One of our guiding principles is that the best moments in coffee are shared. Today, as 2021 winds to a close, we thought it would be fun to lay out just some of the moments we were lucky enough to share with you this year.
JANUARY 2021: JUBILATION BLEND
We began 2021 in the most traditional way possible — by celebrating the beginning of something new. With a flavor profile inspired by typical tastes of New's Year's favorite food and drinks, we rang in 2021 by celebrating the good that was — and is – all around us.
FEBRUARY 2021: THE CHERRY CORDIAL LATTE
Our cafe guests experienced love at first sight with this limited-time drink made from a light touch of cherry juice, our 700 blend, and a gorgeous dusting of frozen cherry powder and Honeymoon Chocolate shavings.
MARCH 2021: THE LAUNCH OF "PEOPLE OF KALDI'S COFFEE" SERIES
It's no secret that without our team of coffee-loving, people-loving people, Kaldi's Coffee wouldn't be Kaldi's Coffee. We began our new blog series with Kiersten, a long time retail team member who transitioned onto the sales team. As the year went on, we met other team members like Estevao, Lauren, Bud, and Jordan, and we can't wait to introduce you to even more of our team in 2022!
APRIL 2021: GRATITUDE BLEND
In April 2020, we were humbled by the immense support we received for our Gratitude Blend. This year, Gratitude Blend's mission was to bring our community together by purchasing gift cards from select businesses and giving them to frontline workers. We thought of it as two groups being brought together through Gratitude, with gratitude. We were once again humbled by the response and loved giving the gift cards out to the very deserving frontline workers of the St. Louis area.
MAY 2021: COLD BREW WEEK
Cold brew is so delicious that it's slowly taking over every season, but in May we really celebrated it with three cold brew blogs. Each one has gone on to be near the top of our most-viewed list, and we look forward to bringing you even more about this delicious, refreshing drink in 2022!
Cold Brew Week Blogs:
- 5 Things You Should Know About Cold Brew
- Cold Brew-off: Hario vs. Kinto vs. Toddy
- 5 Tips for Better Cold Brew at Home
JUNE 2021: AMERI-KONA
The name Ameri-Kona was a twist on the classic phrase, “A Slice of Americana”. In this blend, we saw an opportunity to celebrate coffee from all of the Americas — Central, South, and the only-USA grown coffee, Kona. Coupled with an "early bird" special that gave our customers a chance to try a sample of pure Kona coffee, Ameri-Kona provided a rare chance to celebrate the hard work and dedication of this section of coffee producers, and came together deliciously as a warm, inviting, and comforting blend.
JULY 2021: CUSTOM WEDDING FAVORS LAUNCH
As we mentioned, the best moments of coffee are shared, and our Custom Wedding Favors program was launched to share coffee as part of a couple's big day. We always love hearing stories of couples meeting at our cafes or making a ritual of simply brewing our coffee for each other morning after morning. Our Custom Wedding Favors program was an exciting launch that gave these couples a creative way to tell another part of their story (and send guests home with delicious coffee).
AUGUST 2021: DAY IN STL SERIES - EUCLID
We began our Day in STL series with the idea that neighborhood cafes should celebrate their neighborhoods. In our August blog, we started off at our Euclid cafe and walked you through one of the most famous neighborhoods in the St. Louis area, the Central West End. Weaving you in and out of book stores, arcades, and excellent restaurants, the blog was a loving gesture to a neighborhood that has welcomed us so warmly.
SEPTEMBER 2021: NATIONAL COFFEE DAY... WEEK!
National Coffee Day is in September each year and we took the whole week to dive deeper into the drink that makes us Kaldi's. We started with a bit of a love letter in "What Makes Coffee Special", then released a blog compiling some of the most common questions we've heard in years of talking coffee ("5 Common Coffee Questions, Answered"), and finished the week celebrating the birthplace of coffee and one of our best, most reliable, tastiest annual coffees, Ethiopia Limu Gera.
OCTOBER 2021: 'TIS THE SPOOKY SEASON
Making a return after its popular 2020 release, this year's 'Tis the Spooky Season celebrated all things ghastly by bringing you notes that tasted like a mix of popular Halloween candy. We even released a limited edition pin for some lucky web customers and put the blend in our cafes for the first time. 'Tis the Spooky Season has become a fan-favorite each year and one worth saving a little extra room for in your Trick or Treat bag.
NOVEMBER 2021: COFFEE PODS
One of the most requested products, year after year, saw its full release at the end of 2021. The wait wasn't procrastination by any means - we were simply waiting until we felt the quality of coffee from the pods was good enough to meet our high standards. We are happy to say that these definitely do, and we are honoring our value of continual improvement to make them taste even better and be ever more sustainable in future iterations.
DECEMBER 2021: 'TIS THE SEASON
Honestly, is it even the holiday season without this beautifully wrapped blend? Back for its ninth year and looking better than ever, this new take on the original Mocha Java blend warmed more mugs than ever. 'Tis the Season is a reflective occasion for us. From the fact that it honors the first ever coffee blend, to the number of years we've been fortunate enough to share it with our guests, it is always a chance to think about how far we've come and how we wouldn't be here without your support.
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
It's been quite a year, full of many changes and challenges, but looking back on everything that we've been a part of, our hearts can only land on one word: gratitude. We're filled with gratitude, for your support, your loyalty, and your love, this and every year. As we rocket into the New Year, we've got big plans across our company, none of which we could accomplish without your support. We wish you the happiest of holidays, while hoping that 2022 holds even more promise and wonder for us all.
Thank you from all of us on the Kaldi's Coffee team!
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READ NEXT:
EST. 1994: DEMUN'S ORIGIN STORY
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