We've been taking a little time to reflect on 2016 and all the great (and slightly less than great) moments that came with it as we dive into 2017. However much of a rollercoaster this past year may have been, there was no doubt that it was 12 months packed full of adventures and accomplishments! Here are a few major highlights that we are celebrating:
WE LAUNCHED A NEW PRODUCT
This summer we launched STOKED STIX, convenient and ready-to-go packets of 100% organic instant coffee. Whether you are backpacking with your kids, on a ski tour with friends or chasing to get the next surf break, we have your back. Just add 8oz of hot water to either our medium or dark roast and get stoked!
WE ADDED SOME BADASS NEW AMBASSADORS TO TEAM STOKED
STOKED Roasters is the only coffee company in the world to have a fleet of athletes as our brand ambassadors.. Team STOKED is proud to have 27 athletes on the roster going into the New Year. New additions to highlight this year are Sensi Graves, Lindsay McClure, Eric Pollard, Kyle Skutch, Elle Truax, Paul Dzierba, Hannah Bergemann, Greg Cohen, Glen Morden, Brandon Scheid, Amy Esnard, Jeff Lenosky, Brian Warren, Pete Takeda, and Mackenzie Berg! We are proud to fuel an absolutely incredible band of athletes.
WE RAISED OVER $3000 FOR OUR CHARITY OF THE YEAR
Each year our staff gets together and votes on a charity to represent. In 2016, we were proud to support the LymeLight Foundation in tandem with a project that STOKED Roasters owner Jax Mariash was also supporting through a global running project. The LymeLight Foundation provides medical grants for children and young adults that are suffering from Lyme Disease to help them get the medical care that they need to heal. This year, our grand opening party and various initiatives raised over $3000 for the cause!
WE LAUNCHED A FULL LINE OF SEASONAL BLENDS
We rolled out Spring, Summer and Fall stoke blends for the first time, and perfected our much-loved Winter blend. The seasonal blends become an opportunity for us to create unique blends that ignite your stoke to get outside and enjoy the seasonal sports as well as explore your coffee pallet with a blend that suits well for seasonal foods and flavors. Check out our Winterstoke that is on the shelves now and enjoy custom coffee labels that feature our winter Team Stoked athletes!
STOKED WENT MOBILE
At the end of 2016, we were excited to present a long-coming project: STOKED Mobile. We had a couple soft launches out on the Waterfront in Hood River, then hit the road in December bound for Park City and Snowbird. We kicked off STOKED Mobile with serving espresso drinks at the Powderbird Heliski kickoff party. STOKED Mobile is a unique coffee shop on wheels. It will go on the road in 2017 to serve as a sales and marketing vehicle to spread the stoke to the masses.
OUR OWNER AND FOUNDER (LITERALLY) RAN AROUND THE WORLD
At STOKED, we love to be outside as much as you do. In fact, STOKED Roasters' owner, Jax Mariash, became the first woman in the world to complete the 4 Deserts race series Grand Slam Plus. This is a series of 5 250k self-supported ultra-marathons in 4 Deserts and 1 jungle all over the world. Mariash also became the 4 Deserts Female World Champion as she won all 4 Deserts races. Mariash also surpassed her fundraising goal of 10k and is at 18k for the LymeLight Foundation. (Her biggest help in the desert each morning was STOKED STIX of course.)
WE GOT TO BE A PART OF SOME SUPER AWESOME EVENTS
We had the opportunity to sponsor some really awesome events, and threw a few of our own:
- Kiteboard for Cancer (Hood River, OR)
- Hood Jam 2016 (Hood River, OR)
- STOKED's 2nd Birthday Party (Hood River, OR)
- FallStoke Release Party (Hood River, OR)
- World Premier of The Fourth Phase (Hood River, OR)
- Powderbird Helsinki's Season Kickoff Party (Snowbird, Utah)
- Gorge Kid's Triathlon (Hood River, OR)
- Ride for Lyme at the Marin Century (Marin, CA)
- Go Beyond Racing's 2016 Marathon Series (Various Locations in OR)
- Doug's Sports Get Outside for Education Fundraiser (Hood River, OR)
We want to thank everyone who supported us and made 2016 an incredibly successful year full of celebration and adventures galore! We couldn't have done it without you, and hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as we have.
Here's to 2017 and all the surprises it has in store!
Cheers! :)