Green Mountain Cafe – The Green Mountain Coffee Blog

Today, the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, is probably one of the most difficult days for me in the office. All I can think about is the upcoming fun of the long holiday weekend; the barbecues, first (chilly) dip in the lake, and of course the parades. The

Troops at The Mudhouse, Camp Taji, Iraq

main reason we’re gathering though is to reunite with friends, loved-ones, and American traditions. Traditions that we all enjoy because of the great country we live in. Our soldiers played and play an important part in that tradition.

Memorial Day is a day when Americans pay tribute to those who have died in service and those that serve today. I know I will be cheering on my 90-year-old great-uncle tomorrow as he walks with the rest of the Veterans and thinking about those that are not there to march.

Here at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters we too honor our soldiers. As I’m sure many of you have heard from service men and women is the importance of coffee while in the field; especially good coffee. It is a comfort from home and a small luxury while on duty.

That is why we donate thousands of pounds of coffee to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan every year. We work with a great organization called Holy Joe’s Café, that provides coffee in a café setting at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers can go to the cafés for spiritual guidance from the Chaplains, listen to music on open mic nights, or just enjoy a great cup of Green Mountain Coffee’s Dark Magic.

Thank you from Troops in Baghdad, Iraq

When our very own Vermont National Guard deployed to Afghanistan late last year, we knew that the comforts from Vermont that they would miss would include maple syrup and Green Mountain Coffee. Again, working with Holy Joe’s Café, every Vermont National Guard Chaplain has received coffee which will find its way into the hands of the Green Mountain Boys.

Thank you Holy Joe’s for helping us make an impact in our soldiers’ lives as they make a sacrifice for us. For updates from Holy Joe’s you can follow them on Twitter.

How are you honoring our military woman and men this weekend? Have you sent Green Mountain Coffee or other comforts from home to those serving in the military?

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I just wanted to share this really nice email we got last week from a Vermonter who now works in Boston, but has fond memories of Vermont and Green Mountain Coffee.

[printed with permission from Graham Wingate]

Hello,

This past weekend I escaped to the green mountains to disconnect from day to day chaos of living in the city.  My twin brother and I retreated to the beautiful wilderness of Stockbridge, Vermont.  It was a great reminder of where I came from, and the overall splendor of the Vermont’s beauty.  Growing up in rural North Troy, Vermont, the home of many blue collar natives the nostalgic feeling of what it was like to be a Vermonter had taken control of me once again.  I remembered all of the jobs that I had done throughout my years, and more importantly; I remembered what kept me going each day while working these jobs, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.  I remember specifically one job, and that was when I worked concrete construction for an outfit out of Derby, Vermont.  One of the jobs that I’ll never forget was when I was going back to do some final touch-ups on the concrete flooring in the GMCR location in Waterbury, Vermont.  The aroma of your coffee was majestic, and it made my days quite pleasureable despite having to sweat through the grunt work.  As you may know, the weekend was spectacular (weather-wise), and my brother was able to snap a great shot of me relaxing, enjoying my Green Mountain Coffee while I contemplated my upbringing as a Vermonter.  Though I now live and work in the Boston area, I turn my nose up at any other coffee but GMCR.  I simply wanted to share my story and picture with you as a mere token of my appreciation for your great coffee and company.  Thanks.

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The President’s Day holiday weekend is typically one of the busiest skiing and riding weekends at resorts across Vermont.  This year proved to be no different, as thousands of visitors chose to learn what those of us who live here have known for generations — for winter sports in the East, you just can’t beat what Vermont has to offer.  We’ve been a little light on the white stuff so far this season, but all the ski areas were geared up, groomed, and ready to go nonetheless.

To join in the fun, we had a sampling team take to the slopes at Killington, where they dispensed hundreds of samples of, among other offerings, our delicious Fair Trade Winter seasonals — Wicked Winter Blend and Golden French Toast.  Many of the samples came from K-Cups, brewed on the spot using Keurig B60 Special Edition Brewers.

Many more samples were distributed by mobile brand ambassadors, armed with special beverage-dispensing backpacks.  This intrepid coffee infantry was able to bring fresh, hot Green Mountain Coffee right to folks in lift lines and around the base lodges…right where people needed it most.

You know what they say about Vermont — it’s ten months of winter and two months of really poor sledding.  So don’t worry if you haven’t made it up here to frolic in nature’s playground yet this winter, there’s still plenty of time to do so.

See you on the slopes….

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The holiday season is a little nutty around here.  Excited regular, decaf,  Fair Trade, organic, flavored, and seasonal blend-lovin’ people are buying coffee for the holiday crowd like there’s no tomorrow and we, of course, are as busy as an one-armed paper hanger.

So, as I said, nutty.

But today a true depiction of our holiday wackiness made itself apparent in a little something called Ugly Christmas Sweaters.  Everyone has one and some wear them in public – even in our office.

May I present our top two favorites?  To ease you into the ugliness, our silk-screened runner-up:

Nicole modeling the “Christmas Goodies” sweatshirt and antlers.

Then there’s The Ugly Christmas Sweater.  Yes, “The” Ugly Christmas Sweater – a piece of red, green, and tinseled apparel so hideous that it deserves its own zip code, let alone a “The” in front of its name.  It’s hard to describe this lovely woolen beauty, so let’s hear from Chris, the wearer of this repugnant sweater, as he describes his auction find:

The events committee of my graduate program decided to use a “tacky holiday sweater theme” for our annual winter gathering and give a prize to the person with the ugliest sweater…guess who won?

Chris modeling his Scottish terror/pom-pom/stuffed reindeer/tinsel attire AKA The Ugly Christmas Sweater.

Happy Holidays from us!  Hope you find beauty in the holidays – even when events are as homely as our sweater collection!

-Kristen

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Now that the trees have shed their leaves, up here in Vermont we really start thinking about snow – and lots of it!  With this in mind, we’re pleased to announce that we’re adding a little “win” into your winter!

Visit your nearest convenience store that serves Green Mountain Coffee and earn discounts on ski lift tickets, daily prizes and enter to win a grand prize of a $2500 Vermont Ski Weekend!  While you’re there, get an entry code and visit our Rewards Site to rack up virtual ‘cups.’

• Earn 10 cups and you’ll get $15 OFF a lift ticket at one of the 14 participating Ski Vermont resort locations.
• Plus, every entry is another chance to win the grand prize ski vacation and lift tickets, or a Rossignol Raider bag, courtesy of Ski Vermont.

Visit one of the 2000 convenience stores that are participating in the Green Mountain Coffee Rewards program.

For more information, please visit our Green Mountain Coffee Rewards site.   Good luck and happy skiing!

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“Forgiveness is for you, not for the offender.”

It’s been a little over a week since Jean-Paul Samputu spoke these words at the Green Mountain Coffee visitor center’s Rwandan Storytelling, Song, & Dance: An Evening with Jean Paul Samputu & Friends.  And yet, Samputu’s sentiment and story still hangs in the air on campus – heartbreaking and uplifting all in one beautiful moment.

As singer, songwriter, musician, and genocide survivor from Rwanda, Samputu has established himself as one of the most prominent African artists on the world stage; winning the prestigious Kora Award (the “African Grammy”) in 2003.  The fact that he has these accolades to his name is more than enough to draw in a crowd on a Friday night, but his words… they keep you there for the duration.

Of course, the night was filled with song, dance, and stories from Samputu, as well as students from the Rwanda Educational Partnerships at Harwood Union High School who ventured to Rwanda in 2008. The packed house gladly danced the night away, celebrating life and new beginnings.

To learn more about the Rwanda Educational Partnerships at Harwood Union High School, click here.

To hear more about Samputu’s campaign of forgiveness, see here.

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By Kristen Mercure

This past week has been big for cleaning at Green Mountain Coffee.  Not only did our crew tackle our fifth year of River Cleanup  and I cleaned up my desk,* but a devoted group of Green Mountain Coffee employees also got down to the business of transforming dirty cars into clean ones.

That’s right: Last Thursday was our third annual Grounds for Health Carwash.

 See more picures from the event on our Flickr account

But, of course, you knew that, because I think I helped to clean your car, right? ;)

Over 40 Green Mountain Coffee and Grounds for Health volunteers, known as the “Clean Team,” rolled up their sleeves for a full day of washing, detailing (à la Gigi’s Cleaning & Detailing), and, for some of us, disjointed dancing to raise money to support Grounds for Health, an international nonprofit based in Waterbury, Vermont that provides vital cancer screening and treatment for women in coffee-growing communities. 

Clad in splash-tastic yellow and blue carbon-neutral shirts from Aurum Organics, the Clean Team left no mud flap, grill, or ski rack unturned.  After enforcing our “No Idling” policy by pushing cars into place, the team attacked the dirty vehicles with Seventh Generation environmentally-friendly soap until the cars (and, on occasion, bikes) were aglow.  We were even treated to a special in person appearance by Ben and Jerry, who took their turn pushing a few cars, as well. 

Making the day even better was the killer combination of music, ice cream, and prizes.  The Growlers provided the rockin’ soundtrack to our cleaning efforts while the Ben & Jerry’s scoopmobile doled free ice cream and the event’s signature drink (and biggest hit) the C³ – a daringly delicious combination of Green Mountain Coffee’s Fair Trade Organic Sumatran Reserve, Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz, and Coffee Extracts & Ingredients’ Cappachillo.  The day ended with a raffle featuring prizes from fine Waterbury establishments like Video King, Vermont T-shirt Co., Arvad’s, and, a personal favorite, the Moretown Landfill. 

Sadly, I missed the wagon on this one – there’s always next year.

Thank you to all who came out to the carwash, our energetic volunteers, and our fearless co-sponsors: Ben & Jerry’s, Gigi’s Cleaning & Detailing, and Barry T. Chouinard, Inc.

“But what about the money?” I hear you ask.  The numbers are still being tallied.  The funds will help to support the organization’s mission to create sustainable and effective cancer prevention programs, with a focus on the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer — a leading cause of death among women who lack access to healthcare in developing countries.  Grounds for Health was founded by members of the specialty coffee industry who discovered that women in Mexico and Central America have high rates of cervical cancer, which is preventable and treatable if caught early.

To support Grounds For Health and learn more about this organization, visit http://www.groundsforhealth.org/donate.html.

*…okay, that’s a bit of a fib.  My desk is clean, just in a state of cleaned chaos – organized in piles, mounds, and boxes.  There’s a system, mind you, and if you tell me what it is I’ll happily give you a virtual pat on the back.

-Kristen (Finally all dried out)

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