Archive for the ‘community’ Category

farm buzz

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

icecreamcoffee1.jpg

Blue Marble’s delicious coffee blends are roasted in upstate New York – where all good things are made. Situated in Millerton, New York, Irving Farm Coffee Company is a part of the historic Coleman Station neighborhood, of dairy fame in days of yore. In fact, Irving Farm is just a stone’s throw from where Blue Marble’s own unique ice cream is mixed up in small batches.

Coffee beans are actually the seeds of ripe, red cherries that grow on coffee trees. Estate grown beans are shipped to Irving Farm for a premium roasting process that involves a studied analysis for each bean, based on origin and growing environment. Coffee is hand blended and roasted fresh daily before it travels to our shops in Brooklyn for a likewise fresh and daily grinding.

If you’re not convinced that Irving is serious about his beans, check out their website’s fun timeline ‘How We Roast’.

…And you can still warm up without the buzz! Don’t miss our hot chocolate: blended with homemade fudge from Saratoga Springs – another upstate favorite! Sundae’s Best originated from a family recipe that was once distributed only to lucky friends and neighbors in the Saratoga hills. Blue Marble is proud to blend it with our own local, grass fed dairy for the perfect winter cure – topped with whipped cream.

party people

Friday, October 24th, 2008

We were thrilled to welcome friends and dreamers to our first friendraising event for Blue Marble Dreams last Thursday, October 16. It was our good fortune to munch on delicious treats from generous, local donors, including: Hot Bread Kitchen, Murray’s Cheese, Picada y Vino, and the Amazing Real Live Food Company. In case you were wondering, all of these items go great with ice cream.

Although we’d venture to say that our guests were the best part of the evening, we were also blessed by the presence of Reverend Billy, of the Church of Stop Shopping. Reverend Billy’s sermons are to Blue Marble Dreams what hot fudge is to a scoop of butter pecan – no need to say more, just go get yourself a spoon! And while you’re eating, you can watch the Reverend’s delightful and inspiring sermon

In friend- and fundraising news, we have had great success with donations, big and small, from many corners of the borough and the planet. Since announcing our inaugural fundraising drive just over a month ago, generous donors like you have contributed almost $13,000.00! We are humbled and thrilled by this outpouring of support, but we still haven’t reached our goal of raising $20,000.00, which will be matched by two anonymous donors. These mysterious angels have been so impressed by our ability to mobilize such fast and substantial support that they have extended their deadline to November 19. So, if you haven’t given yet, and still want the chance to see your donation double, you haven’t lost your chance! We need to reach $20,000.00, and we can’t get there without you!

If you’re short on cash, don’t sweat it: we know that love comes in many packages, including creative, professional volunteers who are donating their precious time to make our sweet dreams come true. Our group of dreamers includes web and graphic designers, attorneys, marketing and fundraising experts, architects, business analysts, teachers, artists, and the list goes on. We are excited to work with them, and are still looking for new dreamers to add to the team. If you have any ideas or expertise to offer, please contact Alexis at alexis@bluemarbleicecream.com!

Many thanks for your continued enthusiasm and support! Let’s keep dreaming BIG!

Summer Blues

Friday, August 29th, 2008

The last days of August are quickly disappearing, and snow will be blowing in before we know it. But don’t fret – a true blue marbler can eat ice cream year round. (we recommend a thick pair of mittens). In the meantime, take a few minutes to close your eyes and revel in your favorite late-summer treat. For me it’s the blueberry – that beautiful fruit with dusty blue skin like a pastel drawing, and no shortage of nutritional richness. Come to think of it, blueberries are kind of like ice cream: healthy and delicious. Let us know what you love most about summer, and if you happen to have a picture of it we’ll post it on our LCD screen! (see below for inspiration)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              blueberries for dorothy                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Not enough news in the New York Times? We thought so. Take a gander (or a goose) at our August Newsletter, and catch up on what’s happening with your neighbors near and far: Inside Scoop: August 

spread the love

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

 Since our recent expansion to a second location in Prospect Heights, we’ve had community investment on the mind. Our customers invest in us daily, and they’ve helped us spread the love across Brooklyn neighborhoods. But since it’s a small world, after all, we strive to address issues related to the concept of community on a local and global scale. August’s Sun magazine interview with Judy Wicks put joy in our neighborly hearts. Check out how Judy has made an impact on her Philadelphia community and on our planet: 

http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/392/table_for_six_billion

And speaking of the planet, ever wonder what’s with all the marbles around here? We share our company name with the title of a famous 1972 photograph (not coincidentally, also a pivotal time in our environmental history), dubbed by the astronauts of the Apollo 17 mission who captured the image from outer space. Boost your brain at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_marble

 the original blue marble

 

 

Branching Out!

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Hey hey, Blue Marblers.  Perhaps you’ve already heard, but our ice cream tree is growing!  On Saturday, May 24, Blue Marble will sprout in Prospect Heights.  186 Underhill, between Sterling Place and St. Johns, to be exact.  We have partnered with the clever birds of NYC Explorers to offer you a one-stop shop for all of your playspace/kids’ enrichment programs/sundae/cappuccino needs.  Please take a look at their site, www.nycityexplorers.com, to learn more about all they offer.  Be sure to come by on opening day to get in on the fun!  And come early…free marbles to the first 100 customers, and coffee’s on us all the live long day!  To read more about this exciting development and other breaking Blue Marble news, take a look at the inaugural issue of The Inside Scoop, our periodic attempt to keep you in the know about all of our latest goings on.

Most Magical Holidays

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

The inimitable Rick Trabucco touched Blue Marble with his design genius for the annual Atlantic Avenue Holiday Window Competition. Thank you Rick! Our ice cream angels (created by adding upside down xmas trees and angel wings to our window light globes) led us to victory: Blue Marble received the “Most Magical Window” award from this year’s judges. See the magic for yourself: 

Praise for Blue Marble…

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

Thank you to all parties who have written in about us on various blogs and restaurant sites. We love to see such positive feedback and promise to keep workin hard to earn your praise.Community Reviews/Blogs:http://www.yelp.com/biz/-sR4K-FUfIChjUsfgg1DaQ#hrid:u5FB6cj6p49OVlhEZFbS-g/http://kneadfulthings.typepad.com/kneadful_things/2007/11/mama-loves-dair.htmlhttp://www.seriouseats.com/tags/eating_out/Blue%20MarbleNY Times Dining Section Feature:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/dining/10stuf.html?_r=1&oref=sloginquery:blue%20marble%20ice%20cream

Hello Friends!

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

Dear All,Wow. We’re over a month in now, and Alexis and I are just coming up for air to say thank you so much to our community! What an incredible welcome we have received from the young and old, from Brooklynites and Manhattan dwellers alike. We have folks who have traveled by foot from Bed Stuy, by subway from Harlem, and by car from Boston, Long Island, Westchester and… Cobble Hill. We have regulars, each of whom are so appreciated for their consistency and devotion to our products. The regulars don’t just come for ice cream — we’ve got folks who come regularly for our great espresso and coffee, as well as the awesome selections of teas from In Pursuit of Tea. We have folks who come in with their heart set on our organic sticky buns. And then there’s our faithful neighbor who comes in several times a week for his old fashioned Egg Cream (made with U Bet syrup, of course!).We realize that in spite of being here every day since long before we opened, we have not shown our presence much on the web. It’s time for that to change. This blog is ours. We created our website not only to inform folks about us, but to create a community, a forum for folks to come together and discuss matters that bring us all together. In life, we can all go in different directions, but there are points of intersection that link us all in this crazy web. Still… while we do pride ourselves on creating a great space, our warm hospitality, and our (let’s face it) awesome product, the web is not something Alexis and I are super proficient at… YET. So if anyone has any advice, input, or suggestions of any kind (an in-store tutorial on newsletter formatting in exchange for ice cream, perhaps??), please email us! In the meantime, you’ll see us develop our internet skills the old fashioned way — um… just trying to DO IT.We welcome anyone who wants to start a thread about the neighborhood, about coffee/tea/ice cream, about kids and childcare stuff, about international travel, etc., etc…Happiest of Holidays to All!!And more soon…