Saturday, January 25, 2014

Fairtrade International introduces Standard for hired labour

Wise Coffee has a strict policy to have organic AND fairtrade certificates on file for ALL of the coffee that we roast and serve.  Fairtrade International just introduced a new Standard that makes positive steps towards making fair working wages and trade practices more achievable and enforceable.  Here is a link to an article that discusses this new Standard:

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=primecreative

You can also read the report on the new Standards on Fairtrade International's website:

http://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/standards/documents/generic-standards/2014-1-15_HL_FINAL_links.pdf

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

A Year of Beginnings

2013 was a pretty amazing year for Wise Coffee!  We started the process of building out our new roastery, got our plans turned in to the County (argh!  now it begins!), added some new WONDERFUL clients, and made some pretty incredible friends along the way.  You can find Wise Coffee now brewed and served at several LA foodie hubs, like Venice Alehouse, Bank of Venice, Red Bread, and the Larchmont to name a few.  (If you're experiencing a "have to have my Wise Coffee" moment, you can even buy our beans at Venice Alehouse and Red Bread).  We've grown our family (shout out to Megan - our partner and dearest friend - and fan), and we're looking forward to an unforgettable and groundbreaking 2014.

One of the most poignant metaphors/omens for this year included the vast number of butterflies that established themselves in our garden this year!  9+ caterpillars grew into butterflies right before our eyes - and they liked flying to (and landing on) Ryu (our roaster).  What a year!

Why Water Quality is SO Important

We've often mentioned and emphasized to our customers and readers the importance of water quality makes on the quality of the brew of ANY coffee.  One day, our roaster wanted to illustrate this point to us during a discussion and boiled down a gallon of tap water in a green ceramic pot.  This is a picture of what LA municipal tap water looks like when it's boiled down!  Massive mineral and chemical sediment remains that, if used to brew coffee, in the coffee that you drink as well. 

ALWAYS use clear, clean, FILTERED water. Respect the beans (and your health) and get the best possible brew every time.