Joe Van Gogh

Organic Sea Turtle Blend is back!

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:47:12 +0000

It’s that time of year! We will be featuring our Organic Sea Turtle Blend this April. We developed this blend in 2009, inspired by Casey Sokolovic, who founded a sea turtle awareness program after visiting the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center located on Topsail Island, NC.

To learn more about Casey’s program, Help them LAST: Love A Sea Turtle, visit her website and check out her award-winning video about the threat of extinction of these turtles:

The rescue center, founded by Jean Beasley, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve and protect all species of marine turtles while educating the public on their threat of extinction. The center also serves as an experiential learning site for students of biology, wildlife conservation, and veterinary medicine from around the world! Keep up-to-date with their latest projects by visiting their blog.

For every bag of our Organic & Fair Trade Sea Turtle Blend sold we will donate 10% of net profits to the Karen Beasley Rescue Center. This will help the center build out their new facility!

My Carolina Today TV Feature

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:07:23 +0000

Watch Joe Van Gogh owner, Robbie Roberts, talk coffee in My Carolina Today’s Edible Whole Foods tv segment with Edible Piedmont’s Fred Thompson!

Cupping Schedule: January & February

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:46:58 +0000

Want a fun way to learn more about coffee?

Then join us as we gather around the table for a blind tasting of some Joe Van Gogh coffees! You’ll sip and slurp your way to discovering how the pros sample their coffees over an informal session with some of your favorite baristas while chatting about all things coffee. No experience necessary, just bring your taste buds and join in! It’s Free!

Chapel Hill Schedule:: 1129 AD Weaver Dairy Rd.
Friday, Jan 20 @ 5pm
Wednesday, Feb 15 @ 2pm

Durham Schedule:: 1104 Broad St.
Friday, Jan 13 @ 5pm
Friday, Feb 10 @ 5pm

We hope to see you there!

Joe Van Loco: Now Open!

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:23:33 +0000

Our joint venture with Locopops is NOW OPEN! You can find the best of both worlds at JOE VAN LOCO with a menu of our freshly roasted coffee and classic espresso drinks, along with the signature flavor combinations of Locopops handcrafted ice pops and pints.

Much like Joe Van Gogh, locally owned Locopops has shops around the Triangle showcasing its craft. Summer Bicknell, Locopops founder, uses only the highest-quality ingredients, from fresh fruits to locally produced cream and herbs in her pops. Sharing in the goal to provide the finest product, Robbie and Summer have toyed with the idea to collaborate for the past few years just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

And that opportunity is now open in North Raleigh, located in the Towne North Shopping Center at 8369 Creedmoor Rd, for those wanting a morning cappuccino or afternoon frozen treat!

Joe Van Loco
8369 Creedmoor Rd, Raleigh
919.518.0776 | info@joevanloco.com

HOURS
MONDAY – FRIDAY 6:30am – 8:00pm
SATURDAY – SUNDAY 8:30am – 8:00pm

Build Hope this Holiday Season

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:53:42 +0000

In the spirit of the holidays, we have partnered with Habitat for Humanity once again to bring you this special organic blend Home for the Holidays. For every bag sold, we will donate 50 cents to Habitat for Humanity in Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties.

Habitat for Humanity transforms lives and communities by helping families purchase safe, decent, and affordable homes.
Find your local Habitat for Humanity and catch up on their latest volunteering projects and events!

Our city roast develops notes of dark chocolate and sweet spices combined with a full body. Available in store and online.

Need a gift idea?

Make a gift set by combining our holiday blend with a Habitat for Humanity Holiday card! Each branch offers their own card, personalizing it for you. Find out more by visiting their website.

Help Build it with Habitat for Humanity!

Check out the new Joe Van Gogh website!

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:44:56 +0000

Check out the new Joe Van Gogh website!

It’s been a long time coming … as shops came and went, and new techniques and trends came to stay, we realized our website needed some TLC. The old site served us well, but we wanted to freshen it up. We worked with the talented folks over at Chariot Creative, Inc. of Raleigh, who helped bring us up to date.

What’s new

We have brewing guides (videos to come!), more farm info, some fun background on our company, community listings and much more. So sit back with a cup of coffee and take a look around! Don’t forget our Facebook and Twitter accounts. We enjoy your feedback, too! Let us know what you think.

Celebrate local this holiday season!

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:42:53 +0000

Every season we bring in special treats featuring local artists and businesses. Whether you are in the Triangle or out of state, take a minute to check out their work, and always consider buying local!

Not everyone gets to go to camp as an adult, but baristas do…

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:30:33 +0000

…A report from the grounds, so to speak.

You may not be aware of it, but there is a guild for those who prepare your lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas. The Barista Guild of America is the part of the Specialty Coffee Association of America devoted to the professional development of baristas. I was fortunate to be sent out to the gorgeous El Capitan Canyon Campground in Santa Barbara, Calif. by Joe Van Gogh to participate in the BGA’s annual Camp Pull-A-Shot. When I heard about the “camp,” I envisioned it in a hotel or conference center and that “Camp Pull-A-Shot” was just a cute name. This illusion was dashed, however, when I saw a sign posted on the camp bathroom that gave detailed instructions on how to fight off an attack from a mountain lion. The BGA doesn’t play around!

Camp Pull-A-Shot is an opportunity for baristas to glean knowledge from some of the country’s most knowledgeable baristas, trainers and coffee industry folks. Those who attended exchanged ideas and information, arming themselves with knowledge to take back to their local shops and businesses. In addition to informative courses, I had the opportunity to play around with top-of-the-line equipment and to try coffee from roasters from all over the country that sponsored the event. As you might expect, the camp wasn’t all instruction and coffee geekery. Like all camps, the nights at Camp Pull-A-Shot included hanging out, making s’mores, and holding (coffee-themed) relay races.

The classes offered covered topics such as: espresso extraction, customer service, trends in the coffee industry, equipment maintenance and developing sensory (taste) skills. I learned a lot about the science of coffee extraction and how to pull the perfect shot of espresso. For example, the SCAA proscribes guidelines for how espresso should be properly prepared: Good espresso should be dosed at the proper amount, ground to the correct grind size and brewed at the correct temperature. Within these parameters, however, adjustments can be made to accommodate the flavor of the espresso. It was fun to see how different espressos tasted under different conditions. I am most interested in applying the knowledge that I gained towards improving the quality of my drinks for the customers in the shops.

Brian Maiers
Lead Barista, Durham