Two weeks ago, we did a coffee cupping at the offices of our friends and investors Trillium Asset Management. I joined Alistair, and Beth Ann and Mike from our Quality Control team, for a two-hour tasting.
Beth Ann Says: "Smell the Coffee"
Thinking about coffee cupping with Brokers and Bankers, I didn’t expect everything to be very relaxed and open. Yet beginning with my entrance into the office, I found an atmosphere unlike any of the Financial District offices that I have been in before. The office rang with positive chatter, earth improving slogans, a mild-coffee war and even laughter about the inner office challenges. I sat off to the side, observing, lending help when needed and running around with hot kettles of water.
As we set up for the cupping, we approached some technical difficulties: our seven kettles kept blowing the fuses, and our tasting wheel chart was in Spanish – but we moved on. Everyone gathered in the room and the cupping began, each person stooping low to watch the grounds rise to the top of their cup, glaze over with foam and then the clicking of the spoons as ‘crust’ was broken. You could hear the inhales of the aroma as it escaped from the cup. Comments and fragrant smells filled the air. Each person described what they could smell and wrote down adjectives as they popped into their heads. Soon the skimming of the foam and the gustation began. The slurping sounds echoed in the room and the funny part is that you wouldn’t expect how delighted they were to roll the coffee across their pallet to hit the back of their throat and then use their spittoon. Is this what you would have imagined at a Brokerage firm? I sat there soaking it all in with amazement.
The whole new experience of meeting with Brokers and Bankers to introduce the cupping to them was an extraordinary learning event. Their feedback showed how well-versed each individual was in the coffee industry and in excellent coffee. For two hours, traders, roasters and investors came together to enjoy and acknowledge the fruits, benefits of Fair Trade. The crust was broken.
This blog is about investing in Equal Exchange, cooperatives, and fair trade. It's both for the curious and for our current investment community. It's about how our coins, yours and mine, can forge our common wealth.
At Trillium Asset Management Corp. our Equal Exchange coffee cupping was a fun way to connect our mission with our daily work.
We are a company well-versed on the social and economic implications of global trade (coffee and otherwise), but to have Equal Exchange come in brought a physical presence to our company’s mission.
For me, I love being with people who know much more about something than I do.
Also, ya know, who doesn’t like coffee and chocolate.
With a bit of luck, I will post some photos soon.
It was a GREAT great time. Im still stunned to think that you folks werent very loud sippers/slurpers. I want to go to one of THOSE showings!!!
Thanks for the great presentation. It was a lot of fun and full of information. Our coffee war goes on………………..
Shel