If you happen to buy a package of Jumpy Monkey coffee and noticethe label isn’t quite right, blame me.
While learning how to roast coffee at its headquarters –Opportunities Unlimited — I also got a quick lesson in placing alabel. And, yeah, I didn’t quite get it right. the experts theretold me they’d redo it, but I said if you put the bag behindanother one no one would notice.
OK, so I don’t have their same attention to detail.
I’m also not as quick as the folks who work there, so there wasthat problem. Still, I was eager to learn when they threw down thechallenge: “How would you like to roast coffee?”
“You can wear jeans and a T-shirt,” I was told before I reportedto work. “When you go home, your clothes are going to smell likecoffee.”
And how. I went in smelling like Tide’s Fresh Breeze. I came outMocha Doubled Roasted.
My instructor: Project Manager Lori Bride, who has been roastingbeans since 2003. the business arrived at Opportunities Unlimitedas a way to help disabled clients learn vocational skills. Whilenone of them runs the roaster (Bride’s pretty picky about that),they do handle everything from packaging to distribution.
“Are you ready to roast?” Bride asked me as I arrived.Immediately, my eyes caught a vacuum cleaner-like device. “That’show we put the beans in the roaster,” she explained. before theygot the sucker-upper machine, folks had to manually move the beans.Considering they roast 20-some pounds at a time, that’s remarkable.Now, the beans are transferred by vacuum.
Subsequent steps? Theyr’e sort of like working a popcornmachine. You have to wait until it reaches the right degree of”done-ness” before it’s dropped, cooled and coated.
Easy? Not so fast there, Lucy.
The machine keeps you hopping, making sure every step isconsistent. To make sure the beans cool properly, Bride has azapper (notice my flair with technical terms) that registers thetemperature. (You can point it at a person, too, and get a prettygood idea of her temperature. but don’t do it twice. I did…andheard about it.)
Once the beans are cooled, they’re coated (if it’s a flavoredcoffee) in large buckets. And here’s where the heavy lifting comesin. You’ve got to stir the things like cake batter. It’s not easy.the beans are heavy. the oils are potent. the clock is ticking.
“How are you doing over there?” Bride shouted as I furiouslystirred. I was barely turning over the beans and she was ready forme to be done. I figured singing might help. She thoughtotherwise.
Because Jumpy Monkey prides itself on freshness, no packagestays on shelves longer than six months (which is kind of funnybecause it sells so fast it’s never there that long anyway). Otherroasters don’t have that standard, which means you could get prettyold coffee at what you think are pretty reliable places.
John Donovan, marketing specialist for Jumpy Monkey, said thecompany has 13 distributors around the country. Like Jumpy Monkey,they’re non-profits, helping expand jobs for people withdisabilities.
“It’s one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve been a partof,” said Kristan Geary, OU’s community relations manager. “Itprovides meaningful, purposeful employment. it gives people withdisabilities a paycheck and helps them afford all the fun things welove to do.”
Based on ability, workers are placed in several areas of thebusiness. They could handle packaging, labeling (my Waterloo),distribution or invoicing.
“We try to challenge them and help them move up a skill level,”Donovan said. “We let everybody try whatever they want. If it leadsto a job outside Jumpy Monkey, we’re willing to help them findemployment.”
In all aspects of the company — from the hands-on work Iobserved to the distribution around the Midwest — approximately150 people with disabilities are employed.
Business heats up during the fall (a lot of groups like to sellJumpy Monkey coffee for fundraisers) and becomes pretty intensearound the holidays.
With “Cinnamon Sticky Bun” one of the favorites, you can seeit’s an ideal gift. (The coffee comes in two and 12-ounce sizes.”We sell in bulk to coffee houses,” Bride said. “Our groundtwo-ounce packages go in gift baskets.”)
For those looking for personalized “blends,” Jumpy Monkey evenhas individualized labels. (I, by the way, got “Bruce’s Blend” and”Critic’s Choice” — ask for them, they’re great.)
Packaging seemed like a snap to me. After one of the expertsshowed me how to open the bags (it’s not that easy), I filled itwith one scoop and — get this — hit the 12-ounce mark on thefirst shovel. Yup, I got a few high fives (from employee KeithSchulz) and figured had found my niche.
Then, I was asked to put the labels on the packages and, well,let’s just say I didn’t get a bubble out so it was a littlewonky.
Bride tried to be gentle, but positive. “You’re good at thevacuum,” she said. “Maybe you should get some more beansready.”
I got the message. but I still think a little air bubble didn’tmatter.
Picky? That could be Jumpy Monkey’s credo. but “uplifting” wasmore like it. I walked out smelling like a pot of coffee, but Ifelt pretty — sorry — perky.
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