Vanessa and I attended Coffee Fest, a trade show in Chicago, this past weekend. We walked the floor and saw what was new in the coffee industry. There were an overwhelming amount of things you can buy for a coffee shop or roasting company and hundreds of coffee fanatics filling the Navy Pier convention floor.
Two things really stuck with me:
1. Coffee is extremely complicated. The process to get from a plant growing in the ground to a beverage in your hand is amazing. I can't do justice to explaining all the details, you should just read this.
2. I'm so glad I'm a part of this world. A cup of coffee is a beautiful thing. There's no where else I would rather be than working here at Homer's.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
A Cup a Day May Keep the Doctor Away…
I found some encouraging news today regarding coffee intake.
Did you know that drinking a cup of coffee can help calm an acute attack of asthma?
Also, drinking coffee can lower your risk of the following:
Type 2 Diabetes
Parkinson’s Disease
Colon Cancer
Kidney Stones
Cirrhosis
Dementia
Cavities
So, be healthy in 2009 and confidently grab that cup of joe in the morning (or afternoon, or evening).
(Look for yourself at positivelycoffee.org, sciencedaily.com or WebMD)
-Vanessa
Did you know that drinking a cup of coffee can help calm an acute attack of asthma?
Also, drinking coffee can lower your risk of the following:
Type 2 Diabetes
Parkinson’s Disease
Colon Cancer
Kidney Stones
Cirrhosis
Dementia
Cavities
So, be healthy in 2009 and confidently grab that cup of joe in the morning (or afternoon, or evening).
(Look for yourself at positivelycoffee.org, sciencedaily.com or WebMD)
-Vanessa
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Caffeine Addicted Towns
I came across this today, an article about the most caffeinated and least caffeinated cities in America. I'm always a little skeptical of their formula when I read articles like this, but it's interesting regardless.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Homer's in USA Today
Check out this article from the AP. It was picked up in papers all over the country.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-12-24-jesus_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-12-24-jesus_N.htm
Monday, December 22, 2008
Chri$tma$
Christmas is this week. And you know what that means. Shopping.
From Thanksgiving until Christmas all you hear about is shopping. From Target to car dealerships to jewelry stores, every retailer is trying to get a piece of the shopping pie. I'm sure we've all seen commercials telling us our wives need a new diamond necklace and our kids need the newest fancy toy with blinking lights and sirens. As I celebrate my 25th Christmas, I see how I've believed this lie told to us by retailers and advertisers. We've been told the way to express love to our family is to buy them things they don't need. Ignore the fact that the toy truck you bought for Junior was made in China, where factory workers make almost nothing, have no health care, no unions, and don't get bathroom breaks. Ignore the fact that the fun scarf you bought for your niece was made in India, where factories don't have to worry about pollution standards and child labor laws are basically nonexistant. You NEED the truck and you NEED the scarf, otherwise how will you express love to your family?
This year I've been thinking a lot about where my money goes, I've tried to consider what a retailer hides from me about what I buy, but it's almost impossible not to compromise certain values living in America in 2008 (almost 2009). Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Man should mean more to us than peace in our house because everybody got what they wanted for Christmas. We should think about peace for the cashier at Wal-Mart and good will towards the factory worker in China. Are the shopping choices we make moving us towards these ideals or not?
I don't think retail stores are evil or we shouldn't buy products made in foreign lands, but we should hold the people we buy things from to a high standard. I hope people hold me to a high standard at Homer's. I get excited when people ask me if our coffee is fair trade and would expect our customers to be angry if they found out I was mistreating our staff. I've done my best so far to buy products from businesses who have the same values we do, but we still have a long way to go. It's extremely difficult to find a reasonable price on things like paper cups, cleaning supplies, and napkins without buying them at a big box chain and buying imports. One item I'm particularly excited we now offer is our quiche, made by a local Kansas City baker who has similar ideals to ours. Offering the quiche is a small step in the right direction for us.
I would encourage all of us to make wise choices with our money. What you buy with a dollar impacts people all over the world. Peace on Earth. Good Will towards Men.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2009,
Glenn Winkler
From Thanksgiving until Christmas all you hear about is shopping. From Target to car dealerships to jewelry stores, every retailer is trying to get a piece of the shopping pie. I'm sure we've all seen commercials telling us our wives need a new diamond necklace and our kids need the newest fancy toy with blinking lights and sirens. As I celebrate my 25th Christmas, I see how I've believed this lie told to us by retailers and advertisers. We've been told the way to express love to our family is to buy them things they don't need. Ignore the fact that the toy truck you bought for Junior was made in China, where factory workers make almost nothing, have no health care, no unions, and don't get bathroom breaks. Ignore the fact that the fun scarf you bought for your niece was made in India, where factories don't have to worry about pollution standards and child labor laws are basically nonexistant. You NEED the truck and you NEED the scarf, otherwise how will you express love to your family?
This year I've been thinking a lot about where my money goes, I've tried to consider what a retailer hides from me about what I buy, but it's almost impossible not to compromise certain values living in America in 2008 (almost 2009). Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Man should mean more to us than peace in our house because everybody got what they wanted for Christmas. We should think about peace for the cashier at Wal-Mart and good will towards the factory worker in China. Are the shopping choices we make moving us towards these ideals or not?
I don't think retail stores are evil or we shouldn't buy products made in foreign lands, but we should hold the people we buy things from to a high standard. I hope people hold me to a high standard at Homer's. I get excited when people ask me if our coffee is fair trade and would expect our customers to be angry if they found out I was mistreating our staff. I've done my best so far to buy products from businesses who have the same values we do, but we still have a long way to go. It's extremely difficult to find a reasonable price on things like paper cups, cleaning supplies, and napkins without buying them at a big box chain and buying imports. One item I'm particularly excited we now offer is our quiche, made by a local Kansas City baker who has similar ideals to ours. Offering the quiche is a small step in the right direction for us.
I would encourage all of us to make wise choices with our money. What you buy with a dollar impacts people all over the world. Peace on Earth. Good Will towards Men.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2009,
Glenn Winkler
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
SNOW
I'm a huge fan of snow. I love the way it looks, feels, and everything about it. When you're a kid, is there anything better than going to bed with the possibility of a snow day when you wake up? My mom always told me that if I did all my homework, then the schools would probably close the next day and I could enjoy the snow day, but if I didn't do my homework in anticipation of a snow day, the schools would be open. Somehow this always seemed to be the case.
Personally, it bothers me when the local news stations predict snow with a negative tone as if it's a bad thing. I think if the media portrayed snow as a positive development, the community would react similarly.
Even though we're all grown up now and have to work and drive regardless of weather conditions, we should get excited about snow like we did when we were kids. Enjoy the weather today.
I'm hoping for a lot of snow this winter (and that you'll need a Homer's Mexican Mocha to keep you warm).
-Glenn
Personally, it bothers me when the local news stations predict snow with a negative tone as if it's a bad thing. I think if the media portrayed snow as a positive development, the community would react similarly.
Even though we're all grown up now and have to work and drive regardless of weather conditions, we should get excited about snow like we did when we were kids. Enjoy the weather today.
I'm hoping for a lot of snow this winter (and that you'll need a Homer's Mexican Mocha to keep you warm).
-Glenn
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Ezekiel 3:12 Project
Last night the newest version of the Jimmy Nickelsen band, The Ezekiel 3:12 Project, played to a packed house at Homer's. It was a great night of music.
Jimmy's band was one of the first to play at Homer's after I started working here in June. Immediately I was impressed by the band's talent and knew they would be a favorite of mine. When I scheduled a few more shows, John Altevogt, the bands bass player, informed me that the band would be adding a member and changing it's name to The Ezekiel 3:12 Project. I can safely say that the band just got better. Jason (I don't know the last name) joined as a second guitarest and singer for their show last night and it sounded like they'd been together for years already. An acoustic version of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" was a highlight for me.
You should definately check out this band when they come back in January.
Jimmy's band was one of the first to play at Homer's after I started working here in June. Immediately I was impressed by the band's talent and knew they would be a favorite of mine. When I scheduled a few more shows, John Altevogt, the bands bass player, informed me that the band would be adding a member and changing it's name to The Ezekiel 3:12 Project. I can safely say that the band just got better. Jason (I don't know the last name) joined as a second guitarest and singer for their show last night and it sounded like they'd been together for years already. An acoustic version of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" was a highlight for me.
You should definately check out this band when they come back in January.
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