by Erica Lee
Count ‘em: 112 million people. And I am one of them.
One of 112 million Americans who drink coffee every single day. We are over half the adult population. And if you are anything like me, then you are one lovable, everyday, average coffee drinker…. You savor the scent, the flavor, and the comfort that only a steaming cup of coffee can provide. You have developed a coffee routine that is distinctly your own—from your choice of coffee maker and coffee mug to how many creams ‘n sugars you add. You probably have a passing knowledge of the health benefits associated with a daily dose of coffee. And at least once in your life, you have endured the coffee jitters after a caffeine binge, or worse, those dreaded caffeine withdrawals—the lethargy, the headaches!—when your coffee routine has been interrupted.
Yes, as coffee drinkers go, we probably have much in common, you and I.
Except…I get to work at a coffee company. On the days I’ve visited the roaster, I’ve come home scented with coffee beans. I’ve enjoyed coffee tastings in our Coffee U, pairing different blends with different sweets and learning that coffee is as complex—if not more complex—than even wine.
Before I was hired to work at ProStar Services, I thought I knew about coffee. I drank it every single day, didn’t I? (as does my mother, and her mother, and her mother before her). Goodness—coffee has been the stuff of my own family tradition! But then I was hired to work at a family-operated, family-owned coffee company. A company which proudly roasts their own blends and cares about the journey every coffee bean makes—from its point of source on the vine to its final destination in that warm mug you hold daily in your hands. And I realized I had a lot to learn.
And so this blog is about sharing. Sharing what I’ve discovered—all I am still discovering—about what goes on behind the scenes at one of the premier roasters in the coffee industry. Behind the office service company, behind the Parks brand, there is a story. There are hundreds of stories…. Stories about the coffee beans and the mountains they come from; stories about customer service and community involvement and the history of a growing business. Stories that all began in 1986 when one man began an office delivery company in his garage.
Welcome to the telling of those stories: welcome to Behind the Bean!