At the Okanogan Family Faire
Peaceful Valley Coffee Co is still a young business, not yet six months old; but from the genesis, we knew that serving coffees, pitching beans, and celebrating at the Spring Okanogan Family Faire was a fixed business goal. No maybes, it was going to happen . . .
That Westford ceramic Kauai Coffee mug is legit
The service concept was simple and unbeatable. No espresso machine, no added flavors, no latte lines; but truly fantastic coffee, to delight everybody, served out of doors and wholly self-reliant. I was banking on being able to pull off quantifiably delicious brews, in my signature style, with no electronics. Just water, object, coffee, brew.
With quality coffee beans, proper brewing methods, and inspiration, it is easy to achieve. Perhaps you have done this for yourself. Have you achieved this with Peaceful Valley Coffee, Spokane’s source for the cleanest coffee on the planet?
At the Faire, coffee service consisted of batch-brewed French Press (like the good old days, with modern updates), v60 pour-over, Aeropress, and cold brew (made overnight, on site, with that yummy well water).
Roasted coffee offerings consisted of: a special Mocha Java blend for French Press, Nicaragua La Bastilla and Brazil Cerrado for slow brews, and a 50/50 “Roaster’s Choice Blend” for cold brew. I roasted the coffees to a level that I would call “falling into dark.” This versatile range would assure performance and satisfaction. I whipped up raw sugar simple syrup for any folks wanting sweetener, as this paired remarkably with the coffees. As did a little bit of beautiful, organic whole milk, or creamy oat milk. No shame, just the time of the day!
1.5 liter presses batched the quick cups
Alongside the coffees, Michelle crafted phenomenal terrariums for some of her cultivated, living air plants. Some of the terrariums even contained kodama. I am not sure, honestly, if I was more excited about how well the coffees were received by folks, or how fun it was to watch peoples’ eyes light up when they saw the air plant terrariums.
Speaking of happy folks, I couldn’t be more thrilled with how positively the “Peaceful Valley Coffee Camp” was received. Throughout the Faire’s four days, despite gusty winds (fun times boiling liters of water on gas burners in the wind), folks were continuously intrigued by the “Peaceful Valley.” Since we intentionally placed ourselves outside of the main food vending area, folks had to seek us out, know where we were, or find us during the occurence of travel. Many wondered if we were from the Peaceful Valley—source of Spokane and a human place, much older than Washington State.
“The peaceful valley” is a human condition (imho) intertwined with our daily rituals, the respite or moment of luxury we continuously drive toward in surviving our journies.
Peaceful Valley is also the most-awesome part of Spokane; a humble neighborhood where people live, and it means a heck of a lot to so many. This multifold connection between coffee and sense of place proved to inspire positive interpersonal connections.
Yes, we had spectacular non-pretentious coffee for all to enjoy. Yes, we had Stratego. Yes, we awesomely upheld the original spirit of the Faire, bringing the hand-crafted and agrarian products. But to be out there, representing Peaceful? This touched the soul.
Freezing nights, up with the sun, brewing in slippers
After the Spring Faire, it was obvious, we will be returning in Autumn. I cannot wait to pour my heart into more roasted coffee and see for what absolute treasures I can barter. This time around we scored some eggs, amazing green maize, cantaloupe seeds, and a Duke blueberry shrub. Rad!
On a related note, I love to spend my time working closely with every one of the Peaceful Valley Coffee retail clients, tailoring a personalized coffee journey. Customers are provided with a guaranteed freshest product on the market and, together, we eliminate some of the pesky obstacles that exist when coffee is purchased through indirect routes, like the grocery store. It requires a decent amount of coordinating to create the special, but liminal, space where we meet to exchange coffee beans.
The Okanogan Family Faire was a reminder of how valuable and fun it can be, to set up shop in a new place, and let the world revolve.
