Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Holiday Hullabaloo!

Hello Coffee Lovers!

A few pounds heavier and still confused about what day we're actually on and what in tarnation is going on with the weather, we have survived Thanksgiving, only to be thrust head first into the always startling waters of the pre-holiday season.

Whether we're talking about coffee, shopping, decorating or frantically trying to wind down the year at work, this is a time of year when most of us are charging at full tilt towards the finish line--we at Blanchard's are no exception.

There is SO MUCH happening at Blanchard's Coffee Co.--most of it really awesome. Here is a little update on everything we can tell you so far, and I promise there is even bigger news in the works so keep checking in on us for updates.

Holiday Blend
It is here and it is delicious! A blend of African and Latin American Beans that fits the bill for a great coffee to enjoy leading up to your celebrations. This year, it happens to benefit a great organization here in Richmond called the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence--be sure to click on their link and read about all they do here in town.  We'll be donating a portion of proceeds from Holiday Blend to their organization which will hopefully continue in a lasting relationship after the holidays.

You can buy Holiday Blend at Ellwood Thompson Market, Taza Coffee & Creames, several area Martin's Food Stores, Crossroads Coffee (both locations), Libbie Market, The Blanchard's Coffee Co. website and hopefully more to come! Also, if you find yourself down in the Outer Banks for the holidays, you can pick up Holiday Blend at Waverider's Coffee in Nags Head.

Microlot
We were sad to see the Nicaraguan Maragogype Peaberry go so hopefully we'll be able to buy that entire crop again next year. We are, however, excited to announce we have bought the entire crop of another small farm in Nicaragua. The Las Nubes Cooperative is owned and operated solely by women of the community and they produced a crop of a little over 300 pounds of a special Caturra varietal. The coffee is a delicious full bodied, light roasted single origin with notes of butter and ripe cherry. This coffee will be available on our website, at Ellwood Thompson Market and several coffee shops including Taza Coffee & Creames, Crossroads Coffee (both locations) and Para Coffee.

Gift Boxes
Every year we offer holiday gift boxes for your gift giving pleasure--a nice, clean cut, black Blanchard's gift box snugly stuffed with three signature BCC coffees--this year we're featuring Dark as Dark, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and of course, Holiday Blend. You can order on our website or we are always willing to take your orders over the phone, in person, via email or even smoke signals, but be warned, sometimes its hard to read smoke signals because of all the smoke we make when roasting Dark as Dark!

We're already getting a ton of requests for custom gift box orders and this is Totally welcomed--if you have special requests, needs or large quantity orders please contact Stephen directly (804-516-5213 or stephen@blanchardscoffee.com) and he'll help you get exactly what you need for your holiday gift giving needs.

We hope to post again soon with even bigger, more exciting news (if you can believe thats possible!) but until then, enjoy the holiday season, stay warm, or cool, whatever we're on today, and don't drink too much egg nog!