Storytelling - Damn the Torpedoes!

Life is full of challenges and hard-times.  We have the option to choose how we see them: obstacles or opportunities.  The distinction is crucial, we either feed a victim or a victor mindset and that mindset reinforces our behaviors and actions.  External obstacles are placed in our way to determine how bad we want to achieve our goals, and we have to decide if we allow those challenges to dictate our actions and responses, or do we find a way to see them as opportunities to take advantage of?

The origins of Damn the Torpedoes is from the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.  Admiral David Farragut was in charge of cutting off and securing the last Confederate port to continue the Union Blockade.  As Admiral Farragut's ships approached the bay, which was heavy mined (torpedoed), one of his ships, the USS Tecumseh struck a torpedo and began to list and sink.  All the other ships saw this and began to turn away from the torpedo infested bay, but in a loud and thunderous command, Admiral Farragut yelled, "Damn the Torpedoes. Full Speed Ahead!" The Union forces were able to maneuver and secure the bay and took control of the water way despite the dangers and challenges they faced from opposing ships, the heavy armored fort, and the torpedoes in the water.  They pressed forward knowing danger was ahead, because they knew what was at stake, and chose to take action.

We love being able to connect people through storytelling, it's what helps us create something that is more than just coffee, it's how we can come together as humans and realize we have more in common than we think.  We were approached by Global Coffee Trading in March of this year to help sponsor construction projects in Peru for the COOPAFSI cooperative of coffee growers.  They had wanted to create enclosed and raised drying beds to help them make and delivery a consistent and quality coffee every year. We wanted to help contribute so that we can help create a sustainable coffee growing industry and connect with the farmers who put their heart and soul into growing amazing coffee.  Read more about the Chacra Project led by Global Coffee Trading, and the social impacts of helping improve the farmers quality of life (https://www.chacraproject.com/).

To tie the story together and create another craft cold brew, we wanted to make Damn the Torpedoes bold but smooth.  The actions taken by Admiral Farragut showed immense courage, but remaining calm and collected during the chaos to win the battle.  We crafted a New Orleans style cold brew and infuse it with Chicory root to ensure a nice dark and bold flavor, but a velvety smoothness on nitro.  The dark roast Peruvian coffee pairs perfectly with the Chicory root and has become an instant favorite here at the taproom.  We hope everyone has the opportunity to stop in and try it out.

The question remains, when times get tough and the obstacles are pilling up around you, do you retreat, or do you persevere? You have the power to overcome any obstacle, you just need to look at them at opportunities to learn something new about yourself and the growth that is made during each adversity. So get outside of your comfort zone, Damn the Torpedoes, and make things happen!