“rez -roast”就是怎么做的 精灵山烘焙公司 founder 都铎王朝的蒙塔古 likes to describe the line of premium coffee beans that he produces out of a small facility on the 尤马堡克尚印第安部落他在加州东南部的保留区.
Montague’s commitment to 土著 people also extends far beyond the boundaries of this reservation in the Lower Colorado River Valley. Because when you drink a cup of coffee brewed with beans from Spirit Mountain, 你喝的咖啡是当地制作的——从种子到杯子.
The Colorado River Valley is a rich agricultural region known for its cornucopia of crops, 从绿叶蔬菜到Medjool枣. 毫无疑问，咖啡是一种不适合沙漠气候的作物. 所以当蒙塔古采购他的豆子时, 他在中美洲和南美洲寻找当地的咖啡农.
他说:“这又回到了bbin游戏官网在接触前的做法。. “There were trade routes extending throughout the Americas and this is a modern take on that. We’re able to do business with tribally produced coffees throughout the Americas that come out of places like Colombia and travel all the way up to our reservation.
“然后，bbin游戏官网的产品通常会被送到全国各地的预订处. bbin游戏官网有很多部落的人会点咖啡. A lot of times we’ll get bulk orders for tribal events and cultural gatherings. 这就完成了一个循环:咖啡是在部落土地上生产的, 来到bbin游戏官网的土地上烤, 在部落土地上消费. 这让我感到非常自豪.”
蒙塔古的咖啡烘焙之路
以东约170英里 圣地亚哥, the 45,000-acre Fort Quechan reservation stretches from California into Arizona and extends to the Mexican border. While farming is a mainstay of the local economy, at Winterhaven the tribe also operates the 天堂的赌场 and the Quechan赌场度假村.
一名登记在册的尤马堡克尚印第安部落成员, Montague worked as an environmental consultant before launching Spirit Mountain in 2015. 在上大学的时候 哈斯克尔印第安民族大学 in Lawrence, Kansas, he had become interested in beermaking and hoped to open a craft brewery. But the high up-front investment costs ultimately led him to consider alternatives.
Coffee appealed to Montague because it wouldn’t be nearly as expensive to start as a business. 就像啤酒, 咖啡涉及到新鲜的工作, raw ingredients and had a blend of art and science that appealed to Montague. He attended roasting school, bought a roaster, and now produces around 250 pounds of beans a week.
然而咖啡并不是部落传统的一部分, Montague sees a connection between Spirit Mountain and the Quechan’s farming traditions. “我每天都在和种子打交道. 咖啡是我烘焙的种子，”他说. “这一切都取决于bbin游戏官网可以从零开始创造什么.”
部落的关系
Montague made a point to incorporate tribal imagery into Spirit Mountain’s branding. 精灵山这个名字的灵感来自于Avi Kwa Ame, 是10个说玉曼语部落的圣山, 包括魁尚人. The mountain and a surrounding area of nearly 507,000 acres recently earned designation as 阿维瓜阿梅国家纪念碑.
The Spirit Mountain logo features a silhouette of a Yuman warrior with the mountain range in the distance. 虽然象征意义可以作为部落成员骄傲的源泉, Montague is also taking steps to make Spirit Mountain both an integral—and inspirational—place for the community.
蒙塔古说，对于保留区所有的农业活动, 大部分土地租给了工业化农业经营. 虽然他在自己的土地上种植了许多传统作物, 他说，部落成员自己种植农产品并不常见. “有机农产品并不像它应该的那样容易获得或负担得起. 很难找到干净新鲜的食物. 加工食品占主导地位，”蒙塔古说. 结果是, 克尚堡保留地的居民, 就像生活在这个国家其他地方部落土地上的人一样, 患有高水平的糖尿病和其他与饮食有关的疾病.
精灵山的未来
Spirit Mountain was honored as the 2023 Rural Small Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration’s 圣地亚哥 District Office and Montague is busy looking at next steps for his company.
在他计划在保留地开的咖啡馆里, 冷榨油品, 将供应新鲜的有机果汁. Ideally, he would like to prepare the juices with locally grown produce such as tomatoes and celery, 两者都有助于促进小规模, 部落成员的有机农业和更健康的饮食习惯.
Montague estimates that less than 10 percent of the land is being farmed by tribal members.“I’d like to see the community take back some of the land that’s leased out and do tribal agricultural enterprise on a larger scale,他说. “Up until that point, something we can focus on is community gardening projects. I can envision a day when the school or a community garden club can produce locally grown organic produce that the café can purchase. bbin游戏官网不仅可以帮助创造真正的地方经济, bbin游戏官网可以为社区成员提供一个健康的选择.”
The café will be the anchor tenant of a renovated building that’s serving as an incubator space for tribal entrepreneurs who need offices and equipment to start growing their businesses. 它将加入一家理发店和一家传统美国原住民服装制造商的行列, and Montague believes that the incubator’s aspiring entrepreneurs will benefit from being able to stop in for advice from fellow tribal members who are already operating successful businesses.
这种指导可以产生巨大的影响. Montague says he gained valuable knowledge when coffee roasters in New Mexico took him behind the scenes and showed him their production area and operations. 他自己也曾担任过导师 詹姆斯比尔德基金会 选择蒙塔古与布莱克合作, 土著, and other people of color in the culinary industry as part of the organization’s Legacy Network Program.
“A side benefit of just trying to push forward with what I’m doing is that if someone in the community sees what’s happening and is inspired to try, 这一点非常重要. bbin游戏官网需要这个. Whether it’s coffee or not—especially for the youth—if they see someone within their own community building something, 不管是什么, 这告诉他们, “你可以做到的. 你也可以做点什么.’”
“Granted, there are role models, like professional athletes, that people look up to. 这很好. 但如果是你自己社区的人，那就更重要了. 从字面上和比喻上来说，这更贴近家庭. 做我正在做的事, 如果能有一个孩子看到精灵山说, ‘Hey, 也许我可以自己创业.’”