Freshcoffee

The Blue Donkey Story

2010-08-06T08:01:00.001-07:00

Deep in the rainforest of Central America, at midday, along a narrow, windy and rocky road, my host and I sit outside a local “café” drinking water and locally grown, processed, roasted and brewed coffee. We sit on tree stumps. The tables are simple slats of rough cut wood nailed to posts in the bare ground. The “café” is a 8 ft by 8 ft wood structure, the menu includes coffee, of course, bottled water, sodas, matches, candles, and stale cookies. We are eight kilometers from the nearest pueblo. For the twenty minutes we sit there in lively conversation with the owner, Señor Teobaldo, only three young school boys walk by. They appear to be carrying supplies back home. On a steady beat they walk right past us without flinching an eye and off they go resolutely. There are no other businesses nearby. Evidently there are not many people to buy anything nearby either. American marketers would not have placed this café on this location and American bankers would not have approved this entrepreneur’s business plan. Hey, but this is another country. It is not all about marketing. The café owner is as cheerful and excited as if he was making the year’s million dollar club. Then I see an older gentleman coming from the direction the school boys had gone. He is walking towards the pueblo and he is followed by a devoted donkey. The donkey has two large baskets strapped to his back hanging on each side. The gentleman is strong, rugged, and at ease in the hot tropical weather. As he approaches, I begin to perceive a semblance of confidence. He nods at us as he gets close but his nod is only perceptible because the brim of his weathered hat accentuates minute movements of his head. His smile is as tempered and measured as his nod. His impassive rugged and stony face seems to yield all the radiance to his vibrant eyes and half smile that together communicate a state of contentment rarely seen even in affluent societies. His donkey seems to enjoy perfect harmony with his owner. He stops, straps the donkey’s leash onto a post at the “café’s” entrance, pulls his right hand up to his forehead greeting us all. He speaks to Señor Teobaldo. They appear to know each other well. Teobaldo introduces us to the gentleman. We shake hands. His hands are farmer’s hands, firm as hickory. We talk and eventually learn that his name is Don Isidro. He and his wife of thirty years have six children. All but two of his six children have completed high school. Some of them help on the farm and some moved into town. He also talks affectionately about his donkey. The donkey stands obediently by the door post as a faithful steward of his precious load, about 80 lbs of freshly picked coffee cherries. The donkey and his owner will soon arrive at the beneficio in the pueblo where they will off load and make the trip back home possibly for another load. At the beneficio the coffee cherries will be pulped, processed in large fermentation vats, dried, and later stored. If his coffee meets export quality standards, coffee shop customers in America, Europe, or Japan sitting around fancy tables in air conditioned spaces may eventually enjoy his coffee without necessarily knowing where it came from.

Don Isidro’s donkey is an important means of sustaining his family’s livelihood because his donkey is reliable, dependable, and economical. His donkey may be the only method of transportation that can reach certain high elevations, deep inclines, and rough terrain. One sure step at a time, day in and day out, harvest after harvest, load of cherries after load of cherries, his donkey delivers. Surely and quietly, strong and firm, a major contributor of farm to market reality, a major contributor to sustaining quality of coffee, this unique beverage enjoyed by so many.

Blue Donkey Iced Coffee celebrates Don Isidro’s life and the livelihood of coffee communities throughout the globe. Try this creamy, cold, tasty, coffee drink, and experience the essence of the Coffee World!

Blue Donkey Iced Coffee

2010-08-03T11:14:00.001-07:00

Blue Donkey Iced Coffee

2010-08-03T11:13:00.001-07:00

Espresso Tasting

2010-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the scoop on the espresso tasting. First espresso had thin crema, bitter flavor, medium body. Color of the Crema tended towards brownish rather than the more desirable caramel color. The blend has some robusta and it was getting stale, hence the weak crema. We gave it a SCAA 68.

GranCoffee Roasting Co

2009-01-17T11:14:00.001-08:00

GranCoffee Roasting Co. announces plan to launch a new blend, the Dasclaly, a coffee with distinction of flavor yet with broad appeal. The new blend is a development of the GranCoffee team.

Coffee Makers

2009-01-17T11:07:00.001-08:00

A new generation of coffee makers is on its way in. Interest in home brewing techniques and the ultimate holy grail of the "perfect cup" drive interest for state of the art coffee makers.

Alzheimer's and Coffee

2009-01-16T05:33:00.001-08:00

Drinking coffee reduces the risk of Alzheimer's according to a study by Finnish and Swedish researchers reports Yahoo news.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090115/hl_afp/swedenfinlandhealthcoffeealzheimersresearch_20090115154721

GranCoffee Roasting Co., a specialized roaster of specialty coffee in Athens,GA, picked up on the trend of health benefits of coffee and are re-launching Georgia Blend, a medium roasted blend rich in flavor and a smooth finish. The re-designed blend comes with a health note drawing the attention of consumers to potential health benefits of coffee.

www.grancoffee.com
www.boldroast.blogspot.com

Snack Time

2009-01-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

Snack Time

There was a reasonable systematic rigor to playing marbles on the beaten dirt sidewalks of Rio Claro in the interior of Brazil, if you were a seasoned player. With flair and deliberate hand movements suggesting even somewhat of a ritual, the top dog player would pull a spoon out of his pocket. Then he would carefully trace the playing diamond on the bare ground. The dirt was beaten to a hard surface from repetitive rain, walking, and even sweeping. It was customary for house ladies to sweep the dirt sidewalk. After the diamond was traced, the player would carve a two inch wide and a one inch deep hole in the dirt at the corners of the diamond. Those were the bases. With care he would then take out any excess dirt from the holes using his fingers. A sweeping motion with the palm of his hand indicated the base was ready. Three other players, while squatting, watched in close attention. Not every player had the finesse of owning a dedicated spoon for marble games. Now the teams had already been selected. This day, José and Martins were playing against Ricardo and Fernando. It was not uncharacteristic that José and Martins, who came from poorer backgrounds played together against Ricardo and Fernando Oliveira, two brothers from a reasonably well to do family. The separation of classes filtered all the way down even to marbles on a dirt surface. José however was the one with the spoon. Being proficient and proactive in marble games was as much part José's and Martins' identity as being sons of the town doctor was to the Oliveira brothers. In their own right the Oliveira's were different inasmuch as they would even play with José and Martins. Families of doctors, lawyers and other prominent families would customarily avoid having much to do with the lower class, much less, allow their sons to play marbles with neighborhood nobodies.

José's flair in rolling his fingers to spit out the carefully selected marble would certainly become legendary if this game had viewers. The game was just kid's play. You wouldn't think so though, judging by the discipline and method with which José and Martins applied themselves to this activity. It amused Ricardo that José and Martins but specially José would go to such extend and dedication. The Oliveira's dim competitiveness was no match to José's zeal. Passerby's, unconcerned, sidestepped the boys who, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings, focused only on the game and as much, blocked the whole width of the sidewalk directly in front of Dona Cândida's front door. One reason the played there was because the sidewalk on the other side of the street was paved: it didn't work for marble games. The other reason was that Dona Cândida, the laundresses, did not complain about the boys digging holes on her sidewalk. Sometimes she would even step out and check on the boys to make sure they weren't getting in trouble, starting a fight, or putting themselves in danger by stepping out onto the street. Never mind only an occasional horse drawn carriage would pass by during most sleepy afternoons.

Ricardo's thoughts were not as focused on the game as José's and Martins. Fernando was more diligent though then Ricardo. He was playing by the rules and keeping up against the other boy's challenges. This particular day, but not uncharacteristically, Ricardo's thought at three o'clock in the afternoon was already leaning towards "what's for snack". It was a luxury. Obviously it didn't cross his mind this day as it didn't most days, that this sort of thought wasn't even a possibility for José and Martins. Not that the two boys from the lower class were undernourished. They were plenty healthy but their mom worked all day as a maid for some wealthy lady in town and their day was brick mason. They ate when their mother arrived late afternoon and cooked the usual rice and beans. The Oliveira's by contrast, were duly pampered. As the afternoon came around to three o'clock aroma of popcorn started to waft through the house and coffee aroma came just behind. A predisposition to mid-afternoon snacks set the tone of most afternoons. Game or no game when that time came around the pull of the stomach was strong. Of course José and Martins were not in the same frame of mind or spirit as three o'clock approached. They were fully dedicated to their game and totally immersed in it. Much to their chagrin, Ricardo was already beginning to fade out his enthusiasm for the game.

The maid's call had a sweet familiarity. Her call would instantly trigger the propensity and lust for food and good tastes: she only called at meal times. Ricardo and Fernando stood up from their strategic positions around the marble diamond field and with a feeling of content turned around to cross the street. From having played marbles with the Oliveira's so many times, José had gotten used to the routine. Fair to them it wasn't always like that quite frankly he thought. Many times they would linger around much longer. But so what, that's just the way things were, besides he would continue to play against his brother and the two of them would have just as much fun.

Ricardo on the other hand was already thinking about the popcorn. Oh, but this day there was also some fresh milk delivered by horse carriage just a while ago. Heated fresh milk and coffee was one of those things that kept mid afternoon snacks so interesting. The maid used generous helpings of sugar in her coffee and milk. But Ricardo preferred it not so sweet. Anyhow, no mid afternoon snack was complete without coffee and milk, or more properly said, "café com leite".

*****

It is an amazing world we live in and boy are we not thankful for coffee and so many other things. At GranCoffee we are. And we are glad that coffee is a small but enjoyable part of our days and of many people. We hope you have a wonderful year 2009. We look forward to a year rich in experiences, stories, and much to thank for.

Ed Lane

GranCoffee Roasting Co.

706 769 1996 or 770 842 5027

A Letter of News

2009-01-01T17:23:00.001-08:00

THERE IS HOPE - Dec 27, 2008

After checking off four dozen items on our Christmas gift list, dispatching hundreds of pounds of products in our Mom and Pop business, staving off the perils of unemployment while the economy went down the tubes, appearing in court, preparing for an Agriculture Department audit, re-checking the Christmas list to make sure we didn't forget anybody, and choosing between a yellow bulldozer with a black wheel and front loader for one child and a yellow bulldozer with a black wheel with a fork loader for another child, getting the car towed to the shop one day before Christmas, and making three attempts at writing a decent newsletter (I saved the drafts for future use in case I run desperate), we finally arrived at: … the day "after" Christmas. I don't think Jesus meant it to be like this. But listen we are not complaining, activity is, more often than not, a positive thing as long as we don't let it unravel into an abyss of disruptive dysfunctionality.

So here we are three days after Christmas and no newsletter. Well that is until my wife brilliantly cobbled together and committed to paper a true story that really counts. A story that makes Christmas. A story of redemption at its simplest terms. This story starts 4,500 miles away in the dusty back streets of Rio Verde, an agricultural back water in central Brazil. Never mind we had a great year, not devoid of some of the most challenging times of our lives (and that is before world economies started to crumble away from under us), yet full of victories and much to thank for. Our many kids kept having more kids, our pets kept demanding more food, our grass more cutting, do-it-yourself repairs more demanding for a less than optimally agile body, and bills more abundant… and, this statement is a sanitized one. More real is something like this: first day of 2008 I received a call that my boss was in the hospital in critical condition, I ran the company I was working for three months while he recovered; in May the company was taken over by new ownership with whom, putting in mild terms, I did not see eye to eye; in September I was out of a job; in October the economy went into tailspin; in November Lynn joined forces with me to pull our business by the bootstraps. Probably not by coincidence to the times, yet not by rational design, I started spending comfortable time reading and maybe studying parts of the fascinating book of Leviticus, a bloody book where the appearance of deathly mess is nothing but the reaffirmation of life in the context of the season with are now celebrating, i.e., Christmas. Parallel though, our son David, found doctors he likes, improved his condition dramatically by learning how to manage his condition, found a job he really likes just half an hour away, and bought himself a computer and a car. Not to mention he runs a b-line to his girlfriend's parents' home every available opportunity. Enough of the every day, every time, I did this, I did that, and somewhat else this year. Now, into the real deal:

NEW HOPE

By Lynn S. Lane

Eight years ago Kristy and Andrew Jennings went to Brazil with a desire to make a contribution to whatever town they ended up settling in. Andrew's job at the time took them to Rio Verde in sun baked central plains of the state of Goias near the nation's capital.

In Rio Verde they discovered a need for helping street children so they opened a home for boys who had been abandoned by their families and who were living out on the streets. They started with three boys. Andrew drove around town at night or early morning and found boys sleeping on cardboards, huddled in corners of buildings or wherever they could find shelter. He went up to them and asked them if they would like to visit a farm and may be live there. Three of the boys accepted. One of them, Bruno was the first one who wanted to live at the farm then called "New Hope Village". He could not read or write his name. Kristy was shocked and grief stricken when Bruno told them his story and of all the abuse and rejection he had already gone through in such a short life – I think he was about nine years old. They put him in school, bought him clothes, took him to the dentist and doctor, and took him to church. They would also read the Bible to him and told him about someone who loves him very much named Jesus. They told him about how Jesus had also suffered and had been unjustly rejected by his people.

Bruno as well as the boys who followed to live at "New Hope Village" thrived in their new environment. They learned to read and write. They took care of gardens, cows, sheep and played soccer. Their house parents, a couple dedicated to looking after the boys, treated them with respect, discipline and love. When Bruno turned ten, the Jennings and the House parents held a surprise birthday party for him. When he saw the cake he was so shocked it was for him, he turned around and ran out of the room. Andrew ran after him and convinced him to come back which he did.

Bruno is now eighteen and getting ready to live in town and go to a local technical school whose leaders have agreed to provide free tuition for the boys from the "Village of Hope".

So that is their story. There are many more. Andrew and Kristy have struggled with scarcity of funds, currency ups and downs and various trials. They don't have many venues to raise funds. Right now they don't even have a phone line and computer in their house. Nevertheless there are twelve boys whose lives are being fundamentally transformed. They now have hope whereas on the streets they were hopeless.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year. With love and greetings from,

Edward and Lynn S. Lane

www.grancoffee.com
www.freshcoffee.blogspot.com

Confidentiality Warning: This e-mail contains information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, any dissemination, publication or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. The sender does not accept any responsibility for any loss, disruption or damage to your data or computer system that may occur while using data contained in, or transmitted with, this e-mail. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify us by return e-mail. Thank you.
GranCoffee Roasting Co., LLC

DASCLALY

2008-10-14T07:21:00.001-07:00

DASCLALY

The weather has not even completely changed and I am already thinking about that freshly brewed hot cup of Georgia Blend in a brisk Autumn morning that I will drink in a few days as I drive to work. Not that I gave up coffee during Summer of course, but few simplicities in life beat the shear delight of some really good coffee in a cool morning. The warmth within begs for warmth external... or some sort of philosophical explanation like that. More to the point, it's really cool to have a hot cup of coffee in a cool morning to warm up.

In the old days it was just coffee. Coffee didn't have much distinction. I remember stirring a cup of Folgers by a campfire and thinking it was best thing since the invention of sliced bread. Truth is Folgers and Maxwell House were good coffees back in the early eighties. The advent of high grade coffees had not yet perked up the palate of up and coming baby boomers.

Then came Starbucks and coffee drinkers worldwide were introduced to existence of "more than just coffee". Now there were lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, etc, etc, etc. But more importantly names such as Sumatra, Kenya AA, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe began to be thrown around by a few coffee gurus here and there. Small batch roasters took the new wave and rode it with enthusiasm. For folks like you and me, who like good coffee, it became a bonanza. Now I can fire up my batch roaster, roast a small portion of high grade coffee, taste it a few minutes later and ship it to you right away.

We have been roasting for almost ten years, and from the very beginning we decided to roast high grade. Some of the green coffee beans we buy are two or three times as expensive as a run of the mill every day coffee. When it comes down to sipping that hot cup of coffee in an Autumn morning oh, what a difference it makes if you are drinking good coffee. Speaking of the weather but hopefully not changing the subject too abruptly, it just occurred to me that this past one was one of the best Summers we had in our history. GranCoffee is a "boutique" roaster and because of loyal customers like you we have been able to keep steady even during hot weather months. During Summer our sales many times go down sharply but this year they didn't. Thank you for your support. That daily cup of coffee makes a difference. We of course hope to see a dynamic remainder of the year in sales.

We are also thankful for the steady team we have. Scott McAndrew is our roastmaster. Scott measures each bucket of green coffee diligently before each batch. Then he keeps notes on the temperature of each roast as it progresses until the final temperature is reached. This process is repeated over and over again, week after week always small quantities to keep the coffee fresh. Scott then blends the coffee according to the various recipes we have. And finally he packages the coffee. It really is like an art, a real artisan developing his trade day after day while maintaining quality.

David S. Lane, the magnetic inspirer, young energetic entrepreneur who kept GranCoffee on its tip toes while he concluded UGA Terry College of Business, has taken a position as Marketing Associate with Sam Shapiro Supply Chain Management in Atlanta. We were sorry to see him go but are really happy for him. Of course, we actually see him more often now, but he is just not as closely involved with the company. But he is contributing a new dimensions of marketing for us so thank you David for leaving us but not completely leaving.

Laurence E. Fortson keeps us all in line. He is our bookkeeper. He counts every bean carefully and makes sure that none are lost. A veteran from UGA's bookstore, Laurence inspires a sense of steadiness and completion. Under his watch all the i's get dotted, all the t's get crossed and all jobs get finished. It is not a good idea for me to leave scribbles on post-it notes laying around the counter at GranCoffee unless I am really serious about what I scribble. In Laurence's hands those scribbles are going to become strict execution orders and will never be left adrift.

Lynn S. Lane, well, as you probably know, Lynn is the life and soul of the business. I have been a bit removed from the business for four years. But Lynn has clenched to the success of this business with tooth and nails and lo and behold we have made it thus far. She inspires everybody else with her ceaseless communication and interest in details. An avid drinker of good coffee, Lynn is financial officer (i.e., cash flow struggle officer), coffee buyer, saleswoman par excellence, cheerleader, customer service manager and chief advisor to me.

Of course, you know that you, The Customer, are the glue that keeps us all together. We love our coffee but we can't drink it all ourselves. We've got to have someone else to drink it too and we are glad you like it.

Dream Team

2008-09-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

QT Fulton Industrial Blvd Atlanta

2008-01-11T13:24:00.001-08:00

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:2.1
N:Lane;Ed
FN:Ed Lane
EMAIL;PREF;INTERNET:Ed@partnerscoffee.com
REV:20071029T194300Z
END:VCARD

As most QT's this is a busy one. The coffee is kept in urns that keep it pretty fresh most of the time. The regular every day QT blend is a bit light on body, flavor is flat but quite drinkable. No robusta after taste is present. For an inexpensive cup of coffee on the go while you gas up, QT is a good option.

McDonalds Coffee Monroe, GA

2007-12-10T06:05:00.001-08:00

McDonalds store 24976 Monroe, GA small coffee was:

Freshly brewed, weak brew, flavor is sweet with weak fruit tones.

Brewed with a better coffee to water ratio would probably improve.

The coffee lacks character but it is quite drinkable.

Starbucks Holiday Blend

2007-12-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

Dark Roast, bitter notes ovepower flavor, finishes pretty clean.

Cafezinho

2004-11-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Roberto Kuyumjian’s paternal and maternal grandparents fled Armenia during the Turkish genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians in the early 1900’s. With tears in her eyes and overtaken by emotion, his grandmother would tell the story of her escape, as a child rolled up inside a burlap bag. Armenia, the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, nearly disappeared as a country when half of its population was wiped out by Ottoman Turks. Many found respite in the western free world. Brazil, its friendly populace, warm weather and vast territory gladly embraced amongst others, Armenian immigrants. Three generations later Roberto and his Brazilian wife enjoy the bounties of a free society and a rich heritage in not least of which, coffee plays its part. Dalva grew up on a coffee farm in town called Formiga where coffee farms blanket the landscape, migrant workers flood town during harvest and rambunctious coffee barons brashly sport their latest wheeled acquisitions. Dalva favors a fireside brew, made from freshly roasted beans, fine ground, steeped in pre-boiling water in a pan, cloth filtered, served in demitasses with a chunk of fresh farmer’s cheese to boot. Roberto does not have much use for coffee for his own enjoyment, yet not a visit to his home goes unattended by the rich brew. Incidentally, in his thriving human relations business, he encourages managers to take time to talk to their subordinates in an informal setting, preferably and most appropriately around a “cafezinho”, the ubiquitous Brazilian brew. So, Life…Coffee…Simple.

2004-11-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

The dramatic mountains of Veraguas, Panama, where military commandos once roamed expurgating the area of leftists who threatened the established dictatorship, are now home to hundreds of small coffee farmers whose ability to produce high quality coffee is critical to their survival.

2004-11-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

La Tienda

2004-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Pulping

2004-11-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

All samples must be logged.

2004-11-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

Let's use a drip brewer.

2004-11-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

El Maestro

2004-11-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

Cupping regionals

2004-11-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Groceries are on their way.

2004-11-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

Los estudiantes

2004-11-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

Sr. Nacho prepares samples

School Time

2004-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

As I walk out the door I can hear the screaming engine of the intercity bus coming up the mile long incline on the last stretch of the only road linking Santa Fe, a community of campesinos, to Santiago, a prosperous crossways along the PanAmerican highway in Western Panama. It is seven in the morning, I’ll try not to miss the bus today. The next one comes in half an hour. I wouldn’t mind walking a mile or two to town except that it is uphill. By the time I got up there I would be sweaty and I haven’t even had my first cup of coffee. So I run, wave, run some more and hop in.

It is early for the working crowd but not for the learning crowd. Five middle school kids take the front seats, all impeccably dressed in blue and white uniforms. Quietly and well behaved they look out the windows as if enjoying the breathtaking scenery.

Santa Fé is a pueblo. Campesinos tend their farms during the week and come to town on the weekend for groceries. There is a church and school sitting side by side. Then, across the street, a grocery store, shrewdly run by a Chinese woman. Beside it, another store, cooperatively managed by Cooperativa La Esperanza de los Campesinos, a farmer’s coop and my hosts for the week.

The bus makes its final stop at the school. The students dutifully pay five cents for the fare, step out, make a split second flattered stop to pose for my camera and off they go. Free enterprise, cooperativism, education andworship, all is well in this remote community nestled in the dramatic mountains of Panama. They too like me, enjoy pursuit of happiness, hopes of a better future and betterment of their lives. I pay my fare and walk to the grocery store where I pay another five cents to enjoy my first cup of coffee of the day. Coffee, yes coffee. Coffee generates the economy of this community and I am there to help them improve the quality of their coffee. How about a second cup! It’s school time.

2004-11-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

Ambitious

2004-11-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

Mother and child

2004-11-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Favio Rodriguez

2004-11-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

Funeral

2004-11-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Bird of Paradise

2004-11-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Caturra 850m

2004-11-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Powers that be

2004-11-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

La Esperanza

2004-11-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

Plan A, B, C

2004-11-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

El Tute Finca Visit . Tom came along. In all there were 10 of us. The Toyota help up pretty well.

2004-11-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

El Tute Background

Eds Cup of Coffee

2004-11-08T18:33:00.001-08:00

We favor the Bourbon variety.

http://www.grancoffee.com

2004-11-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

Fresh coffee always at grancoffee.com

2004-11-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

el tute

2004-11-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

coffee cherries