An acronym we love here in Greater Lansing--it's the 16th annual Be A Tourist In Your Own Town celebration! Saturday, June 5th from 10am to 4pm, we will be opening our doors to the public during the festivities. Visitors can come in and sample our coffee, learn about coffee and the roasting process, learn about our company, and take a tour of the facility. Our tours will be led by Angelo Oricchio, our Chairman and CEO, as well as our buyer and coffee artisan; Brad Westen and Zach Olsen, two of our Sales Executives; and Wes Baker, our manager of plant operations.

Admission is free when you purchase a "Be a Tourist Passport" for just $1.00, and we have plenty of *parking space for our visitors. Or, if you tour on the CATA, find us on the Downtown Lansing "Red Route". And while you're here, be sure to grab a coupon, good for 10% off an online purchase at www.paramountcoffee.com/shop.

For more details on the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau's Be A Tourist In Your Own Town celebration and where to purchase your passport, visit www.lansing.org/batyot.

Be sure to come see us and celebrate BATYOT and 75 years of Paramount Coffee!

*Parking is available to Paramount Coffee visitors only. For other free parking locations, please visit www.lansing.org/batyot/parking-transportation

Coffee is one of those wonderful things that expands across culture, tradition, and lifestyle. Whether you take yours with cream and sugar, prefer decaf, or opt for an environmentally sound organic brew, it's easy to see why coffee is something special. Meet Lindsay, a Vermont resident interested in local dining and everything vegan & vegetarian. She shares her cooking and dining adventures on her blog "Cooking for a Vegan Lover", as well as gives reviews (and hosts giveaways) for vegan and vegetarian friendly products, and--on top of all that--provides health and nutrition advice. About a month ago, Lindsay contacted us with interest in our coffees, and offered to review them on her blog amongst her day-to-day postings. We shipped out three bags that caught her eye, Fair Trade Organic Community Blend, Fair Trade Organic Morning Music, and Fair Trade Organic Swiss Water House Blend (Decaf), and here are her thoughts:

"...I enjoyed some of my “weekend coffee” which lately has been from Paramount Coffee who was kind enough to send me a few samples of their coffee (I recently spotted some ground flavors at the local TJMaxx). My favorite of the three I received has been this Fair Trade Organic Community Blend which is a medium roast and is “A combination of Asian and South American coffees in a medium-dark roast. A very rich cup with low acidity and pleasant flavor.” I have also been enjoying the Fair Trade Organic Swiss Water House Blend (Decaf) which I like to sometimes mix with my caffeinated beans to cut back on the caffeine. Both of these have been really tasty and I can’t wait to try the third one I received which is a Fair Trade Organic Music Morning- sounds uplifting eh?" - From "It was a Soygurt Kind of Day" on April 14th, 2010

To read more of Lindsay's blog "Cooking for a Vegan Lover", visit www.cookingforaveganlover.com

Photo Credits: "Welcome to Vermont" © Katherine Welles | Dreamstime.com

“Paramount Coffee Turns 75” via www.lansingstatejournal.com