Contact Us:
ph 612-870-3440
ph 888-324-7872
fax 612-677-3989
info@peacecoffee.com

Brrrrr! The temperature may be plunging, but the Peace Coffee Crew is staying toasty and alert with a plentiful supply of our favorite winter warmer. The holidays were a time of transition for us -- Scott announced his departure and we've got a new interim director (read about it below) -- but we're as committed as ever to bringing you the best organic Fair Trade coffee. In this issue of Fair Grounds, Peace Coffee Bike Team Manager Ton Tran reviews the year in cycling and we spotlight our new partnership with Sow the Seeds. We've also got a new Roaster's Corner, a Peace Coffee Pride winner and a yummy recipe, so snuggle up and read on...

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Peace Coffee is sorry to tell you that after eight years of service, Scott Patterson has left our company. As you most of you know, Scott was our first bike delivery person, an incredible director and a tireless champion for Fair Trade and our producer partners. He’ll be greatly missed here at Peace Coffee. We wish him the best of luck.

Lee Wallace is serving as Interim Director. Lee’s professional background includes work in natural foods cooperatives, business incubation, and on rural economic development and human rights initiatives. Most recently, Lee served as the Associate Director of the nonprofit Resource Center of the Americas in Minneapolis, an organization that works on analysis, education and organizing related to issues of globalization in the Americas. Lee will be working with Peace Coffee’s board and staff over the next several months to develop a search process for a new Director. You can reach her by calling 612.870.3440 ext. 203 or email lee@peacecoffee.com.

It’s important to us for you to know that our commitment remains 100% to our mission, the farmers, our customers, partners, allies and our employees.

We look forward to continuing to offer you the best quality 100% Fair Trade coffee and service. 

Best Wishes and Happy New Year, 
The Peace Coffee Staff

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by Ton Tran, Peace Coffee Race Team Manager

With the 1st year under our belt with the Peace Coffee Racing Team, I was really stoked about heading into our second year with updated uniforms and racing with the team. I had big ideas about what I wanted to accomplish personally, as well as what I wanted the team to accomplish in the 2006 racing season.

I decided that I would try to finish in the top 5 of my age group in mountain biking by putting in more training miles. One method was to ride my bike home from work as often as I could, which I hadn't done in past years. It was kind of an awakening for me.

More...

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by Mandy Catlette

What if our society were set-up in such a way that each and every little action you performed made sense, environmentally and ecologically? What if you had the opportunity in your daily life, as part of your regular routine, to effect change at no cost?

Thanks to an exciting new idea blossoming at the Wedge, this type of sanity is now available to co-op members and non-members alike! Introducing the Sow the Seeds Fund, a chance for all Wedge shoppers to contribute effortlessly towards the bettering of our environment and the health of our local family farms.

More...

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by Barth Anderson, Research and Development Coordinator at the Wedge Community Co-op

Keith Tomlinson, Peace Coffee's head roaster, says that his new special blend, available at the Wedge this week, is truly something special. "The Sow the Seeds Blend has been my favorite lately," he says.

Which says a lot, since Peace Coffee roasts over 15 different blends.

Peace Coffee generously created this brand-new blend to benefit the Sow the Seeds Fund, an innovative non-profit whose mission is to conserve at-risk farmland from being developed, support sustainable farmers, and to sustain a local food system in the Upper Midwest.

More... (Including a movie of Peace Coffee Beans being roasted)

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Vince, Megan, and Mike of the Twin Cities sent us the kindest email about how much they love what Peace Coffee does and included this awesome photo. Instead of sending them coffee as a prize for the Peace Coffee Pride, we are going to send them each one of our new organic long sleeve shirts! Get yours too here.

If you're passionate about Peace Coffee, show it! Send us:

— a photo showing your "Peace Coffee Pride”
— a short written testimonial about how much you love us
— an original coffee poem or haiku (three lines, 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second, 5 in the last)

Each month, we’ll choose one entry to appear in the following Fair Grounds newsletter. If we choose yours, you’ll win a pound of your favorite Peace Coffee coffee. Please send your entry to mel@peacecoffee.com.

Contest ends: February 12th

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"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."

-- Albert Schweitzer

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  • December 2006 I Bought a Cow For You!, Fair Trade: It's Not Just for Coffee, Beer! It Tastes So Good! by Melanee Meegan, Marketing Manager & Beer Activist
  • November 2006 Book Review: Organic Coffee by Tim King, Becoming a Beer Activist by Melanee Meegan, Hot Off the Press: Fermenting Revolution, How Microbrew Can Save the World by Chris O'Brien
  • October 2006 The Power of 100: A Fair Trade Harvest, Minnesota Does Fair Trade, Local to Global: A Fair Trade Resource List
  • September 2006 The Hike: Another Peace Coffee Adventure by Ryan Seibold, Peace Coffee Production Roaster, Coming to a Theatre Near You!: Black Gold.
  • August 2006 One Brick at a Time by Beth Backen, Shipping and Receiving Coordinator, Sitting On Top of the World by Nate Stevens, Customer Accounts Representative, The Long Haul to the Green Man by Ryan Seibold, Eco Experience at the State Fair, Howdy. I'm Keith, The New Head Roaster.
  • July 2006 Bike Film Festival Rolls Into Minneapolis, Biofuels or Bust by Jim Kleinschmit and Mark Smith, Oxfam Red Cards Adidas
  • June 2006 Travels With Habitat in Guatemala by Andy Lambert, Finding Balance in East Timor by Anna Canning, New Peace Coffee Beer: MJDBA, Customer Spotlight: Jay's Café by Melanee Meegan.
  • May 2006 Gardening Grounds by Nathan Steigman, Peace Coffee Builds With Habitat, Bike Map Adds New Spin to Art-A-Whirl
  • April 2006 Discovering Fair Trade in Guatemala by Keith Tomlinson, Travel Notes from Sumatra, Indonesia by Jamie Schumacher, Birchwood Café Celebrates Earth Day, Birch Clothing Plants Trees, Donates $$
  • March 2006 The Scent of Sumatra by Anna Canning, On the Road at The USFT Convergence by Andy Lambert, Happy 20th! A Big Year for IATP
  • February 2006 Tsunami Goal Reached, Fair Trade Fashion Debuts in Hong Kong by Patricia Jurewicz, Senior Associate, Trade and Global Governance at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, The Red Bull Sky Ride, Cool Opportunities Sustainable Energy in Motion Bike Tour
  • January 2006 Peace Coffee and Fair Trade Gain Ground by Scott Patterson, Coffee Flavored Beers Grow in Popularity by Andy Lambert, 10 Good Things About Another Bad Year by Medea Benjamin, Director of Global Exchange & Co-Founder of Code Pink 
  • December 2005 Make Peace, Not War, Students Help Grow the Fair Trade Movement by Andy Lambert, Catching Up With the Crew, Think Tank Going to WTO Ministerial
  • November 2005 Hurricane Stan Causes Much Devastation by Jeronimo Bollen of Manos Campesinas, On the Road With Brad...Continued, Winter Biking Tips from Hub Bike Co-op, Show Your Peace Coffee Pride and Win!, Customer Spotlight: Peaceful Valley Greetings, Meet the Queen Bee (and Worker Bees) by Andy Lambert
  • October 2005 Coop Coffees Meets in Guatemala by Tripp Pomeroy, Peace Coffee Bike Team Season Wrap-up by Ton Tran, Peace Coffee Bike Grinder, Catching Up With the Crew, Peace Gear: Spiffy Socks
  • September 2005 Green Beans Lost in Katrina's Wake by Scott Patterson, The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized by Andy Lambert, The Joy of Stovetop Espresso Machines by Melanee Meegan, The Wanderlust Returns By Brad the Intrepid Bean Pedaler
  • August 2005 A New Buzz...Chain Saw Art, The Valley of the Giant Green Man by Andy Lambert, Peace Coffee Events and Demo Guy, The Annual Milk Carton Boat Race by Melanee Meegan, Peace Coffee Marketing Manager
  • July 2005 Pedal Power: Peace Coffee Bike Team, FT Futures: Living a Fair Trade Life, CAFTA Is Not Done: A Call to Action
  • June 2005 Extraordinary Ethiopia by Melanee Meegan, Peace Coffee Marketing & Advertising Coordinator, Peace Coffee's 2nd Annual Open House, Aceh Tsunami Relief Fund Update PPKGO, ForesTrade and CV Trimaju, Batter Up! by Monika Firl, Coop Coffees
  • May 2005 Fair Trade in Seattle by Scott Patterson, Brad's Nicaragua Journal by Brad the Bike Messenger
  • April 2005 Fair Trade Travels and Other Adventures, Nicaragua Trip Brings Fair Trade to Life by Anneka Kmiecik, Birchwood Café, Fair Trade in a Volatile Market by Bill Harris, Cooperative Coffees
  • March 2005 Andy's Chiapas Journal (part two) by Andy Lambert, Converging For Fair Trade
  • February 2005 Update On The Aceh Fund, Return To Chiapas (part one) by Andy Lambert, In Praise Of Hot Chocolate by Rachel Hiltsley
  • January 2005 Tragedy's Wake: Update From Sumatra, How I Spent My Floating Holiday by Brad the Bike Messenger, A Coffee Science Experiment by Rachel Hiltsley, Resident Equipment Expert
  • December 2004 Great Coffee the French Press Way, The Best Coffee in Town, Coffee+Beer=Friggin' Good. eh? 
  • November 2004 My Other Bike is a Biodiesel, Biodiesel: It's What's Inside
  • October 2004 A Peaceful Alternative to Petroleum, Don't Just Do It. Do It With Justice 
  • September 2004 Santa Anita de la Union, The Beauty of the St. Paul Classic
  • August 2004 Crema Café: Home of Sonny's Ice Cream,
  • July 2004 Exploring Our Origins: Ethiopia
  • June 2004 Journey through the Life of a Bean
  • May 2004 Report from Colombia and Brad 's Big Bike Adventure
  • April 2004 Nicaragua: Coffee and the Community at CECOCAFEN
  • March 2004 Fair Trade Friends: United Students for Fair Trade
  • February 2004 Mut Vitz and APECAFORMM Trip Reports
  • January 2004 10 Good Things about a Bad Year
  • December 2003 Global Exchange Fair Trade Challenge
  • November 2003 Barriers to Fair Trade: NAFTA on Steroids
  • October 2003 Dia de Los Muertos
  • September 2003 Report from Cancun: Victory for Fair Trade
  • August 2003 Fair Trade Friends: Oxfam America
  • July 2003 Exploring Our Origins: Sumatra

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Fair Grounds is produced by:
 Peace Coffee

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*:
Beth Backen
Anna Canning
Derek De La Paz
Tom Hudson
Andy Lambert
Melanee Meegan
Joe Moskowitz 
Ryan Seibold
Nate Stevens 
Keith Tomlinson
Lee Wallace

*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.

Fair Grounds is designed by:

Starstruck Design
335 West Gill Road
Gill, MA 01354

Contact Information:
Don Kruger 
Lynn Nichols
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.
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- 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