April 2023 Newsletter

April 2023 Newsletter

Happy pre-summer!

Our outdoor seating is back, our windows are open, and the mosquitos have not yet descended. What a time to drink coffee!

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considering what it means to be ‘local’

One thing we’ve learned (and share great appreciation for) since the opening of little seed is the importance of ‘local’ in our Vermont community. People feel a certain fondness toward locality in Vermont — and for good reason. The state is bursting at the seams with amazing local producers. It’s an attractive haven for those who don’t just want to make something, but make something unique and super-high-quality. We sometimes get asked if our coffee is local. A question that makes us smile a little, as coffee professionals, but also in earnest at the opportunity to proudly share exactly where the coffee a customer is drinking comes from, who runs the farm, and what the process was like for us to get it from the growing region to our little roasting house in Vermont. We share that, when it comes to coffee, ‘roasted in Vermont’ is as close to local as it comes — but the community that poured time, talent, and care into the crop is anything but local to our area. Knowledge of the intricacies of the product in its own locality is no less important, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to roast some insanely good coffees right here in our VT home. 

put it in a can!

After about a year’s worth of consideration, we took the plunge and partnered with MA-based company Snapchill to flash chill and can our coffee. How did this process work? Well, we chose the coffee we wanted to use (our  Guracho Sibu — a washed coffee from Guji, Ethiopia) and shared a sample with Snapchill, who then brew the coffee hot in their facility and quickly bring it down to room temperature using their proprietary method, resulting in cold coffee without compromising on flavor or aroma. Think of it as iced coffee that doesn’t water down or taste stale with time. They sent us back some samples and we provided feedback on our tweaks to the brewing process to achieve the exact flavor profile we wished to get out of the coffee. We then roasted and shipped 65 pounds to our new pals at Snapchill, which yielded just over 1,000 cans — half of which contain a bit of added oat milk. We couldn’t be more pleased with the cans and are thrilled to have them in the shop ahead of the summer season!

little seed Ledger: 
Can you make that a quad?

little seed Ledger is our blog inspired by the little seed team and what we’re passionate about (or, in this case, how we are aging). This month, Anthony shares a little perspective he’s gained roasting coffee with a ruptured quad.

Roasting coffee is a physically demanding job that requires lifting heavy bags of green coffee, moving equipment, and standing for long hours. Sustaining an injury like a ruptured quadriceps tendon can make these tasks extremely challenging, if not impossible.
 
Yet, I couldn’t help but think of the saying, “big tree fall hard” (Vince Vaughn has entered the chat). I used to think of myself as an indestructible giant, able to withstand the physical demand my job and these very typical tumbles of life threw at me. But the injury was a wake-up call.
 
One of the first things I realized I had to do was ask for help, something I am not accustomed to doing. I’ve had to rely on my coworkers, friends, and most importantly Maggie to assist me with most tasks that I used to do myself. Special friend shout-out to our local ‘swim trunk and flip flop wearing bearded bartender’ for shamelessly hoisting my leg in and out of the back seat of our car while I scooted sideways so that he can get me to my pre-op appointment while Maggie worked a shift in the shop.
 
In addition to the physical challenges of my injury, there's also the mental fatigue. Having an injury that hinders one’s ability to do their job can be frustrating and emotionally taxing. Not being able to do what I love, and having to rely on others for help, can take a toll.
 
During my recovery though, I've found it helpful to engage in activities that I could do outside of work to relieve the stresses of not being in our space. That came in the form of making fresh pasta at home. By hand and rolling pin. On one leg. No machine. Yes, the pasta came out spectacular. No, we will not be featuring homemade pasta in the shop. It also helps to have a recovery buddy - misery loves company or something like that. That came in the form of another little seed team member who had knee surgery not two weeks before I did. If you were in the shop in the last month you probably saw her sporting a (much smaller) brace. And let’s not forget all of you who have stopped to ask me about my knee as I hobble around the shop and allowed me to spill all the details of my injury as we sip coffee.
 
This has been a humbling experience. 0/10 don’t recommend. But if you find yourself in this position remember to ask for help, make pasta, find a buddy, talk about your experience, and drink a quad shot espresso.

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