All Clear - A Firefighter Health & Wellness Podcast
All Clear is a podcast that looks at the perils of modern firefighters, especially the physical and mental strains we face. Our goal is to help firefighters ignite The Fire Within and to build the best version of themselves as firefighters. Our conversations are real, sometimes raw but always honest. All Clear is presented by the NC Firefighter Cancer Alliance & First Responders Peer-Support Network.
All Clear - A Firefighter Health & Wellness Podcast
Good To The Last Drop! - The All Clear Coffee Special
Ever wondered how your morning coffee could be more than just a caffeine fix? Join us on this enlightening journey where we reveal the creation of a health-conscious coffee blend, designed specifically for firefighters, in collaboration with the Cancer Alliance. Hear personal stories from our hosts about how coffee has become an essential part of their daily lives, particularly in the high-pressure world of firefighting. We explore the myriad health benefits of coffee, from boosting energy and alertness to its rich antioxidant properties that help reduce the risks of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Additionally, we delve into the social aspects of coffee, emphasizing its role in fostering camaraderie and communication within the firehouse and beyond.
Discover the unique blend of Guatemalan Red Bourbon and Colombian Black Honey coffees that make up our special firefighter blend. This episode highlights the importance of traceability and direct relationships with coffee producers, featuring stories of remarkable families like the Solanos in Guatemala and Felipe Trujillo in Colombia. Felipe's commitment to ethical practices and his hands-on approach are central to our mission. We also share an intriguing anecdote about Felipe's past aspiration to become a firefighter, drawing meaningful connections between coffee communities in Colombia and Guatemala and the firefighters in North Carolina. Tune in to understand how this coffee blend supports both the well-being of firefighters and the communities where the coffee is grown.
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This is All Clear Firefighter Wellness where we help you light your fire with it.
Speaker 2:So, ben, you're new, helping us with the Cancer Alliance, so why don't you tell us about a cool project we're working on? I think everybody's kind of figured it out now that they've been following us on social media. So we've been talking about coffee, right yeah? So why don't?
Speaker 4:you tell us about what you've got going on and helping us out. Well, we're trying to develop a coffee blend that everybody likes, something that you can drink, and drink it black. That was the ultimate goal. Um, because we are associated with the Cancer Alliance, you know we're always focused on health. Um, you know both health and wellness. So we wanted something that you didn't have to add anything to, and in doing that and developing the proper blend, you have something that's tasty, not bitter, um, something that doesn't bite too hard, but you can go ahead and drink it without adding. You know, your, your your average creamers and things like that. There are some people that are going to do it no matter what, but this stuff you really don't have to. It's actually a wonderful, wonderful product.
Speaker 4:I've drank coffee now since my twins were born. I never drank coffee before that, but it's funny how you don't sleep when you have twins. So to be able to feed them, I had to go and I would work a lot and I would drink coffee, and I always drank it with creamer because I couldn't take it any other way. And when we came down here to Broken Compass and did a tasting, I was amazed at what you can do with coffee and the blend that we came up with I feel is delicious, and by not putting the creamer in it, you're not adding the fat, you're not adding the sugar, you're not adding the chemicals. All of these things are harmful. If you look at the ingredients on your average creamer, on the label, there's no cream in there, it's sawdust.
Speaker 4:Well, a lot of it's sawdust, your average shaker-type dry creamer there is. There's like wood cellulose or something getting there as a filler and that's not something we should be eating, and firefighters were under enough risk of cancer. So why not try to do something better? And coffee does have benefits. It has health benefits. Firefighters tend to maintain a state of captivation because everyone calls it all hours and you know it's interesting.
Speaker 2:If anybody knows my Brown Notebook, they know I write down things I learned in here. So I learned about some health benefits of coffee and I'll tell you my coffee story when I get done and it's related to the fire service. But, like you talked about, it gives us increased energy levels. That's one of the things that I don't ever have enough of. Just I don't have enough energy. It does help with that, helps with alertness. Now how important is that? 2 o'clock in the morning when you're responding to, say, a wreck on the interstate, it's important that you be on your A game because that can be very serious for you and for whoever we're trying to help.
Speaker 2:Antioxidants helps prevent diseases. We've all heard that Physical performance boost A lot of people. They're always looking for that thing to give them an edge in the gym. Guess what Caffeine will do it. And if you listen to one of the episodes, like we did with Dr Jill Joyce, she talked about the value of coffee. Then also, when we were talking with Roger Sutherland, he also talked about how that helps to wake you up and get your body ready for action. It also helps reduce risk of certain diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and also Alzheimer's, two things that are very devastating. It also is good for heart health. Cardiac is not our friend either. Also, it will help with liver protection, ie reducing liver cancer.
Speaker 2:Like you talk about drinking Dr Bobby Souther, everything goes through you. You know drinking. Dr Justin Marchegiani, dr Michael McLean, dr Justin Marchegiani, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr Michael McLean, dr. A lot better. But you know, I really didn't drink coffee until I started at the fire department and my son was born not long after that period of time and it's like oh well, what is this stuff? You know, I always thought coffee had to be bitter and nasty and not good. But as we've learned through this journey of tasting coffee and putting together a good cup of coffee, look at where we're at. So what would you say are some of the social benefits of coffee around the firehouse, maybe around the kitchen table, maybe it's on scene, maybe it's grabbing some at Starbucks. Heaven forbid on your way out.
Speaker 4:It's how most people start the day, you know, and that will set the pace for the remainder of your day. So the social aspect of that early morning cup of coffee regardless of where you are, whether it's the kitchen table or the firehouse table or whatever, most people come in and whether it's the ongoing shift, the oncoming shift or the off going shift, everybody sits around, drinks coffee until it's time to get up and go, and things like that, and you talk about what happened the night before you talk about any other problems. So everybody's in awareness of where things lie and what might need to be done or still be done or whatever, to get things completed. And around the house it's the same thing. On a Sunday morning I can sit around at the house with family. My wife and I discuss things over a cup of coffee.
Speaker 4:My children are now older and, um, coffee drinkers and uh, you know, it's one of the first things we do in the morning and drink coffee while we're making breakfast and whatnot. So, uh, definitely a social aspect and it's an enjoyable, it's an enjoyable effect. That's what it should be. You know, just like any other food, we don't eat food that tastes bad. You know we shouldn't drink coffee that tastes bad. And that's one of the nice parts about this because, like I said, I'm amazed.
Speaker 2:Yep, you know my dad was a trucker forever. And you know my dad and he has been on the podcast a couple of times. In fact he's one of our most popular guests. But the cool thing was, you know, he used to be an ambulance driver before EMTs were a thing, and I remember I had to go to Pinehurst to take my EMT exam years ago and he was the only one that was stupid enough to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning with me to drive down there, to be there by seven and ready to go. And I remember I finished the test and we're starting to drive home and we pass by a Waffle House.
Speaker 2:My dad's like I need some coffee, pull in. So we go into Waffle House and we sit down and you know we both have steak and eggs perfect breakfast but sitting down with my dad drinking the coffee. His first question was all right, how'd you do on the exam? I'm like I have no idea. And you know he's like well, I guess we might've come for nothing. Then we'll find out. Well, I did pass. But you know it was one of those things, the memories that you can make when you drink coffee, and I know this sounds like a coffee commercial and it's not, but there's a lot of health benefits to it and what we're trying to do is literally make a product available that can be a game changer for some people. Maybe it'll start a habit, I don't know. But you know 100% of what efforts we're putting into this is to benefit firefighters. That's the whole thing. It's not about anybody getting rich. It's nothing to do with that.
Speaker 4:It's trying to keep the lights on, keep us doing our peer support and helping out with mental health and cancer and everything else we face. And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to get involved, because I've always been involved with things that help make the fire service better for the firefighters, because it's not going to be the pay, you know, it's not going to be the recognition it's it's, it is the job of a servant, right. So for you to come out and do that job, you should, you should be treated well for it, not necessarily financially, but but in other, in other means, and you should be taken care of when you need help, because we're the ones providing the help. And what happens when the you need help, because we're the ones providing the help, and what happens when the providers need help. That's why I didn't even think twice about trying to be involved with it, because, from somebody who's had, you know, had their issues with, with events related to the fire service and whatnot, um, it's important. I know personally that it's important and I like helping other people because I know it's important to them and I've seen the effects on other people. Yeah, so that's the whole, the whole, the real purpose behind it. It starts, yeah, with a great cup of coffee, which is good, but the whole side benefit of being able to help to get the awareness out there.
Speaker 4:I was just telling this story a little bit ago that I went to the doctor and wanted to get checked out because of the prevalence of cancer in the fire service, and he said oh, what are you talking about? I'm like, well, how long have you been a doctor? No, so, because he was not awake and you can't hide it. You can't hide it anymore. Cancer's become the leading cause of death of firefighters now, you know, with cardiovascular disease, and unfortunately, suicide is up there as well. All of those things are super important to be dealt with, because it's not like it used to be the days of just sucking it up and then the days of people with self-medicine, and we can't do that anymore. The first thing that's going to happen is you're going to lose your job, and you lose your job and you have no help, and so we have to be proactive about it as opposed to react.
Speaker 2:And you know one of the things that the Cancer Alliance has realized, especially since COVID mental health really came to the forefront after that in a lot of ways in the public and also in our industry. But the thing that we come to understand is the fact that you can't fight cancer if your head's not in the game, if you're not at a solid point with your mental health. You might beat the cancer physically, but it's still going to take a toll on you. And also, if you're not eating right, you're not sleeping well, you're not doing those things, you're not preventing cancer to the best that you possibly could. We have to control the things we can. We might not be able to control the fact that there's PFAS or a gear right now, but you know what we can control what we put in, what we drink, what we eat, how we sleep, things like that.
Speaker 2:And firefighters do tend to become self-destructive if they don't get help. And you got to man up and ask for help sometimes. And that's exactly the whole purpose of our mission. And you know I'm going to break the third wall, or is that fourth wall? Look at the camera and actually say this is why we're doing this and we encourage you guys to visit with us at Safer. We'll be in Raleigh next week. Come by and get a cup of all clear coffee. We'll have some swag to give away and we hope to get a chance to see some of our viewers and listeners and all that, and we'll talk to you soon. So, ben, you got anything you want to tell our folks? Yeah, neither one of us looks better in person. Very true, see you there.
Speaker 4:I'd be happy to have a conversation.
Speaker 2:And maybe sign an autograph too, you never know. Now let's meet the mad scientist behind All Clear Coffee, camilo and Sarah Gandini of Broken Compass.
Speaker 6:All Clear Blend is a blend of two distinct single origins. A single origin means that that coffee comes from one singular farm, one singular region. It can be traced back to one singular farmer. So those two single origins have been blended together, handpicked by the individuals from All Clear Coffee who have come to find a flavor profile that they feel the firefighters and their families and their loved ones and everyone else will really love.
Speaker 5:Enjoy as well.
Speaker 6:The two coffees. What are the two coffees in the blend?
Speaker 5:The two coffees that all clear and blend is coffee from Guatemala and Colombia, and coffee from Guatemala is a red bourbon and the coffee from Colombia it's a black honey process. Yeah.
Speaker 6:And the names are just the names of the varieties.
Speaker 5:Yes, so just because it says red bourbon doesn't mean it has bourbon in it. Sorry, but it is.
Speaker 6:Red bourbon is known as a bean for just being very smooth, very mild. It has just like a really nice medium body to it and it just makes for one of those consistent cups of coffee. And then the black honey is called that because of the process. So essentially coffee goes through a variety of processes, but this particular one has a process where they take the coffee cherry and then they remove the skin of it but leave some of the mucilage.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and they take away the pulp and the mucilage is stored with it.
Speaker 6:Yeah, and what that does is when the coffee beans ferment in a little bit of this mucilage, it actually retained a lot of its natural sugars, so something like a black honey is actually a lot more naturally sweet, almost kind of like a molasses brown sugar kind of dark chocolatey flavor profile to it and I think like a good pointer in this, like black honey.
Speaker 5:Why is it called black honey? While it's resting or fermenting in raised beds, they, every two or three hours, a person comes and just moves the coffee around, so that just creates more process for the fermentation as well yeah so that's another like giving to that coffee that it's more chance on yeah, on the coffee as well, yeah and I think what makes the blend special is just the way that those two coffees balance each other right, you get like the natural sweetness, this kind of like brown sugar molasses type sweetness from the black honey, but with this really nice, almost like creamy lingering finish of the red bourbon yeah
Speaker 6:um, it's really satisfying. So one of the things that's really great about um without broken compass, about where we come from and our ability to offer specialty coffee, is that specialty coffee is really all about traceability, um, and about knowing exactly where your coffee comes from and knowing that that coffee has met a certain quality standard, that every single step of the way between that person and your hand. And one of the things that we, camilo and I, really have decided on firmly in building Broken Compass is that we would not work with any coffee producers that we didn't have direct relationships with, and we wanted an origin trip to be like coming home to see these people. We wanted to be able to, uh, know how they treated the coffee, how they treated each other, how they treated their workers, yeah, and be able to feel really good in supporting that um, so that we knew that buying coffee from them meant supporting the communities in that space.
Speaker 6:So the red vermin that comes from Guatemala is actually from an amazing family. They're called the Solanos. David Solano is currently a fourth generation producer who is running that farm. He's a good friend of ours and his farm is remarkable. It's something like a hundred and some years old. Some of those plants are yes.
Speaker 5:Last time that I was there, he showed me a plant that was 130 years old.
Speaker 6:Yeah, incredible. It's their family legacy.
Speaker 5:It was a red bourbon. Actually, it was a red bourbon plant that his grandfather planted there.
Speaker 6:Yeah, exactly. So every time we go back to Guatemala and we see our friend and our family, we make a point to also visit the Solanos and visit the farm and check in on how the crops are doing, how the harvest of that season has been, and it's just been a really nice working relationship for us, treating their workers with respect.
Speaker 5:Yes, and we'll only work with exporters and importers who carry that through and actually, like in the farm, they have a school and like a little like pharmacy hospital type situation. That's so cool Because they're like so in the town that there's like no resources, resources that that whole family, there's no lock in that, in that farm, oh wow, it's like a community resource. Yes, just everybody knows them and they know that they will treat them right like the workers. So if, if, their mutual respect is there, they have access to the school, they have access to medicine, so, so that's something really nice of them contributing to where they are located in Concepción, buena Vista.
Speaker 6:Yeah, and the Black Honey.
Speaker 5:Yeah, the Black Honey. Black Honey comes from Colombia, with the producer, who is Felipe Trujillo. Felipe Trujillo has whoa. His story is amazing as well. He was a CEO of a big company then realized that it was not what, that was not his calling. His father had his farm and everything, but he decided to go and get a like a normal nine to five job and everything. But once he decided to that, get a normal 9-to-5 job and everything. But once he decided that wasn't his life, he went back to the farm, back to the roots, like missing purpose. He was missing purpose. Yes, exactly, and working side-by-side with the people, he found out that that was his calling being in the farm growing coffee as well.
Speaker 6:Doesn't he participate in mentorship programs too?
Speaker 5:Yes, I was going to that. So, with this relationship that he was building in Colombia, he met a lot of farmers and producers from around his farm. But the farmers there are, but like the farmers there are getting a little older and there's no too many youth people in coffee world. So he started this program. It's like a hot job. Yeah, it's not a hot job. It's tough being outside under the sun picking beans one by one. So he started this program with youth people and teach them the science behind that, because coffee is science. So that way of getting the youth more interested, engaged into the coffee. And it's a great product from Colombia and everybody. Every country who grows coffee should be really proud of it. Yeah.
Speaker 6:And we're actually going to visit Felipe in November, in November.
Speaker 5:Yeah, we actually going to visit Ferry Faye in November, in November yeah, we're going to visit their farm and visit the other farmers and mentors and mentees that he has. That's right.
Speaker 3:So let's talk about. You mentioned how the one farm has its own hospital, has its own school. It's a community, it's a town.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how important is selling coffee on our eating. How does that impact them in Cologne? How does that?
Speaker 3:How does us helping that community transmit all the way over across countries and seas to here in the US that we're able to help firefighters who help our communities?
Speaker 5:Well, actually it helps them tremendously. Um, we don't realize, like just buying a cup of coffee, that it cost us I don't know, like a drip coffee would cost us I don't know, $4, and for some people that would be something so mundane that we don't realize that those four dollars goes back way back to the farmers. That will help them. Well, just keep it in context eight dollar is 7.8 Quetzales, sorry, yes, quetzales. You can buy a lot with just 7.8 Quetzales that could be a meal for a day for a family in a town. So if we do that conversion, and as long as we as roasters keep everything as fair as possible, we just like to be the bridge between the form and the end of that being the journey, of that being that it's a cup of coffee, it will help them tremendously. I don't know if I'm skipping something. No, I think you have it right on. I mean, essentially, the answer to that question is it impacts them tremendously.
Speaker 6:I don't know if I'm skipping something. No, I think you have it right on. I mean, essentially, the answer to that question is it impacts them directly. I mean, it's one of the things that we love about Ventola Coffee, which is the production company that Felipe owns, is they have actually made the decision this year a very difficult decision to take on all of the exportation themselves. So they are now the farmers, the producers, the exporters, everything they are the business right. Um? That's a huge undertaking for a family, for a husband and a wife and their kids, to take on, um. But Felipe understands the impact of working directly with people and he wanted to be so hands-on with his mentees, with the producers that he works with across Colombia and outside of Colombia.
Speaker 6:He's not really willing to cut corners with that. And so what's beautiful is you buy coffee like All Clear Blend. That money is literally going to Ventola, and that is the same exact company. Yeah.
Speaker 5:And, if you really think about it, it's not just going for the farmers, it's going for what All Clear Blend represents as well.
Speaker 6:Yes, yeah, absolutely Exactly. I think that's the beauty of it, right. It is literally the communities in these towns of Colombia and Guatemala, where their world revolves around coffee and community, to the people here in North Carolina and the people who take care of us, who watch over the communities, who serve others. So I think it's a nice connection.
Speaker 3:Are you excited to be working with firefighters?
Speaker 6:Absolutely Wouldn't be. Do you know, he wanted to be a firefighter For a while, when we were like thinking about what we could do. When we moved to the States he was like maybe I'll be a firefighter. Too late, I know right I know, I know, I think a great firefighter.
Speaker 1:You have been listening to All Clear Firefighter Wellness. All Clear is presented by the North Carolina Firefighter Cancer Alliance. You can find out more about us at allclearpodcastcom. Leave us a message. We'd love to hear from you. If you like what you hear, tell someone. All opinions expressed on the podcast do not always reflect the opinions of the podcast. As always, light your fire with it.
