The Conscious Cup Where every cup is guaranteed to be fresh and socially responsible. Andi Summers
Traveler’s Guide 19
On the corner of a brick building, next to a hair salon and just off a main highway in Crystal Lake, Illinois, you’ll find a coffee shop with a huge fire engine-red roaster in the front window with bags of fairtrade certified coffee all around it. Welcome to Conscious Cup Coffee.
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he coffee shop offers not only an assortment of fresh-roasted, wellcrafted drinks, but also the owners are taking an environmentally and socially responsible stance on how they run their business. The coffees, teas and chocolates used by the Conscious Cup are premium grade fair-trade and environmentally conscious. The coffees are purchased through trade programs that benefit farmers and encourage organic, sustainable agriculture. “Coffee is the number two traded commodity in stocks,” said Jason Shipley, co-owner of the Conscious Cup Coffee and a self-proclaimed coffee fanatic. “By using fair-trade it takes out the middle man, a lot comes from third world countries, and this gives them a little leg up.” Jason and brother Michael Shipley opened the shop in 2006. “We wanted to take complete ownership of the company from where the coffee came from and to offer the freshest coffee possible,” said Shipley. “Coffee has a short life span of about five to 14 days, that is why we started artisan roasting our beans.” That is what the big fire engine red roaster in the front window is for. By roasting their own coffee beans they are able to make sure every cup of coffee they serve is fresh and the best possible quality. The shop offers a wide array of different coffees from all over the world. In addition to purchasing coffee one cup at a time, customers can buy fresh-roasted beans in the store or on the website http://www. consciouscup.com/blog/. Tea, smoothies and Granitas, blended espresso drinks are also available. Coffees come in three sizes awake, aware and wired, and they range in price from $3.50 for endless coffee, $3.90 for lattes and about $4.50 for Granita. The employees are well versed on the different types of coffee and the different flavors each coffee has to offer. The coffee from El Salvador is sweet and citrusy; The Papa New Guinea and Sumatra, the darkest roast, features a bold taste without the bitterness. The store has more to offer then just the roaster. With the plentiful tables and couches and the dark wooden accents contrasting the pale blue and green walls, the shop also plays host to traveling displays of art from local artists. Every three months, a different artist is featured. The Shipley brothers have plans to expand their business, allowing for more wholesale opportunities as well as acquiring a kitchen.
Traveler’s Guide 20
Don’t miss this... • While in the Crystal Lake area, be sure to visit the Walkup Heritage Farms and Gardens, about 10 minutes from the Conscious Cup Coffee. • The Walkup home, built in 1856, has been converted into a specialty garden center that features heirloom plants that are as old as the house. Choose from a dozen varieties of tomatoes, or take home a descendant of one of Grandma Walkup’s original peonies. • The grounds of this sustainable local farm also include a butterfly garden, a rose garden and a Victorian garden. • The Walkup Heritage Farms and Gardens is open from May until October.