Our first event was a wedding reception at Elizabethtown’s Historic State Theater for 200+ people.  We really hit the ground running!  I’m happy to report that the couple is still happily married!  (And that means we’re 100% — if we serve at your wedding reception, history says you’ll stay married!  So, go ahead, book us now!)

Since then, we’ve catered teacher appreciation events, Chamber of Commerce events, church conferences, and more.  We spent almost 9 months of last year doing no events because so much of my time and energy was focused on ministry work.  We partnered with a local restaurant for 12 months, providing espresso equipment for their cafe.  I also trained all their employees over that time – I loved it!  I learned so much about making great coffee by teaching others.  This year, we’re joining with another small cafe to provide equipment and training for their business.  So, this training and equipping of other small businesses has been and unexpected, unplanned-for aspect of the business.  It has just kind of evolved and it’s been a lot of fun!

As I look into our third year, I’m not sure what 2011 will bring.  We’ve not done any marketing for the mobile cafe in over a year.  So, who knows where the events will come from!  We’re wishing the new cafe lots of luck – as we’re in it with them!  And who knows, maybe we’ll get serious about selling coffee beans … I wonder if there’s a market locally for people to buy fair-trade, organic, single-origin beans from the best coffee growing regions in the world?!  Maybe we’ll find out …

We’ve loved the adventure so far!  Glad you’ve been along.  We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.  What are your ideas for the next steps of On the Ground?

I had the privilege of hanging out with Ginny and fellow-barista-in-training, Terri, for a couple of days.  I trained them on preparing killer espresso and helped them with texturing milk to make great lattes and cappuccinos.

They’ve developed a very simple drink menu for the cafe.  Between 7am and 7pm, you can get an Americano, latte, cappuccino, mocha, or chai-tea latte.  This is part of a bigger concept-change they’re doing at the store.

In addition to unique gifts and home decor that Whitt’s End has always offered, they’ve now made the front of the space a welcoming cafe with casual seating and easy access in and out for a quick cup to go.  They’re also offering several frozen Lotsa Pasta selections.  The glass display freezer is also a new addition to the store.  I had a couple of their personal size gourmet pizzas!  Very good!

The cafe bar area is anchored by our Futurmat Ariete espresso machine.  We’re providing most of the equipment in addition to the training for this new venture.  So, we’re excited to see the new look of Whitt’s End!

I want to wish Ginny the best!

Whitt’s End is in the Cool Springs Shopping Center in Elizabethtown.  Be sure to stop in some day and have a latte or cappuccino!

The featured specialty drink was “Christmas Mocha,” flavored with a hint of peppermint and vanilla and garnished with a dusting of cocoa and a candy cane!  We brewed Alliance World Coffees’ Midnight Clear Blend, a special, seasonal blend only available in the winter.  Christy and Wayne both started out with Santa hats!  Wayne made it about a minute (too hot!!), but Christy rocked the Santa-barista look the whole time!!

We want to specially thank Andy Moberly, principal of the school and Steve, the head custodian who helped us out immensely!

Several factors make the Chiapas area an ideal coffee-growing region.  It’s a humid, tropical climate with nearly 120 inches of rainfall annually.  It contains several parallel mountain ranges that create a foggy, temperate covering sometimes called the “cloud forrest” effect.

What does this all mean for the coffee?

The Mexico Chiapas glides onto the taste-buds with an amazingly smooth sweetness.  You get hints of brown sugar on the mid-palate, balanced by a medium-acidity.  Best part of the Chiapas for the cold winter months ahead:  the long, subtle chocolate finish!  Even though we like it black, this brew combines well with milk and is a great option for a new coffee drinker.

Contact us today to find out more about ordering the Mexico Chiapas or any of our other selections.

From now until December, we’ll be offering Pumpkin Spiced Lattes at all our catering events!

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and we’ll set up a personal tasting session to help you decide on just the right drink menu for your special autumn event.