Well, as we wash our hands of 2006 and scrub up elbow-high into 2007, I'd like to take a minute to talk about personal and professional coffee goals and aspirations in the coming months.
What can be achieved this year? Where can we take this business? How can I make my staff better? What resolutions does a coffee professional make, and how does one make sure they're followed up on? 
I resolve:
- to be patient with both customers and baristi who may not have gone through advanced coffee education yet.
- to give more folks who are enthusiastic about coffee a chance, rather than perpetuating the notion that a resume deserves rejecting if it doesn't have any cafe credentials on it. Look beyond the obvious.
- to speak a language my staff can understand, and to make their transition from barback to barista a smooth and exciting one.
- to continue to support the community both locally and far-flung, and to remember that ours isn't the only way to do things in this biz.
- to learn more and offer more information about the ways our retail work affects farmers and their families.
- to support the outside-the-shop pursuits of my friends and colleagues.
- not to eat any more freaking muffins while I'm working, and to bike to work every day! But that's neither here nor there...
Happy 2007! Be healthy and caffeinated, my friends.
