sometimes you drive the train, actively chasing the values you believe in... for us, that's been pursuits like truly serving our evansville namesake, our blogs for education, or seeking more thorough relationships with farmers.
yet sometimes, and perhaps better yet, you touch something greater. in these moments, you find yourself swimming in a current that is not quite your own making, doors opening greater than those you can claim as your own.that's where we want to be.
healthy and growing
success cannot mean financial extremes or some abstract number of customers and partners. it is not sales, nor is it gaining freedom from labor, nor is it loosely-defined "growth."
...it would be a loss to have a business grow two sizes larger and end with hearts two sizes too small.
with no attempt to define success, there is a little i'd like to share from this month that, to me, points to the type of success that serves us all.that is: you, your families, our team, our families, and those we cross paths with along the way.
perhaps a garden is the best metaphor for this conversation.
yes, of course, let's look at the elephant in the room: a gardener has to reap a harvest, or they'll never survive. a garden that bears no fruit is beautiful for a time, but its end is, well, death.
for a business, at its simplest, this harvest is income. a business must have customers, must have partners, must make money to continue on. that is important, it is responsible, it is honest. there is value here; we can't keep gardening if there is no food for the next season. most of us, i believe, understand that.
but let's backtrack a moment.
a garden.. there is a long season between the planting and the harvesting.
before harvest begins, there is a much longer season requiring great and thorough care: good soil, sunshine, water, pruning, weeding, tending. repeat.
should this garden lack its needs, there will be unhealthy plants. there will be unhealthy fruit. and eventually, there will be no fruit.
should we over-grow this harvest, we'll strip the soil of its nutrients. we'll ruin the environment. and in 20 years' time, we'll be rich -- and green as the grinch.
at ecc, we want to plant a garden, and we are seeking to become great gardeners. we will not solely focus on the harvest. nor is the harvest our sole reward.
dear friends, we aim to first till the soil.
these are the relationships ethan price (our lead roaster) is out building with farmers, the connections nic main is out there making with all of you, the recipes we dial in, the proactive work.from there, we want to become masters of tending the garden: building true, caring relationships and ever-improving processes every step of the way.
we want to see the garden grow along the way: relationships deepening, partners succeeding, systems running, our team members thriving.
we want to reap a bountiful harvest as this garden grows to its greatest potential; a potential we are yet to fully discover, yet one that we may see today as already delightful.
and as the harvest arrives, we want to share it over coffee, meals, music, laughter... companionship for the "gardens" you tend to.
'nuff said.
that picture above is from the garden at our dear friends finca terrerito's school in copán, honduras. they've been a true example to us of a "garden" well tended.
tending the garden
if i may share one moment we treasured:
i mentioned music.this month, we had enough margin in our lives to invite a friend to stop by our little city and play a little show. his name is andy squyres, and he absolutely killed it.
if you made it to the show, i hope it was a sweet time for you. we sure had a great time. andy was able to help support his tour, play his music for new people, and we even set up a pop-up ecc coffee bar.
you may not know it, but our lead roaster, ethan, is also a closeted artist and full-blown creative. ethan facilitated the whole night, coordinating with andy, preparing the space, and curating a series of incredible & beautiful coffee drinks for the evening.
i'm talking fresh cobbler lattes, fruit loops cold brews, simmered down baja blast matcha (listen to andy and that'll make much more sense). not to brag, but we've gotta give ethan a shoutout here and there. he deserves it.at the core, i believe this night was more than a show. it was the joyful success of leaning into deeper things, of leaving margin to sit and listen. it was people gathering, sharing drinks, singing together...
thank you for allowing this to take place, friends. it's a true gift.
if we're here 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, well.. we sure want to pursue goodness along the way, in the tending and the harvest.
a bountiful harvest
time for a small confession. solo un poquito. i began this letter aiming to tell you about the good things this month: a little holiday world trip we took, andy squyres coming to town, and the fact that our business has been growing.
but when you look for a purposeful way to share, in line with our theme, "the harvest has been bountiful"... well, it doesn't always come easy.
because if we're going to focus in the right places, it seems we've got to take the long route. though we update you on ecc's happenings here, it's not all about us.
this month, the "harvest" did increase. it's quite thrilling!
we've seen a handful of new partners enter our doors, started new relationships, and seen our business continue to grow. new doors are opening.
and this month, we also got caught up in the current of greater things.
we spent several hours with a new partner training, laughing, making accidental latte art "tornadoes," and joining hands with someone's dream.
we shared coffee with new faces we wouldn't have found ourselves, discussing the joys and stressors of life and the coffee world.
we sat at the roaster for many more hours, fulfilling the great calling of good, mundane "work."
we indeed took a trip with our sister company, honey moon, to holiday world where we got to watch team care at its finest.
we, as i mentioned, sang songs with friends new and old as we sipped creative and curated cups of coffee.
we dreamed and debated about the future of ecc and the in between.
we continued to pursue the honest ups and downs of relational life.
we bombed some things along the way.
nailed some others.planted seeds, tended the garden, and to our excitement, watched it grow in new and wonderful ways.
and that was just july.... woof.
next month, we'll keep going. hopefully, the harvest is enough. hopefully, it has grown. the weather keeps up.
yet even more, i hope we'll have lived well along the way. that our hearts will grow, maybe even change. maybe even mend.
the harvest will come, or not, and somehow, life goes on.
what does ben rector say, ethan? life is not the mountain tops, it's the walking in between?
thanks for reading, today, friends.
til next time,
- jacob
director of coffee, ecc
