We have always been a company that believed in people above all else. This focus on people has helped us build a company filled with thoughtful, caring employees. Working in the business for 16 years and building a strong foundation has led us to the heart and soul of the business COFFEE…this should come as no surprise…but the endless pursuit to improve our product, education and provide an exceptional experience to our customers is our continued aspiration.
To help fulfill this goal we have developed our four-steps to creating a cup of Stone Creek Coffee. These steps are: GROW Responsibly, ROAST to Perfection, BREW Experts, and SIP Slowly.
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It is our plan to buy 100% of our coffee under our fair trade Socially Responsible Coffee guidelines while seeking unique and high quality coffee. We are currently buying 70% of coffee under our Socially Responsible guidelines. Unlike other coffee companies that offer a selection of fair-trade coffee we will be buying 100% of our coffee in this manner. This means that the farmers that grow our coffee are assured a fair price. We also support their environmental initiatives and we provide support around a host of social and community health initiatives like schooling for children and health clinics. We are committed to reaching 100% fair- trade Socially Responsible coffee in the next two years.
Every day at the Stone Creek Factory we are roasting our coffee using our Signature Roasting Style. The foundations of this roasting style were developed in 1993 during the many months of roasting we did before selling a single cup of coffee. Our current Signature Roasting Style has changed over the years but the taste profile we created many years ago remains. Today, while we use more sophisticated process controls on our equipment, roasting is still more art than science. Over the course of 15 minutes, the time it takes to make one batch of Stone Creek Coffee, thousands of complex processes are taking place as we transition unroasted, raw green coffee into the fragile, delightful brown beans we sell in our stores and to our wholesale customers. We would love for you to come see us ROAST to perfection.
After our coffee is GROWN responsibly and ROASTED to perfection we must brew the coffee in a manner that allows all the drama to be released from the bean. By “drama” I am referring to the subtle bouquet of the ground coffee before brewing, the burst of flavor from the aroma and unique qualities hidden in every sip. Brewing coffee is easy if you do not care about quality. Brewing coffee to tease out all the depth and colors of the bean is hard; thus we need experts for this step. At Stone Creek, our experts are our Baristi. The Baristi brew coffee to tease out all the depth and colors of the bean. Each day at our stores these experts are using our industry leading equipment and their vast experience to extract only the best of every bean. We are also in the business of teaching all of our partners to be BREW experts. Whether it is a tour of our Factory, a cupping on Friday morning with our coffee buyer or a few hours in our training center, we will start you on a path to be a BREW expert.
After a year growing on a hillside in the cloud forest of northern Guatemala…After a 3000 mile journey from the port of Salvador on the coast of Brazil…After being roasted at the Stone Creek Factory and packed into a one-way valve bag…After being brewed by an expert Barista at a Stone Creek store…After pouring the coffee into a ceramic cup designed to accentuate the aroma…After sitting down with your newspaper…SIP slowly. This final step is the joyous culmination of a long journey for your cup of Stone Creek Coffee. For me this is the moment that requires an extra breath, a slowness to reflect not only on the taste of the coffee but also to reflect on all the people that have worked hard to bring this simple pleasure to you.
Sip Slowly,
Eric
Eric lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Melissa, and their 1-year old son Felix. They all like coffee!