Down:2:Earth Expo
Posted by Amanda on 27 Apr 2009 at 12:16 pm | Tagged as: Fair Trade, Social Responsibility
On April 3rd I traveled, along with two of my coworkers, to the Down:2:Earth Expo in Boston, MA. We were invited to exhibit at “Boston’s premier destination for conscious consumers…a marketplace for eco-friendly products, a public stage for community initiatives, and an educational forum that addresses sustainability issues on the minds of us all”.
Jasna Brown helping a D2E attendee sample seasonal coffees.
After a rainy drive down on Friday and a smooth booth setup, the expo opened that evening for the Local Bites Preview Party. This was my favorite part of the whole weekend. There was food and beverage sampling from area restaurants/breweries. I discovered one of the restaurants actually has a shop up in VT. If you’re in Burlington, check out Boloco: Inspired Burritos on Church Street.
We met some interesting companies and people while sampling our Organic House Blend Decaf, Spring Revival Blend and Island Coconut (all Fair Trade and available now!). Island Coconut got the most attention, having many surprised coffee-connoisseurs raving about a flavored coffee! We also liked seeing Equal Exchange, who not only showed up in this great ride but were grinding their coffee beans on the spot as well as sampling their delicious chocolate.
Another highlight of the weekend was seeing so many familiar VT faces! We were among many Vermont companies who made the trek to D:2:E. Cabot setup right next to our booth, providing me a constant supply of their Seriously Sharp, Horseradish and Chipotle Cheddars. I learned from the Cabot folks that all their cheese is lactose free since they naturally age their cheese. Other Vermont companies in attentendance were Vermont Soap (my bag still smells like lavender), Brighter Planet, Ibex, and Tara Lynn Studio.
We’ll be back in Boston next weekend at the Project Hunger’s Walk For Hunger. The Walk for Hunger is the country’s oldest continual pledge walk and the largest one-day fundraiser to alleviate local hunger.
Sign up for the walk – your support will help provide nutritious meals for those who would otherwise go without in Massachusetts.