Talk about strategic partnerships. Have you noticed how everyone seems to be talking about their new Keurig coffee maker at home or the office? I have overheard conversations about Keurigs in places like doctors’ offices. Have you noticed that it all seems to be emanating from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters? Did you see the Keurig coffee makers in Shaw’s grocery stores near the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters display during the holidays? It makes me think someone at GMCR is a genius. We received a Keurig home coffee maker as a Christmas gift from family who live in South Carolina, along with quantities of GMCR coffee k-cups to use in the machine - so this is not merely a Vermont phenomenon. And yes, we love it. Making two types of coffee each morning (high test for my husband, low caffeine or decaf for me) used to be quite a project and we threw out a lot of coffee every day. This shows the power of synergy between two companies and products, to boost sales even in a down economy – expensive coffee makers were flying off the shelves even though retail was down. Did you know that GMCR is the prime source for the cups that fit Keurig one-cup coffee makers? Like I said, genius. And I’d like to think it’s Vermont ingenuity by one of our flagship Vermont companies, but I really don’t know who was behind this initiative. By the way, you can use any type of coffee in the Keurig coffee maker, but the pre-filled cups offer the most convenience. Filling a Keurig filter with loose coffee is more cost effective and environmentally conscious, and I prefer to do that so I can add just a bit of high test with my decaf. GMCR is working to be green with the k-cups, you can read about their analysis and efforts on their web site.