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Busy
as we are at Peace Coffee, we're also enjoying the
opportunity to relax a little and savor summer's
pleasures — biking, hiking, sunning, swimming,
eating fresh fruit and vegetables, or just sitting
on the porch with a mug of our favorite brew
thinking about life. In this month's issue of Fair
Grounds, we're spotlighting our Ethiopian
coffee with an Exploring Our Origins article on
the country, along with TJ's reflections on his
trip to Ethiopia. We've also got a story on Fair
Trade soccer balls, a Community Caravan update,
new Fair Trade Fact, recipe, and trivia question.
Read on…
(Back
to Headlines)
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by
TJ Semanchin, Peace Coffee roaster extraordinaire
 A
couple of years ago, I found myself in the
Ethiopian countryside on a trek to the coffee
world’s equivalent of Mecca – the Birthplace
of Coffee. It was my second day of an historic
visit to our newest trading partner – the Oromia
Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union.
Unbeknownst
to me, Tadesse Meskela (our gracious host and
general manager of the Coffee Union) had arranged
for us to go to the western coffee region near
Kaffe where coffee got its name. Near the town of
Jimma we were led through coffee fields (that more
closely resembled forests) to a revered pasture.
Under the direct sun Ayene, an Oromo elder, told
the story of how the famous goat herder Kaldi
unleashed the secret of Kaffe’s forests.
Read
more…
(Back
to Headlines)
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by
Lynn Nichols
 It
is the oldest independent country in Sub Saharan
Africa and the only African country that has never
been colonized. Its Great Rift Valley is known as
the cradle of humanity, for the fossils of the
oldest known hominid, the 3.5-million 'Lucy' that
were found there in 1974. It is a country with a
rich Orthodox Christian heritage, which the
Ethiopians have maintained even as all their
neighbors embraced Islam. It is a beautiful land
with a troubled past and an uncertain future. And
it is the birthplace of coffee.
Read
more…
(Back
to Headlines)
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Peace
Coffee Pairs with HAIR
 July
8th - August 1st -- Peace
Coffee is being served during a Minneapolis run of
the Broadway production HAIR. Peace Coffee and the
Pantages Theatre staff believe it is a perfect
pairing. A large rainbow Peace sign decorates the
set floor. Many of the performers wear denim vests
with embroidered peace signs on the backs. Make
Love, Peace (and Coffee), Not War is a major theme
of the play. For tickets, visit www.hennepintheatredistrict.com
HAIR,
hailed as the first rock musical, broke down
Broadway’s traditional barriers of language,
action and nudity, and commented frankly on issues
of the day, including pollution, sex, drugs,
military service, and organized religion. Critical
reaction was mixed as some reviewers found the
nudity and frank language to be 'offensive',
'vulgar' and 'dirty' while others called the show
'the most significant musical of the decade.' Most
critics agreed on one point -- the excellence of the
score, which includes the songs Aquarius, Hair, Easy
to Be Hard, Where Do I Go?, Frank Mills, and the
finale, Let the Sunshine In.
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Light
Rail On Track
 Peace
Coffee participated in a historic event last
month—the much awaited opening of Minneapolis’
first light rail line. 95,000 people rode the LRT
over the weekend of June 26th -27th. Peace Coffee
gave away free coffee and magnets to riders, many
whom waited up to an hour and half to take the train
across the city. The Light Rail Transit has been a
part of Peace Coffee’s landscape even before the
grand opening. We are located immediately behind the
new line. One of the busiest stations on route is a
two-block walk for us. If we ever get tired of
biking we might make a habit of delivering coffee by
Light Rail!
(Back
to Headlines)
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 Soccer
is the world’s most popular game, and in recent
years, it has enjoyed a rapid ascendancy as a
competitive sport among U.S. schoolchildren. But
just who is stitching those popular black –and-
white leather spheres rolling across the world’s
soccer fields? Most people are unaware that
Pakistani children the same ages as little
"Darcy" and "Justin" have
factory jobs producing the soccer balls, instead
of participating in their own soccer leagues.
"Soccer
balls, like many pieces of sports equipment, are
often made under the worst human working
conditions," explained Mark Ritchie,
president of the Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy (IATP). Sweatshops, child labor and
even forced labor conditions are typical.
Read
more…
(Peace
Coffee is selling Fair Trade soccer balls. Click
here to find out more.)
(Back
to Headlines) |
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| We're
giving away coffee!
Think
you know a lot about coffee? Then enter our Fair
Grounds Trivia Contest. Click
here for our question of the month. Entering is easy
and it's FUN!
Michael
Lang is the lucky Coffee Knowledge
winner for June. He knew that Americans eat an
average of 50 pounds of seafood annually.
(Back
to Headlines)
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"Because
of the progress mankind has achieved and because
of the difficulties that are at times part and
parcel of progress and prosperity, we find
ourselves at a crossroad where we might make the
world safe for our future generations or we might
all perish together."
--
Haile Selassie I
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Fair
Grounds is produced by:
Cooperative
Coffees
Contact
Information:
Orders
and General Information
Phone - 612.870.3440 or 1.888.324.7872
Fax - 612-677-3989
E-Mail - info@peacecoffee.com
Web - http://www.peacecoffee.com
Peace
Coffee Crew*:
Anna
Canning
Beth Backen
Rachel Hiltsley
Melanee Meegan
Michelle Ramier
TJ Semanchin
Scott Patterson
*We
work together to get the coffee out to our customers.
Although we have specific job titles, we all take turns
switching roles and putting in time where it's needed
most.
Peace
Coffee Bikers*:
Brad
Wilson
*Our bikers pack a mean trailer full of coffee. They are
speedy as speedy gets. Watch out, when they are on the
street, they mean business!
Fair
Grounds is designed by:
Starstruck
Design
335 West Gill Road
Gill, MA 01376
Contact
Information:
Don Kruger - dkruger@starstruckdesign.com
Lynn Nichols - lnichols@starstruckdesign.com
Phone - 413.863.7752
Fax - 413-863-7752
Web -
http://www.starstruckdesign.com
You
are receiving your Fair Grounds e-newsletter
because you told us you wanted to get it, or a good
friend of yours suggested to us that you would like to
get it. If you like it, let us know. If you want to
suggest ways that we can make it better, let us know.
Our e-mail is info@peacecoffee.com
If
you would like to unsubscribe to the Fair Grounds
E-Newsletter because:
- You may have more than one e-mail address on our list.
- Your e-mail address may have changed.
- You're going on a six month visit of Latin American
Coffee Cooperatives (Take us with you).
- or any other reason
simply send an e-mail to: newsletter-off@peacecoffee.com
and put your e-mail address in the subject line.
Remember,
you are always welcome to visit our website at http://www.peacecoffee.com
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