Distillata, proud Clevelanders since 1897!

We are hometown proud!  Did you know that we have been operating out of the same location for OVER 100 YEARS!!  Clevelanders are a proud group.  We stick by one another through thick and thin.  We are so grateful to be part of this great community.  There are so many other companies who are dedicated to this city and feel the same sense of loyalty that we do.  Some big- Sherwin Williams,  some not quite as big- Phoenix Coffee.  And of course Distillata Water!!

As you would guess, with this longevity comes a lot of incredible stories and historical pictures.  We have taken the time over the past few years to chronicle and preserve several items that have been in our buildings since inception.  From war ration tickets and aluminum canned water for soldiers to marketing geared at the 1950′s housewife.  This stuff absolutely fascinates me!  My favorite pictures are of our delivery vehicles over the years.  I thought I would share a few.

How cool is this?

At one point one of our buildings was a barn to house the delivery horses.

Very nicebottled water fleet for 1928!

Notice the phone number on the back of this truck- PR-2900- I wonder how that worked?? The super cool part is our phone number still has the same ending- 216-771-2900!

TODAY!

We happen to have an excellent amateur photographer on our staff who doubles as one of our long time delivery drivers (he has not been around since 1897 but close!).  He shared this beautiful photo of our building and truck today!

Does anyone own/ work for or know of any other companies out there that feel the same way as we do about this great city?  The home of rock and roll and The Distillata Company!

 

 

 

Are you washing your organic produce with pesticides?

We should all be very mindful about what goes into our bodies.  Alot of you take the time and extra money to shop for the best available foods for your families.  Making sure the fruits and veggies you delicately place into your cart are organically grown and free of pesticides. Maybe you drove to the local farmers market to pick and choose the berries and herbs and vegetables from your grocery list.

But later in the week, when you pull that same produce out to make a nice salad or enjoy some fresh fruit, are you rinsing it with unfiltered tap water?

Dont.

You could be rinsing your fresh organic produce with water tainted by the very pesticides you hoped to avoid by purchasing organic in the first place. Pesticides, through runoff, can find themselves in streams and groundwater, and eventually into your glass of water.

Keep in mind, a report from the United States Geological Society told us these pesticides are rarely at concentrations likely to affect humans, but if you’re already putting forth the money for organic produce, do you want to risk tainting them even a little? You might as well not even bother with all the effort and extra money you put into the purchase to begin with.

If you’re worried about the food you put into your body, we say worry about the water, too. They go hand in hand. Think about bottled water or  a water filtration system. We certainly do and think you should too.

It’s BREW OVER ICE time!

 I am in love with iced coffee and was so happy when I realized I can make it easily with my Keurig!

Brew Over Ice K-Cup® portion packs are specially blended to make the perfect iced coffee and tea, with just the right amount of coffee or tea leaves for a refreshingly cool brew every time. Just choose your K-Cup, add ice, and push the “brew” button. Chilling out has never been so easy!

BACON.MAPLE.LATTE.

Made in your kitchen with your Keurig Kcup brewer! 

I feel no introduction is needed here.  We need to get to the recipe as quickly as possible!

There are two variations.  The first is so easy.

1. Brew your favorite Kcup coffee in your Keurig coffee brewer.  I would suggest a darker roast such as Tullys House Blend or French Roast brewed on the lowest water setting of your Keurig. 

2. Place a piece of cooked bacon in your coffee and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

3. Froth or steam your milk.  You can simply heat about ½ – 1 cup of milk in the microwave or stovetop if you do not have a frother.

4. Pour the milk onto the coffee. 

5.  If you are lucky enough to have a milk frother you can now crumble the bacon on top of the milk! I really think this make the drink.  I have a super cheapo $10 frother that works just fine.

The second variation is the same as above for the most part except, instead of putting the bacon in the coffee you would use bacon fat.  (I know, I know but, you only need a teaspoon- how bad for you can that be? And it’s a Bacon Maple Latte; did you really expect it to be healthy?)

Here is how to handle the bacon fat:

1. Cook up the bacon. Save the fat – this is the part you really need. Make sure you cook the bacon slowly, so all the fat cooks out, then strain the drippings through cheesecloth or a very small strainer so that it is clear. You can store this fat in a covered container in the fridge. You can cook with it or use it for your coffee, just keep in mind that it doesn’t keep forever. You’re going to want to use it in a timely fashion.

3. Add anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of bacon fat to your coffee, depending on your tastes. Remember, it’s a flavoring – you don’t need much. 

The novel part of the drink is…bacon fat. Not bacon essence, bacon flavoring or bacon #40, just plain ol’ bacon fat. You’ll find that it separates from the coffee; just stir it again if you want.

I am soooo excited about this recipe!!! I think it would go quite well with this donut…

Tags: bacon coffee, bacon maple lat, bacon maple latte, coffee recipes, keurig kcups

Two Great Companies

We are truly grateful to partner with two socially and environmentally responsible companies; Marley Coffee and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Both are involved in many causes that give back and protect the environment.  Today I will highlight Green Mountain Coffee.

Green Mountain is headquartered in Vermont, nestled among the lush mountains in the cozy town of Waterbury.  I was lucky enough to visit their headquarters- it was beautiful, actually breathtaking!

Green Mountain a a classic Cinderella story,  they started out as a typical local coffee shop:

And boy did they succeed and grow beyond their wildest imagination!  We believe they can attribute this success to a mindful way of doing business.

If you know anything about this area you know it is very “green” figuratively and literally!  Our partner fits right in and perhaps helps create this culture.

GMCR is recognized as a leader in the specialty coffee industry for its award-winning coffees. They are famous for innovative brewing technology.  Several years ago Green Mountain purchased Keurig who brings us our much loved Keurig Kcup coffee brewers.

More importanly Green Mountain is well known for socially responsible business practices. They  offer more than 100 high-quality coffees that sell under the Green Mountain Coffee and Newman’s Own Organics brands, including one of the largest selections of Fair Trade Certified  organic coffees in the country.

Look for this symbol on their products:  

GMCR’s purpose is to create the ultimate coffee experience in every life it touches from “tree to cup”.  This is a much different way of doing business.  Their goal isn’t the lowest price from their supplier or what they can get out of the a deal.  Their mentality is to nurture the supplier AND their children AND their neighbors AND their towns!  They choose to support their coffee truly from “tree to cup” from the growers, to the pickers to transport to tasters, roasters, etc the list goes on. But,  they start at the very beginning where very few companies choose to look.

GMCR believes that its financial success goes hand in hand with its ability to make a difference in the world. GMCR supports local and global communities by offsetting 100% of its direct greenhouse gas emissions, investing in Fair Trade Certified coffee and donating at least five percent of its pre-tax profits to social and environmental projects.

Among many other efforts the following are a few of the organizations Green Mountain supports:

Green Mountain supports many organizations that reach from “tree to cup”.  They have a goal to fight poverty and hunger through thoughtfully studying their coffee supply chain.  They found that farmers experienced “thin months” after the coffee harvest.  Causing hardship in these already struggling farmers families.  Green Mountain decided to take action and fund many grants to help the farmers get through the months between harvest without going hungry.

Sustainable coffee production requires both access to credit and the ability to manage finances. Unfortunately, affordable credit and education are not easy to come by in most coffee-growing communities. Root Capital is pioneering finance for grassroots businesses in rural areas of developing countries by providing capital, financial education, and market connections to small and growing businesses that build sustainable livelihoods and transform rural communities in poor, environmentally vulnerable places.

By providing small-scale coffee farmers with affordable credit and financial education, Root Capital has been a key link in GMCR supply chain for over eight years.  GMCR has been a liaison between the farmer and Root Capital for many years.  GMCR truly values the farmers and wants to direct them to a bright furture and provide them with the tools necessary to keep their farms running.

GMCR is an avid ally of Grounds for Health, an international nonprofit organization that provides health care to women in coffee-producing communities. Their mission is to create effective cancer screening and treatment programs for the women without access to health care. Its primary focus is on the early detection of cervical cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths among women in developing countries – including those that produce coffee.

Coffee Kids Inc. is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help coffee-growing families become less dependent on coffee — a volatile global commodity — as their sole source of income. Through education and economic diversification, Coffee Kids works with coffee-growing communities to build durable local economies, create economic opportunities, and stabilize family incomes.

How unselfish of GMCR to support this program.  They are virtually setting these families up to NOT need them,  for their own good.  How many companies do you see doing this these days?

Heifer International  is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending world hunger by providing people in poor communities with gifts of livestock and training in environmentally sound agriculture. Heifer International and GMCR share a commitment to empowering individuals and helping communities become self-reliant. In partnership with Heifer International, we help coffee growers diversify their incomes and improve their diets.

GMCR pledged to fund a five-year Heifer International project in 2009 in and around Jaltenango, Chiapas, Mexico – the home of CESMACH, a fair trade coffee cooperative, and the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve.  This project is implementing a variety of agroecological activities that may serve as an alternative to coffee production including providing livestock, beehives, fish, vegetable seeds, fruit trees, and the components for mushroom production.  Over the five year project period, 500 families will participate and increase their capacity for food production and their income by selling the surplus.

The three primary areas of focus in this project are:

• The diversification of agro-ecologic production and food consumption
• Increased income through the sale of surplus production of at least one item in the project
• Strengthening organizational processes and the families’ participation in the cooperative

Heifer International is my favorite of Green Mountains many programs because I can help support this program directly by buying Kcups with the Heifer Intl log.  A proceed of my purchase goes directly to funding this project. I can enjoy my favorite coffee and feel like I am doing something to help at the same time!

Save the Children is one of the world’s leading advocates for children, envisioning a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Their mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters initiated a food security project with Save The Children in Nicaragua with two strategic objectives:

• Increase food availability, by improving productivity, storage systems, and diversification and improve access to food, through improved market conditions and access for farmers.

You can see why GMCR has been ranked No. 1 on the list of “100 Best Corporate Citizens” and has been recognized repeatedly by Forbes, Fortune, and the Society of Human Resource Management as an innovative, high-growth, socially responsible company.  They are tops on our list of great companies as well!

I bit off more than I can chew!

Yes it is Wednesday,  no I do not have a recipe ready for you : ( I clearly bit off more than I can chew.  I am new to blogging and have quickly realized I will only be able to post recipes once a month.  I think that is more suitable anyways,  I want to talk about a variety of topics and not bombard you with the same subject every week.  However,  if there is a coffee-house drink that you would like a recipe for at any time,  just let me know,  I take requests!

So…. lets talk about employee morale today instead!

Are you looking for a simple and inexpensive way to increase employee productivity and morale?

Especially in this economy,  you may not be able to offer monetary appreciation and morale is down in a lot of industries.

You CAN still motivate your employees and increase morale.

You just need to think outside the box.

According to a national survey of employed adults conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in January 2010, the perks that employed Americans most want from their employer are:
•  Free soft drinks and/or bottled water
 available daily
• Casual dress day once per week
•  Free fresh gourmet coffee and/or tea
available daily

How simple is that?

Increase employee morale with small perks.

Three out of five (61%) employed  Americans feel more motivated to do their best work when their employer provides small perks in the office.

Nearly half agree that they feel more valued as employees when their employer provides certain perks such as fresh gourmet coffee and/or tea.

Increase employee benefits by putting money back in their pockets.

Employed Americans spend an average of $7 per week (+ $360 per year) on coffee and/or tea outside of their workplace.

Nearly half of employees surveyed reported that they wish to cut back their spending on coffee and tea in 2010 (outside of the office).

Increase productivity – and your bottom line.

More than 3 out of 4 employed adults spend time outside of their office purchasing coffee or tea.

•  The average amount of time spent purchasing coffee/tea per  day is 10 minutes – that’s over 40 hours per year per employee.

•  Almost two out of three (62%) spend up to 15 minutes per day purchasing coffee/tea. For an office of 25 people, that’s over 20 hours of lost productivity each week!

•    Average time spent purchasing coffee/tea is highest among 18-34 year olds, who take 3+ minutes longer.

Including Keurig Commercial Brewing Systems as part of your employee morale and productivity plan will not only help benefit your staff, but will help improve your bottom line by keeping employees in the office, happy and motivated.

Having worked in an office for most of my adult life,  I truly believe that the small things have a big impact.  It may not seem like much to you but,  to me and my fellow office dwellers,  good coffee is appreciated more than you realize.  Not only it is fun to talk about the great flavors with your co workers (team building),  the short break is rejuvenating (increased productivity) and it saves us money (increased benefits)!

Recipe Wednesday on Tuesday!

Recipe Wednesday (a bit early!)

Cappuccino, Cafe Mocha, Latte, Americano, Double shot skinny vanilla chocolachino?! 

Picking a drink at a coffee shop  can be overwhelming,  they seem to speak their own foreign language!  I am here to tell you it is much simpler than it seems.  I plan to post a recipe every Wednesday to unlock the mystery behind these crazy sounding (but great tasting drinks)!  I am a little early this week because I may not be blogging tomorrow and did not want to leave you without a recipe this week! With your Keurig Kcup brewer you will be able to make all of the fancy schmancy tasty drinks you love right in your own kitchen for far less than you will pay at a coffee shop.

Lets start with probably the most popular, Cafe Mocha.  A Cafe Mocha is an espresso drink that contains the same basic components as a Latte (milk & espresso). Chocolate is the ingredient that makes the mocha distinct among all espresso drinks.

I have three ways you can make a mocha at home,  easiest, very easy and easy.

First,  easiest…  Cafe Escapes Cafe Mocha K cups.

This is a wonderful blend of coffee and creamy chocolate all in one Kcup!  Just pop it in your Keurig brewer,  select your brew size,  top with whipped cream and whala you have a coffee house quality cafe mocha in 30 seconds!

Second option,  very easy.  Combine your favorite kcup coffee with hot cocoa.  

Choose a medium or dark roast kcup or whatever you have on hand brewed strong.  I prefer to use an extra bold variety, the Green Mountain Dark Magic Extra Bold is perfect. Brew on the lowest water setting your Keurig allows.  Next,   in the same big mug brew a hot cocoa kcup,  top with whipped cream (of course) and you are done!  This option provides you with a bit more of a coffee taste.

Third option easy.  Coffee house recipe.

I am telling you this is exactly how the coffee shops make your mocha. You will be shocked at how simple and cheap it is!  You will need a gallon size container.  A plastic milk jug works great.

First,  gather your ingredients:

1 quart chocolate milk

2 quarts half and half

1 can Hershey syrup (the small can 10-12oz I believe)

4 cups of extra bold kcup coffee preferably dark roast or whatever you have on hand brewed very strongly.

Now get prepared…  this is going to be complicated…  are you ready?

Pour it all in to the milk jug and shake it up. Done.

Can you believe it?  You were paying $4.00 a cup for that? You now have a whole gallon of coffee house recipe cafe mocha!  You can heat it up one cup at a time, on the stovetop,  in a crock pot (perfect for a fall or winter party) or serve it over ice. Top with whipped cream, cinnamon and/ or chocolate shavings. Want to save calories (a Skinny Cafe Mocha would be the appropriate lingo)?  Use whole or skim milk in place of the half and half, skim chocolate milk and fat free or sugar free whipped cream!

Do you have a favorite coffee house specialty drink that you would like to make at home?   

Tags: Beverage, Cafe Mocha, Chocolate, Coffee, Drink, Latte, Milk, Whipped cream