finding green beans inside chicago

[bucktown_boffo]

anybody know where i can get some, inside the city? the roasters at whole foods on north and the costco on clybourn both refused me!

[Java-Joe]

Call Doug Zell at Intellegensia (sp?). I don't know if his place is convenient for you to get to. Tell him that a fellow Roaster's Guild member offered his name. Perhaps he would be willing to help. I don't know if it's againt their policy to sell a few lbs. of beans, but it's worth the phone call. I know he's not in Chicago this week, so wait until Feb. 9th to call.

Joe

[snowangel]

I'm not in Chicago, but I've had luck with Dunn Brothers (Minneapolis chain) selling me green beans. There is also an outfit here selling "peace coffee" (free trade, organic) that sells green beans. A lot of churches (UCC specifically) sell "peace coffee" here, so you might want to make a few calls to a local coffee place that roasts their own or check with a local church.

[phaelon56]

We don't have Costco in my area but if you do.... check with them. Some guys over at Coffeegeek mentioend buying green beans at Costco and said the prices were really low. I just buy mail order from Sweet Maria's. Green beans keep for a year or two if properly stored and SM's has such an incredible variety that I buy about ten pounds at a time and that way the shipping charge is spread amongst a larger quantity.

[bucktown_boffo]

i mentioned in my first post that the roaster person at my local costco refused me, but maybe i should talk to a manager. or maybe i should just continue to use mail order...

[phaelon56]

Costco's beans are cheap enough that you should not expect a discount for buying them green but they actually make out better. There's a slight loss of moisture content - a pound of green yields a bit less than a pound of roasted beans. Add that fact to reduced labor and energy costs for them and it's a win/win all the way around. Definitely talk to the manager and mention to him that other Costco's are doing this.

[bucktown_boffo]

i didn't even bother to look at the roasted coffee bean prices when i was at the costco -- do you remember what they are, at least at the one you go to?