Our Grand Opening - July 6th 2013 !!!

And so it begins ... or rather continues ...

Highland Grounds opened its doors on June 1st 2013, and has been running since.

Yesterday we held our Grand Opening and with the help of the Duncan family, who built the Duncan Block we call home in 1932, local politicians and dignitaries, and members of my family, we cut the ribbon and officially opened our doors for business.

A crowd of thirty to forty people came and helped us celebrate by tucking into the enormous 29 INCH chocolate chip cookie, the massive rice crispie square, and the GORGEOUS cake prepared by local baker Bonnie B.

Coffee and conversation flowed all evening as the shop ebb'ed and flow'ed with people, and lots of folks came and went offering thier best wishes and leaving after having tried the very best coffee we have to offer!

The evening ended with a fabulous musical coffee house with an assortment of local talent and lots of good music, great coffee and fantastic conversation.

All in all, it was a good way to kick off this crazy new venture ... it is truly a journey JUST BEGUN!!!

And so the journey takes a new and exciting turn ...

And so it begins ...
At 8 Toronto Rd in bustling downtown Flesherton - at the junction of Hwy 10 North, and Grey County Rd 4, A new business venture has opened ... it is the long awaited, much anticipated Highland Grounds Coffee Shop ... a venue that specializes in high quality Fair Trade and Social Conscience products:

The Duncan Room pictured below is a nod to the heritage and history of the building Highlands Grounds calls home - named after the three generations of the Duncan Family who ran the hardware store that formerly occupied the space - The Duncan Room now is a place to sit and savour a cup of Fair Trade Coffee and cruise the internet on the local WiFi.

And the best part of this ... is that all of it is the fulfilment of a dream to own and run my own business.

Highland Grounds is open 7 days a week from 5:30 am to 9:30pm Monday to Friday and 10:00 am to 9:30 pm Saturday and Sunday ... we have a wide range of Fair Trade products available and are looking forward to expanding our selection in the coming weeks ...

Stop by ... we're here to promote our community, and offer a very good cup of coffee at a very good price!!

Cheers

Dare to Dream ...

There are days when I question my sanity right now ... I'm in my mid-40's, working full time, and within the next five years I will have the proverbial empty nest ... and here I am about to start a new business venture that will no doubt absorb huge amounts of time and energy to get it up and running ...

In an average week I flip from scared silly to excited when I consider the bits and pieces we are pulling together under the banner of Highland Grounds.

On the upside, I've pulled together a talented team of people who have been helping me move forward from the pie in the sky dream of opening a Fair Trade Coffee shop, to actually making this dream a reality.

Ms H and her circle of friends have been a big part of the creativity and energy that has helped envision the space, and the concept that Highland Grounds will be. They even helped craft the name that will soon emblazon the historic Duncan Block in downtown Flesherton!

Wayne and Linda have entered my life as friends, and their creativity and vision have given me so much ... colleague and friend Mark has been enlisted to harness his wood working skills to provide disctinctive one-of-a-kind furnishings that will give our Shop character and flavour ...

Graham has come on board with his trademark giggle and a willingness to see this dream to reality ...

There have been moments when I've been ready to thrown in the towel and just admit that I'm in way over my head ... but in those moments a faint glimmer of hope has broken through and the right person has offered the right advice, guidance and inspiration to get me out of the 'blahs' I may find myself in, and moving forward.

There is still A LOT of work to be done, and despite more then a few set backs and mis-steps, I feel more confident today about what lies ahead then I have in a very very very long time.

I don't think this will suddenly be an easy carefree endeavour. But I feel blessed and fortunate to have assembled a team of people who have shared their talents, their enthusiasm and their support in moving this dream into reality. Looking ahead, I have a talented and capable team of folks (adults and teens) who have expressed an interest in stepping up and backing the Highland Grounds logo when the door finally opens. They share the dream and want to be part of it, and I feel deeply blessed for their willingness and ability to join in the fray.

No one knows what the future will hold, and I can't even offer a firm date on when we will turn the key on our new venture, but I know it WILL happen, and when it does, it will offer Flesherton and the Grey Highlands a great place to gather and enjoy a quality beverage surrounded by people who share the knowledge that our world can be made a better place ONE CUP OF COFFEE AT A TIME!!!!

Stay tuned ... more updates WILL follow!!!

A New Chapter

I can hear my mother saying "What are you doing??"

Yet, despite moving from excited to terrified and back again with regularlity, I am moving forward slowly and intentionally on my new dream ...

The building pictured above is mine. The final sale went through last week, and we're in the process of getting it ready to be a Local Coffee Shop specializing in Fair Trade Products and local food, craft and artisan products as well.

Highland Grounds will have an echo of Chipperfield Coffee Company in Minnedosa and Forbidden Flavours in Brandon - but it will be it's own distinctive Flesherton creation ... I know what I want it to be, and I've heard what the local folks have said they are looking for, and right now we are working to bring those two streams together, and create a community hub for the Flesherton and Grey Highlands area.

The goal is to be open sometime in mid to late March, with an official 'Grand Opening' after Easter, but for now I will be uncommittal around dates - there is a lot of work to be done, and as we move forward there is little doubt plans will have to change and alter as we learn more about the building, and more about the business we've proposed.

The bottom line, as of today is Highland Grounds will be a coffee shop specializing in the provision of high quality Fair Trade products, while providing a place for people to come and sit and enjoy the ambience of a building that has been an integral part of 'Downtown' Flesherton for three generations as a Hardware Store. That legacy will be honoured and continued, and Highland Grounds will strive to be an active and unrepentent promotor of the other local businesses, and the many wonderful things that are happening in and around Flesherton throughout the year.

When the door is finally opened for business, I look forward to welcoming you all into this exciting (and slightly terrifying) undertaking - and I will be proud to pour you a cup of Fair Trade Coffee and share this dream with you ...

See you soon !!!

One cup at a time ...

One of my long standing passions has been Fair Trade products ... I have, in every community where I've lived, and every church I've served, introduced and promoted Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, dried fruit and other products.

In the last 18 months, the folks of Flesherton/Eugenia have not only encouraged that passion, they have joined in and taken our promotion of Fair Trade to a wholly unexpected level.

Each week we set up and people a booth at two local farmer's markets, and we sell a steady stream of some very fine Fair Trade products - so much so, that some weeks we struggle to keep up to the demand!!

But more importantly, the Farmers' Market booth serves a better purpose - it tells people that the congregations of St John's and Eugenia United Churches are alive and well, and interested in reaching out to the community around them and sharing the values and importance of our faith with our neighbours both near and far.

Despite the work and effort involved, I look forward to the weekends when we set up our tables, our tent and lay out our inventory and welcome folks to consider making a conscious decision to provide themselves with a good quality product that makes a difference in corners of the world we may never visit. One cup of coffee, or tea at a time, we are MAKING a difference in the world, and the good folks of the Flesherton-Eugenia Pastoral Charge are living that reality every day !!!

Sometimes living our faith and sharing what we believe means stepping out of the comfort of our buildings and truly going into the market places and offering an faithful alternative to the people we meet there!!! And that is just what Fair Trade is ALL ABOUT !!!

The BEST part of waking up is Level Ground Trading in YOUR CUP !!!

Four steps to a beautiful start to the day:

1) Fresh roast Colombian Dark Roast Coffee Beans from Level Ground Trading Ltd.:




2) Place a generous portion of coffee beans in the grinder (repeat if necessary!):



3) Place fresh ground in coffee make with cold filtered water:

4) Brew coffee maker, then enjoy the steamy end product!!:

5) TASSIMO THIS !!!!:

(No bar codes for me !!! I like my coffee freshly roasted, ground as needed, and brewed to perfection right in my kitchen ... my coffee maker may not be fancy, but with a GREAT coffee, it delivers an exceptional mug !!!)

Good to the last sip ...

My connection with Level Ground Trading Ltd began in the mid-1990's when I discovered their amazing Cafe San Miquel coffee while we lived in the Lower Mainland of BC.

Since then, the dark roast whole bean Cafe San Miquel has been my coffee of choice ... a choice, I've shared with numerous others who have come to have the same appreciation of a fine cup of java !!!

I've organized sales of Level Ground's coffee, sugar and dried fruit at no less than three separate congregations as a fund raising opportunity for thier life and ministry. For a time the Mayor's Office in Brandon even used Cafe San Miquel in their coffee pots !!!

Tomorrow, after an absence of almost five months, the Colombian Coffee (Dark Roast Whole Bean) returns to my coffee pot !!!!!

Not only that, but I add two more congregations to my tally of congregations where Level Ground Trading Ltd Coffee will be available for sale !!!! To do my part to help Eugenia United Church and St John's United Church, the Ethiopian and Colombian Coffees will be for sale through the Church office !!!

I'll openly admit my motivations are twinged with my own selfish coffee interests ... but fortunately, as I am able to quench my coffee craving for the Colombian Dark Roast, others are able to share in the enjoyment of one of Canada's BEST fair trade coffee ... stay tuned, I've even enquired about making the coffee available thru the Resource Centre at Central Westside United Church in Owen Sound !!!!

A GOOD Coffee MUST be shared !!!!

Oh, and it makes an absolutely FABULOUS Christmas Present for those 'hard to buy for' folks on your list !!!

Hmmmm ... Coffee !!

Today my sermon is written, my bulletins for Sunday morning's Anniversary service at St John's and the afternoon covenanting service are both printed and ready to go ... I need only bake a couple of loaves of bread for the afternoon communion service ... so, for the moment I can enjoy the peace and quiet of the morning with a cup of coffee ...

I discovered a local coffee company recently, and find their dark roast whole bean product to be simply wonderful ... Ashanti Coffee Enterprises is crafted in nearby Thornbury, using beans grown in central Africa ... for those in the area - ENJOY !!! ... for those beyond the immediate area - kinda sucks to be you right now ... sorry !!!

Now back to my coffee !!!

Raise a Double-Double !!

This one is for Katie, friend and fellow blogger over at "At the Half Note" ...

In today's headlines, it is reported OVER and OVER and OVER, that the Canadian Institution Tim Hortons - a ubiquitous presence throughout Canada, including FOUR locations here in Brandon - is opening 12 locations in New York City ... 10 in Manhattan, and 2 in Brooklyn.

The CTV story is here - "Timmie's Takes Manhattan"

Come on Katie - track down one of the locales and hoist a Double-double and a maple dipped for us, and let us know if our Canadian Institution is up to snuff for the New York crowds ...

Congrats ...

Today on the Noon Show on CBC Radio One in Manitoba, Chipperfield Coffee Company was featured as a 'Must See' point on Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe's tour stop in Minnedosa Manitoba, with proprietor and owner Ross M, sharing some of the delightful attributes of this corner of rural Manitoba.

I'd like to think I had a small part in helping make it happen with my invitation to Stuart on his last tour through Western Canada that saw him travelling from Saskatoon to Brandon (look on a map Hwy 16 goes right past Minnedosa!!). 'Stop in for a cup of coffee and a visit,' I urged him on behalf of the owners and staff of a once cherished place in my life ... and my call last week to CBC plugging Chipperfields as "a place for Stuart to visit." I wasn't alone in naming Chipperfields as the "must see" place ... but I started that campaign months and months and months ago ...

I honestly hope that Stuart takes time to stop in and meet the real life inspiration behind the character J--, who featured so prominently in my stories over a The Chipperfield Chronicles, and I hope Stuart gets a chance to see the many good things in Minnedosa, and meet some of the truly wonderful people who call that town home ...

I wish Ross and Bonnie well on this upcoming visit, and I hope it brings them and the good folks who stop by Chipperfields lots of good things ...

Chipperfields is still a place I miss deeply, and this wondrous coming together of one of my favourite radio programmes (complete with the books and cds) The Vinyl Cafe and one of my favourite places - Chipperfield Coffee Company, fills me with nothing but profound sadness that I simply can not be part of it ...

Such is the vagaries of life ... for now - Congrats Ross and Bonnie - I truly hope everything goes well!! You've earned it.

Yummy !!!

Today for the first time in WEEKS and WEEKS and WEEKS ... I've been able to enjoy a mug of Level Ground's Cafe Awasa (Their Ethiopian Coffee). Like so many other things, you don't realize how much you miss it until you have it again for the first time ...

While I've enjoyed Kicking Horse Coffee's Kick Ass blend, my favourite still remains Level Ground's Cafe Awasa ... either way though - Fair Trade and Organic AND Canadian - you can't go wrong ... Just need to keep getting the word out there !!!

I'll keep doing my part to change the world - one wonderful cup of coffee at a time !!!

A Taste of Heaven in a Cup ...

This afternoon Ms H. and Beetle showed up at my office and we went out for a mid-afternoon Tea Break along with my co-worker. After running a couple of errands for work, we went to a new dessert coffee shop in the down town mall ... the girls ordered decadent chocolate desserts while I ordered a peach-ginger strudel along with a LARGE cup of black coffee from Green Bean Coffee Importers located just north of Winnipeg ...

I've mused about Derryl and his start up company back in February before I became a person non-grata at a coffee shop I once frequented ... his coffee was very good, and roasted in small batches, and was and IS simply delicious ... but over the last six months I've had to resort to a variety of other Fair Trade and premium coffees from other sources ... but today it was like coming home ...

I savoured the coffee from the first sip to the last drop ... it was a delight ... and it was like having a taste of heaven in a cup ... I'll definitely be back ...

Tonight's UNEXPECTED Treat !!!!!

I have been missing my regular coffee lately ... At home I've been enjoying the Kick Ass roast from Kicking Horse Coffee (a wonderful Canadian Fair Trade company), and since leaving home last week was able to have it only when I was at M's mom and dad's because I had bought a bag at the local supermarket ...

The last three days have been whatever brown fluid comes in a cup from Franchises, Gas Stations and restaurants ...

BUT ... tonight I went to fill the van up with gas and when I went to pay for the fill, I decided to grab a coffee - I had had only one earlier in the day and was feeling the urge ...

I stepped up to the coffee counter expecting to find the regular store brand, but was delighted to find a selection of Kicking Horse Coffees including my much loved Kick Ass roast !!!! I let out a gasp that caused the clerk to look over and he said - "Buddy, the pot on the left is fresh, ... I just made it !!!"

I brought the cup of steaming coffee back to the hotel room and was able to enjoy it while I cruised the net and the girls watched a movie on tv ... it was a wonderful surprise ... and as I've said - a totally unexpected treat !!!

Thanks Husky for good taste in Coffee !!!
and thanks Kicking Horse for making it !!!

Fair Trade rules !!!