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Coffee Scandal Brewing: Did Stumptown Sell Out?
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published May 31, 2011
Modified Jun 1, 2011
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published May 31, 2011
Modified Jun 1, 2011
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Coffee crisis! Maybe! Flatiron's favorite cuppa, Stumptown, is at the center of a highly caffeinated brouhaha over whether or not it's been sold.
Here's what's going on: Esquire's "Eat Like A Man" blog published an article today written by high-end roaster La Colombe Torrefaction owner Todd Carmichael, in which Carmichael writes that "Duane Sorenson, the founder of Stumptown, the Che Guevara of the rock-star barista movement, sold his life's work to the highest bidder." What he doesn't write is the name of the buyer or a confirmation from any third party.
A Twitter-fueled outrage ensued, with various parties calling out Carmichael and Carmichael citing vague "sale docs" in his defense. Then Colin Meloy, of all people, tweeted that Stumptown might have been sold to Vitamin Water, linking to a Portland blog who furthered speculation by uncovering a recent corporate filing from the Stumptown Coffee Corp—which is a different company than Stumptown Coffee Roasters—whose owner has ties to Vitamin Water, among other companies.
We reached out to Stumptown and Carmichael for comment and are awaiting response from both.
Tagged
coffee
esquire
scandal
sold to the highest bidder
stumptown
todd carmichael
Jamie Feldmar
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