Pie and Coffee

It's no secret that pie and coffee are besties, so we've been putting some considerable thought into what sort of coffee we would like to make available in our shop (serve it? sell it? foam or no foam? full fat, half fat, skim? double shot? single shot? caff? half-caf?).  It has been a hard topic for us to objectively look at and analyze because it is no secret that we both ADORE coffee.  Adore in a don't-speak-to-us-in-the-morning until we've had a cup sort of way.  Adore in a star-crossed lovers in a pouring rainstorm Nicholas Sparks novel sort of way.  Adore in this sort of way...

We've looked at a lot of options for coffee in Peggy Jean's. We've talked to the national companies that roast coffee and repackage it in bags with your logo (yep, that is a whole industry).  We have thought about if we want to sell coffee, and even more specifically, specialty coffees like mochas and lattes.

Nothing in the process really felt right...if we were going to put our name on a roasted coffee blend, we wanted to be part of the creation of that blend.  Nothing would be worse than the Peggy Jean's Special Blend that also turned out to be the special blend at a motel in Oklahoma, a grocery store in Pittsburgh, and a chain of restaurants in the Pacific Northwest.  We looked at the specialty coffee equipment, but it is expensive and appears complicated.  Not to mention that knowledge of how to make my own mocha would sort of end up being my kryptonite.

Seeing a 40 cup coffee urn and a 10 pound can of Folgers in my future, I started to notice that several people in the course of a few weeks had mentioned Shortwave Coffee.  Shortwave (http://www.shortwavecoffee.com/) is a fantastic new business in Columbia and is owned by Dale and Laura.  Dale is a man all about coffee and in short time, I shall make him my best friend.  Laura handles the marketing and designed the logo, which I think is one of my favorite logos on a product ever.

We had the pleasure of meeting both of them yesterday and got to have a little chat about how we can work together to marry pie and coffee...and we are EXCITED.  To start with, they can make a custom blend Peggy Jean's coffee and it will be just that - a custom blend, just for us, gotta come to Peggy Jean's to get it, blend.  Also, our retail area will feature Shortwave products, in all sorts of varieties, so that you can pick up a pie and your favorite coffee all in one convenient stop.  We will also have a pot of Shortwave coffee brewing, so you'll be able to stop in and grab a cup (unless we drank all of it before you get there and in that case, sorry).

So, welcome Dan and Laura of Shortwave Coffee to the Peggy Jean's Pies Inner Circle!

PS...No word on the lease negotiation front and the silence is deafening. PPS...What could be taking them so long to decide? PPPS...I was just kidding about the Wal-Mart thing, Kroenke.  Seriously.  I already love it.