NEED FEEDBACK!!!

Need feedback PLEASE! Considering offering “OLR-Cups” for single serve Keurig compatible brewing. Pre-orders and ??? Still in the figuring it out stage. Want to know if there’s interest because it will be time intensive +. Would really appreciate responses. We know that the cost to purchase is a factor too. Any thoughts??  (Not affiliated with Keurig)

Ligonier Giant Eagle

Here’s our display shelf with coffee just after we delivered to Ligonier Giant Eagle for the first time.
If only the bags would stay neatly arranged. Have to figure out the technical difficulties. lol

Coffee is great for everything!!

Just could not follow a recipe yet again, lol Made beef stew but ended up rubbing OLR's Dave’s Original dry meat rub on the beef before browning + along with the beef broth added some stout that has a hint of some delicious coffee  ;~) .  Think it’s a winner! 

Make your Thanksgiving meal exceptional!

Thanksgiving will be here soon. 

A lot of time, effort and money is put into this holiday meal, making sure the appetizers, meal and desserts taste delicious. So why not go the whole way and offer great tasting coffee to? 

Makes a great hostess gift too!!

You can order directly from us- allowing time for roasting ( half pound, pound and more)

 call: 724-238-9102, facebook message or e-mail oldlinnrunroastery@hotmail.com

Other locations with 6 oz. and 12 oz bags

Blairsville, Crumpet’s Tea Shop

Donegal & Mt. Pleasant: Old General Store

Greensburg: Nature’s Way

Ligonier: Connections Cafe, G Squared, Giant Eagle & order thru Rosary Acres

Monroeville: McGinnis Sisters

Ohiopyle: Backyard Gardens Market

White Oak: Rooted Together

Rector: Us, of course &

Barb’s Country Store

Rosary Acres closing.

It saddens us to realize that an asset to the area, Rosary Acres is closing. Unfortunately, they were not able to hang in there & realize one of their dreams. They will continue to take orders and our coffee will be on the list. I believe the list is in progress but here is a link to the facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=652238438149704&set=a.175901139116772.36150.133203413386545&type=1&theater

This sad news has made me reflect.

My thoughts on having a small business…… any, including ours.
Making a small business succeed is VERY difficult. The overhead has to be kept in line & of course you need the customers. Keeping the overhead affordable is a balancing act. How does a business grow and yet be frugal?
Having a “brick and mortar” in a good location costs a LOT of $$$. First there is the building costs, utilities, insurances and, and, and….  Trying to compete with larger businesses as far as pricing is another dilemma. As a small business, especially a new one, you cannot get the great deals on product because you cannot afford the huge, bulk orders to get a better price or move them quickly enough if you could. Of course, you want everything now and your business space to look like Martha Stewart had just left. That can’t happen either. Once again, the overhead costs have to be watched carefully. That’s not to mention employees. If possible I think it’s best to stay away from hiring as long as possible. That is another drain on the profits plus the B.S. of Workmen’s Comp, S.S., W-2’s + more time & $$ expended/employee.

Personally, I have not had a paycheck in…. I don’t know when. I’ve always been self employed in some for or other and getting those 1099’s. No unemployment wages, no insurance, no nothing including no great verification of income when it comes time to go to a bank either.

 No, having your own business does not mean “making the big bucks” as so many seem to think. It means little or no income and instead of one boss, everyone is your boss. You are solely dependent on anyone and everyone you deal with from clients to suppliers affecting your income.

However, as great as a challenge it is, it can be rewarding. It’s great to see the business grow,  knowing your efforts were worth it. You have to be able to problem solve on a daily basis (some days more than others), numbers crunch, and the fun stuff: create and meet lots of interesting and very nice people (& bite your tongue once in awhile), realize that not everyone is in as big of a hurry as you are, and when necessary re-invent yourselves and a really difficult thing... you can’t take things personally, because it is business.

Been a long time!!

See the last time I was  on here, we were gearing up for the Ligonier Country Market season. That was in May!!! Guess life got way too busy. I forgot all about this blog. Hopefully I will be better now that things have slowed down a bit.
Hope we have some people interested enough to read these.

Prepping for LCM

Getting ready for the first day of the Ligonier Country Market.  Sat. May 18th,  8am to 12
We will be at our usual space, L-4  (the last row- at the exit side and across from Sand Hill Berries)
Hope to see a lot of you there!!

Phew! So much to do to get ready for these markets!  Dave roasts so that we have coffee that is as fresh as possible. Of course there is all the containers filled with so many items + the tent, coffeemakers, airpots and and and. I cannot sleep because I am sure I am forgetting something.
The good old alarm rings way too early, 5 am and I am usually just getting to bed somewhere between midnight and 2 am.
If any of you think I remind you of a zombie…… now you know why. LOL

Hoping all goes well tomorrow. It is always tough the first time, getting into the swing of things again.

Please come say hello and maybe even buy some coffee!!

http://ligoniercountrymarket.com/

Grilling season is coming soon!

Try our DRY COFFEE RUBS!

Delicious on meat, vegetables and some fish!

Use as a rub or in a marinade.

No, it does not taste like you accidentally spilled your cup of coffee on your meal. :~)

The coffee enhances the flavor of the food instead. 

whoops!!! It is NOT National Coffee Day!

Okay, now who do I get mad at, me or Dave? 

He calls at 7 am to tell me it is National Coffee Day. I am to send in ideas of coffee songs to WYEP and maybe hear our name and the song at 4:20 pm.. Wrong!!!! It is Harold Schultz’s birthday…think “Charbucks” and not Nat’l Coffee Day. 
So….. enjoy ALL those 9 songs I posted on facebook  in honor of National Coffee Day- September 29 2013 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Linn-Run-Coffee-Bean-Roastery/105002949554694

Guess I should know that I need to check into the info from Dave first. LOL 
Enjoy Harold Shultz’s birthday today but don’t drink any burnt coffee. haha

HAPPY NATIONAL COFFEE DAY!!!

In honor of National Coffee Day 
a beautiful voice singing The Coffee Cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi1PY0N3iGs

For more songs related to our beloved coffee……please go to our facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Linn-Run-Coffee-Bean-Roastery/105002949554694?ref=tn_tnmn

I have attached nine songs.
Who knew there were so many?

Listen to WYEP at 4:20pm
We are hoping to get a song on with mention of OLR on it today too!

Agave blooming At Phipps

Isn’t this beautiful? Don’t think this particular Agave is used for the Agave Nectar people like to put in our coffee at Ligoneir Country Market but it gives you an idea what the plant looks like. We have a lot of questions and this is always one of them….. “What is Agave?” Thought this would give a visual answer.

Our agave lophantha continues to dramatically bloom, marking the completion of its life cycle. The agave dies shortly after blooming, but small offshoots that form at the base of the plant, called “pups,” will grow in its place. Visit tonight to see it in person; we’re open until 10 p.m.!http://bit.ly/WYWJQR
Photo © Paul g. Wiegman

From Phipps Conservatory:    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151522992599259&set=a.320707014258.147024.104851729258&type=1&theater

Wow, time has passed.

There has been a lot of minor issues to take care of lately. Had to pay attention to them.

Update on the domain name….. do not own it yet. GoDaddy said they could act as my (??? can’t remember term used) and determine a suitable price that the current owner would sell it for. Isn’t that so very kind?

On a positive note….. love the sun!! Maybe spring is here finally!
Sure sign for us is when we have to start sending out checks and applications for Ligonier Country Market and the May Mart etc

Our kick off again this year is….
The West Overton Garden Society’s Annual May Mart     May 11th  9 am - 1 pm?                    The Old Distillery building (changed from the usual barn location)

There will be pastries and OLR coffee for sale at the entrance in the "Distillery Room". Tables are provided to sit and enjoy acoustic music as well. The main fun is perusing the many beautiful potted flowers, herbs, vegetables and heirloom tomatoes. Oh where to begin….or should I say stop? It can be an expensive day for me. There should be a swap table too! Bring a plant and swap for another one.
Hope to see you there!

                                                

Domain name rant continued :-)

Please excuse these long posts. I hope that they will help other small businesses in some way. Maybe you can use our trials and tribs to learn what to do or….not to do.  

Last time I posted here I was ranting and raving about the fact that I discovered some obscure website had our loooong domain name.  I was not able to purchase it after the local website designer let it expire & someone else came in the “back door” and purchased it.

I am still royally pissed off that this stuff is legally allowed to occur…if it is legal!!! Our name is associated with a random page with Thai language on the side. I copied some of the Thai and translated it over a site online. It took me to a facebook page of some young man (assuming Thailand) with horrid photos of abused dogs, some skinned alive.

A couple of friends taught me about the “whois” links to find out who owns our domain name and the expiration date…...
Terry McDermot   
Wild West Domains, Wild West Domains dns@wildwestdomains.com
Wild West Domains
14455 N Hayden Rd Suite 219
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
+1.4805058800 Fax -- +1.4805058844  

 I chatted w/Intuit rep-  How can I get ownership when it expires soon? He said:  domain name was purchased through GoDaddy.  I had to contact them & to relay details.

Chatted w/GoDaddy rep explaining in detail the situation. 

Some of the information gained:

• Wild West Domains LLC owned it
• Once domains expire it can take up to 90 days to be released by the Registry in order to be able to register the domain again. So you wouldn't be able to get it back right away. 
• You can try and see if the current registrant will sell it to you, 
• otherwise you can attempt to capture it with a backorder or wait until it is released a register it again.

His suggestion: use the backorder option. I created a GoDaddy account. OLR paid $20.98 to backorder our domain name. It will be monitored and we’ll be alerted if there's any other buyers. If not, we'll buy it for $20.98  OR if so,  get into a bidding war via domain auction. Hopefully no one will want it. (side note: if you ever need to actually speak to someone at GoDaddy, there isn’t a toll free # & the wait was 18 minutes when I tried...  did the online chat instead)        Please WISH US LUCK with this!

I became more curious. Obviously Wild West Domains LLC’s business is buying expired domain names and “holding them for ransom” to sell to the actual business or person that created it. I did some more research. I wondered if I should add WildWestDomains.com on my backorder list and buy that too OR what if I just kept the bidding going to get the SOB to have to pay a tidy sum for it?  Revenge……  fun to think about. ;~)  

As I researched, I began to connect the dots. Something  “smelled rotten in Denmark"…or Arizona this time.  Go Daddy is located in Arizona. Wild West Domain is located in Arizona….same area code too. hmmmmmmmm    

Then I found this article from 2008:

http://domainnamewire.com/2008/12/03/standard-tactics-llc-how-godaddy-profits-from-expired-domains/

I do believe I hit on something. Now what to do with this? (Maybe we should all backorder the domain name GoDaddy.com and make them pay big $$$ thru the auction process. ) Seriously though, I’m wondering if there is some agency out there that I should report this too. Nothing like wasting time on this when there is soooo much to do otherwise but this is just not right!

What do you think?  Would love to see the comments here on the blog!!!

Pissed off and had to vent….

Recently,  I said that I was now going to use this blog to chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a small business owner plus the typical promo info.

This post is venting. I am P.O’d right now. Was on Intuit and typed in our looooong name of Old Linn Run Coffee Bean Roastery to see if it was available for the .com domain name. We do own several other versions. However, it is still unavailable. Out of curiosity I searched it to find some obscure website with another language written on it as well. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Now, let me explain why we did not own it to begin with. In the beginning stages of our existence the domain name was the least of our worries. Purchasing the names and having a website were a frivolous expense. We needed other items to get our business up and running. In fact, we still are not ready to get that website going but plan to in the near future. 

Fast forward to about a year or so after we began. The word was out, our business was getting a local following etc. I was still neglect in purchasing those domain names. A website designer inquired as to how our business was going etc……a bar conversation. He asked if we had a website. Reply: not yet, we are using facebook for now and can’t justify the cost ++    

(Background info: I am a do it yourself kind of gal and I had no intention of paying him to design a website. I planned on using Intuit or GoDaddy. I might also add that I am very protective of “our baby” and do not want someone else having control over this business unless we think it will be to our advantage. As a mother with a Mother Grizzly bear attitude of “Don’t mess with my cub!!”, this attitude also transfers to OLR.)

Back to the story, about a week later I bump into the website designer and he informs me that he bought our loooong name .com domain name and that he linked it to our facebook. After hearing my angry response, I was told that I had given permission. Remember the background info?? Not a chance!!! Plus Dave was there and insisted that did not happen.  Now on first thought you would say, “That was a nice gesture linking it to our facebook page.” However, this person is infamous for this and does so in an effort to get your business as a web designer/host.  I preceded to buy up as many other versions as possible. 

When the domain was due to renew I was alerted and told that I could get it transferred if I contacted him or I would have to wait it out til it was officially available again. Now, it is not available and belongs to some strange person/company with what appears to be Thai???                                      copied part of it,  Ex: หยุดเคร่งเครียดติวคณิตศาสตร์เกี่ยวกับกระดาษคณิตศาสตร์

I am so pissed off I cannot express it!!! Now what? I’ve read about hacking and theft of websites and domain names. This is ridiculous that you have to be fearful to the point of purchasing domain names for your new business almost before you’ve done anything else. There isn't much you can do but hope that your customers find you. Fortunately,  unless you search the entire name with the .com on it the  search is routed to us…. I hope.

Anyone else have this type of bullshit happen to them?  I would love to hear from you!

What’s Saint Patrick’s Day without Irish Coffee?

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day blessings to all!

Irish Coffee recipe

Ingredients
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee  Old Linn Run coffee, of course! 
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 jigger Irish whiskey (1 1/2 ounces or 3 tablespoons)
Heavy cream, slightly whipped
Directions
Fill footed mug or a mug with hot water to preheat it, then empty. Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Blend in Irish whiskey. Top with a collar of the whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over back of spoon. Serve hot.

Tips for the Perfect Irish Coffee

The taste of a cozy winter - Irish Coffee

• Heat your glass, it stops your drink from going cold!
• Make sure the sugar is well dissolved in the coffee – check the bottom of the glass for granules
• One measure of whiskey is plenty – but make it an Irish measure!
• Be gentle with the cream. A light whip is all you need to layer it on top
• Pour the cream over the back of the spoon (yes, we noticed Gareth used the front, but he’s a pro!)
• Top off with a little sprinkle of chocolate

Take a little sip and enjoy!

Getting ahead of ourselves. ;~)

Like the looks of this bottle! ;~)
Coffee Stout? 

Roasting away!

Dave just finished roasting for orders and samples. 

Our favorite destination for one order…. to Jansen and his troop in Afghanistan. Got word from his mother that this may be the last to be sent there. He will be coming home soon.  
To quote Cathy: "this is it for Jansen he will be heading home the end of april beginning of may so this should cover him.  Though he told me the last batch went quickly because they have been doing 22 hour days and coffee is a good thing.”  Good news for Jansen’s family!  

We have very nice people donating to help with the coffee shipments to Jansen. We wanted to thank you, if you are reading this. Now the next question is, should we try to continue to send to Jansen’s Special Ops troop even though he won’t be there anymore? The rest of the troop still will be “doing 22 hour days”. What do you think? I’m wondering how we could do this. Anyone interested in continuing the “Adopt Jansen’s Troop” with or without Jansen? Please let me know.


We are taking samples to a couple businesses in Pittsburgh if everything works out connecting. There is a new cafe opening, a catering business plus a small microbrewery that wants to try our coffee in their recipes. Will keep you posted. 

Also, have word from Matt and Laurel Highlands Meadery. The batch using our coffee “is going good just ageing now. Will taste and sweeten in 2 weeks and should be good by the end of April.”  We hope to have a taste!!  http://www.laurelhighlandsmeadery.com/

$124/lb for your morning coffee???

http://money.msn.com/frugal-living/post.aspx?post=9993572f-6247-4090-9b96-67ee4dd12a2a#scptifs


$124/lb for pre-packaged, ground, stale coffee……

We have been telling our customers to buy the DIY filters. It saves money in the long run and you can have coffee you actually like. Most don’t believe it or think it is too difficult. Maybe this will article will  help.

For those that ask “What is Agave?”

Photo © Paul g. Wiegman
Sharing a post from Phipps conservatory Facebook page. We offer Agave Nectar along with raw sugar for those that need a sweetener added to their coffee. We often are asked, “What is Agave?” Here is your answer.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

The Agave lophantha, or Thorncrest Century plant, has just begun to bloom in our Desert Room. This beauty produces greenish-yellow flowers that emerge in a spire shape from a rosette and can grow as tall as 10 to 12 feet in its natural environment. Visit to see it in person: http://bit.ly/Ni0Sak

the ramblings from a "PAIN IN THE BUTT”  on  FRIDAYS

Here it is, late night Friday. Just realized that I committed myself to these Friday posts. Damn. I hate commitments! ;~)  I guess I will just share some of the issues that I am sure all small businesses have to think about and deal with. 

During this slow season, we have time to consider what we need to be doing to increase sales and hopefully find we need to expand.  What do you do to not be just an “expensive hobby”? 

Marketing….. that must be one of the big dilemmas (or dilemna if you choose) of all businesses, especially if you are small and relatively new like us. How to sell our product directly more than wholesale..especially without that “brick and mortar” is the question. 

Another issue to keep in mind is the overhead costs. I think you need to be mindful of keeping those costs down as much as possible in the beginning. I’ve seen too many start ups jump right in, spending money as if they had it, a nice costly building, perfectly decorated, lots of inventory and all the fun stuff. Along comes the real B.S., ie: insurance, utilities, licenses…… plus the fact that you need guaranteed income to pay for it and then some. Quite a scary prospect! Often the businesses are here today and gone tomorrow. So what is the answer? When is the time to go for it vs. holding back a bit more? That is the risk, the timing that has to be decided, and hopefully the right decision.

We are finally breaking down and starting a website. Being a small business with virtually no “brick and mortar” building to operate out of, it is difficult to sell directly other than the country markets. A few friends and business clients have suggested the website. Of course some others have said that they've not gotten enough business from theirs to pay for the costs. What to do…….

Our current, less extravagant, plan of opening a small, home based shop here in Rector is going so SLOOOOOOOW! I thought it would have been ready this past July. However, other issues took our time away from it. Here we are, mid-February and still not open. I am quite frustrated. A lot of the work to remodel the building seems to go in spurts. I seemed to be making progress with the insulation in the ceiling awhile ago. It was difficult doing it alone. Quite a bit of acrobatic moves with two ladders and having to use my head to hold up the insulation etc, a comedy act. I thought  we could get the rest completed in no time but we have to do things during free time and good weather which has not happened often. Oh well, some day soon I hope we will be telling everyone that we are open for business…whatever that means as a “home business” in Ligonier Twp. At least it will be home for the roaster and we can have some semblance of an actual business, close to home. 

Another “brilliant idea” we’re still working on is looking for something to use for a cafe to continue at Linn Run State Park. We loved being there each weekend in the fall. We heard a lot of positive comments and it was well received. We have an exclusive license for there and are constantly on the lookout for the right option to replace the tent we currently use for the country markets etc. 

Something else that I am trying to discover: How do we get the word out that we are also “green”? A friend, Michelle, and I were discussing that a lot of big businesses are jumping on the “green” bandwagon to market their products. She mentioned that we should consider using materials etc and let it be known. Ironically, we have been doing that all along simply because that is something important to us, whether it is in style or not. Our beans not only are Grade one, they are Direct Trade, organic and/or sustainably grown. Some have those feel good “stories to tell” of saving birds, building villages etc. Our cups are made from recycled material and also made in the USA, we pay extra but….  We donate to organizations when we have extra $ to do so. However, how in the hell do we get all that info out to the customers? I can design and print as many informational signs that I want but does anyone read them? Where do I put all these signs? We would need a separate tent just for what I affectionately call the “blah blah”.  How do we get it through to the conscientious consumer that purchasing our coffee is helping the planet + +  just like those other companies that they read about? The big difference though…. our coffee is also Grade One and Fresh roasted! What is the answer? I don’t know yet. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

Well, it is officially Saturday now. I have written a long post. Don’t know if anyone reads these, especially the long winded posts. If you are out there reading this…. it would be great to hear from you!   Thanks again! Kandi

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Coffee filter wreath
Photo credit: Tipjunkie.com

changing the name a bit….

the ramblings from a "PAIN IN THE BUTT”  on  FRIDAYS

Today I want to discuss “FAIR TRADE”. 
I know many of you have heard that term.  A lot of people, like I, have heard the term and jumped on the proverbial bandwagon. I however, have learned more through the years and jumped off. I’m not so sure it is what it professes to be. The reason I bring this subject up is because many consumers are making purchasing choices based on just a little knowledge. You know what I mean…. just enough knowledge to make yourself dangerous. LOLWe have some very nice acquaintances that refuse to buy our coffee, along with others we probably don’t know about, because it is not “Fair Trade”.  I attempted to explain the Direct Trade concept and they did not want to hear it. We have the same trouble at times when trying to market our coffee to a store for resale. In the case of our acquaintances, they are "very much into birds & the environment” and yet our Bobolink Farms Brazilian is of no interest to them. I posted a few videos further down on this blog about the farm. They have won sustainability awards, are a small family owned farm that has taken on the task of saving the Bobolink bird (+ any other creature that benefits as well) by farming shade grown coffee that produces excellent quality grade one beans. They plant fruit for the birds and have educated the other farmers ++++ Audubon has visited their farm. Now please, tell me why in the hell they would not purchase that coffee (if they liked the taste) ?  The answer…..it’s not “Fair Trade”. 

I inadvertently found an article from the  STANFORD SOCIAL INNOVATION REVIEW,  titled  “The Problem with Fair Trade Coffee” by Colleen Haight summer 2011   To summarize a very long article:The Fair Trade concept began as a way to  pay producers slightly above-market “fair trade” price provided they meet specific labor, environmental, and production standards— which was a very good ideal. "However, through the years the idea being sold to the consumer in actuality is not what is occurring. The reality is simple: consumers are not guaranteed to get a good quality coffee and the farmers are not getting all the funds directly into their pocket. "

• Membership in a cooperative is a requirement of Fair Trade regulations. Another core element is the premium—the subsidy (now 20 cents per pound over market value) paid by purchasers to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. Premiums are retained by the cooperative and do not pass directly to farmers. Instead, the farmers vote on how the premium is to be spent for their collective use. They may decide to use it to upgrade the milling equipment of a cooperative, improve irrigation, or provide some community.
• The quality of the coffee is not guaranteed to be of a good grade. Commodity coffee is broken into grades of coffee to determine the price. Specialty coffee is considered a higher price on top of that due to the flavors along with the grade. Fair Trade coffee is considered a “Specialty coffee” simply because of the certification but not necessarily due to the grade.  Along with that comes the problem that if a farmer has, for instance, 2 bags of coffee to sell….one being a high grade worth $1.70/lb on the open market and another lower grade worth $1.20/lb, which will he sell on the open market vs to  the Fair Trade?  Fair Trade is offering $1.40/lb (20 cents over the market value). Which bag of beans do you think will be sold to Fair Trade for $1.40/lb? Quick….answer….. is it the good quality he can get $1.70 for elsewhere or the low quality?  The answer of course is the low quality beans. Another problem is that sometimes the beans from many farms are thrown together before reselling, yet another way of not being guaranteed good quality beans.                                                                            

You cannot be guaranteed that you are getting  high quality beans and yet you are paying a high premium price just for the label stating “Fair Trade”.  On the other hand, as with our coffee, the beans are purchased directly….thus the term “Direct Trade”. Our broker who is a certified grader, visits the farms, determines the grade of beans for the farmer’s resell purposes, and purchases, directly from that farm, only the highest quality beans. We are purchasing grade one, single origin beans. We want to roast only the best beans. We have been approached by other coffee brokers from Pittsburgh and elsewhere, with less expensive beans but we are not interested. We choose to buy only the best for our clients. We hope that you appreciate this too.  

 BTW, awhile ago we also had a new store in “the city" tell us that they only purchase beans from roasters that bought "directly from the farms"….. ironically, the roaster they purchase from sells direct and fair trade beans... but they do not travel to the farms to purchase. Yet another example of someone hearing a term but not fully understanding it.  

Oh well. C’est la vie. Another day in the life of an entrepreneur. There are always encouraging and discouraging times. We only  hope that the former outweighs the latter.  ;~)

The cheese making kit arrived!!! Now if only there was enough time to try it out. ;~(

There are a lot of farms with cow and goats milk, so we should have fun once we find some time. After we get the hang of it, if we do, we want to attempt to use our dry coffee rub on some and age it. 

Will keep you posted!

ABOUT OUR BEANS……

Bobolink Farms Brazilian

This is one of our offerings that “has a story to tell”. If you read the history link below you will see what we mean. The Croce’s have done everything they can to grow an incredible coffee bean and yet protect the Bobolink and more. 
Please watch the videos and enjoy and peruse the website. The Bobolink video is interesting, just to hear them sing.  We are listed in the “Where to Buy” - roasted coffee section on their web. Now if only we can actually visit there as we were invited to do by, Felipe Croce. ;~)

Grown at one of the few Brazilian coffee farm co-ops that uses sustainable, organic growing methods. This coffee has a deep flavor full of nuts, chocolate, and caramel, with a subtle earthy quality, along with a hint of citrus.

This group of farms is located in Igarai, a lovely region in the state of Sao Paulo, where crops of bananas and vegetables grow alongside the coffee, surrounded by honeybees, flowers, and forest. These farms set an example for living and creating a truly sustainable model for life and for farming.

A video of the farm                     http://youtu.be/MaMG2ycNXkM

A video of the Bobolink              http://youtu.be/8TXIrXiyW6o                    

History of “Bobolink Farms”      http://www.bobolinkcoffee.com/Coffee.asp?op=History

PAIN IN THE BUTT FRIDAYS

It is officially Friday, so I guess I have to write something. I do not like this commitment to Fridays.

Not sure I really have that many “pain in the butt” stories to tell fortunately. I may need to reconsider this despite the fact that Hadleigh came up with the idea. 

Being a partner in a relatively new small business (June 2010),  presents it’s own types of issues. The main one being, financial. 

So many people have the misconception that working for yourself is easy and lucrative. They think it is just fun and games, setting your own hours, not working when you don’t feel like it, making a lot of income like they think their former employers do…….+++

Reality check…. what income? haha   The “rule", if I remember correctly, is that if you break even after five? years, you are going to make it. 

I had to laugh awhile ago when I listened to a friend of mine, also a new small business owner woefully say they had to sell their tickets to a show. This was because they were hustling to be ready for their grand opening. I stood there and thought…well never mind what I thought. My response: "Welcome to owning your own business.” It is not just about decorating your shop and having fun buying inventory. There are rules and regs to follow, paperwork, lots of it, money invested and a ton of time out of your life, sometimes getting you nowhere fast. 

However, it is an adventure and a challenge. There are so many people you meet that are incredibly nice!!! It is always rewarding when things do go the way they were intended (& then some at times)!! If you can hang in there, be persistent and resourceful plus  have a good idea/product, chances are you will be successful, however your define success.

That is our hope. 

Thanks for reading my “ramblings". Kandi

While it the “slow season” for us, I decided to take this blog out of retirement. Until now, I was utilizing this as another avenue to basically repeat what I was posting on Facebook etc.

In addition to this, I have decided to use this as a journal of the trials and tribulations of being an “entrepreneur”.  There certainly can be a lot to say at times, good and bad.

My daughter, Hadleigh said, “That is what blogs are for!”, in a way that told me I was a bit behind the times. haha  She suggested that I do a “Pain in the Butt” Fridays posting since owning your own business is just that at times. I think I will take her advice. (I made the font aqua for that title because that is her favorite color & it was her idea to do it after all.)

We shall see how this goes. I will write when there is time and reason to vent or rejoice, whenever I am inspired. I will add any info I think might be of interest. I hope whomever is reading this enjoys it & please feel free to comment……. as long as it is appropriate to this blog.

Hope to see some followers!!! It is lonely here! ;~{

Note: Old Linn Run Roastery is a partnership consisting of Dave & I. Dave is not “computer literate” and does not care to deal with it. (He has the incredible roasting skills, what more could we want?) Thus the reason for almost everything being written using the first person, “I”. I should also mention that we have a great deal of assistance when needed from Hadleigh, my Mom & Dad and even my grandmother, Muffin.

G Squared Gallery, E. Main St.
Coffee sampling, Ligonier Ice Fest
Saturday, January 26 2013

Thank you very much, H and Pat, for allowing us to invade some of your shop space!!!

Dave had to do this one solo. I worked behind the scenes before but was unable to help him the day of.

He enjoyed meeting all the visitors that stopped in to try our coffee and see all the incredible items that G Squared has to offer. He planned on being there from 11:00 to 2:00 but ended up staying til after 4:00 due to the continuous stream of visitors. It is always fun to meet new people. There were a few of our “regulars” from Ligonier Country Market that stopped in too.  Always a nice surprise!

http://www.gsquaredligonier.com/

If you are visiting  Ligonier for the Annual Ice Fest, stop by G Squared Gallery in Ligonier  from 11-2 Saturday! Dave will be there offering free samples of coffee and selling bags of very fresh roasted coffee beans. He will be “flying solo” this time. My voice leaves a lot to be desired and thought I should stay behind the scenes and out of the cold. Dave will be inside the shop.

G Squared Gallery has so many incredible items, you have to see for yourself!

Jansen’s Troop in Afghanistan

Was given the okay to post this photo. This photo was e-mailed to us and others. The card says “Thank you for bringing us a little closer to home!” It made us feel so good to receive this. This goes to those of you that have donated to help us and Jansen’s mother send coffee to them.

One time a few months ago, Jansen only request to his mom, was that she send him some of “that really good coffee you buy” and that is how this started. We sent more along with her order. Next we asked if anyone would like to “Adopt Jansens’ Troop”, Army Special Ops. We have had some generous donors. In fact 5 lb of Sumatra has been picked up today to be sent by his Mom. Shipping is expensive so she prefers to send only 5 lb at a time.

 As you can see, Jansen has a lot of people to share it with.

If you would like to donate, please contact us. Anything will be greatly appreciated! You can donate to help with the coffee or the shipping, whatever you say. We like to add in something ourselves too.It feels great to know that we are helping an Army Troop in Afghanistan, especially when one of them is from the Ligonier area!!!!  Anything to make their days a little better while they are there “in harm’s way”, for all of us!  E-mail us or call if you care to donate too. oldlinnrunroastery@hotmail.com or  724-238-9102
Cash, check, money order or credit cards

Had to post this e-mail. 
Sent all of our beans to a client to try. Working on a potential link up with some more stores and restaurants. 

He started with the Rwanda yesterday, french pressing.
He called to say that his grinder was very happy and that the Rwanda was clean, smooth etc….. the cafe/roastery he has frequented for years coffee is now just “good” and ours is “outstanding”. LOL 

Here is the e-mail from day 2:

Kandi & Dave,

Woke this morning and brewed an incredible press of Peruvian. Very different from Rwanda blend and I'm loving it. Both have a definite place in my life! Lol... you're right, it's like wine. Different ones for different days and/or hours of the day.

I'll keep you posted as I progress through the beans!

TR

We have several choices.  All use our Bobolink Brazilian light roasted beans to compliment all types of meat, vegetables and fish.  A little goes a long way. Only need to use a tablespoon or so.

Dave’s Original:  39 herbs and spices- with salt
Dave’s Original without salt
Dave’s Hot and Spicy:  original but with cumin, hot red pepper flakes + (just a little kick)
Kandi’s: Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cocoa...
Hadleigh’s: Lavender, Sea salt

Wow, 2013!!!! Where did the time go? Abandoned the blog for awhile. Hopefully, there will be someone other than me reading this. LOL

In June, we will be 3 years old! Hard to believe. We have added to the list of businesses carrying our coffee beans from Rector to Pittsburgh. We have more to add to the list for this year too, if all goes well.

There are new products that we have created as well. Dry coffee meat and vegetable rubs + the coffee, sugar body and mocha facial scrubs.

I will post the info here on the blog.

Please look at our facebook page!!! Kandi   (and Dave too)