2012 was a good year!  We turned 5, we had a party, we went to origin, we formed new partnerships, and we became (hopefully) a bit wiser. We added a new old face and also said goodbye to one of our own.

We turned 5 in March and we celebrated in August with Indy Hall at their joint. We had some of our customers come out and set up booths, made espresso drinks, and had beer donated by Victory to help us celebrate. A big thank you to all who came out, and to all who support us on a daily basis. Without you none of this would be possible.

We visited 2 origins last year. Rob went to Honduras in February and met with the farmers and coop who process the coffee we use more of than any other coffee. While on this trip, he was able to procure an amazing Micro Lot from Gerardo Penalba. I was able to visit 2 regions in Costa Rica, to cup coffees and visit coops and farms. I was also able to bring back a few lots from both areas, with lots from El Llano from the Navarro family, Saga, and a lot from Espirito Santo. Steve was also able to visit the farms and Gerardo’s family in Honduras.

We partnered with Synesso to bring some amazing machines to the area through RBI East. We once again partnered with Victory Brewing to make our third collaboration brew with them: Victory Village V3. We also partnered with several small businesses to create some delicious coffee-infused goodies, such as Cookie Confidential and Foam Floaterie. We sponsored a home brew contest with Philly Beerscene, and once again donated money to some worthwhile causes, including the farm in Nigeria that helped us want to become a social coffee roaster.

We added Jess Lyle permanently to our ranks. She had worked for us part time for several years while at Eastern College, and is now a full-time employee. At the end of the year, we said goodbye to Zoe Kohner, who helped us grow in many areas of our business. Gaelyn Amick  headed into the office and became a permanent fixture in the customer service role, make sure you say hi when you call with your order.

We did some great things, met some amazing people, and had a great time doing it. Thanks to everyone we met, worked with and to those who inspired us this past year. Here’s to 2013 being even better than the year before it.

Coffee is a crop and much like any other produce it has a season and a time of peak ripeness. The best beans are picked at the height of ripeness; the deepest reds, juiciest yellows and oranges are what we are looking for from our coffees when they are picked. When the best most ripe coffees are picked they burst with flavor. These coffees are then cleaned, sun dried and shipped to us to roast. The key to great fresh coffee is in keeping the proper moisture level in the beans. Coffee is traditionally shipped in jute or burlap bags so they will lose that moisture from day one. We strive to bring you fresh vibrant coffee and that is why we only offer certain coffee’s and blends for a limited time, we want you to experience the freshest most amazing coffee you can find all year round.

If you clicked on a link and ended up here, welcome. If you were just browsing the blog, greetings. Either way thanks for taking the time to look up what we mean when we say Village Visited. Here at OVC we think it’s a pretty good idea to say what you mean and do what you say you are doing. Village Visited is just that, we have always wanted to be able to visit farms, meet the farmers, the growers and those who processed the coffees we roast and you drink, This past year (2012) we started doing that with trips to Honduras and Costa Rica. Our goal upon visiting these countries is to find the farms that grow the coffee we already use, cup some smaller “Micro Lots” they are producing and buy some amazing coffees right on the ground. We get to see how the coffee is treated, how the pickers are paid and housed and what sort of care is taken to produce amazing coffees, we get to meet amazing people and learn what they do and we are able to thank and encourage them to keep doing the good they are doing.

Visiting farms is both exhilarating and humbling at the same time, maybe one day you can come with us!

I took a trip down to Chattanooga at the beginning of July, and had the opportunity, nay, the privilege to visit Cadence Coffee Company’s coffee shop. One Village Coffee has been working with Cadence since October 2011, and we have been/bean loving every minute of it.

Cadence’s owners Shannon Greer, Brian Turner, and Chris Turner contacted OVC in the late summer of 2011, and we began a dialogue about the possibility of working together. Rob and Woody were impressed with the shop and its owners, and all parties agreed that an OVC/Cadence coalition would be the best thing since roasted coffee. Rob and Woody took the initial trip to Cadence at the end of September, when they helped with staff training and set up machines.

While on my visit, I met one of their lovely baristas, Tasha. She served me some delicious iced coffee, and my husband tried an iced mocha. Cadence has a trendy and modern atmosphere, but manages to kick pretense to the curb at the same time. The shop has burlap bags from our coffee imports adorning its walls, and some handiwork done by our resident carpenter/coffee roaster Nelson is on display. His work has been showcased on our Facebook page from time to time. The people at Cadence (staff and customers alike) are friendly, and the coffee is brewed perfectly; truly a winning combination.

On a more bittersweet note, my husband said that he will forever be disappointed because that iced mocha was the best one he has ever had – let the search for an equivalent mocha begin!

Thanks to Cadence for welcoming this customer service/production assistant into their shop. I enjoyed my brief visit, and look forward to the next time I can drive 12 hours to visit again- hopefully for a longer stay.

The menu board at Cadence

Gaelyn, standing in front of our coffee display at Cadence

Once upon an April 19th, we held our first ever public cupping. We opened up our home/headquarters to you lovely people to see exactly what a coffee cupping felt like. To maintain the intimate, personal atmostphere that cupping requires, we limited our event to 10 tickets, and it was a mad race between Facebook and Twitter. All tickets were gone in a matter of minutes.

And we’re doing it all over again! But this time, I’d like to give all you dedicated blog readers a head start. That’s right, all three of you. Even you, mom. Ladies and gentlemen, before the mad rush, your special secret presale ticket access:

thesecondcupping.eventbrite.com

Your special secret presale starts today at 6pm and goes until Thursday, May 23 at noon. You can tell friends if you want, but I’m limiting it to 5 tickets max through this presale. After that, just stay tuned for the normal tickets launch. I’m thinking that will be Thursday at 6pm.

I love you all. Thanks for reading.