Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Créme De La Créme...

Here's a link to a USA Today article on America's 15 Best Independent Coffee Shops!

(Link Below)
Here's The List!
1. Ultimo Coffee, Philadelphia
2. Gimme! Coffee, New York
3. Barista, Portland
4. Courier Coffee Roasters, Portland
5. Cafe Grumpy, New York
6. Lamill Coffee Boutique, Los Angeles
7. Stumptown (Chain Stores)
8. Ritual Coffee Roasters, San Francisco
9. Joe The Art Of Coffee, NY & Phila.
10. Intelligentsia (Chain Stores)
11. Commonplace Coffee Co. House & Roasters, Pittsburgh
12. Milstead & Co., Seattle
13. Everyman Espresso, New York
14. Peregrine Espresso, Washington D.C.
15. Artifact Coffee, Baltimore
Looks like it's an even split between East/West coast with great cafe's, and some of these coffee shops are close to most of our partners.  We should try to go to some of these places and see what the hypes all about!

Enjoy the Article!

(Thanks to Manfred Goracy for the Article)

-Jordan


Monday, April 15, 2013

Treating The World Responsibly...

Our fourth Coffee Master Journey class was held on April 11th at the James Cooper Travel Plaza.  We missed Julie and Mark this time around (Hope you had a great vacation Mark!) but Mike Penna (Company Operated Store Manager/Coffee Master from NYC) still delivered an excellent and much appreciated class for us.  We learned about what sets Starbucks apart from most other companies, and thats the way they handle their business; with a "Green" approach building the backbone of their organization.  From ethical sourcing to certified fair trade coffee, we experienced a whole other side of Starbucks that makes us feel proud to work for such a great company. 

Maykol was the first to present his groups project on Starbucks Shared Planet, Building Relationships with Producers.  He did a slide show presentation and a handout with spaces for us to fill in the information as he presented the project.  The highlight of the project was understanding the commitment Starbucks has for doing business in a way thats good for the people and the planet.  It's incredible how aware Starbucks is of the global impact they have and by sharing this mindset with the world, they create a feeling of pride for not only their partners but their customers as well.  We also learned about the types of farms that Starbucks buys from; Smallholder Farms, Cooperatives, Estates, and Exporters.  For the coffee tasting, Maykol did Sumatra which is a coffee that sells really well in our stores and is actually Howard Shultz's favorite core coffee.  

(Roberto & Manny)
Roberto & Manny presented their project on the components of ethical sourcing.  They incorporated a section of their project with information on Dunkin Donuts and compared it to the ethical sourcing guidelines Starbucks uses.  It was great to learn about how Starbucks pays premium prices for their coffee and they know how much of the price they paid went directly to the farmer who grew the coffee.    They follow good labor standards by paying defined minimum-wage standards while hiring no child or slave labor and providing healthy working conditions.  As well as C.A.F.E. Practices to ensure we are purchasing high-quality coffee produced in socially and environmentally responsible ways.  For their coffee tasting they did House Blend which was balanced with a nutty aroma and a Dunking Donuts coffee that was paired with caramel covered apples.  Delicious!
(Jordan, Maykol, & Mike enjoying the caramel apples!)
(Caramel Apple for Manny & Roberto's coffee tasting)
(Jay & Jordan presenting their project)
Jay and Jordan's project was on the differences between "Organic" & "Certified Organic", Conservation International, & Fairtrade.  They showed videos and a handout to go along with the presentation and the coffee tasting.  A highlight is understanding that most coffee Starbucks buys is grown organically but not "certified organic" and that it could take up to 3 years for a farm to become certified organic.  For the coffee tasting they did Organic Yukon Blend which is described as a hearty coffee that was paired with chocolate covered pretzels and a Starbucks Reserve Tanzania Southern Highlands (Shhhhhh..) which has an incredible black berry aroma with a slight citrusy flavor, paired with lemon tart. 
(Lemon Tart for Jordan & Jay's coffee tasting)
(Left-Right; Mike, Roberto, Manny, & Maykol)
(Stacey presenting her project)
Stacey Carpenito (Licensed Brand Champion/Coffee Master) presented her project on Farmer Support and Investing in Community.  She did a beautiful poster board that included information on Farmer Support Centers and its ties to C.A.F.E. along with social projects Starbucks has done for communities.     For the tasting, she did Komodo Dragon Blend which was perfectly paired with a cheese danish.
(Roberto holding Stacey's project)
(Mike Penna teaching... Classic.)
The next class will be held at Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza on May 9th at 2pm.  Projects will be on Quality & Roasting.  Looking forward to the next class and our trip to the York Roasting Plant!

Thanks to Mike Penna for facilitating the class!
Thanks to everyone for sharing your projects!


Activity: Find 3 facts about Starbucks involvement with the community and post a comment!

-Jordan