Coffee People: The Ice Age Trail Collab.

Watch and Listen to Coffee People on:
Apple Podcasts • YouTube • Spotify • All Your Favorite Platforms

SEASON 15. EPISODE 3. - Guest Host: Nick Schmitt of Roastar
Guests: Nolan Baker, Co-Founder of The Pinery Coffee Co. & Ryan Woldt, Host of Coffee People & Coffee Smarter podcasts.
Based: Wausau, WI
What we did: We created a collaboration coffee to celebrate small business and support Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail Alliance.

I assume the first thing you'll want to know is the details about the coffee. Welp, here goes. It is a single-origin Honey-Processed Costa Rica from the farm of Beneficio San Diego in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica.

It tastes of chocolate, honey, and citrus, and has a full—I would say, "round," mouthfeel accompanied by a smooth finish. Beneficio San Diego is an innovative, modern mill established in Costa Rica in 1888. They specialize in coffees from the Tarrazú and Tres Ríos regions.
 
Honey-processing coffee started in Costa Rica. It is a unique way of processing where some or all of the mucilage of the coffee cherry—the goopy substance under the coffee cherry skin—is left on during the drying stage, allowing the natural sugars to imbue the coffee with a sweetness that can be brought out during the roasting stage.

And yeah, it's pretty dang good. Even better than a good cup of coffee is one that does a little good for the natural world. During this week's podcast (above), Nolan and I discuss why we decided to undertake this project together, the value of the Ice Age Trail system, how Roastar's packaging support makes it possible, and the impact a place can have on a person.

We had the opportunity to chat at the coffee release party at The Pinery Coffee Co. in August. The team from Roastar (and my Mom!) joined us in a "ribbon" cutting ceremony. The ribbon was actually parachord from our camping bin, which felt more than appropriate for the occasion.

Then we had the opportunity to chat (below) with Sarah Driscoll from the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA). She describes what the IATA does, why this work is valuable to her, and how a connected trail system draws attention to and uplifts the communities along the route.

From start to finish, this is the type of project we love. It has numerous moving parts and requires collaboration and attention from multiple partners, whom we've come to know and appreciate more through our experience. Not to mention, we got to spend time amongst the trees we now have the privilege of supporting.

Thanks to Roastar, Inc, Nolan, and The Pinery Coffee Co. team, Sarah, and everyone for the work they do at the IATA, and to you for helping this show become a platform to share the things we care about. Plus, we got to make a poster!

Find the Ice Age Trail Alliance online at: www.iceagetrail.org and on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

On their website you'll find lots of trail information, plus interactive maps, breakdowns of each trail segment, and tips for enjoying the Ice Age Trail.

SPONSORED

THE BIG PERK! National Coffee Day is Monday, September 29—and we’re brewing up three irresistible reasons to celebrate. On all orders, you’ll get:

1. FREE shipping (Custom, Blank, Labels, and Stickers).
2. FREE one-year subscription to Roast Magazine.
3. Entry into the BIG PERK SWEEPSTAKES for a chance to win admission to First Crack Coffee's Bean to Brew or Barista Intensive Course. Plus, a 50-pk of free stickers!

CHECK OUT ROASTAR

PODCAST TAKEAWAYS & INFO ABOUT THE ICE AGE TRAIL*

• Collaborations like this one between The Pinery, Roastar, IATA, and Coffee People serve a lot of purposes. Not the least of which is to create a community of people, of entrepreneurs, and collaborators who you can lean on. When you create something with a group, a bond is born from meeting the challenge together.
• Coffee People's share of the proceeds from the sales of this coffee will be donated to the Ice Age Trail Alliance. The Pinery Coffee Company is making a donation from their proceeds AND doing a bigger overall donation program at their cafe. Roastar, Inc. donated the packaging for this coffee and continues to support our coffee collaboration series efforts.
• The Trail is managed by a partnership among the National Park Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. It is one of 11 National Parks Trail Systems.
• The Ice Age Trail is open for hiking, backpacking and snowshoeing. Many segments support cross-country skiing, too. In some instances, the Trail overlaps with state bicycling trails.
• The Trail is not yet complete. Nearly 700 miles of it are yellow-blazed Ice Age Trail segments; about 500 miles of unmarked connecting routes link the blazed segments. The entire route is about 1,200 miles long.
• The Trail’s western terminus is in Interstate State Park in St. Croix Falls, Polk County. The Trail’s eastern terminus is in Potawatomi State Park in Sturgeon Bay, Door County.
• Some segments of the trail travel down the main streets of Wisconsin communities. The Ice Age Trail is meant to connect people and communities. More than 20 municipalities have chosen recognition as an Ice Age Trail Community, underscoring the Trail’s positive economic impact, locally. The Trail passes through 30 Wisconsin counties
• Milwaukeean Ray Zillmer is credited with the original vision of a long, linear park winding through Wisconsin along the glacier’s terminal moraine.
• From The Ice Age Trail Alliance:

• One of the goals of the Ice Age Trail Alliance is to permanently protect the route of the Ice Age Trail. Every year, we purchase land with privately donated funds and grants from government partners to get closer to achieving this goal. The State of Wisconsin also acquires land for the Trail through its Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

*These facts culled from www.iceagetrail.org

COLLABORATION COFFEES AVAILABLE NOW

COFFEE COLLABS

See all of the collaboration coffees we’re producing with small business collaborators like Coffee Cycle Roasting, Marea Coffee, The Pinery Coffee Company, and Relative Coffee Company.

COFFEE PEOPLERyan Woldt

OTHER BRANDS WE USE & HAVE PARTNERED WITH

The partner links below enable us to generate some affiliate revenue. As always, we don’t partner with brands we don’t use, coffee we don’t drink, or a brand we don't strongly recommend.

• Simply Good Coffee Brewers: Read our review.
• Baratza: The new ESP Pro is out now.
• Hydroflask

NEXT WEEK:

We share the October Mixtape and detail where we've had a cup of coffee recently.

JUST FOR FUN-ISH:

Emily Ford of Duluth is only the second person and first woman to thru-hike the Ice Age National Scenic Trail during winter. She set off on the 1200-mile Wisconsin trail in Door County on December 28 and ended at Interstate Park on March 6, accompanied by Diggins, a sled dog on loan from Cheri Beatty of Lakeville. Along the hike, “trail angels” showed up with food and supplies. And when temperatures plunged below zero, making it too dangerous for Ford and Diggins to sleep in a tent, local volunteers shuttled them to lodging. Ford’s Instagram followers grew to 9,000 during the hike and she hopes her adventure will inspire girls and people of color to explore the outdoors. • Prairie Sportsman on Pioneer PBS