While at the Coffee Roaster’s Guild Retreat back in October, a roaster from St. Louis (Hey, Brian!) gave me the idea to try a half-caff blend at the roastery—equal parts decaf and a fully caffeinated coffee. He personally loved them as a midday cup and said that many of his clients liked the option as well. I immediately thought about our amazing EA Decaf from Colombia and its incredible sweetness. It would be an amazing blender, I thought.
As it turns out, it certainly is. I’ll tell you about it, but let’s start at the beginning.
Always Start with an Adventure: Story Behind the Half-Caff Coffee
In June of 2022, Andrew, Jeremy and I went on a trip to Colombia to meet producers and connect with some of the staff of Coffee Quest USA, a coffee importer that shares many of the same values as Aldea.
We landed in Neiva and spent six long, exciting days driving the red dirt roads of the department of Huila, visiting several coffee producers around Santa Maria and as far south as Garzon. Coffee trees interplanted with plantains and citrus grew more and more plentiful as we drove higher into the mountains. A flow of motorcyclists, always on our flanks, weaved in and out of the heavy traffic. Our driver who is also a coffee producer, Miller, would honk on occasion. A system. Honk once = chill out. Honking twice meant it was safe for the bikers to pass.
All the coffee farms were set on steep, volcanic mountain sides. Some communities had electric pulley systems with platforms strong enough to move a thousand pounds of coffee (or a Coffee Quest director and a couple Michiganders) down to the main roads. Some had gravity-fed tubes connecting two storage containers, allowing harvesters to send coffee cherries to the base of the hillside without having to lug the heavy sacks down the precarious, often muddy, slopes on foot.
It was an incredible experience, meeting so many kind and welcoming people along the way. They all invited us into their homes, and shared meals and music with us, with fried plantains and arepas always in abundance.
We have since brought on two coffees from Huila, Colombia into our coffee line up: a communal lot blend of several smallholders–some of whom we met on our trip–that makes up a third of our espresso blend; and a delicious EA Decaf, which so happens to be the same communal lot, but decaffeinated in a facility that is just down the road from the dry mill in Medellin, Colombia (pictured).
Both coffees are special and great for different purposes. But, together, they make a wonderful Half-Caff blend.
But wait, what does “EA” mean?
Great question. EA stands for ethyl acetate, a naturally occurring vinegar-like solution that is made by fermenting sugar cane, another burgeoning cash crop in Colombia, like coffee. Besides EA being a natural solvent that is safe for human consumption (often used as a flavor enhancer in the food industry), the coffee is decaffeinated right down the road from the dry mill in Medellin, where all the coffee is sorted, rested, and bagged.
For this reason, EA Decaf is also one of the most sustainable decaf processes available as it is decaffeinated at origin instead of far, far away (such as in Canada, where all Swiss Water Decaf is processed), decreasing its transit and overall carbon footprint. On top of all that, EA Decafs tend to keep the “origin” flavors of the coffee intact as compared to other decaffeination processes, making for a better end product as well.
In short, EA = extra awesome.
The Downshifter: Experimental Phase
After a bit of experimenting, I developed an accessible and crowd-pleasing half-caff blend: The Downshifter.
It is a post-roast blend of the two coffees from Huila mentioned above at a 50/50 ratio. I kept the Decaf profile the same, but used our Ikawa Pro100 sample roaster to experiment with the Colombian communal lot at different roast temps.
Although I did enjoy the blend using a lighter roast temp on the communal lot, I found a darker roast helped balance out a bit of the sugary sweetness of the decaf, giving the blend more of toasted marshmallow quality, rather than brown sugar. Raising the roast temp also mellowed the usual citrus notes to that of cherries. After a lot of sipping and enjoying, I’m excited to finally share it with you.
Introducing: The Downshifter Half Caff Blend
Like a cyclist downshifting gears to get up a hill, sometimes we need to downshift to get through a busy day. The Downshifter is a Half-Caff Blend for those needing to take their caffeine intake down a notch. It’s a beautifully balanced dark roast with notes of toasted marshmallows, nuts, and dried cherries.
Having these two coffees highlighted together is special, and their flavors will always take me back to the Coffee Quest dry mill where we first tried them. I hope you enjoy it as well.
Pick up a bag today! Only available in limited supply at our Muskegon and Grand Haven cafe locations.
Coffee on,
Head Roaster, Aldea Coffee
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A wonderfully sweet and nuanced medium roast with notes of hazelnut, black cherry, and chocolate. Excellent in French Press and filter brews alike. No sugar required.
Get excited, we’re releasing a new coffee.
When Charlie Heins, President of Aldea Development, was walking through our warehouse over the summer, he saw a sack of Walberto’s coffee in the production area. “[Walberto’s coffee] is one of my favorites,” he said.
“I was really impressed with this coffee at first sampling,” says Scott, Head Roaster at Aldea. “Might be one of the sweetest coffees I’ve tried from Honduras.”
Scott sought to create a profile that would highlight the honey-like sweetness of Walberto’s coffee and yet strike a balance with its relatively high but lovely, citric acidity. The result is a nutty, and yes, sweet medium roast with notes of chocolate and black cherry.
Walberto’s coffee is small batch imported from our nonprofit, Aldea Development. In fact, did you know that all of our Honduran coffees are from Aldea Development?
Walberto started selling to Aldea Development in 2022 when he was participating in Aldea’s specialty coffee training program, led by another producer you may be familiar with, Gilberto Barrientos. The origin cupping notes from Honduras were “dark chocolate and orange citrus, with a smooth body.” The cupping score came in at 85, a great cupping score based on SCA standards.
Walberto has been dedicated to growing coffee since he was very young. His passion grew from working in the coffee fields with his father, who was also a coffee producer. Walberto started his own coffee farm, Finca la Bendicion (translates to “the blessing”), four years ago. It is approximately 1450 meters above sea level in a place called Joconal, the upper part of a village called Chimisal.
“I think [working with Aldea Development] is a good experience because we can now produce better quality coffee beans and with a better process than what is normally done here in our country,” says Walberto Castellanos when asked about the benefits of working with Aldea Coffee.
Over the last few months we have been deep in the process of recertifying as a B Corp. One of the main aspects is sustainability and combating climate change in Michigan as well as in Honduras. When B Corp asked us how our producers are becoming more resilient, we went to the Aldea Development staff to find out.
One of the main ways that farmers have been adapting to the shifting climate is by planting more trees to shade their coffee plants, reducing the amount of direct sunlight, heat, and wind on the farm. This directly benefits the health of the soil and its ability to retain moisture, nutrients, structure, and hardiness in the face of excess rainfall, drought, and other forms of extreme weather.
“Not all of my farm has shade since I have a small coffee farm and it needs more sunlight, but I have already planted shade trees that grow along with the coffee,” says Walberto.
You can find Walberto’s exceptional coffee at either of our cafe locations or order online for a holiday treat for yourself or a loved one.
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Immediately after the coffee cherries are harvested, they are taken directly to the beneficio to be processed. Here, they test the coffee to see the rate of possible defects that are present by floating the whole fruit in water. All “floaters” are separated from the denser, riper fruit and then the cherries are processed in one of two ways: washed or natural.
In the washed process, the coffee cherries are pulped (fruit is mechanically separated from the bean) before being placed in fermentation tanks where they are left to ferment for 24 hours in a large vat of clean water. The cherries are then rinsed of leftover debris (washed) and moved to solar dryers to “cure” and reduce the overall moisture content of the bean.
If a producer chooses to natural process aka “dry process” their coffee, the cherries are spread in a thin layer in solar dryers with the cascara (fruit) intact and left to dry in the sun. After a period of about four to six weeks of drying and turning the cherries, the fruit is mechanically removed from the seed (bean). This process requires significantly less water than washed processed coffees.
After one of these processing phases is done, the coffee goes to the dry mill in Santa Rosa, Honduras where the beans are rested, hulled, graded, and then finally prepared for export.
Bayron has been working in the coffee industry for four years and has been a partner of Aldea Development for three years. He is a recent graduate of Aldea’s Coffee Processing Training Program which teaches producers how to dry process (aka natural process) his coffee commercially. This process gives the final product a distinct fruity sweetness and heavier body due to the coffee bean’s extended contact with the fermenting pectin of the cascara (fruit).
Besides specialty coffee training, Aldea Development also provides producers like Bayron large solar dryers and raised beds, equipment that is necessary for natural processing in a climate like Honduras. This program and these resources has led to some of the first dry processed coffees in the La Union region are are part of why Bayron has chosen to work with us.
“I really enjoy the taste of my coffee as a dry process,” said Castellanos to the President of Aldea Development, Charlie Heins, referring to his natural processed coffee. Bayron keeps some of his naturals for his own enjoyment, and processes his personal coffee naturally, too. He said that we offer a “great price” for green coffee, and this is perhaps the main reason why they continue to sell their exceptional coffee to us.
Bayron wishes to continue to improve his coffee fields and harvest and would love to keep working with Aldea.
Partnering with producers like Bayron is a dream for roasters. With such a unique, complex product from a producer who is pushing to learn and grow and take his coffee to another level, we can only feel lucky that we get to enjoy and share his coffee for years to come.
Keep reading to learn more about this year’s crop.
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The Bonavita is the lowest priced home coffee maker approved by the Specialty Coffee Association. For the full list of certified brewers look here. However, the low price is by no means an indication of quality. This is one of the best home brewers I have used. Bonavita is made in Germany, and is better in many ways than some of its more expensive counterparts. It has a very well designed spray head for equal saturation. And, it maintains a hot, brewing appropriate temperature very consistently. It has very few difficult parts, so it is also easy to clean. If for some reason, the water flow starts to slow a quick clean with descaling solution will get it back to full speed. Aldea does not currently sell this item in house, but it can be found on Amazon. For some more fun colors and options, check out Bonavita.com
Baratza grinders are some of the best residential grinders on the market. The Encore is a great value. You can find a cheaper burr grinder, but for a little more the Encore will put you at a whole new level. The grind consistency and quality is much better, and it is much quieter. We love Baratza because of their customer service and the ease of replacing parts. Almost every part in the Baratza can be replaced if needed. A new motor is about $15 and there are great tutorials online to do it yourself. With options like that you can keep this grinder running indefinitely. The Encore is strictly for brewed coffee and is not capable of grinding espresso. If you want that option or want to take a look at some of Baratza’s more design savvy options, check out their full line up here. We do sell Baratza Grinders in-house. The Encore is currently available online or at the café. We are happy to help you dial in your grind and help with any future repairs.
We at Aldea love the Aeropress for home brewing needs. At $32 it is a low, low investment to get a delicious, well-brewed cup of specialty coffee. It also does not need a kettle with a narrow spout as is often needed with pour overs. It is made of durable plastic and silicone so you do not need to worry about it getting knocked off the counter. It is also one of the best travel coffee devices to use on hand. We use an Aeropress almost everyday in our house. It is also our go to brewer for camping. Check out our Aeropress brew guide. However, there are a ton of different recipes and videos available online if you want to change it up. We love looking up recipes from different Aeropress competition champions and trying them out.
Hario has two options available for hand grinder; the Skerton and Slim Mill. Both have excellent quality burrs. The Slim is smaller and has a plastic base. It is light-weight and the best option to take on the road. The Skerton is larger and has a glass bowl as the base. It’s design is definitely a little more noteworthy and will bring an element of quality to your set-up. Both hand grinders are excellent if you are brewing single cups. However, if you are brewing for multiple people, it may get a bit tiresome and you may want to upgrade to an electric grinder. We have found that some people tire of grinding their own coffee over time, but others really get into it as part of a soothing morning ritual. Both grinders are available in-house.
Full disclosure. I have not personally used the Silvia residential model yet. However, we do use Rancilio for all our commercial machines. What we love about Rancilio is they combine all the essentials for making great espresso in a very straightforward, affordable package. This machine is going to give you all the same flexibility and function of an actual café model. There are no gimmicks. You will have to learn how to pull a shot correctly. You will also need to learn how to steam milk. The upside is you are going to get café quality espresso and with a little practice be able to achieve beautiful latte art. If you are a coffee enthusiast these things are not hard to learn, they will just take a little time in the beginning. I love the Silvia for the price. It is very affordable for what you are receiving. If I was really into coffee and really wanted to push the envelope for quality and my barista skills, I would get the pro. The biggest reason for the pro is the extra boiler. On such a small machine two boilers will give you a lot of consistency and ability to get great milk.
At both of our cafes you can find a rack of thrifted sweatshirts that Elly & Brittany thrifted just for you. Items will change with the seasons, so be sure to check back regularly. We look forward to sharing this initiative with you at both our Muskegon and Grand Haven locations. We may even go live on Instagram from time to time if you’re not a local resident.
Along this same line of thinking we are starting a new program. If you have gently worn Aldea gear at home, bring it back to us and receive 2 free drink cards for you and a friend. We will take it from there and return it into our apparel stream as described above. You may drop your items with a barista at either cafe. For those of you who are more interested in purchasing new attire, stay tuned for part two of our solution to solving our apparel problem in an email coming next week.
*World Wildlife Fund - https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-impact-of-a-cotton-t-shirt#
* Treehugger.com - https://www.treehugger.com/clothes-you-donate-dont-always-end-peoples-backs-4863686
Hello friends,
It’s hard to believe we are over two months into these uncertain times. We miss your faces and the day-to-day interaction with all of you. So we wanted to take this time to check in and share a personal story that feels especially relevant right now.
This is a tale a few of you may already know, taking us back to Jeremy’s first trip to Tanzania in 2001 -- a time in his life when his wanderlust was at its peak, dragging him to distant corners of the world. He spent nearly the entire month of July that year in Tanzania—a country in east Africa known to most as home to Mount Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti. For Jeremy it was an experience that forever altered the way he views humanity. He describes it as the “juxtaposition of so much of my life up to that point.”
“Distance that is all too common in our daily lives – it was the opposite,” he said.
He thinks back to the intricate details of everyday life there, including public transportation. He can’t help but smile when thinking about it.
Pictured above: Mary Super
“It was children on your lap, livestock under your seat. It was hot and uncomfortable, “ he said “and lots of interesting smells. It was hours and hours on a bus. It was a connection I saw that was present there – or not present with my experience prior – and it would come to define the new trajectory I was on. I was sweaty, and I loved it.”
The trip was so memorable that Jeremy still recalls the sights, the “electric sounds” and most importantly, the interaction he had with people he met along the way. He misses lifelong friends that resulted from the trip, the unexpected kindness of strangers who made him feel welcomed and comfortable. There isn’t a day that goes by that he isn’t affected by the memories.
He fondly recalls the Rastafarians with whom he lived for weeks on Zanzibar, the pleasure of eating at “Khan’s Chicken and Auto Parts” in Arusha, and the time he was smuggled from Mwanza across Lake Victoria to Uganda aboard a cargo vessel. (No, really-- that actually happened.)
Fast forward to 2019, and Jeremy had the opportunity to return to Tanzania, this time for business. He sought out to find Tanzanian AA, a high-grade speciality coffee which is difficult to find in the U.S.
While there Jeremy befriended a Tanzanian support staff who were integral in sourcing the coffee. He visited over a dozen co-ops and individual farms in addition to three processing facilities. He met with the Tanzanian Coffee Board, a non-profit development organization and went to a cupping facility created by Starbucks. Logistically he accomplished all that via plane, on motorcycle, public bus, pick-up truck, motorcycle taxis and, of course, on foot.
Pictured above: Mary Super, Mary Heinemann, Freddy, Ismail Matipa, Jeremy Miller.
He felt so much nostalgia.
“Seeing the coffee growing regions in the southern highlands in Tanzania, I felt like I was back in Honduras, the roads and landscapes and skies,” he said.
But after a productive and memorable second trip, Jeremy’s experience took a devastating turn on the very day he was set to depart.
It all still haunts him to this day.
While waiting to board his Boeing flight from Tanzania to Ethiopia at the end of his two-week trip, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 had taken off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on that Sunday, March 10, 2019, heading for Kenya. Six minutes into takeoff, that flight crashed, killing all 157 people on board.
You may remember the news coverage: Chaos and unanswered questions the world had about the second Boeing flight that had plummeted to Earth five months after the first.
It was surreal.
Jeremy got wind of this shortly before he was set to board his Boeing flight back home. While the news began trickling in through media and phone calls, he remembers how he felt as he boarded and took his back row seat on that 737 MAX amongst the sea of numb faces.
Pictured above: Jeremy boarding his flight.
There was an ache in his chest he had never felt before as his flight departed from Dar es Salaam to Addis, the first leg on his return trip to Chicago. He will never forget the gentleman from China seated next to him, wearing the same expression of fear and sadness; two men grappling to make sense of the situation. After their tears of grief and fear overtook them and the inevitable conversation began, Jeremy learned the man was flying to retrieve the remains of his best friend who had been on the doomed Boeing flight. Though it only meant scooping a bit of dirt from a hillside, the cultural significance of having something to bury back home so the family can properly grieve and pay respects was his mission that evening.
Jeremy stared directly into the eyes of the flight attendants who just learned of the deaths of their colleagues and friends, yet were prepared to force smiles and accommodate strangers sitting in the rows before them from a sense of duty. Upon landing, he absorbed the gut wrenching sobs coming from the galley just behind him as the flight taxied to the arrival gate, bellowing from the depths of these brave, stoic women dressed to perfection in their pressed, green uniforms. He felt their grief and their grief became his.
“I didn’t know how much anxiety and fear there would be with passengers and crew. I could feel it with everyone on the plane. When we landed, it was a feeling of conflict between relief and fear because you just got on a plane and successfully made a leg where the crash occurred, on the same make and model of airplane.”
Call it ‘survivors guilt’ or post traumatic stress, Jeremy continues to struggle with the remarkable events of that day, especially now.
He is aware how old wounds when agitated tend to reopen. Like so many, he has good days and bad.
This is part of the reason why Jeremy and the Aldea family feel it is important to continue providing the community a place of peace and familiarity. We believe it’s the right thing to do: To remain strong and not allow current events to dictate our service to you.
As part of that, we are proudly introducing our latest coffee-- a fruit of Jeremy’s experience in Tanzania, only made possible with the support of the team on the ground in Tanzania, and the rest of the Aldea crew here in the U.S. The first shipment of Tanzanian AA has arrived, and it’s been roasted, ready for you to enjoy. For us, it represents hope during uncertainty. Let’s face it, we have all experienced trauma and hurt on some level, and the fallout from this pandemic hasn’t made things any easier.
Pictured above: first roast of the Tanzanian coffee.
Thus we feel our mission statement at Aldea has never resonated more:
“Together, through all we craft, we emphasize quality and value in every interaction. We believe the Earth to be an inspiring place, and we empower each other to explore, enjoy, and preserve it.”
Though our interaction with you might look different for a while, the value has not changed. It is more important now than ever to check in and support one another, and simply be there for a phone call or a physically-distanced cup of coffee.
We are here for you and want to thank you for continuing to “show up” for us. We appreciate your support more than you’ll ever know.
With love,
The Aldea Team
]]>We are so excited to share the second video in our series “Aldea At Home.” We hope this series will give you all the tools you need to brew great coffee. Join Elly and Daniel from the comfort of their kitchen for “Part II: Brewing with a Chemex”
Share your stories and tips about brewing Aldea Coffee by using #AldeaAtHome.
For specific questions you might have about brewing, email us at partner@aldeacoffee.com or send us a message on facebook or instagram. A barista will get back to you right away!
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All coffee you and tools you see in this video are available on our website at https://www.aldeacoffee.com/collections.
For specific questions about brewing, email us at partner@aldeacoffee.com or send us a message on facebook or instagram. A barista will get back to you right away.
Share your stories and tips about brewing Aldea at home by using #AldeaAtHome.
Thanks for watching!
When you base everything you do on facilitating healthy relationships, it is sometimes surprising the pleasant things that happen. Our espresso blend is one such instance. As we began looking forward to our February and Valentine’s Day specials, we decided to highlight these coffees and how well they compliment each other in our espresso. This blend consists largely of two coffees grown by Ruth and Ramon Enamorado. Ruth and Ramon are farmers from the same region of Honduras, but what makes it even more special is they are also husband and wife whose last name just so happens to translate as “in love.”
Natural processing is different from the process most coffee goes through. A natural process simply means that the fruit surrounding the bean remains intact until later in the drying process. This helps the coffee retain more natural sweetness and fruity flavors. It can be a more complex method and thus less common in much of the world, including Honduras. The fact that the coffees of Ruth and Ramon are naturally processed making up a large percentage of our blend contributes to the espresso becoming sweet and creamy.
Did you know espresso blends can be used for espresso, but also as any other form of coffee as well? The beans are just regular coffee and they work as well for your regular coffee pot as they would for espresso. The only difference is in the machine and the extraction technique. An espresso machine subjects coffee to high pressure, resulting in espresso’s uniquely powerful flavor.
The blend:
The coffees of Ruth &Ramon highlight the blend, but it is rounded out by a coffee from Brazil and another single-origin coffee from Honduras. This helps balance it throughout the espresso extraction process.
Notes:
Creamy, Rich, Sweet
Price:
Ruth and Ramon were paid 81% above the fair trade rate for their beans.
Purchase the Espresso Blend at either cafe, or online here.
As this year comes to a close, sitting down and writing something to all of you is a first for us; hopefully the first of many to come. To begin with, we are sending this to update you on the many developments Aldea has undertaken in 2019. We opened a new café, are acquiring a building to permanently house our roaster, started baking most of our own pastries, and doubled our staff. Needless to say, we could not have done this without all of you. The business consultants of the world might want to call you customers, but we know that is far from the truth. You are close friends and much more like family. You have helped us grow and become better human beings. Thank you for pouring into us. Thank you for making Aldea what it is.
Your energy and support has not only made an impact on us, but the farmers we work with. The past few years have been very tough for small to midsize coffee farmers. A combination of agricultural blights and market forces have devastated crops and driven prices down significantly to less than $1 per pound. Farmers worldwide have had to give up on coffee as a livelihood. In many cases, people have had to leave their homes and towns because of debts that cannot be paid or to look for alternate sources of income. As said best by one of our Honduran staff members and coffee farmers Gilberto Barrientos, “what is the world coming to when you can’t make a living in Honduras as a coffee farmer.”
This December we roasted our 100,000th pound of coffee. As we reflected on this, it brought to light how important our stance on working with farmers is in light of the current situation. We do not alter our prices according to the market rate. We pay farmers a consistent rate every harvest. We pay them for the quality of what they produce. If the quality has not gone down, why would we pay them less? Our contract is not with the commodity market. It is with real people. We understand that money from one yearly coffee harvest supports the livelihood of entire families year round.
We are proud to say that not a single farmer we work with has gone out of business. We are not looking for this to be some sort of “let’s pat ourselves on the back session.” But, it is not lost on us the significance of what happens when we pay attention to the world around us. We wanted to let you know this because it is the core of Aldea. It is why we exist. And, it is our biggest thanks of all. Thank you for drinking coffee with us. Thanks for helping the amount of coffee we can use grow. Through this we have got to know each other. We have created community. And, we have had an impact on the lives of people we might not think about on a day to day basis.
With much love,
Andrew and Jeremy
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You might think growing coffee in the mountains of Honduras seems like a romantic notion, Carlos proved it really can be. Seriously, maybe we should wait until Valentines Day to release this coffee. On August 3, 2019 Carlos and Nelsi Barbarita Alvarado were married. We are so happy for these two. It is difficult to put our joy and excitement into words so here are a few more pictures.
She is 29 years old and a grade school teacher. This year she was transferred to a different school and became the director of kindergarten in El Sito. She currently teaches pre-kinder and kindergarten. This coming March, Nelsi will complete her bachelor’s degree in education. She hopes to study language and/or law.
Here is one more from their wedding day.
And… one more because it is such a cool shot.
Carlos and Nelsi visited us this November. The timing was perfect. They roasted the first batch of their coffee with us. It was also Nelsi’s first introduction to the weather in West Michigan.
They found the cozy corner at the Pine St. café..
The following is the info for Carlos’ coffee. However, the info on the bag will never describe what this coffee and Carlos & Nelsi mean to us. We hope you enjoy it as well and a little bit of this feeling is passed on to you.
Tasting notes: Subtle, sweet, brown sugar
Varietals: 100% Yellow Catuai Varietal
Process: Washed Process
Farm: Finca El Desvio
Farmer: Carlos Heins
We hope you have an amazing holiday. Love your friends and family for all they are worth. Love them not for what you want them to be, but for who they are, even if who they are is sometimes impossible to understand.
Merry Christmas from the Aldea Family
In July 2019, Aldea Coffee turns four years old. In that time, we have made preserving the Earth a top priority, and that value is written directly into our mission statement. Our team is full of highly passionate and empathetic people who embrace challenges as they arise. We make recycling and composting possible by working with local organizations, friends and the City of Grand Haven.
Recycle | We sort all recycled materials into different containers in the basement at the Armory. Downtown Grand Haven, we can recycle our plastic milk jugs, cardboard boxes and paper right in the cardboard recycling bin behind our building. Materials that are not accepted are taken to a facility where they can be processed in Grand Rapids.
Compost | As a coffee company, the great majority of products we use can be composted and quickly returned to the natural environment. Knowing this, we just needed to find a friendly composter to help us out. Grand Haven local (hero) and friend, Zebulon stepped up to the plate, rather, garden. Zeb has been composting for us going on two years, and by processing our compost Zeb creates a more sustainable lifestyle for his family. Thank you so much, Zeb!
Reduce Waste | To reduce other types of waste we implemented several new protocols. We order reusable mugs and encourage our customers to purchase and use them. We take great pride in washing them if mugs come back in need. By having these mugs available, we greatly reduce the amount of paper cups and plastic lids leaving our coffee shop, likely heading for a landfill. We removed stir sticks and straws from our cafe, replacing them with metal spoons and strawless lids. All of these initiatives and many others have a positive impact on our team, customers, Grand Haven and the Earth.
Local Partnerships | We love to partner with local organizations, including WMEAC and the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Through WMEAC’s partnership we are working to bring commercial composting to Grand Haven. This is an ongoing project that involves students at Grand Valley State University, Aquinas College and many locals. We are raising awareness, hosting workshops and forums, and plan to cause a bit of a ruckus.
Community Engagement | Another way that we make sustainability a priority is by planning and attending local events. We organize beach cleanups at Grand Haven State Park and have hosted a composting workshop to teach the best ways to compost at home. By engaging directly with the community, we see first-hand the impact we make on Grand Haven and the surrounding communities.
Two events that we're participating in this month:
Grand Haven State Park Beach Cleanup April 20th
Grand Haven Earth Day Celebration April 27th
Stay connected through our blog, instagram and emails to see other ways we are getting involved to preserve this beautiful Earth on which we are honored to live.
]]>Ever wonder why your favorite barista isn’t at the Armory? We wrote up this post to share with you what we’ve been up to! The past few months have been very productive for us. From moving our production site to signing a lease on a new cafe, we are working diligently to pursue growth in order to better serve each of you this year.
Throughout the past four years we have surveyed the many potential buildings in downtown Muskegon. As many of you have heard, we are working towards opening our second location on Pine Street downtown Muskegon! We launched a crowdfunding campaign because we want to include our community in this project in every way. Contributing to the campaign is one of the best ways, but we are also looking for volunteers to work on the space as it continues to move forward. We chose Muskegon because after years at the Farmer’s Market and building relationships within the community, we wanted to build a brick and mortar for everyone to enjoy year round. (Read our blog post about how to donate here!)
Jeremy has always been drawn to Tanzania, so when we met Mary, of Live Dunia, last year we knew the partnership had great potential. We want to expand our coffee offerings, as well as develop more relationships around the world. This trip held many significant moments that Jeremy will elaborate on in later posts.
We are passionate about the development happening in Muskegon Heights. When former City Manager Jake Eckholm approached us, we knew we wanted to take part. We started our roastery in the old Scott Meats building while we continued to search for the perfect location within the city limits. This winter, we came across the Potter’s Lighting building and it was a perfect fit. Our team and many of our friends and family assisted in making this become a reality. The building will house our roasting, food preparation, syrup, chai and cold brew productions. By having our own building, we can more effectively serve you with quality products.
One of our bakery partners, Elegance of the Seasons, retired this winter. Because we were sourcing muffins & caramel bars from them for the past few years, this felt like the perfect time to start producing our own baked goods. Angie & Elly hit the ground running to develop recipes that are a perfect fit for our cafe at the Armory. This is only the beginning of the food offerings we are hoping to create this year. (Pictured: Muffins & Shortbread Cookies by Aldea, Cookies & Scones by Laughing Tree, Allergen Friendly Cookies by Kind Crumbs)
Whether you’re looking for a cup of coffee, a friend to chat with, or a comfortable place to get some work done, we strive to provide that for you.
This is why we are so excited to open a second cafe, located in the thriving community of Muskegon, MI at 794 Pine St. As a business, we have engaged in Muskegon in many ways since our beginning as a non-profit in 2009, and it is with great pride that we have watched the downtown transform over the past decade. Like many industrial towns across the midwest, Muskegon is in the midst of a renaissance and we are happy to play our role.
Want to be involved?
There are many different ways that you can get involved in this project.
1) Donate to our crowdfunding campaign! Your donations are important for us to fund the buildout of the new Muskegon cafe. Donations of any amount will help us reach the full potential of our vision at Pine St. Please also share our campaign page with others through social media and by word of mouth. Follow this link to see our full campaign and donate! Every little bit helps.
2) Stay engaged! We want to keep seeing you! As some of our staff will be working in Muskegon during this project, go visit them! Stay tuned for updates as our buildout gets started next month.
3) Volunteer! We will have many opportunities for you to spend a couple hours with our team volunteering throughout this project. Whether it is tearing down walls or unwrapping chairs, we would love to have your help. Sign up here to let us know that you’re interested.
]]>Aldea Development formed ten years ago in Honduras, based in a small town called La Union. A group of college students, including founders Andrew Boyd and Patrick Hughes, were ready to start a meaningful project upon graduation. While learning about microfinance they decided this would be a good way to get started. Throughout the summer of 2009, with the help of the students from the local bilingual school, they began researching and forming the foundation of what Aldea Development is today.
In the beginning, their focus was on microloans to coffee, corn and bean farmers. It wasn’t long, however, before they realized the coffee being grown in the region had more potential than payment the farmers were receiving, and so began the coffee training and importing programs. Aldea Development is comprised of a six member staff, three Hondurans and three US expats. By living in the community that they work in, they are able to learn directly from the people and effectively engage in the community development projects.
Community development has been the primary focus for Aldea from the beginning. Aldea believes in supporting communities and empowering them to achieve sustainable development together. This is done by working alongside individuals, families and villages through a variety of programs: Microfinance, community partnership projects, training and market access.
Microfinance: Microloans provide small-scale farmers the financial capacity to maximize their land and crops. These loans help farmers increase their production and income, and help them achieve economic stability and savings.
Community partnership projects: This program seeks to utilize the strengths of three different partners—Aldea Development, an aldea (village) near La Unión, and an outside organization —to work towards a common goal, and in so doing, develop long-term and sustainable change.
Training: Proper training ensures that farmers are educated in the newest and most effective ways to care for their crops. We are constantly learning so that we may advise farmers on the best practices and materials to address problems they encounter on their fields.
Market Access: Aldea Development actively helps its clients find better markets for their products. The prospect of a better price provides the farmers with motivation to keep improving the quality of their product. We do this through sales of roasted Aldea Coffee as well as sales of green coffee to other roasters in the United States.
Aldea Development is the reason that we are able to provide high quality coffee to our customers in West Michigan. We give direct recognition to each of the farmers who we work with by naming the coffees after them and showing pictures of each individual farmer. We hope that through these intentional decisions, you are able to make a stronger connection to the beverage you are consuming.
As an organization we put our passions and people first. Because of this, I was able to find a home here as the tea expert. I had previously been working closely with loose-leaf teas, so this was an area I was able to contribute to the new cafe. It wasn’t until I started working with Aldea that I learned what it meant to source products as close to origin as possible. I had the opportunity to meet Raj, founder of Young Mountain Tea, for the first time standing at a newly constructed Aldea in the Armory. The encounter was brief, but influential.
As our cafe began to grow, it became vital to add more options to our lineup of teas. We added an array of tisanes (non-caffeinated) and an Aldea featured tea, Cascara, made from the coffee cherry.
To share one of my passions with you, I assembled this guide of organic loose-leaf teas we offer at Aldea. Each tea contributes to the overall well-being, or bienestar in Spanish, of each person we interact with as well as how the teas interact within you.
All of our teas are available to purchase at the Armory.
-Low caffeine level-
Not once in my life did it ever cross my mind that I would be living on Lake Michigan, far from my house and land in the Idaho Rockies, and even farther from an ocean. I told my son, “We don’t have to move to Grand Haven. Your grandfather can afford to fly you and your mom back and forth.” His ten-year-old brain answered, “You’re writing a book. Your girlfriend Nancy is gone. Why not move there. I don’t want to live so far from Mom.”
And suddenly we were camping across Montana and South Dakota in July and August only to find ourselves in an alien culture. A church at every intersection and an American flag in every yard. Well. At least we knew what country we were in.
I rented an old funky house two blocks from the main street downtown. My first morning was a serious wake up call. What the hell was I going to do in this town? The locals treated me like a tourist. If they engaged at all, they quickly realized how alien I really was. What was an ex smuggler doing in “The Coast Guard City of America”?
Then one day I saw a sandwich board sign advertising coffee at the restored Grand Haven Armory and everything changed. It is amazing what a great coffee in a welcoming café can achieve.
8:30 in that late September morning, just having dropped Casey at school, I groggily walked up to a bar artfully built of recycled lumber. The barista was a young woman who moved and spoke with a maturity that could only come from extensive travel, so I was hopeful she could make me a proper cortado. It was good, and even came in the correct glass. I hunkered down at a bar table in the brewery end of the room, set up my MacBook and started working on my story.
Over some years I had been working on a nonfiction narrative, a story of a five-year slice of my life as a smuggler in the Indian Ocean. That very day, I started writing, and continued until the book was finished. It turned out that the Armory was far and away the most sophisticated community in Grand Haven and, for me, Aldea was the epicenter of that community.
The Aldea staff has made it possible for me to live in this town. Having worked in Honduras with coffee growers, Jeremy and Andrew returned to Grand Haven to put together a retail outlet for their coffee. They started with a business model much like the one Yvonne Chouinard used when he created Chouinard Equipment… Hire great people and treat them fairly.
They initiated a kind of incubator for their customers to pursue creative endeavors, friendships, and to have intelligent discourse. Every person who worked at Aldea while I was writing “A Smuggler’s Guide to Good Manners” owns a piece of that book.
I have always been a storyteller, but at that point had not written anything since English 304 at City College of SF. My writing technique was to order a coffee and tell the tricky part of what I was working on, while whoever was barista made my drink. If I could keep their interest, I would take my drink to my table to quickly get it down before I lost it .
Then there was my heroine’s diary, sent to me from Kenya. Arianna was a wonderful character, a true hero in every sense, but her writing needed an editor. I arranged for Brittany to talk to Arianna in Kenya. Brittany is a barista and an administrator at Aldea. Close to Arianna’s age when the story took place, she was the perfect editor for Arianna’s journal entries.
A shout out to the Aldea creators, Jeremy and Andrew, for all their advice, editing, and encouragement. And thanks, to all of you at Aldea for all the input on the new story.
Kenny Ranen
11/2018
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We love travel mugs at Aldea for a few reasons; the word “travel” itself implies that we are out experiencing and enjoying life. Secondly, the more we use our travel mugs when we are taking a drink on the go, the less waste we produce. Furthermore, when we carry our own mugs the dings, stickers, and scratches tell a little bit of our story and can be a gentle reminder to get back out and do it all again.
Side note: Do not be afraid to bring your mug in when it’s dirty. We are always happy to wash it.
We are proud to feature the Honduran landscape, as drawn by Elly Bollweg, on our new mugs. Hand drawn, the piece incorporates a panorama of the mountains and small villages in Honduras where the farmers we partner with live and work. Elly’s inspiration was to connect all of us to origin.
We will have two options for the mugs. Both are sleek, stylish, and durable. The mugs are BPA free and their stainless steel bodies won’t sweat. With double wall vacuum insulation, they’re tough on the outside, allowing you to bring them on journeys near and far.
The first option is a 12 ounce travel mug. The travel mug’s tight fitting screw-on lid allows for easy strapping to your backpack during a hike, or can be converted into an accessory for either a sleek suit or stylish office outfit. (Available starting December 24th at the Armory, or preorder online.)
The second option is a 12 ounce tumbler. It fits car consoles perfectly and the suction lid secures against disastrous spills en route to your next adventure. (Available at the Armory or online.)
The mugs are produced by Miir, a company based out of Seattle. We love their commitment to design, the environment, and overall quality.
Miir is a part of 1% for the Planet, which commits 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes.
Their mission states: “We exist to empower people for a better future.” This connects with our ideals at Aldea. We strive to emphasize quality and value in every interaction, while empowering each other to explore, enjoy and preserve the earth.
Each book on our shelf at the shop has been deliberately chosen, as they are a reflection of our values and have personally influenced each of us in a different way. We have put together this guide to the books for sale in our cafe at the Armory and why you will find them there.
Zingerman’s Business Book Series
Author | Ari Weinzweig
Highlights | business can be done differently; powerful and alternative visioning, leadership, personal organization
A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach is a business based book series written by Zingerman’s founder Ari Weinzweig. Zingerman’s is based in Ann Arbor, MI. Building a Great Business is the first book we read together as a team and is the first in the series of three. The entire Zingerman’s book series has solidified the fact that you can develop something based on community, values and a higher purpose. Besides being an inspiration, these books represent many useful and practical ideas for growing a business or even applying them to your personal endeavors.
Closer to the Ground
Author | Dylan Tomine, a Patagonia book
Highlights | raising children, living healthy, enjoying life, navigating societal pressures
We love Closer to the Ground for the simple, joyful, and inspirational story it tells of a family‘s approach to living a healthy and sustainable life while raising kids in an ever-changing world. We admire how Tomine shows how a family trying to live well can be a joyful adventure that creates togetherness. This book also contains recipes, family adventure ideas and gardening tips.
Let My People Go Surfing
Author | Yvon Chouinard, a Patagonia book
Highlights | supporting a lifestyle, not selling out, accounting for our impact, it’s never about the money
There may not be a better “business” book out there. Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard is the author of Let My People Go Surfing. His book presents Yvon’s approach to life, and thus how he has developed his company. The book begins with Patagonia’s origin story and progresses to show how the company approaches specific aspects of its business. From marketing and design to employee healthcare and management, you do not need to be starting a business to read this one. It is also applicable and helpful for approaching life, or knowing what to look for in a company when making decisions as a consumer.
A Smuggler’s Guide to Good Manners
Author | Kenny Ranen
Highlights | stories that couldn’t possibly be real, but are; life at sea, travel and adventure, the influence of love
If you have ever wondered who the short, chatty, older gentlemen at Aldea is with the crazy hair and awesome glasses, it is Kenny Ranen. From mountain climbing in the early days in Yosemite to sailing the world as a smuggler, Captain Kenny has lived a fascinating life. His stories have brought joy and inspiration to Aldea. Many of these stories can be found in his first book, A Smuggler’s Guide to Good Manners most of which was written in our cafe. Kenny is currently writing his second book and we can hardly wait until it’s completed. If you love travel stories, sailing or adventure, this book is for you. Not to mention, Kenny is an actual Pirate!
Inspirational Espresso
Author | Brian Roscoe
Highlights | wellness inspiration from a personal source
Brian Roscoe has been at Aldea from the day the shop opened. There is not a person more passionate about health and wellness than Brian. He is the first customer at the shop nearly every morning, and most days he shares anecdotes and ideas on how to live a fulfilled life. We are a healthier, more able staff because of him. Lucky for all of us, Brian has written an in depth book on his anecdotes and sources of inspiration. Check them out in the aptly named, Inspirational Espresso.
The Responsible Company
Author | Yvon Chouinard & Vincent Stanley, a Patagonia book
Highlights | a serious guide to social and environmental responsibility, what all businesses should be doing
We love Patagonia and greatly adhere to the literature they produce. The Responsible Company is a remarkable book on how a business can achieve and hold itself accountable to being environmentally and socially responsible to the Earth. Aldea’s goal is to create a better world and community. This book has helped us see that as a business, it is possible.
Tools for Grassroots Activists; Best Practices for Success in the Environmental Movement
Author | edited by Nora Gallagher & Lisa Myers, a Patagonia book
Highlights | achieving cause based initiatives, straightforward guides, motivational examples
This book has a wide application, if not only visible by the vibrant photography throughout. It is geared towards those seeking to create and influence change regarding the environment. While we greatly admire this goal, the book is very helpful for conducting any type of grassroots movement. We have used it for our everyday strategies as a business and would recommend Tools for Grassroots Activists to anyone considering how to promote small or large causes.
]]>Aldea recently began an initiative to visit our local partners and learn about their practices. It has become our priority to understand how to be green in our shop, and learn what others are doing at the forefront of sustainable living at home and work. So, we took a field trip to Laughing Tree Bakery, one of the first relationships we formed as Aldea Coffee.
We look to Laughing Tree Bakery as a role model for sustainable embodiment. Not only does the team at Laughing Tree incorporate renewable practices in how they cook and live their daily lives, but also in how owners, Charlie and Hilde Muller, interact as a family.
On this awe-inspiring field trip, we learned about healthy ingredients, Charlie’s brick oven, and solar energy. We learned the basics of brick oven baking and experienced their love, respect, and sincerity as guests and friends.
Our cafe’ in Grand Haven, offers: cherry, blueberry and ginger scones, Tree Huggers, Whandangdoodlers and Pecan Maple Oaties. These are some of the most sought after treats in the shop, especially when they are delivered fresh on Saturday mornings. Laughing Tree Bakery makes these delicious goodies fresh each week with amazing, purposeful ingredients.
Charlie and Hilde Muller.
Andrew and Jeremy first met Charlie and Hilde at the Muskegon Farmers’ Market in 2011, back when the market was located on Yuba Street, north of downtown. Charlie’s joyful spirit and intensity toward football initially drew us to trading our bagged coffee for Laughing Tree’s delicious pastries and bread.
Dough ready for the oven.
Laughing Tree Bakery uses simple ingredients such as leavened yeast, which is natural and easier to digest than traditional commercial yeast. These purposeful and locally sourced ingredients provide healthy, delicious, and sustainable products.
Ducks on the Muller Farm.
Many of the ingredients for popular bakery items may be found on the Laughing Tree homestead, including honey and eggs.
The bakery.
Located in Hart, MI the bakery and Muller home were hand built by Charlie.
Charlie and the brick oven.
Through even heating, the 15,000 pounds of hand-laid masonry accepts Charlie’s offering of whole grain dough, producing perfectly crusted pizza.
Power grids standing strong.
The farm’s multiple power grids soak up the last of the day’s sunlight before hibernating for the night. Both the bake house and the Muller home are fueled by solar energy, making it one of the only commercial kitchens in Michigan to operate entirely off the grid.
The table is set for guests.
Gracie the cat watches over the table prepared for us with plates soon to be filled with pizza fresh from the brick oven.
Aldea at Laughing Tree Bakery.
It has been an honor to work with Laughing Tree Bakery. Through Charlie and Hilde’s example of using fresh, local ingredients, and using solar power to fuel their home and brick oven, we experienced the feeling of quality and care, while consciously using natural resources.
The Treehugger cookie is a shop favorite.
Learn more about Laughing Tree Bakery by visiting their website or taking your own adventure to the Muskegon Farmers’ Market or Aldea Coffee. Consider supporting an amazing family and get healthier at home with their delicious, well-loved bread and bakery items.
]]>One block from Covenant Community Church in Muskegon Heights, Pastor Mark Bush is walking across a grass lawn with his hands outstretched to Paula Addison, who peers over a wooden fence from her backyard. It is a reunion of celebration.
“I see you have your track!” Mark says, as he gestures toward a paved path that zig zags Paula’s backyard daycare area. Mark is tall, broad-shouldered, with a neatly-trimmed beard of gray. His mustache still has the toothy crimson hairs that reveals he was once a redhead. The one word that describes him: warmth.
Paula lights up as she discusses her new bike path, and both her and Mark chuckle when a small child takes a corner too fast and falls gently into the grass. “You’re going to get a ticket!” Paula tells the young child. She proceeds to explain to Mark that the kids at Paula’s Playhouse are thrilled at the prospect of tending a patch of land in the urban garden that Mark’s church has created adjacent to their parking lot.
Paula is not a member of Covenant. She’s a member of the community. She’s someone getting things done. She’s a neighbor. Mark and Covenant measure their church by “households served” rather than traditional membership. They gauge their success by how many members of the neighborhood will talk to them across the backyard fence.
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In sixteen months, Covenant Community Church will celebrate their 100th anniversary. For more than a third of that time, Mark and his wife Miriam have been pastors or co-pastors of the church. They arrived in Muskegon Heights in the summer of 1984, fresh out of seminary in Holland. At that time the community was reeling from high unemployment. The pastor who served the church when the Bush’s arrived was one of the few black clergy in the Reformed Church in America. The three church leaders jokingly called themselves “The Mod Squad” after the popular television crime show from the 1970s that featured two white crime fighters and one black. Most everyone calls Miriam “Mimi” and she retired from her position in 2009, but Mark has shouldered on.
The membership rolls of Covenant once included many white Americans of central and northern European descent. The population of the neighborhoods exploded between 1920 and 1930, Covenant opened in ‘20. People flooded to Muskegon for jobs in factories and the many retail shops that blossomed to serve the growing family base. The Muskegon Heights Public High School became one of the most admired in the state. Boelkins Grocery less than two blocks from Covenant was one of the first in Michigan to sell meat, vegetables and fruit under one roof.
At its peak, the roughly three square miles of Muskegon Heights was home to close to 20,000 people. Covenant has always been an outward-looking church, sensitive to the homes, the families, the people of their neighborhood. This is a building that serves however it needs to. But the 1960s and 1970s were difficult: thousands of people bolted during “white flight” as the neighborhoods changed, with more African American families moving into the Heights. Jobs became scarce too. Covenant pivoted. They reached out, they welcomed, they changed to the needs of their neighbors.
“We are a high-commitment congregation,” Mark says. “You need to know why you go to church to worship here.” As the blend of the membership changed in the 1970s and 1980s (80 to 90 percent of Muskegon Heights is African American today), those who stayed maintained the heritage of the church mission.
In the 1990s, the lot across the street from the church was transformed into a recreation program with several basketball hoops and space for other programs. At the peak of activity it served more than 150 kids per day.
“This church was put here for the neighbors,” Mimi says.
Not all of those neighbors come to Covenant on Sunday for worship services, but the church is there, doing what it’s always done. The basketball courts are empty now, the rec program was discontinued, but Covenant has pivoted again. An afterschool program helps children with homework and provides snacks. Another ministry offers a hygiene pantry. The church serves Aldea Coffee because they support the direct trade model that helps the farmers in Honduras. Covenant believes this: neighbors are around the corner, they’re across town, they might be across the world.
The church has a reusable mug with each church-goers' name on it, as well as many visitor mugs with smiley faces.
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Martin Luther King Elementary School closed about ten years ago. The loss was devastating to the neighborhood. Most families in the area do not own an automobile. Driving their children or having them bussed to another district was not an option. Because home ownership was low, many families simply left. Practically overnight, the neighborhood drew quiet. Where once there had been children playing in yards, there were now empty homes. Where there had been families walking together down the sidewalks to school in the morning, there was a shuttered elementary. Some churches closed. Covenant remained.
“We believe in long-term ministries,” Mark says, “it’s great for a community.”
Many of the roads surrounding the church are turning back into dirt roads.
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It’s called “radical hospitality.” It’s what Mark is practicing as he and Paula talk over her fence at her daycare a block away from Covenant Community Church. It’s what the church is demonstrating when it purchases vacant lots that dot the neighborhood. One lot has become an urban garden, another will be transformed into a picnic pavilion. Young saplings may be planted on yet another. Mark dreams that a large corner lot will become a park. As these changes have started to materialize, others in the neighborhood have responded. Yards have been cleaned up, abandoned cars have been towed, blight has become beauty.
Mark and Mimi have a list. It’s a list of the three things that have kept them going at Covenant Community Church. This is the list:
The foundation is the journey inward, Mimi explains. The journey outward are the many ministries and programs the church hosts. The journey to community are the results of the first two. It’s the smile on Mark’s face when he sees Paula Addison explain her vision for her daycare. When she motions to a felled tree that the city has yet to remove from the sidewalk. “I’ve called the city, they haven’t done anything,” she says. “I have a guy who says he’ll chop it up and take it away.” She’s getting things done. The neighborhood is getting things done. The journey to community marches on. Mark’s there helping, he’s been doing it for nearly 35 years. Covenant has been doing it for nearly a century.
“What happens outside the walls [of the church] has been done well, and it’s kept our heart pumping,” Mark says.
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