Edible Ottawa Magazine - Drinks Issue
This blog must start with a large THANK YOU! to Edible Ottawa Magazine, for featuring us in their January/February "The Drinks Issue". The coffee article discussed the recent development of coffee roasters and cafes focusing on high-quality, single-origin coffees; the so-called "Third Wave" of coffee development.
The First Wave, saw the introduction of coffee to North America in the form of caffeine as a military tool, rather than the social drink it has become today. As early as the U.S. Civil War, soldiers were provided caffeine chews in their kits to help deal with sleep deprivation and boredom. This trend continued through the second world war. Afterwards, caffeine gums and instant coffees provided to the troops were no longer needed. Marketing efforts were stepped up to ensure returning troops and their families could "enjoy" their drug of choice via numerous retail brands of freeze-dried, instant and ground, vacuum packed, canned coffee.
The Second Wave began when Peets and Starbucks Coffee (among others) decided to bring higher-quality, European style coffees to the masses some fifty years ago. Prior to this time, the only place to get a quality continental coffee was at one of the ethnic community cafes and restaurants. The Second Wave was defined by mass-market, relatively high-quality Arabica coffees, darker roasts and the ubiquitous use of the espresso machine.
The Third Wave of coffee development has moved from large corporate coffee processors, to smaller, independent firms that utilize a holistic approach at all stages of their business. Fluid Solar Roasted Coffee fits into this niche, by establishing direct purchasing with our producer partners, supporting individual farms and small co-operatives where ever possible. We roast small 8-pound batches so that each roast is literally for a single customer. We can provide roast levels and profiles to your exact needs.
We respect the environment by generating electricity on-site, using solar and wind power to run the roastery. We recycle everything, compost all organic materials, use no water in our processes and generate almost zero waste. Even our coffee bags are 100% biodegradeable/compostable.
Attention to detail, direct to farmer relationships, custom roasting per client and superior customer service is why Fluid Solar Roasted Coffee wants to be your coffee supplier.