Meet the Team // Sydney the Intern // @TinkerCoffeeCo

Sydney is working this summer in Indianapolis as she takes summer classes at UIndy. She was able to connect with a local coffee company – Tinker Coffee Company – and is working as their intern. Recently they featured her on the Tinker Coffee blog. It was a brief interview with some fun info about what lead her to Indy and to Tinker. I especially like her response to What got you into coffee?

You might have noticed that some of our Instagram posts are looking A LOT better recently, and we have one very special person to thank for those upgrades: our illustrious intern Sydney Brackemyre! Syd the Kyd is a dynamo and has been doing awesome work with us for the past month and we wanted to give folks the chance to get to know her a bit better. We sat down with Syd and asked some questions about where she’s been, where she’s going, and what drew her to the coffee industry in the first place.

Read the entire interview on the Tinker blog!

Onward

I just finished reading Onward that my wife picked up several months ago at a leadership simulcast she attended with her church staff.  Howard Schultz was originally slated to be one of the speakers, but backed out due to pressure from an on-line grassroots movement.

Whether you agree with Schultz or the decisions Starbucks as a company makes – or even if you are not a fan of coffee – Onward is primarily a book about leadership.  While there are no perfect leaders and there are no perfect companies, Onward tells the story of Starbucks fight to return to its principles and regain its financial standing in difficult economic times.

Starbucks coffee is a favorite of mine and receiving a Starbucks gift card makes for a good day!  But as I read the book, there was much about the story of Starbucks I did not know.  The introduction of Pike Place Roast to provide a consistent, daily brew to offer customers alongside the variety of roasts Starbucks serves.  The Starbuck Rewards card designed to build customer loyalty.  The idea for, development of and unveiling of VIA – Starbucks brand of instant coffee.  It was also interesting to read of some of the past failures as Starbucks sought to build a healthy business.

Through the pages of the book Schultz shares his commitment to Starbucks as a company and the principles on which the company was built.  As Starbucks grew and opened more and more stores, there was a drifting from those core principles.  One of the first tough decisions Schultz has to make was to return as ceo (titles at Starbucks are purposely in lower case), which meant letting go of the current ceo.  The subsequent chapters detail the tough decisions that were made to bring Starbuck back to not only solid financial standing, but also back to what the company was all about as it began.

Onward is not just a book about coffee (although Schultz loves coffee), it is about love for a company and a leader who wanted to stay true to what that company was all about.

Valentines Day 2012

My wife got me (us) a great Valentine’s Day gift this year – coffee!  BUT, not just any coffee. There’s a good story behind it.

A few summers ago, we took our high school students to a CIY MOVE Conference in Holland, MI.  There is a cool local coffee shop in Holland called Lemonjellos.  They serve and sell the Equal Exchange coffee and had this great blend called Cosmic Love Buzz.  I brought a bag of it home and we have ordered it since then.

This year Cheryl found it online for a great price. Don’t know if you can see it in the picture, but it is a five-pound bag!  We are set for a while.

Happy Valentines Day!!