Hurray! The web site redesign is finished. I locked Tim in his office all last week. He was only allowed out to roast coffee and eat his PB&J for lunch (kind of like Big Brother). It was exciting when we “relaunched” www.stantoncoffee.com Friday afternoon. It’s taken about two months of hard work to get to this point. Next month our national ad campaign starts. We’re going to be in three of the top coffee industry publication and we are going to have a booth at Coffee Fest in Chicago.

I’m starting to get excited about going to Coffee Fest. I can’t believe it is just a month away (Feb 23-25 at Navy Pier, Chicago). It’s always been a great opportunity to meet other people in the “coffee biz”. See what the new and hot trends are and talk to folks that are starting the exciting journey of opening their own shop.

This year we will have a booth. We are going to be brewing up some of my favorite coffees and handing out samples of our best blends. Our friend BJ of BJava in Indianapolis is going to be a judge for the Barista Competition. It always amazes me to see the creative Latte Art. I have been trying for years and my leaf looks like it fell off the tree awhile ago.

I still have a few free passes left for Coffee Fest – so if anyone is in the coffee biz or getting ready to open a shop – give me a call. You have to sign up by Feb. 2 to get in free (you can do this online).

Harney Tea Visit

Last weekend we road tripped out east to visit Tim’s family and pick up our Harney Tea order. We had a tea-riffic time in upstate NY. We called ahead and were able to schedule a private tour of the Harney Tea plant with Clara.

When we walked out to their production floor we were surrounded by barrels and bags of exotic teas from all over the world. Clara told us that Harney has over 120 proprietary blends. The tea packaging stations were up and running so we got to see the Organic Green premium tea bags we ordered getting filled.

Tim got a lot of photos (I noticed he didn’t want to pose for one in his stylish hairnet) of the machinery and employees in action. After our tour we had a few samples of their new teas.

It’s important for us to establish good relationships with the producers of the non coffee products we offer. I’ll be the first to admit that while I know coffee – tea is a totally different story. Tim grew up with knowing the Harneys when they where located on the village border of the Lakeville & Salisbury, Connecticut. Matter of Fact - back in 1983 when John Harney started selling his teas in The White Hart Inn in Salisbury, Connecticut. Bet that makes Tim feel old now! Just a little payback for the picture of me in the hairnet.



It was great getting Clara’s input on what the latest trends are in the “tea biz”. Silk Sachets have really gained a lot of attention. It is an attractive upscale presentation of loose tea and very affordable. My favorite tea is the Hot Cinnamon Spice, spicy and sweet. Tim is stuck between his all time favorite Earl Grey Supreme and the Dragon Jasmine Pearl - keeps saying its all depends on his mood! Clara gave us several samples of the teas and some suggestions for what we should consider in the future.

Time flew. Before we knew - all too soon it was time to pack up the Aztec and go home. Our 14 hour drive was wonderfully aromatic from the freshly packed teas.