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

Spring finally arrived in Minneapolis and the Peace Coffee crew has been flat out busy with a full slate of Fair Trade activities. In one weekend alone, we had three events that Liz writes about in Peace Coffee Gets Insomnia. That was followed by a producer tour and Bike/Walk to Work Week. Whew! Bike fever has hit us as well, so when we're not working, we're getting our rides tuned up for another season on the streets and trails. Also in this issue, Natalie gives an account of her eye-opening trip to Guatemala, we've got three Peace Coffee haikus and a Roaster's Corner featuring a smoothie recipe made with Yeti Cold Press. Kick back, read on and enjoy...

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With the warmer weather, it's the perfect time for iced coffee drinks and cold press brewing. This month, take 15% off your order of our Yeti Cold Press Blend (before shipping costs are added, retail accounts only). Just type the special code FGMay08 in the box provided at checkout.

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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.

Read on...

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For four days after the SCAA, five amazing coffee farmers stayed in the Twin Cities with Peace Coffee. They spent this time visiting with our customers, staff & coffee consumers. Together, we did eight store demos at various grocery stores and hosted three panel discussions. The discussions touched on a wide variety of topic such as each farmers background in coffee farming, this years harvest conditions, the future of fair trade and how we can all work together to grow the demand for high quality organic and Fair Trade coffee!

We also had a lot of fun getting to know each other. Elmer and Melanee discovered their mutual love for the music of Prince. She made sure Elmer left with Prince's greatest hits and Keith is going to bring some Cyndi Lauper to Peru with him at the end of May because Elmer loves her too! We debated the relevance of astrological signs with one another. 

Read on...

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Every year, Minneapolis & St. Paul host a Bike/Walk to Work Week. This year instead of having everyone ride to the government plaza downtown, schools, cafes, offices, etc. could sign up to host a breakfast stop so that commuters could hit a location more directly on their ride to work or school. Peace Coffee resides in a multi-use office & warehouse building called the Green Institute located right off a major bike commuter path, the Midtown Greenway. From 7-10 in the morning different offices in the building shared the responsibility for cooking up a full breakfast buffet for anyone who rode their bike to school or work. This ideal location meant more than 125 people including the Mayor of Minneapolis, RT Rybak, came for free tofu scramble, whole-wheat pancakes, fresh fruit, walnut caramel rolls, egg tacos and Peace Coffee! Besides the Minneapolis City Hall site, our stop got the largest number of commuters. Check out this great article highlighting the collaborative work of all the great folks in our building: Biking to Breakfast. In total 2,543 people joined up to bike and walk during this year's Bike/Walk Week, making it a record-breaking event!

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by Natalie Ryno, Peace Coffee Shipping & Receiving Coordinator

I love coffee. Everything from the lightest roasted Ethiopian coffee to the darkest French roast. So where does my beloved treat come from? And who are the people that are involved in the process? I was about to find out as I was given the opportunity to travel for Peace Coffee to Guatemala. Oh, Guatemalan coffee is one of my favorites! Our light roasted Guatemalan coffee is full of body, chocolate and touches of citrus. I couldn't wait.

After a connection in Miami, I arrived in Guatemala City. The city was full of large buildings, shops and interesting people. Here I met up with the rest of my crew; Lee (Peace Coffee's director) and her partner Diana, Bill and Geneviève from Cooperative Coffees, Ruth from Bean North, Brenda from Alternative Grounds, and Anthony from Third Coast Coffee. Our group was lively, fun and, most of all, very interested in everything related to coffee. That night, we met at a restaurant in Guatemala City. As the leader, Bill sat us down for an overview of coffee growing and processing in Guatemala. Guatemala has many different types of coffee trees: Arabica, bourbon, robusta and many others. The trees bloom, and a cherry is formed. Once the cherry is red and ripe, the coffee is hand-picked from the tree. After picking, the cherries are soaked in water to ferment. At this point, they are milled and the cherry section is taken off and added to the compost pile. The beans are taken to a drying patio and dried to about 12% moisture. From this point, they are hauled to a dry processing facility where they are sorted by size and quality, and hulled. After this process, they are tasted for quality and then shipped out. Bill's explanation was great, but I wanted to see it for myself. Our trip was a little backwards in order, as we were going to see the dry mill first and end with visits to farms.

Read on...

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Peace Coffee Racers Ready to Go!
Spring has finally hit Minnesota and the bike fever is running rampant. The Peace Coffee Racers kicked off the start of the season with a bang. They are riding in stylish new uniforms (see pictures). Also 10 new members have joined the team and five new business sponsors have come on board. The bike shop sponsors this year are One On One, The Hub Bike Coop & Trail Cycle. Each shop fills a different need for team members based on where they are located, if they ride road or mountain and what type of tune up they need. They all offer a terrific selection of bikes and parts and have excellent staff. Visit them all for your summer bike needs.

We've also brought on cafe sponsors. Birchwood Cafe and Cars R Coffins now offer Peace Coffee riders discounted prices on cups of Peace Coffee and food before and after long rides. Both of these cafes are "crazy" about bikes. Birchwood Cafe has a bike team with over 80 riders and CRC Cafe offers bike tune-ups in the back of the cafe. We highly recommend fueling up at either cafe for your next bike ride.

Another new sponsor is Focus Financial. Team rider, Matt Nelson, is a financial advisor for their Minneapolis branch. The company offers long term financial planning to a wide variety of clients, from business owners to single people. Matt is at almost every race so feel free to grab him if you need helping planning your financial future! Ekho Heart Monitors is another great company, owned by Peace Coffee rider Cory Mortensen, whom sponsors the team. Ekho Heart Rate Monitors are reliable, comfortable and affordable. If you need a heart monitor, you can find these at most bike & running shops around town or online.

The team has a busy schedule all summer long. Many will be competing in the MORC Series, road races and various triathlons in Minnesota, Iowa & Wisconsin. If you spot a Peace Coffee jersey at a race please cheer them on!

One Stop Bike Shop
The long awaited Freewheel Midtown Bike Depot* officially opened to the public on Friday, May 16th. It is located in the Allina Warehouse building on the north side of the Midtown Greenway, between Elliot and 10th Avenues S. The depot offers on-the-spot repairs, bike rentals, bike lockers & showers. It also has a café inside exclusively serving Peace Coffee and food from vendors at the Midtown Global Market.

Unlike traditional bike shops, the Depot will be open during peak commuting hours. Riders will find an open door early in the morning on their way in to work and, in the evening, a shop ready to help them out as they head home. Cyclists are also encouraged to meet for group rides, learn how to fix their bikes alongside trained Freewheel employees, and attend spinning classes. Whether you need an extra bike tube or an extra shot of espresso, Twin Cities bicyclists now have an oasis to enjoy as they ride the Midtown Greenway.

To read more about the Grand Opening check out: Cyclists get their own Greenway pit

*The depot is a collaborative project of Freewheel Bike, Midtown Greenway Coalition, the City of Minneapolis, and Allina Hospitals and Clinics.

Bike/Walk to Work Week
Every year, Minneapolis & St. Paul host a Bike/Walk to Work Week. This year instead of having everyone ride to the government plaza downtown, schools, cafes, offices, etc. could sign up to host a breakfast stop so that commuters could hit a location more directly on their ride to work or school. Peace Coffee resides in a multi-use office & warehouse building called the Green Institute located right off a major bike commuter path, the Midtown Greenway. From 7-10 in the morning different offices in the building shared the responsibility for cooking up a full breakfast buffet for anyone who rode their bike to school or work. This ideal location meant more than 125 people including the Mayor of Minneapolis, RT Rybak, came for free tofu scramble, whole-wheat pancakes, fresh fruit, walnut caramel rolls, egg tacos and Peace Coffee! Besides the Minneapolis City Hall site, our stop got the largest number of commuters. Check out this great article highlighting the collaborative work of all the great folks in our building: Biking to Breakfast. In total 2,543 people joined up to bike and walk during this year's Bike/Walk Week, making it a record-breaking event!

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Last month Peace Coffee offered kits of coffee, cups and flyers for folks to brew up coffee on Saturday, May 10, in an effort to help set the world record for the World's Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break. The day was an enormous success with nearly 12,000 people in over 150 locations throughout the U.S. raising a mug in honor of World Fair Trade Day.

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We were fortunate to receive not one, not two, but THREE haikus this month and we couldn't decide between them, so they're all winners!

From Karen Roberts McNamara:
Tasty Birchwood Blend,
Joy of the morning.
You make working less sucky.

From Lisa Rowe:
Your coffee is best
You're fair to beans and people
Mornings are brighter.

From Leah Lawrence:
My church serves coffee
I am thankful it is Peace
Now I will drink it.

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: June 16th

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"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

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  • April 2008 Getting Out and About for Fair Trade, Join the World's Largest Coffee Break, Miles, Pounds and Speed by Andy Lambert, Peace Coffee Bike Courier, Events Calendar: The Fun Never Stops!, Roaster's Corner: Dominican Returns!
  • March 2008 Looking Forward to Spring!, Appreciating Agriculture at MOSES by Meagan O'Brien, Production Roaster, Behind the Scenes: A Video Tour, Jim Hightower: Doing Things Differently, Roaster's Corner: Guatemala Roasts
  • February 2008 Savoring Sweet Treats, Roasting Up Romance by Aaron & Mandy Larson, Peace Coffee Lovebirds, Cooking Up Goodness, Lovingly Created Ice Houses
  • January 2008 Ten Fun Facts About Peace Coffee in '07, Peace Coffee Racing Year in Review by Ton Tran, Peace Coffee Racing Team Director, Anna's Travels in Sumatra by Anna Canning, Peace Coffee Production Manager, Natalie Hangs Tough in Costa Rica
  • December 2007 Turning U of M 100% Fair Trade, Wintertime Survival Strategies, Yetis Might Really Exist!, Roaster's Corner: Blue Ox Blend
  • November 2007 Notes From the Co-op Coffees AGM by Keith Tomlinson and Lee Wallace, Bike Heaven, Can Fair Trade Change Your Life? by Jacqueline DeCarlo, The Origins of Roots Blend Espresso
  • October 2007 Jokes Across America, Sow the Seeds Blend at Whole Foods, Local Fair Trade Label Debuts Divine Chocolate: The Best of the Best by Kyle Feldman, Peace Coffee Customer Accounts Representative, Reverse Trick or Treating
  • September 2007 Hangin' at the Roaster's Guild Retreat by Keith Tomlinson, Head Peace Coffee Roaster, Gearing Up For Fair Trade Month by Liz Wawrzonek, Events & Outreach Coordinator, What People Love About Minnesota, Book Review: Brewing Justice by Heather Putnam, USFT Coordinating Committee Member at the University of Kansas
  • August 2007 Ecotouring Nicaragua With USFT by Melanee Meegan, Peace Coffee Marketing Manager, Team Los Guapos Wins at Roaster's Retreat by Agent Chiapas, Meet Our New Events Coordinator!, Going the Distance by Tom Hudson
  • July 2007 Learning From the Zapatistas in Chiapas by Nate Stevens, Former Peace Coffee Customer Service Representative, This Just In: Our Summer Survival Kit, First Yeti Sighting! Welcome to the Common Roots Café, Profile of our Seasonal Dominican Republic Roast
  • June 2007 Peace Coffee Gets Down and Dirty, And The Band Played On, From Josh's Viewfinder by Josh Lavelle, Roaster's Corner: Ryan Shares the Flavor Profile of our Seasonal Dominican Republic Roast
  • May 2007 Sailing the Fair Trade Winds. Part 2 by Derek De La Paz, Peace Coffee Production Roaster, If I Was a Bicycle, I'd be... , Bark For Peace, From Josh's Viewfinder by Josh Lavelle
  • April 2007 Sailing the Fair Trade Winds by Derek De La Paz, Peace Coffee Production Roaster, New Faces: Josh Lavelle, What Do You Think About Fair Trade?
  • March 2007 Iguanas. Coffee and Magnetic Poles by Andy Lambert and Ryan Seibold, Our Daily Bread - Don't Miss This Movie!, Focus on the Farm Bill, Roaster's Corner: The Joys of MPR Blend by Keith Tomlinson
  • February 2007 Ice Ice Baby by Melanee Meegan, Marketing Director & Marathon Runner, Taking to the Streets for the Stupor Bowl by Tom Hudson, Peace Coffee Bike & Biodiesel Delivery Driver, Global Warming 101 by Andy Lambert, Peace Coffee Outreach Coordinator.
  • January 2007 Having Attitude for Gratitude by Ton Tran, Peace Coffee Race Team Manager, Wedge Co-op Introduces Sow the Seeds by Mandy Catlette, Magic Beans: Sow the Seeds Blend is Ready to Brew by Barth Anderson, Research and Development Coordinator at the Wedge Community Co-op
  • 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*:
Stacy Adrianson
Anna Canning
Derek De La Paz
Kyle Feldman
Andy Lambert
Josh Lavelle
Melanee Meegan
Joe Moskowitz
Meagan O'Brien
Natalie Ryno
Ryan Seibold
Brian Steehler
Megan Tardiff
Keith Tomlinson
Lee Wallace
Liz Wawrzonek

*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.
- 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