Greetings, Coffee Lover!

It is time to bid September adieu, and look toward the crispness and color of October. Last month we cooled down pretty quickly, and rain fell on half the days, yielding 5.5 inches of rain (which is a lot for us). The trees are just beginning to turn color, and we’re staying busy around the cafe with locals and tourists. A couple of the fall signs I take note of are the purple asters in clumps along the side of the highway, and the day that the irrigation company comes out to drain the sprinklers. Time to take down the tent and winterize the pond. Sigh.

Many of you are beginning to take advantage of the “walk-in” option when ordering online. If you are coming up north, you may order and pay for your coffee ahead, tell us when to have it ready, check off the “walk-in” circle, and your coffee will be waiting for you on your weekend journey. Then you can breeze right in, pick it up, and head out on your Glen Arbor adventures.

Barista Cam (the Australian) married Kate last Saturday. They are expecting a new puppy in a few weeks (I’ll post photos). Kate works for United Way in Traverse City, and Cam is finishing his commercial pilot’s license at NMC (when he isn’t making espresso drinks, slinging beer, or painting houses).

We have some winners from the summer contests to announce. The photo we like is from “Fulltime RVer” on Facebook, and our favorite posting about favorite coffees is by Heather Daas. Heather, your coupon is set up in your account. RVer, you need to contact me.

The other offer you took advantage of was the loyalty coupon last month. We’re pleased to offer that to you, as we do from time-to-time. This is why it pays to subscribe to this newsletter. I’m convinced that no one reads the blog, but many of you read and participate on our Facebook page. If you follow that you will keep up with some of the instant sales and specials we post here and there. Even if you don’t have Facebook you can still bookmark it in your browser and visit us, see photos, and get my weather and coffee updates.

Empire Blend (the original) is back on the ordering chart, at $18/pound (just like the Kenya). Steve and I still haven’t concocted a regularly-priced alternative, but hope to get around to it this month.

WE HEARD YOU. Gosh, just muse about changing from half-pound and one-pound bags of coffee to 12 ounces, and watch your email box fill up. It took me several hours to get through all of your great emails, and here’s the striking point: 100% of you want us to remain the same. A good chunk of you also complained about other vendors (mostly in the grocery aisle) trying to pass off 12 ounces as a full pound. Hey, now we know, you like things just fine the way they are. And if you are happy, we are happy

We’re working on the Holiday Catalog, and hopefully at the next newsletter you’ll get to download a PDF of it and get a jump on things. Or, you can wait until that special day it arrives in your mailbox, just before Thanksgiving. For now, we’re gearing up for Halloween.

You will recall that last summer did not have the best weather. It would be sunny for a couple days, but then rain a bit or get cold. It never really opened up. This summer is making up for it! One couldn’t ask for better weather than we’ve been having. A year ago July’s average temperature was 66°, and kept people off the beach. This year July was a more typical 73° on average.

While the temperatures are up, the rainfall is steady, and the mosquitos are still after us at times. What I ponder these days is that if everything has bloomed two weeks early, will the trees also turn colors sooner? The first maples change in mid-August, so I’ll know the answer soon.

Amidst all the gloomy news about Americans’ eating habits and weight gain, remember that coffee is good for you on many fronts. First of all it is likely your largest intake of antioxidants each day. Second & third: no fat or calories. Flavored coffees make a terrific after dinner dessert—tasty and satisfying, but no weight impact. Just a thought.

If you don’t have a smartphone, skip this paragraph. If you do, have you played Foursquare? It’s a fun app for your phone (all platforms) and you check into shops and restaurants (called venues) to register your presence. If you frequent a particular place, you can become the Mayor! Dennis K. is the Mayor of Leelanau Coffee Roasting. We are currently running a special on Foursquare: check in ten times and the tenth coffee is free. It’s like a punch card for your phone. I hope you’ll try it, especially up north.

Remember the contests! $25 online gift certificates for the best photo, coffee recommendation, and tweet. Details here.

Enjoy your August!

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

You knew we wouldn’t forget you. It just got crazy around the holiday, and now we’re relaxing a bit. Still, yesterday was a record day for the cafe. Go figure. Meanwhile, the Fourth of July was splendid, and both the Glen Arbor parade and the Glen Lake boat parade were well attended, despite 93°. We’re a tad cooler today in the 80s, but the humidity is almost that high.

This year’s Grand Marshals in the parade were Lou and Judith Batori. Some of you may know that Lou rides his bike around Glen Lake almost daily in the summer, and skis daily in the winter. He will turn 100 this month. You can read about Lou and Judith in the Glen Arbor Sun.

Our supply of Organic Sumatran coffee beans were not always Fair Trade, but we’re pleased to inform you that they now are Fair Trade, and that is reflected on the website. Surely that will make several of you very happy!

Over the winter I was invited to be a guest lecturer for an e-commerce class at Lorain (Ohio) County Community College, and the students’ charge from their professor was to analyze our website. Overall they liked it, but there were several great suggestions for improvement. A few tweaks have been made, and a couple additions that I had been waiting on have also been implemented, with more on the way. Testers, I may be in touch soon for some new experiments. (If you’d like to be a tester, just email me.)

Two of the changes you’ll really like. The first is the addition of a visual flavor scale with each coffee, showing the Body and Roast. The second is the addition of a Location Finder. Type in your zip code and choose the type of venue, and see if Leelanau Coffee is available near you. And, if your local grocer does not carry our coffee, be assured that I will pay you a bounty if you get us in! Finally, if you have other suggestions, please let me know. We want to make the website as informative, fun, and easy-to-use as possible.

Ahhh, contest time. I have three that will run through Labor day, and the prize for each one is a $25 online gift certificate.
#1—Photo Contest. Post your best Coffee photo on the blog, our Facebook page, or email it to me, and the best one wins.
#2—Best Coffee. Again, on the blog or Facebook (in the Discussions section) describe what YOU think is the best Leelanau Coffee and why. We’re always asked that question and stumped for a great answer, so here’s your chance to come through.
#3—Best Tweet. On Twitter, or our Facebook page, give us your most clever tweet.

These will be judged by our staff, and by re-tweets, likes, and blog comments. Hey, if you’re lucky, you’ll be the only entrant, but I’m thinking we’ll hear from a number of you. And, along the way, we hope to increase our Facebook membership.  By the way, that’s where you learn about special one-day sales and receive online discount coupons.

Check out the Coffee Gear online for this summer’s stylish mugs. We also have some great t-shirts, but they sell so quickly in the cafe I can’t list them online.

We are roasting up here, both coffee and with the heat. And I might add, bring your bug spray with you as this is the first summer in a long time that the mosquitos (so far) have the upper hand.

Well, summer is definitely here.  Warm days, cool nights, light breezes, and the occasional rain shower.  Overall, everything has greened up beautifully, and already some of the hardwoods are sprouting new leav

es after the tent caterpillars ate away at the forest canopy.  Each day, more and more customers trickle into Glen Arbor and the cafe, and increasingly in groups.  They come as families, and sometimes extended families, and even this afterno

on two British families on holiday together.  All the kids ate Moosetracks ice cream

This Sunday we’ll celebrate Don’s 90th birthday.  Many of you have known him over the years in the cafe, and we have long referred to him as The Mayor, for his friendly smile and warm engagement of locals and visitors alike.

Hopefully this photo of waterlilies in my home pond will put a smile on your face.  Have an enjoyable weekend!

This morning I awoke to the sound of waves crashing in Sleeping Bear Bay as a north wind blew in.  The sky is clear and deep blue, and the trees are swaying slightly in the breeze  as their tiny leaves have pushed about halfway out.  All around there is a golden green tint to trees, and the prairie grasses and forest floors are sporting darker green.  We’re hopeful that yesterday’s light rain will be enough to encourage some morel mushrooms to emerge.  In all, spring is finally emerging.  It got an early jump, then backed off, and now is more or less on it’s usual track.

Here is a view of the D.H. Day barns, with the greening pasture and trees.