Ethical Bean Coffee

The glaring myths of coffee

Marianne Pemberton — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:33:48 +0000

Survey ten different folks in your social circles and you’re bound to get at least ten different theories on the following classic coffee conundrums. Call them old wives tales, urban legends, myths – whatever. The fact is some of these commonly held beliefs are, at best, misleading (most), or at worst, hurting the quality of your coffee experience at home (get it out of your freezer)!

We’re by no means the first coffee company to address these myths (nor will we be the last), but we thought it important to address some of the glaring myths of coffee head-on. Read on, bean-lovers, and help spread the good word and dispel some myths!

“There is lower caffeine content in dark roasts than in light roasts.”

This isn’t the first time this has come up at Ethical Bean. The truth is that any differences in caffeine content among dark, medium, and light roasts are negligible. There is an old adage that goes, “if you do enough research, you can prove anything,” and while some may have found some research to indicate darker or lighter roasts have more or less caffeine, those differences are really, really small.

Since caffeine is stored in the coffee bean itself, roasting it to different degrees help develop its taste (which we all love) – but doesn’t really impact the inherent qualities of the bean itself. With coffee comes caffeine, folks. No matter the roast!

“The best way to keep coffee fresh (if you can’t use it right away) is in the fridge or freezer.”

Oh, the freezer myth. There’s something quaint and endearing about this – the wooly mammoth of coffee myths – that sparks a gentle smile and empathetic answer to all those who ask. This myth is so pervasive we’ve gone so far as to write our response directly on our coffee bags. They read: No fridges, no freezers, no funny business.

Once a bag of coffee is opened the best place to keep it is in an airtight container in your kitchen away from extreme temperatures or humidity. Fridges and freezers are moist, damp, and full of smells that kill the natural breathing processes of the beans (Yes I know how that sounds – but it’s true!). Looking to keep your beans fresh? Buy smaller quantities more often, store them in an airtight container once they’re at home, and try to purchase beans roasted recently (our “roasted on” date is printed on every bag). Do that and you’re golden!

“Coffees with higher acidities can be really tough on your stomach.”

When discussing acidity in the context of coffee, we need to begin by clarifying our terms. Acidity can mean a couple of different things, and determining what we’re talking about is a key step!

Acidity, Acidic, pH levels (all foods): All foods have a certain pH content that can have different impacts on different people. For some, high acidity foods can have an uncomfortable impact on their stomachs. For others, a high pH has little to no impact. There’s a wealth of information online about acidic and alkaline foods for those that are looking to control a sensitivity.

Acidity, brightness, and definition (coffee specific): In the world of coffee, acidity does not refer to pH. Rather, it refers to the characteristics that give a cup of coffee its character. It is in this sense that we speak about acidity in coffee, and when we talk about a nice, balanced acidity in a cup of coffee – it’s a good thing, especially for your taste buds! A coffee with high acidity? Sounds delish.

“Espresso is so strong that drinking it stops hearts and sends calm souls into Tasmanian Devil-esque tirades.”

What an image, eh? Espresso is a funny one.

On one hand, espresso is indeed, much stronger than your average cuppa joe. That’s due to the higher concentration of coffee. The result? That spectacular, in-your-face, flavor that espresso lovers live for.

On the other hand, espresso has no more caffeine than your average cuppa. In fact, quite the opposite! A single shot of espresso has about a quarter as much caffeine as a drip coffee does. This helps to explain why Italian espresso drinkers can slowly sip three or four shots of espresso over the day and still sleep soundly at night. Myth destroyed!

“Water-based decaffeination methods don’t remove all the caffeine.”

Water-based decaffeination methods are the only way to remove the caffeine from coffee without using chemicals in the process. For this reason Ethical Bean (in good company) uses a Mountain Water process to extract the caffeine from our beans. Cut the caffeine, keep the taste. Win-win.

The extent to which traces of caffeine remains in the beans once they’ve been decaffeinated is the important question, particularly for those who are not able to drink caffeine at all, or are looking to minimize or cut out its presence in their lives. For these people, they can rest assured that decaffeinated coffee has removed over 99.9% of the caffeine. So while we cannot say 100% (then again, nobody can) the small trace of caffeine that does remain is minute, and does not even come close to packing the punch of a regular strength cup of coffee.

Did you learn something new? Clarify a nagging question? Think of ten new questions you would like to ask? We encourage you to use the comments section below to help us, help you, get the best out of our coffees. Thanks for reading!

The end of an (seriously delicious) era

Marianne Pemberton — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:50:46 +0000

There’s a good reason why those Chocolate Toffee Explosion and White Chocolate Raspberry doughnuts are quietly weeping, and I have to admit I’ve been procrastinating about explaining why. Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news. Alas, the time has come. The era of Ethical Bean’s sweet, delicious, Fairtrade Organic doughnuts is over. As of February 1st, 2012, the kitchen is closed. I know, I know, I’m feelin’ it, too.

We were thrilled to be able to introduce the world’s first Fairtrade Organic doughnut and hope that we have blazed a trail for other bakers to pick up organic and Fairtrade ingredients and make something memorable. In fact, when you do, give us a call! We would love to sample it for our Café.

We have to extend a big “thank-you” to our lovely doughnut customers over the last year – it really has been a great time doughtnut-ing around Vancouver. They were the perfect accompaniment to our coffee, allowed us to complete the sentence, and delighted taste buds of all those lucky enough to enjoy them. In fact, our Head Baker will be transferring his refined palette to roasting coffee to help perfect the roast profiles that bring out the best in our beans. So not all is lost!

If you’re keen to revel in a final delectable doughnut (or three) before they become a memory, you can catch them for their final weekend showings at Little Mountain Coffee, Ethical Bean Xpress, and Friday only at the The Loop, Vanier Place, and Totum at University of British Columbia. You can also take a peek at our Flickr page to see our photographic homage to a beautiful and tasty year of award-winning doughnuts.

In the meantime, you can count on Ethical Bean to do what it does best – provide you with the spectacular, Fairtrade Certified Organic coffees you love.

Thanks to everyone for the doughnut love!

The Anatomy of a Bag

Marianne Pemberton — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:48:38 +0000

You’ve seen the “e,” you’ve identified your favourite ‘colour’ of coffee, and you’ve taken notice of the glamourous sleek silver bag on the shelf – and we’re so glad. Nothing on our bag is accidental. With two in-house graphic designers (one of whom is a visionary co-founder) we’ve taken great care to use our bag to communicate the things important to us, and maybe important to you, too.

Do you know the anatomy of an Ethical Bean coffee bag? You just might find some surprises. It can sometimes be overwhelming with all these labels, labels, labels, but if you’re keen to learn, grab your bag from the kitchen counter (or follow along with the diagram above) for a quick lesson in Ethical Bean bag-ology.

1. Fairtrade Certified

The international Fairtrade certified logo tells you that the product in the bag has been produced following Fairtrade’s financial, environmental, and labour standards. In short, this means the producers have been paid above market prices, receive a social premium to invest in community development projects, maintain a keen eye to sound environmental practices, and participate in democratically run co-operative businesses. If you’re interested to learn more about these standards visit Fairtrade International, or read about how one particular coffee co-operative – PANGOA – decided to use their Fairtrade premium in a blog I wrote earlier this year. 100% the coffee in our bags is Fairtrade certified, and has been since we started in 2003.

2. Organic Certified

Similar to the Fairtrade International symbol, products with the Canada Organic symbol have been third-party verified to comply with organic standards of production and export. Organic agriculture is based on the principles of health, ecology, fairness, and care, and indicates a commitment to growing products with attention to the health of planet and those working on it. Harmful pesticides and herbicides are replaced with organic alternatives, and farms entering into organic production must undergo a three-year conversion process to ensure any residual banned chemicals have made their way out of the soil. You can learn more about organic production and certification through Canada Organic, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, or Quality Assurance International. Our beans follow these strict internationally recognized standards.

3. Certified by BC Kosher

Kosher certification ensures that a given product is suitable for consumption by practicing Jews, in addition to delivering a guarantee of quality and purity. The production of all Kosher certified products has been inspected and supervised by a rabbi, who we welcome into our roaster and production facility with glee when it’s time for our audits. In Canada, Kosher sales have been steadily growing. For you this means attention quality, detail, cleanliness, and purity. 100% delicious, spectacular, lovingly roasted coffee – always.

4. Organizations we support

You may have noticed underneath our Organic, Kosher, and B-Corp certification labels our bag reads, “We’re proud to support compassionfruit.org and child-aid.org.” If you’ve been following our blog (ahem, you’re here now, aren’t you?) these might be names you recognize. Compassion Fruit runs Project Somos, an organization currently building a children’s village in a small Guatemalan community. Ethical Bean’s relationship with Child-Aid goes back to the birth of Ethical Bean itself. Since 2003 we have been donating partial proceeds of our coffee sales to this Guatemalan organization providing scholarships to young people. We put this on the bag because it’s important to us and with every purchase you know that you’re supporting community development in Central America.

5. Certified B-Corporation

We joined the B-Corp club in 2009 and haven’t looked back. In addition to opening our doors and books to a regular financial, social, and environmental audits from B-Corp inspectors, this has also acted as a public commitment to use our business as a force for good. As an individual company we work everyday to be both just and better, be it in our local or global community. As a member of B-Corp community this also means working with and supporting like-minded organizations to help strengthen our social economy. The B-Corp community is growing in Canada as well as internationally, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. You can view our impact report and B-Corp score here.

6. Quick Response (QR) Code

The final touch of every bag in our production facility allows us to communicate more information than we ever thought possible with each unique bag. If you haven’t seen one before, the cluster of squares you see on every bag is a unique “quick response code.” When scanned on your smart phone (or when you enter the Lot # onto our website) you’re transported into the world of that coffee. Where was it grown? By whom? How did we roast it? Who roasted it? What are the cupping notes? When was their Fairtrade certificate last verified? Check it out for yourself , it’s everything you ever wanted to know about your coffee.

7. Roast scale

There are a lot of differences between our eight different coffees but the most recognizable difference is certainly the roast scale. Are you looking for a darker than dark French Roast? Or a smoother, lighter medium? You can find the depth of roast identified on the front of the bag under the blend title, as well as on the back of the bag on our roast scale (denoted by coffee cups). Switch up from your favourite medium-dark and go darker, or try a lighter roast in our medium, and use the roast scale to guide you on your journey. Interested to learn more about how we roast? Learn more here.

8. Brewing instructions

Aaron (Director of Coffee), Jason (Lead Roaster), and everyone at Ethical Bean works hard to make sure every bag of Ethical Bean coffee that goes out the door is the absolute best it can be. Sure a fantastic bean, perfect profile, and fresh-fresh-fresh roasting can take you closer than ever to a great cup of coffee, but paying extra attention to brewing makes sure you’ll have a slam-dunk (for your doughnut!). If you’re looking to push your excellent cup a little further, try paying attention to our recommendations on the bag or trying a new method of brewing. Just remember – no fridges, no freezers, no funny business.

I hope this exercise has taught you something new about the coffee inside the bag, and perhaps inspired you to look further into some of our partner organizations, producer groups, coffee profiles, or roasting techniques. Labels can sometimes be overwhelming, but they can also help us communicate well beyond the minimum. Another one of the ways we’re striving towards being just and better.

The Anatomy of a Bag

Marianne Pemberton — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:44 +0000

1. Fairtrade Certified

2. Organic Certified

3. Certified by BC Kosher

4. Organizations we support

5. Certified B-Corporation

6. Quick Response (QR) Code

7. Roast scale

8. Brewing instructions

Giving back in Guatemala with Child Aid and Project Somos

Emily Sproule — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:32:41 +0000

Child Aid focuses on literacy in Guatemala

Since 2003, your December purchases of Ethical Bean coffee have contributed to supporting children in Guatemala. Since the early days at Ethical Bean we have sponsored children in El Tejar through the Child Aid scholarship program. Thanks to our tremendous growth at Ethical Bean we have been able to increase the number of scholarships to include over 100 children each year and further expand our contribution to include donations to Project Somos, who are building a Children’s Village for orphaned and abandoned children just outside of Tecpán. From our 2011 December sales, $20,000 is being contributed to these two organizations. We thank you, as it is your purchases of Ethical Bean coffee which allow us to partner with both of these fantastic organizations.

Child Aid:

Merlin with two preschool children

Through Child Aid’s scholarship program, now named the Ethical Bean Scholarship Fund (we are incredibly honoured by the name change!), the local community of El Tejar Guatemala is able to run a four year Montessori preschool where young children exit the program able to read and write. As part of the success story of Child Aid’s scholarship program, this year a young woman, Merlin Xicón came to work as a teacher’s aid for the preschool. She is one of the children who has benefited from the scholarship program from preschool through to junior high. Today, she is the first person in her family to go to college and she helps pay for her schooling with her work at the preschool. We are thrilled to have been a part of her personal journey. Read more about Merlin in the Child Aid newsletter here.

The Ethical Bean Scholarship Fund helps children in El Tejar in a variety of ways:

Four year scholarships for 105 children at the Montessori preschool
Free nutritious lunches are offered to the children at the preschool (many of the children are malnourished)
Long-term scholarships are provided for the neediest of children to continue on to elementary school and middle school
Books and reading programs for the local library

Children at the Montessori preschool eating a healthy snack of watermelon

To find out more about Child Aid or the Ethical Bean Scholarship Fund, please visit http://child-aid.org/.

Project Somos

Project Somos is creating an ecologically sustainable, community integrated Children’s Village, where local foster moms will be matched with seven orphaned and abandoned children. From a passionate idea carefully crafted and nurtured by founders Heather Knox and Greg Kemp in their home in Vancouver, to acquiring land in Guatemala and building the first houses, the project’s recent progress is evident to all who wait with baited breath for the latest updates. As each house takes form, it is exciting to imagine the first seven children that will play and laugh inside.

Here are some of the highlights in pictures over the last year.

Earth bag construction was used to create exterior walls of the homes

The roofs of two homes were constructed

The cistern has been built and rainwater catchment systems have been added to the two houses

Over 6000 eco bricks made of plastic bottles filled with plastic bags were used to create the interior walls of the first houses

Heather and dog Tika take a tour of the newly plastered walls

A meeting space was created around a fire pit built in the memory of Heather's Mom

Find out more about Project Somos here.

We are excited to be continuing our partnership with both of these worthy causes in Guatemala and see first hand the incredible impact they are making in these disadvantaged communities. As we venture into 2012 we encourage you to follow Ethical Bean, Child Aid, and Project Somos as we update you on the progress over the year.

It’s not you it’s me…but it still isn’t good.

Aaron De Lazzer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:20:10 +0000

Do you have any hobbies? Anything you’re passionately into? Something that you think about during the in between moments at work and make a point of fitting into your schedule on the weekend? And no “your Momma” doesn’t count.

Mine’s coffee. Surprise!

It’s like I’m working all the time….

When you think about something, chew on it, reflect on it, read about it and most important, consume it figuratively and literally you become sensitive to subtleties of style. Taken with the long view over the balance of years you’ll notice the ebb and flow of said styles and their nuances.

For better or worse our beginnings are formative years and can really cement into us a preference or a valuing of one style over another. As things change, it’s not that you’re unaware of the changes or can’t appreciate the new look-you just don’t really care. Nor do you think the “new” holds a candle to what was. It’s a place I find myself now.

And so it goes with coffee. In prior blogs I’ve alluded to the seasons of change that I have been witness to in my short time being present. Let’s flesh that out a bit more.

It starts with the Dark Roast.

Imagine a tender university student in Ontario (ok, ok the most tender) suckling from the teat of Tim Horton-what else was there? Nothing, that’s what. Then picture the arrival of, no not the white whale but close, the Mermaid. Popping up in Toronto, it was like the second coming of coffee. I made an appointment at a location off Young St., close to the Davisville TTC station. Trim, organized and uncluttered with a coffee centric essence that tapped into the heart of origin and made one’s heart beat in time with the drums of Africa. The coffee was unforgettable. A Kenyan, siphoned off and served, was like raw crude oil, crushing in its intensity. Oily, profound and unknowable…I also couldn’t finish it. If AC/DC’s “You shook me all night long” is coming on the loudspeakers of your mind at this point, (“Had to cool me down to take another round”) that’s good. I hear it too.

That was “it.” There was nothing else. Once you had built up your tolerance and succumbed to the “Siren’s…” (Oh, I can’t say it), it wasn’t too bad. Everything else that had previously seemed ok was suddenly insipid.

Was it the roast? Was it the strength of the brew? Who cares, this was new and it was distinctive. A world away from the known coffee universe at the time. The style, reduced to it’s essence, involved arguably solid coffees, roasted and roasted dark.

A tasty morsel hidden within this Kinder Egg surprise was the genius introduction of espresso to a piece of suburban white bread like myself and my ilk. It’s culture, fluffed up and pre-chewed for mainstream consumption. Let’s ignore whatever good thing existed in North Beach circa 1990. This was an otherworldly reality of steam punk goodness that brought the intensity up at least another quarter turn of the vice. I don’t know how Rome was built but the business of coffee in the ‘90s was built on the tall latte.

Now if good is the enemy of the great, have no fear because Seattle was running with this espresso thing and running hard. Enter stage left not just espresso but “Northern Italian” style espresso-whatever that means. I just believed and so did everyone else.

It was lighter. How light? Hard to say exactly. A hair past Full City but not too far into Second Crack. Way lighter than a Continental Roast but flirting with a reading of a #45 on the Agtron Scale. Basically nobody new exactly what it meant, except for a couple of folks that could, at the time, claim to have actually been to Italy-fewer people than you might think.

Seattle chambered the round for espresso centric culture. It became the centerpiece of coffee consumption. In light of the new leggy relative the latte (ch-ching), drip coffee was ignored.

The culture around espresso was experimental on every level, married to the healthy “F%$! You” mentality that couldn’t wait to unshackle itself from whatever the Italians “allegedly” knew or (mostly) didn’t know about espresso.

This coincided with Barista Competitions. A freight train of ambition that necessitated competition level espresso. It no longer was enough for it to be good-it had to be a revelation and basically part the Nile to get noticed. If it did that, it might garner a 3…ok 3.5 out of 5 from the judges. Suddenly “bam,” I’ll give you something to notice; light roasted, Kenyan, single origin espresso and with it a whole can of whoop ass, and many, many imitators of this, light, light roasted “espresso” style.

Somewhere, someone in Rome is making the sign of the cross as the bells toll in St. Peters Square. The sacred has been violated. Hushed, monk like whispers of the espresso canon “Brazil base, blends only, precisely 7g” have been ignored and, and…I’m breathless.

The coffees chosen, roasted and presented this way were ringing the doorbell on your palate. Doing it early and doing it often.

Dosing was up. Not a little bit either. It was a signature effect that if you believe in magic (and I do) won the World Barista Competition in 2004. Next day the gaggle of lemmings all got their Hula Hoops, their Rubik’s Cubes and in this case their 23g of coffee in a triple basket pulled s-h-o-r-t and gave any young Turk brave enough to drink, the equivalent of a facial peel for their tongue.

Is this the crescendo? No, not yet. In all of this, not a word of dissension. My right eyelid still twitches with the memories.

There is an alluded to thread of pain and with it the importance of purity as a theme in being at the cutting edge of coffee. I assume you know that. Keeping it real, keeping it legit. So good it hurts. Hoo boy does it ever.

Today interest in espresso has cooled. Been there, done that. We are now in the perfect storm of micro-lots, manual brew methods and globe-trotting coffee buyers needing to feed their 7kg roasters. Combined with the Internet and the prophet like influence of Europe it brings us all to our destination: Single origin coffees roasted lighter than I ever thought possible, presented for your reflection. Notice I didn’t say enjoyment. That would be an additional, but not assumed benefit.

Going for coffee now is finally about the coffee. Not you, not the conversation you might have over a shared cup or the *ahem* blog you might write that in turn tilts the course of peoples’ lives. The coffee is the focus, requiring your undivided attention to fully appreciate the purity and heretofore never experienced awesomeness of what coffee could be like.

Phew.

It’s exhausting. I’m genuinely afraid of what the next level is going to be. But the good news is that we’re finally here.

Know that behind the curtain there has always been a desperate and ongoing desire for the keen in Specialty Coffee to bring their message and passion for the product to the front door of your life. To make coffee not just an accessory to a life well lived but the focus of it.

The closely held hope being to serve people coffee in the way they never thought to ask, that is, the way I (the barista, café, roaster) want you to “enjoy” it. You’ve read about those restaurants that don’t offer salt and pepper on the table because the kitchen has perfectly seasoned your food? That’s the gist of it.

You think I’m kidding but I’m so not.

Now I love me the minimalism. I aspire to it. No excess. Clean, pared down. So good. It’s the stuff of young baristas’ daydreams. Wondering aloud, “wouldn’t it be cool if there was no menu, no signage, no cream or sugar, heck, no espresso machine? We just served manual brewed by the cup, single origin titularly roasted, nano-lot coffees. And we played only vinyl?” Ok the vinyl thing is actually pretty cool.

People been talking this up for years and we’ve finally arrived.

But now that we’re here, I can’t totally get into it. Did it take so long that I managed to age beyond the appeal of a young man’s idealistic world view and in turn excuse myself from what is currently cool and find it instead…not cool?

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to go one better than suggesting youthful idealism is to blame for the current vogue. I’d like to suggest that the process of cupping and its widespread adoption is at the crux of it.

Cupping, as I’ve mentioned before is a unique tasting experience. The lighter roast commonly used when cupping coffees can be revelatory. It wasn’t until reading BLINK (thank-you Malcolm Gladwell) that I was able to connect the dots as to why the cupping experience when ported over to the regular world, falls apart.

As more thoroughly and eloquently put by Malcolm in BLINK, Coke was having the wood put to them in the Pepsi challenge. In the challenge format (small samples of each beverage) the preference was consistently for Pepsi. Where it gets interesting, was that this format and impression called a CLT (Central Location Test) prompts a different result then when a person is called upon to try samples over the period of a week or so. To actually live with it.

Cupping coffee is the Pepsi challenge of coffee consumption. Small little sips that are often held in the mouth and then spit out. The light roasted uniqueness of the “cupping roast” flavours play exceptionally well in this format and almost everyone who is into coffee would effuse positive things about cupping fine coffees. It’s fantastic and exciting.

But when called upon to live with coffee roasted this light, to drink it repeatedly or in any kind of volume it’s neither pleasant nor enjoyable. To qualify-myself and one other person I’ve spoken to believe this and are willing to admit to it publicly. We’ve started a small group called the “Friends of Reason.” Membership is open.

This has led to many roasters and cafes waving the flag for these uber light roasted coffees and in turn bringing the cupping table experience to every cup of coffee you have.

No thanks.

Sure it appeals to my inner Director of Coffee (how many do you know?) but it doesn’t in any way foster an appetite for the lovely routine of a morning cup or an afternoon cup or…any cup for that matter-ever. I’ve switched to tea on the weekends.

A little roast on the coffee can be nice. It does nice things, develops and flatters the coffee. I get that your green coffee is the most special. You’re telling the world you have the Waygu beef equivalent of this current crop of Kenyans. Cool. But can we let the cupping take place in the cupping room? Please?

Let the enjoying take place out in the cafes and kitchens where the coffee isn’t so distractingly boutique and light roasted it hurts. A smidge more roast, that’s all I’m asking. I’ll still think you’re cool and buy good coffee. Really.

It happens every year… – By Marianne Pemberton

Marianne Pemberton — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:30:53 +0000

You guessed it – another year is over. As we roll into the next twelve months it is impossible not to look back and reflect on what proved to be another fabulous year at Ethical Bean. As a newer member of the Ethical Bean team I experienced some of the following highlights first hand but also had to dig deep into the psyche of my colleagues to find the earlier memorable moments of 2011.

The cast and crew of Ethical Bean are grateful for to all those who shared in our adventures in 2011 and we hope everyone who joined us had just as much fun as we did. So, without further ado, I bring you Ethical Bean’s year in review!

Events Events Events!

Ethical Bean had the great pleasure of supporting local organizations doing great work in and around Vancouver throughout 2011. We continued our partnerships with Theatre Under the Stars, the Vancouver International Film Festival, Eco-Fashion Week, Creative Mix, and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (just to name a few), and are looking forward to working with Edible Communities and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra into the 2012. We feel so fortunate to be in a city with so many exciting, creative, and diverse events happening all year, and are thrilled to participate in our vibrant community. If you see us out and about please stop by, introduce yourself, and indulge in a coffee – even if it is after 3:00pm!

Doughnuts

2011 has also been the year of the doughnut for Ethical Bean and for Vancouverites! January saw the release of the world’s first Fairtrade Certified Organic doughnut, which was honoured with “Most Innovative Fairtrade Product” by Fair Trade Vancouver at the end of the year. The timing of the doughnut launch was particularly exciting for those of us furiously waving green and blue towels through last winter. As the Canucks inched closer and closer to the big game Ethical Bean had the whole team with icing bags in hand getting our Game Day doughnuts ready for the masses. I, for one, am crossing my fingers for similar chaos in 2012! Keep those towels waving!

Farther away

While our location here in Vancouver makes it easy to work locally, we also put a lot of time and effort in across Canada, North America, and internationally. This summer we were thrilled to see our own Ethical Bean barista Amy head off to Guatemala to volunteer with our partner organization Project Somos. She blogged all about her experiences to keep us, and you, informed of her escapades, and we all lived vicariously through her blogs as she got to the know the residents in Tecpen. We also sent donations and support to organizations in Calgary, Boulder, and to our other Guatemalan partner organization, Child-Aid. Thanks to all of you for supporting Ethical Bean throughout the year. These donations wouldn’t be possible without each and every one of you.

Great coffee

We were thankful for a great year in coffee to continue filling your bags with the best Fairtrade Organic certified beans we can find. Thanks to the hard work of Aaron (Director of Coffee) and Jason (Production Manager), our team created the most spectacular of flavour profiles to dance across your tongue throughout 2011. Importing green coffees from Peru, Ethiopia, Honduras, and Mexico (to name a few!), the cupping table was always busy in our coffee lab. Remember, you can always learn where the coffee beans in your bag are from by scanning the square QR code on the bag or entering the Lot # on our website. We work year-round to make sure you not only have the best coffee we can find, but also have the information you’re curious about right in your hands.

Fighting tragedy with teamwork

This year saw tremendous challenges for a co-op close to our hearts. A landslide cost the ASOBAGRI coffee co-operative a substantial amount of land, infrastructure, and lives in September. Thankfully good news emerged by the end of December as ASOBAGRI announced they had begun to rebuild. Ethical Bean, JJ Bean, and a number of retail and roasting partners organized a fundraising campaign in November to contribute in their time of need, and we are so happy and relieved to hear that things are starting to look a little more promising for the co-op. Thanks so much to everyone who joined the campaign and contributed through barista donations or link sharing online.

Into 2012

Ethical Bean has a lot to look forward to in 2012. We’re excited about potentially expanding our reach into new markets, which also means helping to create a greater demand for Fairtrade Organic coffee in our supplying countries.

Of course, as we move forward we’re always keeping those who make it all possible close to our hearts. We have loved working for and alongside you – our spectacular reader, coffee lover, and doughnut enthusiast – over the course of the year. We really hope that everyone who joined us in the journey in 2011 had just as much fun as we did, and we thank you for coming along on the adventure! Let’s see what this next year has in store!

Happy New Year and best wishes from the cast and crew at Ethical Bean!

Ask And You Shall Receive, We’ve Got Ground! – by Emily Sproule

Emily Sproule — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:07:07 +0000

After many years of offering whole bean coffee we’ve heard your unrelenting call, your quest for convenience, your interest in simplicity. And yes, we’ve done it. Our Classic and Bold are now available ground!!! Whether it’s weekends at your snowy chateau, summers at the campground, or if ground is just how you like to enjoy your daily cup at home, we are excited to offer you a new opportunity to choose our delicious Fairtrade Certified and Organic Ethical Bean coffee in a format that works for you.

Our mission at Ethical Bean is to share Fairtrade Certified, Organic coffee with as many folks as possible. We know that sometimes this means there isn’t a grinder handy and you need a little extra convenience to make the selection. We are here to help you make the choice you are looking for.

For you whole bean fans out there, do not despair; we will continue to offer you the highest quality Fairtrade Organic whole bean coffee you can find. Aaron De Lazzer, our coffee buyer and Q-Grader extraordinaire, is tireless in his mission to uncover the best coffee on the market. From Farmer to Roaster to You, every bag of Ethical Bean, whole bean or ground, has been lovingly selected to be some of the finest tasting coffee in the world.

Find our Classic and Bold in ground at the following listed locations or online at Ethical Ocean.

> London Drugs
> Donald’s Markets – Commercial & Hastings Locations
> Westwood Organic
> Super Value – 1st & Commercial Location
> Famous Foods
> East West Market
> New Apple Farm Market – West 4th Location

With Holiday Cheers ASOBAGRI Begins to Rebuild – by Emily Sproule

Emily Sproule — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:42:36 +0000

In the season of giving, the team at Ethical Bean received a fantastic present. We got word that the Guatemalan ASOBAGRI Coffee Co-op has begun to rebuild after a terrible landslide in September claimed their offices, warehouses and even more tragically, lives of people in their community.

As their previous land was deemed uninhabitable after the landslide, ASOBAGRI has been forced to move. Their new land, which was purchased with money received from their insurance settlement, came with an unfinished building. With $100,000 in donations they have started to remodel, finish and stock the new building to turn it into their offices. The progress is so fast that they plan to move in by mid-January!

$100,000 of donations – now that is a pretty fantastic sum for just a few months of fundraising. We know from our fundraising efforts around B.C. that many coffee companies joined forces to donate to ASOBAGRI. The call was made for help and the industry answered with enthusiasm. Tip drives were run, partial proceeds of coffee sales were set aside and individuals joined in to help. Lloyd and Kim’s daughter Amelia even sold doughnuts to fundraise for the cause at her elementary school in Robert’s Creek!

After the renovations of the offices, the remaining sum from the donations will go toward re-building their warehouse. ASOBAGRI is currently renting a warehouse off-site to store their coffee and will continue to do so until they can build their new warehouse. They estimate it will be finished sometime in 2013 or 2014.

In our recent communication with Baltazar Francisco Miguel, the General Manager of ASOBAGRI, he has asked us to express his gratitude and appreciation for the monies raised to help his co-op.

Holiday cheers for everyone who took the time to raise money and donate!! We are confident that despite the tragedy of 2011 ASOBAGRI will overcome this incredible obstacle and continue to flourish. We can’t wait to for our first taste of the 2012 crop.

Fill Out Our Survey & Win Coffee For a Month! – by Emily Sproule

Emily Sproule — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:17:35 +0000

Here’s your chance to win a month’s worth of FREE coffee. That’s four bags of delicious, freshly roasted Ethical Bean. You can even tell us which varieties are your favourite and we’ll hand select them for you (with love, of course).

To enter the draw, complete our short survey telling us what you like to see on your bag of Ethical Bean coffee. Fill out your email address at the end of the survey and you’ll automatically be entered to win. We want to hear from you!

Entry is limited to one per person. The draw will occur at 5pm PST on Tuesday December 20^th.

Click here to fill out the survey now!