September Newsletter - 2010
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The Alpaca Bean Coffee Company, LLC.....
WOW!!! We have now been in business for over six years! Hard to believe, huh? We started small and enjoyed our "smallness", now we are - well, still small by comparison to the mega coffee suppliers, but we really value the growth we have had and our stable customer base. The friendships we have made along the way are, as the commercial says, "Priceless".
We started our monthly "News" during February 2009 and have enjoyed bringing you up to date on our activities, talkin' 'bout our coffee, its origins, cupping, and the health benefits of our favorite brew. We also have appreciated your willingness to share our personal moments and our "points of life" as we have gone through this time together.
We hope you will continue to enjoy these bits and pieces on a monthly basis - we hope to resist the temptation to hit you weekly with advertisements here! We will, from time to time, send out between time special offers starting this coming late fall.
Speaking of special offers...in honor of National Alpaca Farm Weekend (the end of September), we will offer free shipping for any order that exceeds fourteen dollars in total value FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. That would be any two bags of either 14 or 16 ounces in size...or any cap...or any combination of things that takes you over that magic mark! Look us up at http://www.thealpacabean.com and start shopping now...you know it is not too early to begin thinking about Christmas shopping! :o)
The Alpaca Bean Coffee Co, and Walnut Knoll Farm look forward to hosting a delegation from mainland China here on the farm. This will be the second such visit, and that visit will take place a week before the Alpaca Farm Weekend. It should provide us with an opportunity to kick off the "new" year...you see, our year begins with the fall show season and goes through around the end of April of each year...then we hunker down here on the farm to deal with heat and keeping alpacas healthy!
We also enjoy roasting during the summer days now...you might remember that we had to get our barn/farm store/roasting area renovated after severe water damage...well that included heat and air in the store/roasting room/office areas! Yeah!!!
If you are in the neighborhood on either September 25th or 26th, please drop everything and join us here on the farm. We will have tours of the farm, coffee demo's, mock shows, and other such wonderful stuff...maybe even hay rides this year!
Does this "newsletter" seem to be disjointed??? :o) Sometimes it is fun just to freelance...don't you think? Speaking of freelancing...why don't you stop long enough (yep, sit down and take a deep breath) to send us your questions about our wonderful coffee, our home, or anything that comes to mind! We will devote an issue of the "news" to answering these questions...can't wait to hear from you and getting the ol' gray matter working to write up a response that is "up close and personal" with your real "issues" concerning COFFEE OR ALPACAS... or both.
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Well here is Jude and Cha-Cha again. Thought you would like to see a pic of true love! :o) The love between alpaca owners and the precious creatures they care for is always something beautiful. You know the only problem is that we do not cherish these moments enough...don't you think? |
The Roastin' Room
When you open the door, you are transported to a place of beautiful smells and good tastes...no kiddin' that is the sensation! The roaster is a beaut, the green coffee sits waiting to be turned into a burst of flavor, and the roasted coffee smells fantastic (especially just after a roast or packaging)...these things are sometimes almost too much for a coffee nut! :o) Now that we have central air, the room is also a place where you just want to hang out for a while...thou the farm and land tasks usually take you away, way too soon. This is a small space next to the farm store, so all of the areas get to share in these sensations...heck, even upstairs in our office, and training areas we get a "taste" of the pleasure! We look forward to having you attend some of our farm events, training sessions, or simply drop by for a visit. Keep checking our farm site for times and places. Also, we will be letting you know about stuff and things right here as well!!! |
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Distractions...you know sometimes they can be deadly...other times (if the right kind) they can be life enriching.
Humans are strange characters, don't you think? We get caught up in some of the most insane thought processes from time to time. When we are unsure of something we tend to simply imagine stuff! Bet ol' fido could care less about stuff he knows little or nothin' about. Instead he simply checks himself out and ocassionally gives his ear a scratch! :o) We probably need to learn from Fido...wonder if he is offering human obediance school anytime soon???
We tend to pass laws to protect ourselves from ourselves...like the ones that are cropping up all over the place outlawing texting while you drive. Now THAT I can fully understand...if I tried to text while driving I would simply forget I was driving! Heck, I can hurt myself texting while sittin ' in my easy chair watching the Braves!! NO...I am serious!
But you know the worst distractions are of the personal kind. These are things that blind you to stuff that goes on around you and your home as well as out in the alpaca fields. Distractions tend to blind you to significant changes in alpaca behavior that if noticed and acted upon, could literally save an alpaca's life! Things like an alpaca walking in a different manner, or making more somewhat distressed humming sounds, or even eating less or avoiding the watering containers. all these things are yelling out for help...but if we are not seeing or listening because we are distracted...well it is kinda' like the tree fallin in the forest and no one is around...does it really make a noise?!? Don't you just hate it when some fruitcake restates this!
On the other side of the distraction cube, is the good stuff. Distractions can be life enriching. Say you are sitting at your desk, and up to the window flies a Ruby Throated hummingbird...he pauses in mid-air and just hangs there in front of you. Now THAT is a neat distraction. Maybe you are walking across one of your paddocks and you see one of your favorite dams standing there apparently alone...then you look again and right there, healthy, and beautiful...a new cria is lying next to her mom! A REAL NEAT distraction indeed!
Finally, the biggest and best distractions are created by family when they are together and together! Heart and hand touching, one emotionally and one physically...can't wait for the next family reunion! :o)
Well, until next month, when I will work to get myself back and not disjointed. Keep drinking that good Alpaca Bean Coffee, cause it just may pave the way to solving all of life's strange distractions and concerns... or at least keep us awake to know when someone else starts paving!
Peace
The Coffeeman
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