Peru Origin Trip

Peru is by far and away our favorite origin trip.  Beth and Tim flew to Lima to meet with a group of coffee professionals in early August. The team had a common goal: Find and buy exceptional coffees.  After gathering in Lima, the group met with KC O'Keefe, a leading Peruvian coffee exporter for an intensive cupping session above Cafe Verde, his roastery and coffee house. 

The team took off for the airport bound for Chiclayo on the northern coast.  After a short flight, we climbed in trucks for the five hour journey over 7000' passes towards Jaen.  It is a harrowing drive with switchbacks and driving skills most often seen in a NASCAR race.  Finally we arrived just past midnight.

 Bright and early the next morning, Beth and Tim split from the group and headed towards Huabal.  This is the home to the farmers who supply us with our Flor del Norte coffees.  Climbing high above the valley, we exchanged pavement for gravel and then gravel for rutted clay.  After two hours of bumping along country roads we arrived in Santa Rosa.

Gathered in Santa Rosa were around 35 of the producers who represented the four watershed producer groups we work with on this project.  Our goal is to source the best coffees and pay a premium price for quality.  Last fall Tim traveled to each of the four producer groups and presented our project.  It was quite rewarding to return at the end of harvest and meet with the farmers again.

 At the gathering we held a round table discussion and refined our partnership.  The farmers discussed their desire to preserve the virgin rainforests that comprise the top 3000' of the mountains above their property.  Presently they are seeding nurseries of native trees to replant the slopes below the forest in an effort to prevent landslides and erosion that can devestate their farms.

 As part of our contract with the farmers we have agreed to provide financial and technical support for communtiy development projects.  In an effort to better develop their reforestation projects we will be teaming with an NGO to provide nursery supplies and organic fertilizers to improve the project.

The longterm vision of this relationship was discussed as well and we will be embarking on a four year project to create a test plot of organic coffee where agronomists and farmers can work together to refine and develop organic farming techniques. The goal of this project is to increase yields and quality while improving the overall health of the farms.  This test plot will also include multi-story native shade plants and food crops. 

Also the groundwork for an alternative energy program was discussed.  Given the steep terrain and ample water supply, a small-scale hydroelectric project is being explored.  Thankfully Sacred Grounds has a friend in the alternative energy business and we will be relying on his many years of expereince to identify and develop a project that will best serve the needs of farmers.

 We could go on for days about this opportunity we are developing in Peru, so we'll stop here and rest.  More to come!

Roasters Guild Retreat

Stevenson, Washington was  home to the 2009 Roasters Guild retreat, an event that draws over 200 coffee professionals together for a weekend of education and interaction.  Beth Dominick, our intrepid President, is the current Chair of the Roasters Guild and played an integral role during the planning and execution of this year's retreat.  

Classes touched on subjects ranging from water quality to coffee genetics.  The weekend also included a roasting challenge for teams of roasters.  Each team was supplied with three exceptional coffees from the origin sponsor, Panama, and set out to create the best representation of each coffee on roasters supplied by Ambex, Diedrich, Probat and US Roasters.

Sponsorships and equipment donations make this event possible and we are extremely grateful to everyone who made this event a success.  

Grounds for Health Auction

Sacred Grounds took part in an auction created to benefit the women's health NGO Grounds For Health.  They offer cervical cancer screening to women in rural coffee communities and related women's health cares. 

Several importers and coffee producers donated coffees to an auction with all the proceeds bound for Grounds for Health.  Sacred Grounds purchased a bag of Helsar de Zarcero Llona Bonita microlot donated by Cafe Imports, a leading specialty coffee importer based in Minneapolis, MN.  We have been roasting Ricardo Perez Barrantes Helsar coffees for several years and were very excited to generate $638 for Grounds For Health with our purchase. 

This limited coffee will be available on our website and we have pledged an additional $300 to Grounds for Health.  With the help of our customers and our purchase, we will contribute nearly $1000 by the end of July.

Here is a link to the Grounds for Health website. We encourage you to learn more about what this organization provides.

Deadline Blend

Arcata locals have been going bonkers for our newest blend created in conjunction with the Arcata Eye, our weekly newspaper.  Editor Kevin Hoover commissioned a very colorful label that reflects the humor and colorful nature of the place we call home.  Now this product is available to everyone!  A dark roasted blend of Ethiopian and Peruvian coffees, this brew is sweet, opulant and creamy.  If you are on a deadline, this will jump start your day and put a swagger in your step.    

3/2009  New Look for Sacred Grounds

After nearly 12 years of the cup and leaf design we've updated our packaging and logo.  The original design will remain a permanent part of our identity, however  our new look will really help us as we begin to sell our products in larger markets.

The new branding was desgined by Naomi Austin at Seed Nouveau graphics.  We enjoyed working with her and would highly recommend her as a reliable graphic artist.

We're changing all of our packaging as we speak.  Local delieveries will still be packaged in one pound kraft bags and we're looking forward to our first order of compostable corn-based liners.

Retail mailorders will be transitioning to our new 12 oz. valve bags.  Freshness and shipping weight come into play, however we expect to offer 1 pound alternatives in the coming months. 

  Our regional and national accounts will be getting our new valve bags in a 10 oz. size later this month.  The 10 oz size is in response to demands for lower pricepoints and recent industry studies that indicate this size is ideal for grocery shoppers, who tend to be more casual consumers of our perishable product. 

Spring 2009

Sacred Grounds Featured in the March Issue of Vegetarian Times

March and April are great times around the roastery.  New samples flood in and we are seeing some great coffees from Indonesia and South America.  

Travel is in full swing.  This year it has been a pleasure to return to Panama, visit Kona and find ourselves bound for Nicaragua and Costa Rica.   We've also been visiting coffee friends in the states with two trips to the Portland area, one for SCAA and Roasters Guild meetings, a second to watch the US Barista Championship.  In May we're off to Atlanta for the SCAA symposium and trade show.  It is great to be a student and a teacher in the same weekend.