coffee therapy

Autumn is in the air

Dear Friends , It has been a quick moment since my last post.

I have attended the 2024 Roast Magazine hosted Roast Summit in Schaumburg , Illinois this past October. What fun and inspiration. The Group dynamics were encouraging and the facilitators were very polished and professional. The best part was the feeling of camaraderie amongst coffee professionals and the potential for learning new things came into clear focus. The time I spent this summer season working through the licensing process for food manufacturing has been a challenge , but, however, maybe, we are through the worst of it. I have touched base with one of my coffee growers, a couple from the Cundinimarca Prefecture of Colombia. Their coffee caught my eye initially, because in the biography of the growers, one of them had been raised in Socorro, Santander, Colombia! Since I live in Socorro, New Mexico, USA, It was natural that I purchase the green beans!. Later on I found out that one of the couple went to my alma mater ! So here we are, on the cusp of a brave new world, working our way through the seasons. As Hermoine Granger shared with Harry Potter during the first movie, that “Friendship and Bravery were more important than ” Books and cleverness” It takes bravery to build a business and to maintain a sense of purpose throughout all of our lives’ tribulations. Happy Thanksgiving! to all !,

Cheers,

Brewster Bird

Summer Doldrums

Dear Readers,

It has been about five months since my last post. Thank you for your business and your feedback.

Since the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival in April of 2024, I have been redeveloping the business to accommodate the changes I need to make to thrive.

I have been consulting with the SBA, the New Mexico Environmental Department, the FDA and will continue to work with the community here in Socorro and in South Albuquerque at the RailYards Market.

I could tell you business is booming, but it is in stasis right now as I am working to get my ducks in a row. I participated in a two day roasting Seminar hosted by the New Mexico Pinon Coffee Company,

The above Zia coffee cup symbol is TM (r) New Mexico Pinon Coffee Company

and I stepped away from using the Aeropress as one of my weapons of coffee instruction. So back to airpots and drip coffee makers. .

The above “American Aeropress Championship 2024” Poster is copyright Aeropress and Onyx Coffee Labs.

.But, starting this week, its back to Aeropress to honor the Aeropress World Championships hosted this year by Onyx Coffee Roasters located in Arkansas.

The above image is copyright AeropressTM(r)

I have hoops to jump through, even though I use the New Mexico Cottage Kitchen Law ( NM HB 177) as my portal to legally operating in New Mexico.

I have to operate my own ship, but within the Health and Safety Guidelines of the NMED, the County and City of Socorro, and the County of Bernalillo and City of Albuquerque. I am hoping that by qualifying as a “Food Manufacturer” with the appropriate permits and certifications I will be able to finally focus more on my roasting and craft and less time on the ” Dog and Pony Show ” aspect of the Coffee trade.

The above image is copyright Jano/JanoFarms.

Sometimes I feel as if the coffee boat is in irons and just shy of catching the zephyr that will steer me to success. Anyway, I also carry coffees from the Americas as well as the other two coffee hotspots The Pacific Ring of Fire, and the Horn of Africa. So that being said. ‘Til next time…Cheers.

Is it always transactional?

Howdy,  thinking of transactional processes. Does Goodwill have any place in business? ( Not Goodwill Industries ) . There is a line for ” Intangibles”  in accountancy and law.  Is money so all -powerful that currency supercedes human effort, moral psychology, ” freely giving”,  mutual care and concern, the Social Contract?  I know this isn’t coffee talk, it is just a thought that invaded my conscious stream . Casting it upon the waters of the internet.

…A year later…I still do not know….

Coffee micro now offers Stripe as a way to pay and order

My Stripe moniker is CoffeeMicro. Or Coffee ( no spaces)Micro. The price is still $20.00 a package delivered by USPS. If you order more than one package (say two packages -12 oz size) the price would be $37.00.

Readying for Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival

Roasting a batch of Orangutan Sumatra. It is not from Orangutan scat. It is a traditionally processed Coffee Arabica. The name comes from the efforts to preserve the Orangutan and Sumatra Leopards that allowed humans to farm their lands. This Sumatra is raised at 1600-2000 meters above sea level. The Island of Sumatra has competing agricultural interests with palm oil being predominate. The palm oil industry is fairly ruthlessly mono cropping where they can wiping out rain forest ecology when they ” develop” an area. The bean is roasted past first crack and is full-bodied even at this roast level.