All posts by amurphy

Business, Culture, Final Projects

Slow Down and Drink the Coffee

AN INTRODUCTION TO POUNDS COFFEE

We think of gourmet coffee as something served by a barista, handed over a sleek wooden countertop, perhaps topped with artfully swirled foam. But can the same exceptional taste be experienced at home? Andrew Gross says yes.

“It was a beautiful day…we were just sipping on the coffee, watching golf or something.” For Gross, 29, of Monroe, Georgia, the mention of his first tasting of Pounds Coffee is accompanied by a fond memory of an afternoon in the fall of 2015.

Gross was one of the first people to taste Pounds just a few months after Chris Barr, 31, originally of Jacksonville, Florida, sold his first bag of micro-roasted coffee on April 11, 2015.

Pounds Coffee is a coffee roasting company based in Watkinsville, Georgia, that specializes in single-origin coffee roasting, packaging, and shipping across the United States. Subscribers receive freshly roasted coffee in their mailbox to brew at home as best fits their lifestyle and coffee drinking habits. In other words – all the coffee shop flavor without having to stand in line working for the barista or hunting for a table amid all the other people hunched over their lattes and laptops.

Although only technically operating for two years, Barr, Pounds’ founder, said, “Since 2008 or 2009 I’ve kind of always been dreaming of Pounds. I didn’t know what Pounds was. I didn’t have a name for it. I didn’t entirely know the business plan or model or anything like that, but I knew that I wanted a coffee company. I knew that I wanted it to be mine in some way.”

The company’s personal touch is found within the sweet citrus flavors of the light-bodied Ethiopia blend and the lemon-lime nuttiness of the Guatemala. Beyond specific flavor notes in coffee, Barr’s personal touch is his message of intentionality.

Intentionality, as Pounds promotes, refers to spending time in the morning slowing down for a few moments of still, silent reflection among the busyness of everyday life. A goal that can only really be achieved in a home environment – silence is simply impossible sitting between keyboards clicking, friends talking and commotion of customer traffic through the shop.

Subscribers who have formed relationships with Barr through Pounds understand the message. Gross, who has been a Pounds subscriber since that fall day in 2015, said, “with Pounds Coffee you have to be intentional. And that’s something we don’t really see a lot of – intentionality.”

Beyond encouraging silence and stillness associated with the brewed cup of coffee, the brewing process itself requires intentionality. Brewed as intended as a pour over, the process demands full attention and five to eight minutes.

CAN’T I JUST GET THAT FROM A COFFEE SHOP?  

            The message behind the bean differentiates Pounds from other coffee companies, who are focused on supporting the on-the-go fast-paced lifestyle, which Americans have come to normalize. Instead, Pounds encourages slowing our daily pace and spending time creating community in our own homes. This slowing down message is not the only difference from typical coffee in the eighth-story break room of every office.

Pounds’ coffee beans are considered “single origin,” according to Pounds’ website. This means that they all derive from the same field and harvest. Essentially, every bean of the origin looks and tastes the same.

Large, massively produced coffees come from eight or nine different harvests to keep consistent flavors from harvest to harvest. This way, if two of the beans must be sourced from a different crop due to drought, pests or other issues, the taste is not suddenly unrecognizable.

For companies who function on consistency, using many crops is effective, but as gourmet coffees rise in popularity, single origin coffees are consumed more often in the home.

According to the National Coffee Association, 62 percent of Americans today drink coffee daily, a change from 57 percent in 2016. The most shocking statistic from the survey relates to the daily consumption of gourmet coffee among 25-39-year-olds. Of this age demographic, 50 percent claim to drink at least one gourmet coffee beverage each day.

Most of these gourmet coffees are made by baristas where pricing starts at about $2. According to fastfoodmenyprices.com, the smallest cup of regular coffee costs $1.85. Pounds, however, offers the same gourmet taste for roughly $0.44 per cup.

The Guatemala blend currently costs $15.49 per pound. The Ethiopia blend is just $1 more at $16.49. Both are available for purchase in 12 ounce and 16 ounce sizes.

Compared to standard Starbucks tall coffees, a bag of Pounds coffee produces 28 more cups of coffee for the same price.

ECONOMIC TRENDS IN COFFEE

The increase in coffee consumption is good news for Pounds, but unfortunately also leads toward increases in competition.

From 2012-2017, the number of coffee shops increased 4.1 percent according to IBISWorld. The retail market for coffee rose 3.6 percent annually from 2011-2016 according to a different report from IBISWorld.

This 3.6 percent retail market rise includes the foundation and growth of Pounds Coffee along with many others.

Economic trends should not just be considered by business owners hoping to grow or distinguish themselves from others. Trends in consumer spending affect the way a cup of joe is marketed, advertised and developed.

Consumers should consider these factors when interacting with companies they are loyal to, especially considerate of the effects of local economy shifts.

Pounds’ market, however, while influenced by Athenian consumers, reaches beyond geographical barriers. Pounds has the advantage of engaging with subscribers nationwide via mail and social media.

RELATIONSHIPS BUILT WITH YOUR BREW

The growing importance of social media is especially prevalent for smaller businesses to build relationships and increase commerce. Social media serves as the barrier between business deals and the personal relationships surrounding them.

The micro-roasting method that Pounds uses generates the same personal intimacy that social media offers.

The physical process of micro-roasting is not much different from roasting hundreds of pounds of coffee at one time. The difference is the repeated theme of intentionality.

Every batch Barr roasts of Pounds Coffee can be specifically linked to a customer; “I know the name of the person who I’m going to be bagging it for…someone that I have had the opportunity to grow in relationship.”

These relationships, based on an online subscription to coffee delivered by mail, are just one aspect of the community that coffee creates throughout the United States and internationally.

Psychologists Lawrence E. Williams and John A. Bargh of University of Colorado at Boulder and Yale University, prospectively, conducted an experiment in October 2008 to find the relationship of physical warmness and feelings of interpersonal warmth.

Interpersonal “warmness,” is defined by the study as the “perceived favorability of the other person’s intentions toward us, including friendliness, helpfulness, and trustworthiness.”

Participants were primed with either hot or iced coffee when asked to hold the cup on an elevator ride with a research assistant before completing a survey about 10 personality traits of a randomly described person.

The only differentiation was the physical temperature of the coffee, but it led to significant differences in responses about the interpersonal judgments toward the target person’s emotional warmness.

This research translates to proof that sitting down sharing a cup of coffee with someone speeds up feelings of truth and likability between one another. This acceleration, plus being in a home environment means that inviting someone over to your house for coffee is one of the best ways to build a positive relationship quickly.

So why, if coffee helps build friendships, did Krystal D’Costa’s article from Scientific American in August 2011 present evidence that “the number who are [at coffee houses] solely for social purposes seems very small?”

Just because the physical warmth of coffee promotes relationship building doesn’t mean it is utilized that way.

THE EVER-EVOLVING DRINK

Coffee has evolved from consumption of bland flavors only for caffeine’s sake to a part of daily adult life. As it moves toward a social staple with options for everyone, coffee is still often utilized for the boost of energy that it can offer.

Consumed in-home, Pounds and other subscription-based coffees can serve as either part of the morning routine or something to gather around with friends and family. Either way, making and drinking coffee provides grounds for community to be built.

Even if a morning cup of coffee is consumed alone, “it feels more personal” in someone’s home rather than in a coffee shop, according to Pounds drinker Amanda Weaver, 19, of Oxford, Georgia. Weaver said that as a rule of thumb, “homemade things are usually best.”

Even with 62 percent of Americans enjoying coffee daily, as cited by the National Coffee Association, not everyone is convinced that coffee is the necessity that people make it out to be.

When non-coffee drinker Anna Katherine Wilson, 19, of Dacula, Georgia, tried a freshly roasted cup of Pounds’ Ethiopia roast without cream or sugar her only compliment was “it’s not as strong as my dad’s coffee.” Wilson still described coffee overall as “disgusting.”

The highest recommendations of others, economic trends suggesting continued growth and science to backing positive interpersonal effects couldn’t convert everyone into a coffee connoisseur.

All people can, however, choose to incorporate the message of intentionality that Pounds delivers with each bag of coffee purchased. Owner Chris Barr said it best: “If you’re taking intentional time to drink a cup of coffee, you’re doing something a lot bigger with those moments than just drinking coffee.”

 

Additional elements and a PDF version of my story can be found here.

Culture, MOTS

Favorite Spots in the Classic City

Athens, Georgia, offers plenty to do, and perhaps that’s why every person polled by JOUR 3190 responded differently when asked to name a favorite place to relax or spend time in the Classic City.

Student journalists from the University of Georgia polled 12 Athens residents on their favorite Athens “hidden gems,” or places to occupy their time, on a Monday afternoon in the downtown area.

Liz Habersham of Savannah, Georgia likes spending time in the reading room of the Main Library

University of Georgia students’ answers emphasized locations on or near the campus—specifically some of the best study spots. For first-year student Liz Habersham of Savannah, Georgia, the reading room in the Main Library “is always really calming.”

The libraries on the UGA campus are not only utilized by students and staff, but also by visitors with library privileges from the Athens-Clarke County library system according to a UGA library employee.

As an ambassador for Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Joe Vaughn, a master’s student from McDonough, spends time across the University’s campus on the DW Brooks Mall area.

When not working on schoolwork, however, one of Vaughn’s favorite places is the Iron Horse. It is “definitely somewhere I take everyone who comes to visit Athens,” he said.

The Iron Horse, while today in Watkinsville, originally stood on campus before being mocked by students and moved to its new home in Greene County, according to Online Athens.

Other outdoor locations that are not as well include Memorial Park and Sandy Creek, according to 52-year-old Ken Whittington of Anderson, South Carolina. Working for the University of Georgia, Whittington also spends much of his time on campus, but prefers being “anywhere outdoors.”

Hidden behind Sanford Stadium sits the Jackson Street Cemetery. Anna Powell of Gainseville, Florida said that the cemetery is her favorite secret site in Athens. The cemetery, positioned right beside the 92,000-seat football stadium, is an area of peace and tranquility among the chaos of football every Autumn Saturday.

Stewart Odenhal, who is “Seventy-nine and eleven-twelths” years old, prefers spending time in his own home rather than anywhere else in Athens

Perhaps the least known nature spot in Athens is the “secret waterfall on Macon highway” said third-year marketing major Kalai Willis. Willis described the waterfall as set back from the road behind the shrubs “before Athens Ridge.”

The number of responses centered on outdoor locations reflects how important nature is for Athens residents. Because the city is also characterized by stable, warm weather most of the year, Athenians have the opportunity to spend more time comfortably outside than residents of other cities of similar size.

Also well hidden is the “abandoned denim factory north of town” where first-year horticulture major Justin Garner goes to “blow off steam and just kind of be angry at the world.” Garner said that he likes the seclusion of the factory because “not many people know of it.”

For the person who doesn’t identify with the likings of any of the other interviewees, perhaps Stewart Odendhal, who is “seventy-nine and eleven-twelths” is most relatable. This “planetary citizen,” didn’t offer advice for where others might want to spend their time in Athens, but said his absolute favorite place in the city is his own house.

Backgrounder, Culture

Doing Well while Doing Good with Local Fashion

As funding for art, music, and theater programs is stripped away from public schools, Athens-based social entrepreneurship, umano, fights for art education.

Each T-shirt that umano sells results in the donation of a backpack full of art supplies to children in schools where they may otherwise not have significant art education.

Social entrepreneurship is defined as “inspired pragmatism,” according to a 2006 article in The Observer. Rather than hoping the world might get better or giving money to nonprofits working for change, social entrepreneurship companies tie each product sold to action allowing the do-good aspects of the company to grow as sales increase.

umano’s CEO Alex Torrey told Refinery29 IN WHAT YEAR? that with umano, “you don’t have to choose between doing well and doing good.”

Doing well in the world of fashion looks like wearing clothing that is both cool and comfortable. umano’s custom fabric, called omobono, is described on the company’s website as “freakishly-soft.” omobono is made from a thick polyurethan NOT POLYURETHANE? JUST CHECKING  material from Turkey.

umano’s modern-style shirts featuring simple drawings from children are most commonly printed on black, white, and gray T-shirts, and prices start at $36.

For umano, “choosing good,” kids’ artwork, is crucial to their mission.

Alex Torrey on Twitter: “”art education is not about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.” read why we support art ed on the blog. https://t.co/r1xjgkKpCS pic.twitter.com/pAcbfzmNMx / Twitter”

“art education is not about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.” read why we support art ed on the blog. https://t.co/r1xjgkKpCS pic.twitter.com/pAcbfzmNMx

The clothing company is not alone in this idea that choosing art is important. Research out of the National Endowment for the Arts found that among low socioeconomic status students, “high levels of art engagement from kindergarten through elementary school showed high test scores in science and writing.”

Despite this 2012 research from the NEA, when schools face budget deficits, art programs are often cut.

USA Today’s Tamara Henry looked at how art in its various forms specifically benefits students and found that visual arts “improve content and organization of writing” as well as benefiting “reasoning about scientific images and reading readiness.” Henry’s research from 2002 supports umano’s ideas about art education though scientific support.

Beyond the classroom, involving kids in the process of following a prompt and drawing what comes to mind, allows umano to “empower them and to show they can create things of tremendous value,” as co-owner Jonathan Torrey told The Red and Black in 2015.

Exercises

Buford, Georgia as Told by Twitter

Upon reviewing what social media users had to say about Buford on Twitter, I was not surprised by what people had to say. The first post was just a traffic update that there was an accident that was causing delays. Beyond that, there were a few introductory-style tweets from students in a Georgia Tech class. The remainder of the tweets were about sports and Buford athletes. Considering my high school won three of the four football state championships while I attended, the number of football-related tweets does not surprise me in the least.

Exercises

Exercise 4.4

The integrity of a journalist is of utmost importance. I, therefore, would feel most comfortable blogging about the latest hot band supposedly coming into town next week because while worthy of a news story, being wrong about a surprise concert causes little damage. Additionally, a blog is an appropriate medium for relaying information about a music show whereas issues with the mayor or a local bank are more likely print news stories and a potential football injury is good coverage for sports journalists or broadcasters. Blogging about the mayor having an affair with his secretary, the university’s quarterback being injured, or a local bank being closed and freezing its accounts in the process would each have more serious consequences if the rumored information turned out to be incorrect.

The story I would be most interested in covering would be the potential affair between the mayor and his secretary, but I would hold the piece until the rumor could be confirmed by multiple inside sources. This rumor, if false, would not only be detrimental to the mayor’s office, but might also be considered slander on my end and could eventually lead to a trial if turned into a big enough issue. While integrity is valued in all fields, within journalism it’s a matter of legality and should be treated as such.

Exercises

Perfectly Popped

Popcorn is the perfect snack for long-time popcorn lover Mykela Lowe. As a small child “my mom taught me to make it on the stove and I just stuck with that.”

Lowe says the key to making good popcorn is taking the extra time to cook Orville Redenbacher on the stovetop with just a little bit of vegetable oil. Microwave popcorn, however, does not satisfy because it “never fully pops” and “tastes metallically.”

Once all the kernels have been popped, the expert shared that the only toppings needed are butter and just a pinch salt.

 

 

Contributors

Cameron Keen

Cameron Keen is a third-year University of Georgia student studying both political science and public relations. The Dublin, Georgia native is a member of the prestigious Arch Society, a highly selective ambassador organization where students are given the privilege of welcoming guests of the offices of the President, the Provost, the Athletic Association, and more. Additionally, Keen is involved with the Wesley Foundation’s Lead Program mentoring younger UGA students each week. His favorite aspect of attending UGA is “the people I get to meet.” In his free time, Keen enjoys running and eating “the best bar-b-que in town” at Dawg Gone Good BBQ.

He tweets at https://twitter.com/camkeen2.