 The Peace Coffee crew is ruminating this month on connections... the connections between the farmers who grow your coffee and the final product in your cup, the connections between producers and roasters and the connection we all have with the planet on which we live. In this edition of Peace Spokes, we introduce you to Peace Coffee's newest venture... a website called MapMyBeans.com, on which you can map your favorite coffee across the globe and get some information about the people along the way who make your selected brew possible. We also hear from Lee, our intrepid leader, about the recent SCAA meeting in Atlanta and the celebration of Cooperative Coffee's 10th Anniversary. In the Crafty Corner, we've got two bags produced from recycled Peace Coffee bags and packaging and in the Composting Corner, we've got a tip about adding cocoa shells to your compost blend for a better result. Finally, in the Roaster's Corner, Keith talks about our Yeti Cold Press blend, a must for keeping cool on the hot summer days to come. Grab a mug of iced Peace Coffee, kick back and read on...   At Peace Coffee, we think that part of our work as committed fair traders is making connections between the global chain of people who work to deliver your morning (or afternoon, or midnight -- we don't judge) cup. Part of the larger picture of Fair Trade is drawing those connections between the amount of work that goes into a product and the livelihoods of its producers. While the ultimate way to do that would be to take every one of you coffee drinkers on a trip to visit the coop who grows the coffee in your favorite blend or single origin, that's a little beyond our scope. And, if you went to Indonesia when the coffee flowers were in bloom while the Minnesota winter was in full swing, we might lose a customer.Instead (or hopefully just until you make the trip yourself), we've created MapMyBeans.com -- an interactive tool to bring you, the coffee drinker, a little closer to the amazing folks who grow your coffee. After lots of tinkering on Google Maps and the hard work of some great local geeks, we're ready to let you start exploring. You can trace your favorite coffee selection across the globe, get some fast facts on the farmer coops, see some faces, and hear the words of some fellow travelers. If you want to know more, we've got links to in-depth farmer profiles, and, if you want to dig still deeper, all the contracts, invoices, even bills of lading and organic certificates for your favorite coffees (and maybe a few you haven't tried yet) can be found. We're posting these documents in collaboration with our importing partner, Cooperative Coffees -- it's part of our effort to change the face of trade from mysterious valleys and top-secret pricing to open sharing of information all along the supply chain -- in a word, transparency. In a global trade like ours, realistically, you can't go talk to the coffee farmer whose tree grew your pound of coffee the way you might shake hands at a farmer's market or visit your CSA's field. Take this as a virtual handshake, our way of bringing you into the transactions that make up our supply chain and make us proud to come to work everyday. Take a look now and then check back again regularly -- we'll be adding more photos, additional resources (maybe even how to get there!) and much more. *All our claims, both Fair Trade and organic are also independently verified by a third-party certifier, so the responsibility's not all on you to be sure we've got our i's dotted and t's crossed! (Back to Headlines)   By Lee Wallace, Peace Coffee Queen Bean  In April, Keith (Peace Coffee's Head Roaster) and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) conference. This year the event was held in Atlanta. The SCAA is one of the largest coffee conferences in the world, and many of our partners and allies attend to network, walk the show floor and sell or buy coffee (or anything else having to do with coffee). We spent four jam-packed days meeting with representatives of cooperatives we buy our coffee from, attending workshops and lectures and attending social gatherings until late in the night. There's nothing that replaces the opportunity to talk with other coffee professionals, Fair Traders and coffee farmers face to face, so we were determined to pack as much in as possible. At the end of the four days, we were pretty wiped out, but thrilled about how much we'd learned and how many people we'd met or reconnected with. But the fun was just beginning! Peace Coffee and 23 other Fair Trade coffee companies cooperatively own and operate an importing business, which is headquartered in Americus, Georgia. Cooperative Coffees is turning ten years old this year, and we were determined not to waste the opportunity to gather our producer partners and allies in one place, reflect on the state of our work together, and celebrate our successes. We loaded 75 staff members, members of the co-op and partners from around the world into vans and drove three hours south. On the way down, Keith drove a 15-passenger van, and I fielded questions from farmers from around the world about the history of slavery in the United States, the flora and fauna of Georgia, running a coffee roastery and, well, you name it. It really made me realize what an excellent job the cooperatives do when they host us. I want to polish my tour guide skills in order to be better prepared in the future. Joe Moskowitz, our Bean Counter, joined us in Atlanta and also drove a vehicle down for the meetings and festivities. We woke the next morning with a full agenda for our one full day together in Americus. The morning was spent in intense conversation – about coffee markets, organics and the future of Fair Trade. In the afternoon, we loaded back up into our vehicles and made a quick drive over to the neighboring town of Plains, where our group had the opportunity to meet with former President Jimmy Carter, hear more about the Carter Center's work around the world and hear his perspective on coffee farmers' hard work and the necessity for Fair Trade. I think it's safe to say we all left feeling energized, in tremendous company, and truly lucky to be doing the work we are doing.That night, we wrapped up our time together with a good old fashioned pig roast, beers all around and a live band. All in all, a very successful trip. We learned a lot, met with new co-ops, found some new coffees we'll be selling in 2010 and got a great reminder of how important our work is and how connected we are to a universe of really amazing people. (Back to Headlines)  Sue Murphy, Peace Coffee's crafter extraordinaire, has created two new unique bags out of our burlap sacks and used packaging. The Peace Coffee toiletry bag is a perfect accessory for taking on vacations or tossing in your gym bag.
The second bag is perfect for trekking around town or taking to an all day festival. It can fit a few books, some snacks and there is even a holder for your water bottle or coffee tumbler on the side of it. (Back to Headlines)   Nancy Fagin of Chicago, IL, emailed us some interesting composting info after reading our composting corner in last month's newsletter. She said that she just dumped four over-winterized compost containers into the garden; her worms didn't make it through the Chicago winter in the containers (they froze). Now she is using a unique compost blend of pineapple-leek-eggshell and coffee grind slime mixed with cocoa shells (from Blommer's Chocolate Factory's dumpster).She also noted that the Melitta coffee filters didn't decompose. She recommends drying them on a clothes line and reusing them. (We haven't tried this one yet.) Lastly, she recommended that our readers check out the book Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage, by William Rathje and Cullen Murphy. Rathje, a professor at University of Arizona, started the Garbage Project in the 1970s, studying actual garbage by households, garbage by neighborhoods and extensive landfill studies. The book provides great suggestions and methods for dealing with the garbage that we produce. If you have other uses for coffee grounds and/or composting tips that you'd like us to share please email info@peacecoffee.com. (Back to Headlines)  This month, order our Toddy Maker or anything else on our website and get 15% off your entire order (before shipping charges are added). Just enter YetiLove in the Promo Box at checkout. (Back to Headlines)   The Yeti takes its summers in Minneapolis. And, for a mythical beast, actually tends to have a pretty high profile, frequenting patios and back porches all throughout the Twin Cities’ cafes and homes. You can catch a glimpse of it in our local cooperatives too. The Yeti, being the mysterious creature that it is, is a complex blend of influences.Like its distant cousin the cappuccino monster (please send us a photo or artist rendering of this rare beast if you have seen it), the Yeti operates in thirds. All roasted separately, the Yeti is part Nicaraguan, part Peruvian, and part Guatemalan dark roast. Like a fancy new tie, if the Yeti were to wear a tie, the Peruvian that is a part of its identity has been upgraded to the AA graded Peruvian from Cenfrocafe. And both the Nicaraguan and Peruvian are joining the Guatemalan dark roast on the Diedrich as their primary source of being roasted. What this amounts to is a brighter, fruitier (stone fruit to be specific) Yeti, without compromising the deep dark chocolate finish and smoky sweetness of our familiar old Yeti friend. Yeti is happiest when it is cold, so even though it is here for the summer, make sure to cold brew it. Don't forget that the Yeti is super strong, so you will want to mix it up into thirds, 1/3 coffee concentrate, 1/3 ice, and 1/3 water or milk (or milk-like product). Of course there are a myriad of other recipes the Yeti can find its way into, including our famed Mixed-up Yeti. Embrace the sun, but keep cool. Cheers, Keith (Back to Headlines)  "I'm queen of my own compost heap & I'm getting used to the smell." ~Ani DiFranco (Back to Headlines) Peace Spokes is a monthly publication from the crew at Peace Coffee. ph 612-870-3440 ph 888-324-7872 fax 612-252-1821 info@peacecoffee.com |
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