We hope that you all had a lovely holiday season with your family and friends. We sure did! It was a little hectic with all the gift boxes going out, but we all managed to keep smiling, and overall had a productive and efficient December.

The big change we made was offering the catalog online rather than printing it, and mailing the post card instead. Sales were strong so we know it was well-received, but I would welcome any feedback you have on the experience. Did any of you load the PDF to your iPad, for instance? Let me know.

Like everyone else, we are having a mild winter so far. The squirrels are really fat, and I took that as them needing to have extra for the tough winter ahead. Perhaps it’s just that they’ve been able to forage longer. While the snowfall has been dismal, all of our northern ski resorts have very large and high tech snowmaking operations, and with the modern groomers are able to keep 65-100% of their runs open, despite the lack of natural snowfall. Crystal Mountain is 90% open according to this morning’s report, and everyone skiing there has reported it to be excellent, not just good. So, don’t stay home…come north and ski!

I’m one of those who cross country ski, so it looks like I’m going to be renting and going downhill.

We are part of a group that put up an ice skating rink this winter, over on the basketball court by Northwoods Hardware. The mild temperatures have been unkind to it, but we think we’ll get some skating in this weekend. Mine are sharpened and have new laces! When you come north, bring your blades.

Chocolate Mistletoe Mint has been a huge hit since it’s introduction, and we’re pleased so many of you gave it a try, and have come back for more. If you ever think that there’s a flavor we should offer, let me know and I’ll run it by the research and development department.

See you on the slopes!

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This winter will feature open skating on a new rink in Glen Arbor.  Located in the Lake Street Woods (behind Leelanau Coffee Roasting and the Cottage Book Shop), the 40′ x 60′ sheet of ice will be open to skaters of all age.

Spearheaded by Lee Houtteman, “it will be a true family-style skating rink. We’ll have some lights and music, and just bring folks together for some fun,” says Lee.  “All ability levels are welcome, we will have milk crates on the ice to help the younger kids get started.” Ed Connolly, Lee Houtteman, Glen Arbor Athletic Club, Cherry Republic, and Leelanau Coffee Roasting are the lead donors, with several others helping out to pay for the site preparation, boards, and plastic liner.

Skating will occur from when the ice freezes until it melts in the spring.  Lights, music, and overall skating times will be developed as demand is recorded.  Stephanie & Bob Sutherland will keep an eye on the rink, and encourage folks to park on Pine Street and walk down the lane to the rink.

“Leelanau Coffee Roasting will try and adapt to the hours if there is demand–we usually close at 3 p.m. on Friday and Sunday,” says Michael Buhler.  “Coffee, hot chocolate, and the bathrooms will all be available, but we can’t have skates inside the cafe,” he adds.

If you’d like to submit feedback on skating and Cafe hours, you’re welcome to contact Mike in the Cafe, or via email: mike@coffeeguys.com

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

It’s hard to believe that December is upon us. It seems like it was just July. Or is that wishful thinking? The snow hasn’t arrived yet, but I think that’s because of two things: I bought a snow blower, and haven’t put my snow brush in the car yet. I’ll toss it in tonight!

Glen Arbor is still festive without the snow because all the businesses are lit up for the Holidays, and the tree at the Town Hall is properly decorated this year (the lights were a disaster last year). The cafe is all trimmed for Christmas (thanks, baristas), and everyone around here is in a very festive mood. We hope you are too

This year we tried something radically different, and did not mail out a catalog. Instead, we sent you a post card, and asked you to download it, saving paper, and hopefully cutting down on waste. The reaction has been positive, and we have printed and mailed a few dozen to those of you who requested them (and you may do so here). Most everyone is ordering online, and has broadband internet, so we hope you like this move. I would appreciate any feedback. Did anyone try it on an iPad?

I roll my eyes every time I hear “Black Friday,” since it’s a contrived term, and seems so negative. Cyber Monday is okay (this year we quadrupled last year’s sales on that day—but why?). I like our little contribution to the shopping vernacular, Green Saturday. Next Saturday, December 10th, place your order online and type in the coupon code green for 10% off your gifts. It’s always been a hit with you (and good for us too), and just in time for any last-minute gifts. And since you, dear newsletter reader, are among our best customers, you clearly deserve the best deals we can offer.

Finally, I have a great new item for you: Ekobrew. It is a nifty little device that allows you to spoon in your favorite Leelanau Coffee (we recommend a finer, cone filter grind) and then brew it in a Keurig! This gives you the one-cup convenience you like, but with any Leelanau Coffee you like as well. You know how important fresh coffee is, so we’re able to deliver that, and cut down on waste and cost (K-cups cost twice as much as our coffees!). The packaging is great, too, making it perfect for a gift box of Leelanau Coffee.

Have a great Holiday, relax with some Leelanau Coffee, and we’ll hope to see a bunch of you up here for New Years. And don’t worry, I made a reminder to put my snow brush in the car.

It’s still summer! After Labor Day it cooled off and became rainy, but in the last ten days Mother Nature has rallied to bring us warm and sunny days, most in the 70s. It may end tomorrow, but fortunately we had good color and lovely weather last weekend for those who made the trek for color tour. The leaves have peaked, and soon they will fall, and there is always frost on the pumpkin for Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, the Glen Arbor merchants will once again have our party for the kids on Sunday, October 30th from 1-4. We love to see the kids parade around in their costumes, and Bad Sue at Riverfront Deli always pulls out all the stops to scare as many (formerly) brave souls as possible.

No freezing temperatures yet, and all the choice dates have been chosen, so as soon as it freezes we’ll have a contest winner.

Meanwhile, you all need an incentive & reward to stock up for the chilly weather. So, order three or more pounds of coffee online during October, and save 10%. Use the coupon code fall (yeah, fall, how original) at checkout.

Remember, plan your summer vacation early this year, and we know we’ll see a few of you in the coming weeks, and lots of you at Thanksgiving.

Although it was sprinkling on and off yesterday—and is the first rain in about three weeks—the wet spring seems a long way off. July was splendidly warm and sunny, and at least around my yard rather mosquito-free, making this a terrific summer.

Glen Arbor has been packed with people, and I even heard of some tourists who showed up at The Homestead, did not have a reservation, and could not get a room. That is busy! The warm weather has us all out and about, and often on the water, whether kayaking the Crystal River or taking a dip in Sleeping Bear Bay. I even took mom down the Crystal in a kayak. By the late afternoon, though, folks flow back into town, and we see them in our garden sipping iced coffee or licking an ice cream cone. Best of all, we’ve had no one sitting all day in the cafe, hunched over a laptop.

You have probably heard about the famine that has struck Somalia, and starving families are fleeing that dysfunctional country. They are taking refuge in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, who are barely able to handle the onslaught. I have personally donated to the Red Cross, and to call your attention to the plight, Leelanau Coffee Roasting will donate 50¢ to the Red Cross for every pound of African coffee sold online in August. If we all pitch in we can help alleviate the desperation.

I’ve met dozens of you newsletter readers and Facebook fans this summer at the shop, and it is heartwarming to know that there are so many devoted coffee aficionados out there. We enjoy watching you sniff all the coffee casks on your first visit, as you check out the aromas of our various coffees to find just the right one. We look forward to meeting more of you this summer and fall, and sending you home with your favorite beans.