by Liz Wawrzonek, Peace Coffee Events & Outreach Coordinator

May in Minneapolis usually can't come soon enough, but it came faster than a speeding bicycle for us here at Peace Coffee this year. Participating in several Earth and Arbor Day events in April kept us rooted while we prepared for a packed schedule in May. Knowing that Bike/Walk-to-Work Day would come on the heels of our May event blow-out reassured us that we'd have a chance to bike-off some steam afterwards. So with this in mind, we forged ahead with the goal of taking on three of the largest events in the Twin Cities on the first weekend in May.

Of course we couldn't attempt this alone. We teamed up with some of our favorite businesses in the Twin Cities – Eureka Recycling and the Sunrise Banks - to create an "Everyday is Earth Day" party in our booth at the Living Green Expo and offer delicious hot coffee with locally-sourced and Fair Trade food items from Common Roots Cafe.

We also had the joy of engaging once again in one of our oldest traditions -- sponsoring the Heart of the Beast's May Day festival at Powderhorn Park.

But this, as they say, is all in a day's work. New to us was having the Specialty Coffee Association of America Convention take place right in our backyard. The largest event in the coffee industry, the annual SCAA set up camp in Minneapolis during the first weekend in May. As we prepared to welcome dozens of guests -- from coffee roasters nationwide to coffee producers worldwide -- we discovered that coincidentally, many of us found ourselves awake at odd times in the wee hours just prior to our big weekend. There have been many explanations for this phenomenon…

It's possible that the Peace Crew went overboard on caffeine: we had been diligently taste-testing the bike-blended cold press delicacies that roasters Derek, Ryan, Meagan and Keith had been developing in the 'lab', going back to the drawing board several times to come up with the perfect blend of coffee and organic/Fair-Trade ingredients to serve at our booth (a big hit amongst haggard SCAA attendees who were able to jump on the bike blender and pedal themselves a refreshing, refueling coffee smoothie).

It could be that with so many events and sponsorships happening at one time, Marketing and Events team Melanee and Liz just couldn't shut down the ol' hard drive for fear of losing important data, forcing our brains into stand-by mode rather than the sleep option.

It's very likely that what kept us awake was simply anticipation of the arrival of friends and allies Peace Coffee has worked, traveled and visited with for over 10 years. Perhaps we were preoccupying ourselves with polishing our dance shoes in preparation for the big party at the Bedlam Theatre - excited to share food, drinks and a dance floor with producers from coffee-growing regions in Bolivia, Peru, and Guatemala, individuals who trade fairly and work on Fair Trade policy all over the world, and special guests the Town Hall Stompers and DJ Lori Barbero.

Nonetheless, the events, demos, workshops, and exhibiting at the SCAA turned out to be well worth the sleepless anticipation. Many of our customers, co-op/cafe staff, and all-around Peace Coffee lovers had the opportunity to interact with the very individuals who work to turn this complex and beautiful crop into an excellent cup of coffee. Likewise, coffee industry folks commented to us about the inspiration they drew from our Fair Trade sourcing policies, our alternative business practices, and the quality of our expertly roasted beans. Now that we've caught up on our sleep, we want to extend a hearty thank you to our visitors from around the world for making this the best SCAA to date, to our partners around the Twin Cities for helping us accomplish our ambitious May events calendar, and to the powers that be for finally bringing us out of the winter and into the gloriousness that is May in Minneapolis.

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