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In our pursuit to accomplish the vision of Mission Arabica to help 3rd world coffee farmers, we knew at some point we would actually have to sell coffee.  Chris, Gabe and I have believed all along the right partnerships would happen naturally without us trying to force anything or really sell ourselves to other companies to work together.  With that said, we are super excited to announce our first partnership has formed with a roaster, The Bearded Apple.

The Bearded Apple is a new local roaster where I live in Iron River, MI.  Glen and Alex, the owners, started their roaster/coffee house last year with the intent to stimulate economic growth in our small little town in the U.P. (upper peninsula of Michigan). These guys believe this so much they founded The Bearded Apple as a non-profit coop!

Glen and Alex

Glen and Alex

When I first met Glen and Alex there was no doubt in my mind that these guys are the antithesis of what community is all about.  Their passion and desire to make a difference here in Iron River no matter what it costs them, really does drive everything they do.  This passion is directly reflected in the coffee they roast.  There are plenty of big name roasters out there that do what they do for profit, and sure there are some out there that maintain their passion for coffee.  But, after watching Glen and Alex this last year and getting to know them personally, I can honestly say there is no one I would rather be working with than them and their beards!  They take such great care and quality in all they do, because it isn’t about profit, it’s about making a difference in people’s lives.

When I approached The Bearded Apple about partnering to roast coffee for Mission Arabica they jumped at the opportunity.  Our bearded2mission and their mission match so perfectly it was just a natural fit for both of our companies.  Mission Arabica wanted to do a promo video announcing the partnership between the two companies, so I contacted a friend of mine Davin Lindwall, who is an amazing filmographer.   I told Davin about our idea for a promo video and he was on board immediately.  I asked Glen and Alex to write up their vision for The Bearded Apple to incorporate into the video.  After reading their vision, Davin and I decided to do a promo video for just The Bearded Apple, rather than announcing our partnership.   Their vision and passion was WAY too much to do just a small promo with, however, this turned out to be the best “promo” video possible.  I was once given advice from a mentor about public speaking, “Only speak on what you are passionate about, otherwise you will never have an audience regardless of how many people are there.”  Their vision and passion expressed in the video reaches beyond just good coffee, it really reaches who they are as human beings.  So, without further adieu…The Bearded Apple.

The Bearded Apple | Iron River, MI from Davin Lindwall on Vimeo.
After watching the video please click here to view their Facebook page.  I also want to say a special thank you to Davin Lindwall for working so hard on this video.  He really is an amazing talent, please check out his website here, or visit his facebook as well.  He has some amazing videos online and is an awesome photographer as well.