Thank you for EXPLORING!
I’ve had the good fortune to be able to live, work, and travel in or to nearly 50 countries. And the more I travel, the more I realize the difference between, “travelling”, and “exploring”. Travelling can be a passive event; something that happens to you. So much so that it even has a negative connotation. How many times have you heard someone say, “I have to travel this week”, bemoaning the upcoming trip? You can travel for work … or pleasure. You can travel to a location … stay in a comfortable hotel whose brand you know … visit a museum … maybe even hop on a tour bus, and leave without TRULY experiencing the land, the culture, the food, and the rituals or beliefs that are sacred to the people that live there. Appreciating these things requires something more active, more committed … it requires you to EXPLORE.
Exploring requires you to leave your comfort zone. It means talking to, and making friends with, people you don’t know. You may need to eat their food, speak (or try to, anyway) their language, wear their clothes, and share in their customs To truly explore requires curiosity, an open mind, discipline not to judge, and a commitment to connect with people, no matter how great the differences are. When done well, exploring yields great benefits … not just in opening your mind; but also in appreciating what it is you have in your own life.
In so many ways, this is what Dan and I want Blue Lava to be about. That’s why, in just over six months, we’ve offered coffee from over twenty different farms, and haven’t offered the same farm twice! That’s why we source the most diverse coffees we can find, from farms whose values resonate with ours. Our artisan roasts are intended to allow you to make a connection with the farm and the farmers involved in the process, allowing you to appreciate the diversity of the region and understand the culture, customs, and level of effort and commitment of its people.
We believe that your morning, (afternoon, or evening) cup of coffee should feel more like EXPLORING and, when done well, will truly yield great benefits.
Thank you for EXPLORING with us!
— mike —