Coffee For Healing: A Local Blend Supports Local Organization

Something is brewing between Capitol Broadcasting Company, Counter Culture Coffee, Whole Foods and the Healing Place of Wake County, namely, a new blend. Counter Culture Coffee created the Healing Blend, named in honor of the Healing Place, to benefit the organization dedicated to helping the homeless kick drug and alcohol addiction.

Several CBC’ers were initiated into the art of coffee cupping.

CCC’s Peter Guiliaano teaches proper slurping.

“Coffee is a beverage about interaction,” said Counter Culture’s Peter Guiliaano. “And coffee plays a big part in the healing process of the Healing Place.

The idea for the creation came from CBC President & CEO Jim Goodmon. He tried the Bull City Blend, another specialty of Counter Culture, and began to think about all the coffee consumed at the Healing Place in lieu of drugs or alcohol. Goodmon contacted Counter Culture and began intrigued with the concept of “cupping” or coffee tasting and saw a nexus between the Healing Place and the coffee specialty company.

On Tuesday, July 29, 2003, Goodmon hosted a cupping for the general managers and promotions managers from WRAL-TV, FOX50 and WRAL-FM, as well as a few Corporate VPs to introduce them to the concept. Guiliaano led the cupping, a series of smelling and tasting different coffees, much akin to wine tasting.

WRAL’s Jim Hefner contemplates the smell of one coffee.

The Healing Blend consists of this organic coffee bean from Nicaragua.

WRAL’s Cindy Sink checks out one of the blends.

One of the three coffees tasted by the group, a coffee grown on a small co-op farm in Nicaragua, is the basis of The Healing Blend. Whole Foods sells The Healing Blend, and both Whole Foods and Counter Culture Coffee are donating a portion of the proceeds to the Healing Place. Goodmon also hopes to have several sponsored cuppings as fundraisers for the Healing Place.

“The most important thing for me with developing the Healing Blend is the recognition for the Healing Place, to raise awareness,” said Goodmon.

Counter Culture Company fresh roasts its coffee in Durham and develops specialty coffees. They purchase coffee beans only from small co-op farms, making sure workers are paid fair wages.