Green Mountain Cafe – The Green Mountain Coffee Blog

This past Saturday we held the grand reopening of the Green Mountain Coffee^® Visitors Center and Café – and what a great success it was!  All day long folks stopped by to check things out, see our revitalized space, and warm up (it was only 25-degrees out) with a steaming cup of coffee. Some lucky customers even walked away with great prizes including gift bags full of Green Mountain Coffee goodies (and even a Keurig® brewer or two).

We have to say: The Café staff did a spectacular job reopening the doors. Their friendly greetings and glowing faces really added to the enjoyment of the day. To say the least, we are so happy to see them back in action – particularly when they walked around with a selection of tasty treats was provided by Joan Grenier of Grenier’s Home Bakery.  Yum!

What’s a celebration without music?  Harwood Unions High School’s own a capella group, I Cantori, stopped by and captivated listeners with a selection of holiday favorites on the front porch. True professionals, the group sounded perfect – even in chilly temperatures!

Inspired by the occasion (and by the joyous music), Megan Smith, Vermont’s Commissioner of Tourism & Marketing, spoke about Waterbury and the importance of small towns in Vermont. Revitalizing Waterbury presented Ernie Pomerleau with a community services award for his work in Waterbury – thanks, Ernie!  Missy Gorham, the Café’s Manager, also got the chance to speak, sharing how very happy she is to be back in business after three months of hard work to get everything up and running again. Finally, the group raised their mugs in a toast to the Café staff, commemorating the reopening, the Visitor Center’s 5th year in business and Revitalizing Waterbury’s 20^th year.

We are so fortunate to be part of a community that looks out for each other and rally when times get tough. We hope that the Café will continue to embody a sense of community spirit and that locals and visitors alike will come see us to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and the company of family and friends.

Thanks to all those who joined us on Saturday!  We hope to see you again soon. And for those of you who didn’t have the chance, come visit us any day of the week between 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. You’ll be glad you did.

By: Alexa Mucklow, PR Intern

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In the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, our Visitor Center was left in rough shape. Flooding damaged some of the building’s core systems and the Visitor Center team had no choice but to close shop and make repairs.

But now, after three months of hard work, we are excited to announce that the Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center and Cafe is back in business!  Our doors are open once more!  While we were away, we made some enhancements to the building, such as additional indoor seating, and have a revamped menu that we think you’ll love. Our new hours will be 7 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week!

Tomorrow, Saturday December 17th, you’re invited to join us at the Visitor Center & Café located at the Historic Waterbury Train Station for our official reopening. We’ll be celebrating all day with live music, food, and community spirit.  At 3:15 p.m.(after Santa in the Park) there will be a toast to commemorate the Café’s 5^th anniversary of business, as well as the 20^th anniversary of Revitalizing Waterbury.

If you’re in the area, make sure to  come on down and see us!  We’ll welcome you with open arms, holiday spirit, and lots of coffee!

By: Alexa Mucklow, PR Intern

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Every year on the blog, we step back and give thanks.  Thanks for our families.  Thanks for our friends.  Thanks for the air we breathe and the coffee we drink.  We step back and think about the hard times and the triumphant times.  The silly and the delicious.  We take a moment to take a moment, and hope that you do the same with us.  So, without further ado, our thanks:

Laura: I am thankful to work with smart, passionate colleagues who care deeply about their work and the impact we have on the world around us.

Mike: Easy…I am more grateful than I could ever express for the presence of our little boy Zeke – a miracle baby born March 5^th, 2011.

John: I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful that my house did not experience any damage during Hurricane Irene, my heart goes out to the Vermonters that are still putting their lives back together. I am thankful for family and friends who offer their love and support.  I am thankful for my awesome job at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.; it is great to work with so many smart people who love coffee. I am thankful for my two dogs; they are old, fit and happy and keep me active.

Marybeth: I am thankful for a great cup of coffee (Guatemalan Finca Dos Marias Rocks!) on a sunny fall morning while sitting on my front porch watching the sun light up the sky. I am thankful for being a part of a company that cares – cares about the people who work here, our consumers, and the environment. I am thankful that as our sales grow so does the 5% we donate to local and global causes.

Roger: Have you ever had one of those moments of wonder? The kinds when the whole world seems to slow down just long enough for you to appreciate it. And then for that instant, that single speck in time, nothing else matters – no stress, no worry, no frets. The other day when I was walking to work I had one of those moments. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was dancing on the autumnally punctuated mountains that surround us. The air was crisp but not cold. The colors of the sky, the clouds, and the hillsides were spot on. Even the birds’ songs seemed to lilt just a bit brighter, carrying on the breeze just a second longer than the physics of sound would normally allow. The moment literally stopped me in my tracks. I chuckled to myself while taking it all in. Those moments, those quick, personal mental group hugs with the universe, those simple distillations of time and purpose and place, that’s what I’m thankful for….

Mary Beth J.: I am new to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. this year and have found that I have a lot that I am thankful for:

• Bringing my personal passion into work each day
• New opportunities and experiences
• A new appreciation for the coffee industry and an endless supply of caffeine
• Having coworkers who patiently waited while I got back on my feet, literally, and cheered me on along the way after having only known me for a few weeks

Colleen: I am thankful that I trusted my heart and moved from New York City to Vermont!  Now I have a fiancé that I adore, a dream job at a company I admire, and a world of outdoor adventures at my doorstep!

Jen:  I am thankful for my awesome network of friends who never fail to support me and keep me going!  And that Donovan McNabb is no longer the starting quarterback for the Vikings! ;)

Derek: I am thankful for many things, but among them: I am thankful that great, interesting music is still being made today.  I’m thankful that the Flatlander Barbecue team didn’t fall flat on our face during our first year of competitive barbecue.  I’m thankful to work for a company with so many opportunities and to have the ability to work on such an amazing brand.  And I’m thankful that my wife and I get to live in the beautiful state of Vermont – more often than not, my morning commute is just breathtaking.

Kristen:  It’s been one of those years, folks.  You know: The kind of year that brings just as many challenges as it does rewards?  But man, are those rewards all the sweeter because of the hurdles it took to get them.  And those rewards are: Superior coworkers – the kind that will deal with you reverse trick-or-treating around campus in costume or frolicking down the halls of Cubeland; loving family – those that will pick you up at the airport after an event so late in the night it’s early in the morning; and hilarious, dedicated friends – the ones that roll their eyes when you tell them they’re all getting coffee for Christmas for year number three and then merrily chug every morsel of caffeinated goodness.

Tom:  My family lore has it that we’re descended from the pilgrims John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley. Howland was swept off the deck of the Mayflower in a storm — but saved by a rope thrown overboard. So I’m definitely thankful for that rescue. Otherwise I wouldn’t even be here! (I am also secretly grateful for the cranberry sauce shaped just like the can it comes out of. With three kids, there’s always some of that on our Thanksgiving table, alongside the more wholesome, natural whole-berry stuff.)

Doug: I’m thankful for wool socks, the heavy kind, all sheepy soft on the inside and thick enough to ward off evening chills. I’m thankful for autumn bonfires, and friends to share them with. Marshmallows, toasted just so. And I’m exceptionally thankful for a job with an amazing company that has in so many ways exceeded my expectations about what a group of committed people can do. I mean — it’s a job, right? In this economy that’s enough, and it affords me many of the other things I’m thankful for. But working here has enriched me as a human being, too. Who’d have expected that? So, thanks. And don’t forget… wool socks: awesome.

What are you thankful for this year?

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This past year has been challenging on many fronts, the most recent and impactful challenge was Mother Nature, in the form of Tropical Storm Irene.  I was affected both professionally, with our Visitor Center having to close due to flood damage during our busiest season, and personally, as my elderly mother’s house was also flooded along with many others in our community.  It would have been easy to get overwhelmed with negativity, however, the generous, supportive, spirit of our community did not make that an option.  Instead of dwelling on the tragic aspects of the situation I was able, like so many,  to look at the opportunities that  the flooding presented.

Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center, during Tropical Storm Irene - by Gordon Miller

Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures in life that keep you going and being able to offer a cup of coffee and an understanding ear to a flood victim had many rewards for both myself and other members of the Visitor Center team.  We were able to keep a presence at the Visitor Center until the end of October, when the weather began to change.  We offered free coffee, information about the flood and local attractions, as well as directions.  We think of ourselves as the “Face of Green Mountain Coffee” and we were happy that we were able to continue to welcome those who stopped by the Visitor Center not realizing that the whole town was a virtual construction zone.  I’m thankful to be working for a company that holds many of the values that I hold personally; commitment to community, perseverance to go beyond what is expected, working together to make things happen to name a few.  Many of the things that we were able to do post-Irene could not have been done without the help of fellow Green Mountain Coffee employees, all of whom I am thankful for.

Personally, after the initial shock of my mother’s house being flooded, my sisters and I saw great opportunities to take care of things that have needed to be taken care of for years.  The carpet in the living room, the wiring throughout the house, the purging of items that accumulate after 40 years in a home were all addressed and taken care of without (for the most part) emotional attachment.  In the end, my mother will have a house that is updated and safer for her to live in.  I’m thankful for those things, but they are just things.  What this experience has really taught me and what I’m most thankful for is the sense of community; neighbor helping neighbor.  So many people extended themselves to victims of the flood, through donations of labor, food, supportive thoughts and so much more.  There were people helping us in the days that followed Irene that I had no clue who they were, many of which were Green Mountain Coffee employees; I’m thankful for all of them.

I’m generally thankful for friends, family, a great company, a supportive community, and proof that in this world where so much focus is put on the negative that we can find so much good to focus on during times of adversity.

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Over the past couple weeks employees in our Vermont locations got into the Halloween spirit through volunteering!

Our night shift employees at our Waterbury and Williston locations carved more than 60 pumpkins for The Haunted Forest. The Haunted Forest is a non-profit event dedicated to producing a fun and exciting community Halloween event. The Forest is an event that combines outdoor theater, special effects, the magic of the night forest and the “spirit” of Halloween. Guests are led by mysterious guides through a dark forest path lined with over 1,000 Jack-O-Lanterns and encounter characters performing Halloween-themed scenes.

The Essex Staffing Team also helped the Forest out. They “spider-webbed” the forest, put out the carved pumpkins along the trail and “roofed” the dark rooms!

The Haunted Forest is an important community event and we are excited to have been part of the fun!

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Update 9/15/2011 – We’re getting really excited for the relief show tomorrow night and to help spread the word our friends at Select Design created this great event flyer! There are going to be some fabulous raffle prizes as well as some food samples from Vermont Companies!

9/8/2011 – As you know, communities around Vermont – and many of our friends and coworkers – continue to recover from the aftermath of tropical storm Irene.   We’ve all been searching for ways to help, to do more where there’s need and to support organizations that can reach people and places we cannot.

That’s why on Friday, September 16, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. and other Vermont businesses will be hosting an Irene Flood Relief concert at Higher Ground in Burlington.

The concert features energetic afro-indie pop band Rubblebucket, returning to Vermont for one last 2011 concert to help the Vermont community, and Latin jazz and salsa dance band Ritmo Masacote.

In addition, the event will spotlight the companies and nonprofit organizations who have been involved in the relief efforts.

Tickets are $10 each, with proceeds benefitting the Vermont Foodbank.  Tickets are now on sale — please click here to purchase tickets.

ETA: Can’t make it to Vermont for the event?  We’ll miss you, but you can still donate by texting FOODNOW to 52000 to donate $10 to Vermont Foodbank.

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Our Visitor Center received a lot of damage due to the flooding Irene brought our way, particularity to our core systems, resulting in the need to close the building.  Our hope is that we will be back up and running in the next few weeks.

Starting today we are running a temporary visitor center at Rusty Parker Memorial Park in the bandstand area. We will be available to answer any questions, give directions, and share cheer and free coffee from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 7-days a week.

Thank you all for your outpouring of concern and support!  Just remember: Vermont is open for business!  Pass on the word!

Check out WaterburyStation.com for updates.

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