The Green Bean Elan Organic Coffees Newsletter

	The Green Bean Elan Organic Coffees Newsletter: April 2008 Written by: Kayd Neill
Elan is literally involved from tree to cup The Live Blog reports,"Fernanda Hernandez from Elan Organic Coffees, San Diego GREEN coffee! Woot! It is her first time as a competitor, never even seen one. NICE... Signature drink: Cardamom, cinnamon, peaches and lime, lots of ingredients and looks so dang tasty. Served with sautéed peaches on a skewer in a nice big martini bowl/glass. very nice touches!" Andy Newbom of Barefoot Coffee Roasters reports to the live blog from the Western Regional Barista Competition (WRBC) in Berkeley, CA. March 28th, 2008. Elan Organic Coffees is involved in every dimension of coffee, from tree to cup. Fern, Elan's Director of Quality Control, was one of the first.. if not THE FIRST... "greenie" to have competed in a Barista Competition. Fern reflects on the event, "My first competition... I don't know where to begin! What an exciting experience, so detailed and full of excitement. I enjoyed competing and meeting many other baristas from the region. I had a lot of fun. Many thanks to Karen, the owner of Elan Organic Coffees for her support and Jeff Taylor of PT's Coffee Roasters for training me. I look forward to the next competition!" Elan was proud to be a part of such a wonderful event. Thirty-six of the West's best baristas competed in the Western Regional Barista Competition, the largest of the 10 regional competitions. To read more about WRBC click here...
Roaster Road Trip I traveled northbound from San Francisco on the 101 last week, a few days prior to the WRBC to visit clients and prospects in Northern California. It was a wonderful opportunity to finally put faces to so many names! The route was outstanding, who knew it could blizzard, rain and be sunny all in the same day? Thank you to all of the roasters who welcomed me into their homes and roasting operations! I am excited for my next adventure...
Congratulations to Elan Organic Coffees Certified QGrader! According to Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), "The Q Grader Program is the industry's only professional accreditation for cuppers. There are currently 338 Licensed Q Graders worldwide, representing the deepest talent at work in our industry." Erika Hernandez, General Manager of Elan Organic Coffees, has just recently earned this distinction! She passed her final test this March, qualifying her as a certified Q Grader. The Q System is broken down by CQI, "while anyone can state they have quality, companies who have their coffees graded through the Q Coffee System have the ability to provide their customers a guarantee from a credible and independent third party... it is an effective way to source coffees, allowing companies to develop specifications unique to them and more effectively differentiate themselves against the competition." Congrats to Erika for being one of the first 33 licensed Q Graders in the United States!! For more information on the Q Grader Program click here...
QGrader Educational Seminar Hosted by the PCCA Yesenia Villota, a Sales and Business Development Rep from Elan Organic, had the opportunity to attend a Q Grading Seminar in San Francisco this March. Ted Lingle, Executive Director of CQI, presented the current state, progress and goals of CQI related to Q Coffees. As an innovative importer and developer, Team Elan is always looking to educate themselves through participation in seminars, cuppings and travel!
Featured Coffee El Salvador Pipil New Crop El Salvador Coffees are arriving this April! Elan's El Salvador Pipil is a consistent, well structured cup with a piquant acidity, nutty flavor, creamy body and clean pleasant aftertaste. This is the FIRST certified organic El Salvador coffee, a project developed by Elan Organic Coffees in 1993. This coffee is due to arrive the second week of April at the Annex and we still have a full container available! For more information on availability and pricing please contact Elan.
Container Moving East! Elan Organic Coffees is moving a container from the Annex to Continental next week! Please contact Elan if you would like to have any specific coffees shipped. Thank you!
SHOP ONLINE Elan Organic Coffees 1205 J Street Suite F, San Diego, CA. 92101 Phone 619.235.0392 Fax 619.235.0394 for more information contact kayd@elanorganic.com "Every Bean Counts"