2008 stuff

yes, he still blogs.

no, he has not died.

yes, he still thinks about good blog topics and how to develop them.

no, he has not been ignoring you.

yes, 2008 will spell the return of the brown blogger in his new and improved, er, way. (don't know why especially it will be "new and improved" other than that we're always working to get better over at brown.)

anyways, i thought about a year in review but someone already beat me to it. then i thought about a top ten list but a certain other "across the ponder" stole the first punch. darn brits. so this entry will just be what i personally and professionally hope to see happen in 2008.

in no particular order...

• i hope to expand my current roster of coffees that are purchased directly from the farm from about 20% to over 50%. baby steps, of course, and all that, but it's important to build that relationship. and since brown is building its volume it begins to make more sense to start talking in quantities that wouldn't just make farmers laugh. they may still laugh; just less.
• getting this roasterie/warehouse/office/lab finished is key to expanding out operations. at this stage, barring inspection catastrophe or unforeseen obstacles, we should be finished with our refurb and have test fired big brown and have her ready to go into full production. this (setting up the new roaster) has taken longer than i had anticpated, primarily due to the fact that we are spitballing at best and have gotten to this point by sheer trial and error, without graphs or instruction manuals to guide us. no complaining. just it is what it is and we will lick this problem mid-january.
• this is the year brown will become a member of the coe. i have no illusions brown will swoop in and steal a prized auction coffee that will shock the world. no, no. not my intent. basically we just want to put our money where our mouth is and since we finally are faced with the prospect of having some spare money...
• i'll be traveling again in 2008. not sure where but i have my eye on el salvador and possibly even africa. but we'll see what pans out.
  
• more stuff to buy. shirts. brewers. grinders. developing your market and so forth.

there's more to the story. maybe you haven't banished me from your feedreader and you'll stick around to see it unfold. 2