The Place Where We Live

I had a disappointing experience yesterday. It seems that Danny’s on Elm Ave. is no longer selling Fair Trade coffee.

Many people don’t know this but coffee one of the world’s most highly traded commodities-second  only to oil. However, because of the way the coffee market works, the farmers who grow coffee beans in Latin America and Africa, only get a pittance of every coffee sale that is made. For example, for every three dollar cup of coffee that the average consumer buys at a place like Star Bucks, the average grower only makes three cents. Fair Trade ensures that the vast majority of the world’s coffee farmers get a fair price for their harvest in order to earn a living wage. (For more detailed information, check out the Trans Fair USA website.)

I was happy to see a few months back that several stores in Monroe were beginning to sell Fair Trade coffee. One of the first stores to do this was Danny’s.  Even better, Danny’s was selling Fair Trade coffee from Higher Grounds a small company based out of Leelanau, Michigan.  I was introduced to Higher Grounds and Fair Trade coffee at a conference in 2003 where I met the owners, Jody and Chris Treter (Check out this great article about them and their company which appeared in the Detroit Free Press in October.) I began buying my coffee from them through their online store. Soon after, I made a trip to Andersons in Toledo and found that they were selling Higher Grounds and started buying it there. I was ecstatic however when I found that Danny’s was carrying it. What could be better than buying Fair Trade coffee, from a Michigan based company at a locally owned store in Monroe? I know that Kroger carries Equal Exchange (the oldest and largest Fair Trade coffee company in the U.S.) and recently Meijer started selling several Fair Trade coffee varieties (Seattles Best has a Fair Trade coffee and some of the Meijer brand organic coffees are even Fair Trade certified). However I was dedicated to buying Higher Grounds at Danny’s.

So you can imagine my frustration when I made a special trip to Danny’s yesterday to buy coffee. I went to the usual spot in the coffee aisle…and it was gone. I looked around thinking that maybe they had moved it or had decided to carry a different Fair Trade brand (okay it wouldn’t be Higher Grounds but I was willing to compromise to support Fair Trade and Danny’s) Nothing…. I decided to ask the check-out clerk about it. She seemed puzzled and told me that she had just sold some earlier in the day. She said she’d check to see if they were just out of stock. A few minutes later she returned and told me that they were no longer going to carry it.

I told her my story about being able to buy other brands at other larger chain stores but that I had made a conscious effort to buy it there. I also told her that I had been telling other people in Monroe, who were becoming increasingly interested in Fair Trade coffee, that they could buy it there. “I’m sorry.” was all she said. It’s not like it was her decision.

Deflated, I left without asking any questions. But since then it’s really been bothering me. I think I need to follow-up with this and go back and talk to the manager there and ask why they made the decision to stop selling it and what it would take for them to bring it back. I’m guessing that the answer would  be that there wasn’t enough of a demand for it. However, the way I see it, the demand is growing and Danny’s was on the cutting edge.  The more I tell people about what Fair Trade coffee is, the question that always follows is “Where can I buy it around here?” 

Danny’s is a great local store and I’ll continue to shop there for a variety of other things. I’m just disappointed by this decision and hope they’ll reconsider it.

What’s your favorite sign of spring in Monroe?

One of mine is the opening of the back deck at 129 Lounge here in Monroe. Okay, Okay. I know. The proper thing to say probably would have been flowers blooming or bumblebees buzzing or birds chirping or something “nature-ey” like that.

But seriously. The opening of the back deck at 129 Lounge to me is a rite of spring. Here’s why:

129 Lounge, in case you don’t know, is the bar located on the corner of East Front Street and Macomb. Many of you might have known it at one time as the Red Noodle Pub. A few years ago the owners of Beeks Bar and Grill bought it, completely gutted it and turned it into what is now probably one of the nicest bars in Monroe.

Most folks know it as “the martini bar” in Monroe because of its extensive list of gourmet martinis. However, what you may not know is that 129 Lounge has the largest selection of Michigan brewed beers in bottles and is the ONLY local bar that I know of in town with  Michigan brewed beer on tap. Specifically, I am referring to Bells beer which is brewed in Kalamazoo. More specifically I am referring to Bells Oberon beer which is a seasonal American wheat beer that is only brewed from late March through the end of summer.

So what’s so great about Bell’s Oberon? It looks and tastes like liquid sunshine. It is (or at least should be) the official beer of Michigan summers. Many people (although I don’t particularly care for it) enjoy their Oberon served with a slice of orange.

Now…what could make enjoying this beer even better? That’s right…sitting outside on the back deck of the 129 Lounge at a little cafe style tables sipping a pint of liquid sunshine with a few friends and bunch other locals and listening to the River Raisin rush by. It’s an even better experience as the sun gets higher in the sky, the days get longer and the weather gets hotter, so much so that you wish more places in Monroe were able to have a set up like this.

This season’s batch of Oberon was officially tapped  at 129 about a week and a half ago.  However, the back deck is still not “officially” open yet . I’ve been by there a few times over the past couple of weeks when the weather has been close to perfect but the tables aren’t out yet because the weather hasn’t been warm enough at night for them to seal the deck. And even though I’ve drank an Oberon or two on those occasions, some how they just don’t quite taste the same.

However, on the next warm sunny day, when those tables are out…I’ll be there. And I’ll know that spring has officially arrived. 

Go to 129, sit out on the back deck (once it’s open) and have an Oberon. Maybe you’ll even start a rite of spring of your own.

Sunday April 22 is Earth Day.

Do you have any Earth Day plans?

If not, here are some suggestions:

1. On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Monroe County Solid Waste Program will hold it’s second annual Earth Fair at the Monroe County Drain Commission  (1005 South Raisinville Road). Be sure to check out this FREE day of fun for the entire family including educational exhibits, activities for children, refreshments, lots of freebies, and a raffle for two TREK bikes.)

2. The IHM Sisters will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 21, 2-3:30 p.m., with a multimedia program showcasing the Earth Charter and the Ark of Hope. The festivities will be held in the Motherhouse Chapel (610 W. Elm Ave.) The four principles of the Earth Charter will be demonstrated through stories, dance and song. The Great Lakes Women of Gaia will be on-hand for an interactive musical experience as part of the event. The celebration is free and open to the public.

If you come, be sure to stick around for afterward for a Fair Trade coffee tasting (hosted by yours truly). We’ll be serving six delicious varieties of Fair Trade coffee from around the world  (plus some Fair Trade hot chocolate.)  Participants will have a chance to vote on their favorites and enter a drawing to win one pound of  their favorite Fair Trade coffee! 

Does anyone else know of any Earth Day happenings this weekend?

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the opening of Health Matters a natural food and health store in Monroe.

Tomorrow, Maurine Sharp, the owner will be celebrating with free popcorn and special giveaways. Be sure to check it out.

In case you don’t know where the store is (it’s kind of tucked away) Health Matters is located at 17 E. Second street (between Monroe and Washington) just around the corner from David’s Jewelry. I’ve been told it’s where the old “cop shop” used to be.  Store hours are Monday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Maurine is a great woman who always goes out of her way to find what customers are looking for and always makes an effort to sell local products and promote local events in Monroe.

She also makes the best all-natural cookies that I’ve ever tasted. She might even have some to sample! The monster cookies are my  personal favorite. Her April e-newsletter is below.

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I work for the IHM Sisters here in Monroe. While the IHM community recieves a fair amount of local media attention, there have been two recent stories about the IHMs that have received significant media attention in outlets outside of the Monroe Evening News that I though were worth noting.

The first is an article that appeared in the  Detroit Free Press on March 28th entitled “Racism Sexism Tell Nun’s Story”. The article is about Theresa Maxis, the foundress of the IHM community. 

The other story is that of Julie Viera. Julie is an IHM Sister who has made quite a name for herself with her blog “A Nuns Life” which chronicles her personal experience of being a young, vowed woman-religious. (Note in her April 7th post she gives a big shout out to Jack’s Bicycle shop in Monroe)  Julie’s received a lot of press lately with an article in the Free Press last Sunday called “Nuns the Word”, a recent interview on NPR’s weekend edition with Scott Simon called “Ask Sister” and most recently she was one of the potential news stories that viewers could vote on, on  last Friday’s “Assignment America” on CBS (Sadly, she didn’t win.)

I thought these were two fun and interesting stories that folks in Monroe may not have caught. Check them out. The IHM Sisters are an amazing group of women, with a fascinating history,  doing great things all over the U.S., the world, and right in our own back yard.