Wittenberg Magazine P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501-0720
Phone: (937) 327-6141 Fax: (937) 327-6112
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Alumni World
Karen Larson '96
Helps Teenagers Through Peace Corps
For many, coffee serves as a simple beverage with an amazing ability to kick a body into gear during those groggy mornings on the way to work. It’s a daily wake-up call for millions, but not for Beth Heiliger Dominick ’97, who views the daily cup o’ joe as far more than a mere stimulant. “Coffee is a huge business and the second most valuable commodity in the world after petroleum,” Dominick said. “It’s also a cup full of issues: human rights, social development, rainforest preservation and pesticide use.” Owner and roastmaster of Sacred Grounds Organic Coffee Roasters, based in Arcata, Calif., Dominick became interested in the coffee business after moving to the Golden State. A biology major, Dominick originally headed west to take a seasonal position working at Redwoods National Park, but she soon found herself working at a newly opened coffee shop in the area. The job quickly piqued her curiosity. “The more I learned about coffee, the more I wanted to know,” she said. The staff ’s commitment to sustainability issues, including organic, fair-trade and shade-grown concerns, especially impressed Dominick, and the company eventually promoted her to manager, then roaster and now roastmaster. As roastmaster, Dominick regularly uses the skills she learned as a biology major and environmental science minor at Wittenberg. “My degree, which emphasized observation, record keeping, report writing and the need to maintain a log notebook, served as the perfect preparation for my career,” she said. “It also continues to enable me to see all of the connections between my morning cup, a remote village in northern Bolivia and the habitats of the Howler Monkey, Western Tanagers and Morpho butterflies.” In addition, “choosing organic/shade-grown/fair-trade coffee each morning is a simple everyday way to express your values,” she explained. “Plus, the intense concentrated flavors of fresh-roasted, heirloom-variety coffee put supermarket coffees to shame.” — Courtney Galliger ’04
Wittenberg Magazine P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501-0720 Phone: (937) 327-6141 Fax: (937) 327-6112 |
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