where this new chapter in my life will take me! 
JOSH LAVELLEi'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. before i started getting paid to ride my bike all day for peace coffee i was a bike mechanic. i still enjoy working on bikes a lot, especially on my own terms. when i'm not at work i'm usually riding my bike or at one of the local watering holes (namely triple rock). i am originally from a small town about an hour south of madison but have lived in minneapolis for about five years. keep your uptown out of my nordeast! i drank peace coffee before i started working here, now i just drink a crap load more and don't have to pay for it. a few other things: i like to read (mostly non-fiction), i enjoy investigative journalism a lot (amy goodman knows the truth, check her out), i like to cook and i eat a lot. i'm not a fan of computers and enjoy simplicity. i can't spell and did not enjoy going to school. did i mention i get paid to ride my bike all day? |
Site Map || (612) 870-3440 ||
1-888-324-7872 ||
Email Contacts ||
2801 21st Ave S #130, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Peace Coffee is a subsidiary of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy.
