Coffee Of The Week
Organic Uganda Nebbi Zombo Natural
I have been working this week on putting together a presentation of Carolines through the years. We are doing a lot of training right now, with new employees and new supervisors, so a visual chronology of our business means less talking for me. It’s been fun to dig through our archives, and find gems like the header picture–an ad where our Special Blend coffee was on sale for $4.99 / lb. It’s from The Union, and I believe the date is summer of 1984.
There were also multiple ads from our original location. If you’re not familiar with our history, Caroline Fike bought The Honey Center in 1982, a natural foods and gifts store located at 116 Neal St. (now the site of Thirsty Barrel). She changed the name to Carolines Honey, Spice, and Everything Nice–and in 1984, while looking to expand, found the current location at 128 S. Auburn St.
I’ll keep sharing images from the archives as I scan them in–I found some flyers and coupons with original drawings by Chuck Fike that are gems. And the ad for our Open House here in 1984 has a picture of Caroline with her three employees all wearing matching aprons, standing around a wagon filled with products for sale. And in case you’re picturing a Radio Flyer® size wagon, let me clarify that it’s a full size, horse-drawn peddler’s wagon. It’s a charming picture.
This week we have a unique coffee for you. No, it’s not $4.99, but it’s on sale for $14.99! Prices have increased since 1982. This is an Organic Uganda Nebbi Zombo Natural, from the far west side of this landlocked country. This coffee is grown on small family farms located to the north of Lake Albert, one of the African Great Lakes. According to our broker, these farms grow coffee on just a few acres, “intercropped with bananas, maize, potatoes and nuts.” They also say that “specialty coffee is on the rise in Uganda thanks in large part to export operations like Kawacom, which has invested in a state-of-the-art mill near the town of Paidha in the Zombo district.”
Kawacom has also helped these farmers gain organic certification, and helped with training to use coffee pulp as an organic fertilizer that increases the yield of the plants. They are also working on best harvesting techniques so that only ripe cherries are being picked. Since the coffee cherries ripen at different times on the same bush, it’s important to be selective in choosing what to pick, for an optimal harvest.
This is a natural coffee, meaning that the beans are dried with the fruit attached. At the Kawacom mill, there are rows of raised beds, so that the cherries can be dried for fifteen to twenty days, and turned regularly for even exposure. In the cup, you will taste fruit flavors, and especially lemon and oranges. This Ugandan has a high acidity, that dances on your tongue, and finishes with melon notes. You can try a cup on us with the code below. I will drink with gratitude to the farmers who worked so hard to grow this coffee. Cheers!
–Holly Fike
Coffee Coupon
