Dean Cycon is the founder and owner of Dean’s Beans, an organic coffee roaster based in Orange, MA (www.deansbeans.com).

The company supports indigenous growers and cooperatives around the world through a combination of strict fair-trade principles, profit sharing, and development assistance. He has been involved in coffee and fair trade since the early 80’s, and was a co-founder of Coffee Kids ( www.coffeekids.org) - a non-profit devoted to helping coffee-farming families improve the quality of their lives. He is the author of the just released “Javatrekker: Dispatches From the World of Fair Trade Coffee” published by Chelsea Green ( www.chelseagreen.com). Take a look at Dean’s videos on You Tube to get a glimpse of where your morning cuppa joe really comes from:

Zippy White is the Executive Chef at Doc Martin’s in Taos, NM – part of the historic Taos Inn.

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon on the farm where Zippy is involved in a CSA, and talking to him about his philosophy of food. The menu at Doc Martins is largely New Mexican fare and changes to reflect the seasons. Zippy is one of the growing number of chefs across the country who are committed to using more local, seasonal ingredients to reflect not just the demands of today’s educated consumer – but to reflect their own values and commitment to supporting local agriculture by eating local, fresh food.