Last Saturday I had the privilege to be at the birth of my nephew, Archie Robert Skolak.  This was my first opportunity to attend a birth, besides my own, so I have no room for comparison--but it was a beautiful experience.  It is so hard to go through labor, and Becky was so amazing and strong.  Wow.  Dave and Becky are in love, and little Archie is doing great.  They are enjoying being a family of three.

	Welcoming Archie.

For those of you who know Becky as our wonderful manager, she will be off work for a while.  She is planning on coming back to the store--we're flexible--but in the meantime our great team of employees have got it under control.  And if we need help, Becky is just a phone call away :)

This week we have a new Costa Rican coffee for you: perfect if you happen to be waking up without much sleep (yes, I'm talking to you new moms).  It's summertime, and those of you traveling and camping can probably use a new brew too.  Even in the heat wave we've been having, I'm enjoying drinking my coffee in the morning while watering the garden.

This Costa Rican comes from the Palmares distict, in the mountains north of the capitol of San Jose.  It is processed by the Cooperativa de Caficultores y de Servicios Múltiples de Palmares (COOPEPALMARES), and you can find their website here.  Hopefully that link takes you to the translated page--if it seems stilted, it was originally in Spanish.

According to our broker, the coop COOPEPALMARES has "a state of the art processing facility with certifications in quality and environmental management from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)."  They also run two supermarkets in the town of Palmares, and offer their members "access to low interest loans and healthcare for families."  Beyond all that, the coffee is cleanly processed, using recycled water, and they also have an organic fertilizer plant.