I’ve been drinking coffee since I was a little girl. Every morning I’d wake up at the crack of dawn to find my grandmother sitting at the kitchen table having her morning coffee. I’d sit down to join her and she’d pour me a cup of coffee. Back then it was famous brands like Folgers or MJB. Simple, yet satisfying in a way I can’t explain. Since those days, I’ve done a lot of “cupping” (more on that term later). I’ve grown to love the taste of coffee. I wake up each morning to the smell of fresh coffee just brewed and I can’t seem to get my morning started without it.
When I used to walk down the coffee aisle at the grocery store, I’d look for not just good quality coffee beans but how they are roasted and are they an affordable price. I’m sorry, but you can’t just grab a bag of coffee beans off the shelf and say hey these are good. As a mom and a consumer, I look for good quality and of course I like to know where my coffee beans come from. A few months ago while I was shopping at Raley’s, their brand coffee was on sale. I picked up a bag of French Roast and what I read on the back of the bag was this:
With every purchase of Raley’s Premium Coffee, you get what we believe is today’s best value in gourmet coffee – but the benefits don’t stop there. We are passionate about giving back to the communities that grow our coffee beans. So by purchasing this product, you’re also helping to provide schools, medical clinics and modern housing, break the cycle of poverty, preserve generations – old farms and protect treasures of nature in 10 countries.
There’s not a coffee brand that I know of that has that statement on the back of their label. You would never imagine that you could find quality coffee this good at a grocery store, that also believes in giving back to the community and farmers who help in the production. I haven’t purchased another brand since. This is great coffee that sells for a very reasonable price, and it will guarantee that every cup you pour is perfection. Before I even opened the bag, I could already smell the scent of fresh coffee. I love my coffee strong and the French Roast Dark definitely gives you that rich, bold flavor. It’s just what you need to get started in the morning. Fresh beans are available in 27 varieties in 12 oz. ground and bulk whole bean, and 4 of their most popular whole bean varieties in a 2 lb. bag.
As a mom on Raley’s Mom’s Panel, I am often asked to take surveys. When I received the survey on Raley’s new brand coffee, I was happy to fill out the survey and share my opinion. In return, I not only was given a coupon for a Free bag of Raley’s coffee but an opportunity to receive a behind-the-scenes tour of their roasting facility at Rogers Family Coffee Company in Lincoln, California to participate in an official “cupping” (a fancy term for coffee tasting), and help them choose new seasonal coffee flavors.
Last week, I joined my fellow moms on the Mom’s Panel and we visited Rogers Family Coffee Company, where we got to experience the process of how their great coffee is roasted.
Each coffee bean begins as a beautiful white flower. Then, the flower gives way to a green fruit, and then finally a ripe, red cherry. They harvest the cherries by hand, so only the ripest, highest quality beans are processed. Since coffee cherries grow in various stages of development, this is the only way to ensure consistency and quality.
Before the coffee beans are roasted in Lincoln, CA. the beans begin a journey from the Rogers Family farms in Panama and Mexico. (I would love to see their farms) Once they arrive at their facility in Lincoln, Ca, the roasting process begins. The whole process is amazing! We learned from Pete Rogers, about “tetra prieta” - their innovative and eco-friendly technique for improving soil quality on their organic, shade grown coffee farms that dates back centuries. ( I’ll talk about that term more in the future posts because I definitely want to give it a try in my garden.)
Unroasted but processed coffee is called “green coffee,” and it’s in this form that it’s exported from the origin countries in 60 or 70 pound burlap bags. Green coffee beans can be stored in warehouses for about a year before losing the top end flavors.
This is where they store those delicious flavorings for the coffee. This area smelled heavenly.
The company roasts and packages millions of pounds of top quality, Fairly Traded gourmet coffee under such brands as San Francisco Bay Premium Gourmet Coffee and The Organic Coffee Company and now for Raley’s.
The 290,000-square-foot facility in Lincoln, CA. is the main roasting plant and company headquarters for the family business.
As moms on the Raley’s Mom’s Panel, we were able to do an official cupping (or tasting) where we got to help them select their NEW seasonal flavors.
Don’t you just love the hairnet? 
Jennifer Teel-Wolter, Raley’s Community Relations Manager and I “cupping” the new holiday coffee choices. My favorites were Apple Cider Donut and Whoopie Pie.
There is a wonderful selection of Rogers Family Coffee Brands. By partnering with a local roaster, Raley’s ensures the beans do not sit around in a warehouse for months before they are delivered to stores — allowing for the highest possible level of freshness.
My love for fresh quality coffee will never change and I’m happy Raley’s has partnered with the Rogers Family Coffee Company to offer us this fine quality coffee.
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