Green Mountain Conversion

My Mom, Matt, & my Dad having a mid-morning coffee

While on a trip to Vermont this past summer with Matt and my parents, we dropped into Green Mountain Coffee's Visitor Center in Waterbury for a caffeine boost and to learn a little more about the company.

After a tour of the center which included a tasting of a delicious, but expensive reserve blend, we grabbed an empty table outside the station to plot our next stop for the day. I decided to take some pictures and wandered into a park across the street where I came upon a couple ladies who asked if I wanted to do a coffee taste test/survey. Never to turn down a chance to taste coffee, I agreed as did my mom and Matt. Of the 3 coffees we tried in a blind taste test, we all picked "B" which turned out to be a Green Mountain Coffee's Vermont Country Blend. The losers were Maxwell House and Starbucks.

Since that trip, Matt and I have switched up our brand of coffee at home to mainly Green Mountain. It also helps that we inherited on Keurig and bought another Keurig for super cheap from friends so that Matt could have his 1-cup at work and not have to make a full pot of decaf coffee at home when he wanted a cup. I appreciate their collaboration with Newman's Own in making an affordable Fair Trade coffee available on grocery shelves.

Of course, Green Mountain Coffee has the tricky balance of maintaining its commitment to the environment while selling a popular product that seems counter to that mission.

The latest news is that Coca-Cola, in making a move against SodaStream, has bought 10% stake in Green Mountain. Since Keurig machines are not fitted with the appropriate gadget to make water fizzy, Coca-Cola will be working to create the gadget that will.