Two thumbs and two toes up!

Chad Weinman — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:50:15 -0500

Great article! Not only goes this article detail a savvy entrepenur at the BOP.. but it also has a recycling focus.... and lastly a good cup of java! It is quite amazing the final product as well. I am a bit surprised at the price as well but from the photos it appears this is definitely a commercial market focused product.

I also found this part of the article somewhat amusing:
"Since he started production five or six years ago, Mr Azmeraw has sold hundreds of machines - he cannot remember exactly how many."

Proverbs at Work: From Burnt-Out Shells to Coffee Machines

Rob Katz — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 10:16:17 -0500

While it may seem cliché, I’ve always enjoyed the proverb advising that "when life deals you lemons, make lemonade." The phrase was my first thought when I saw a recent story out of Ethiopia about Azmarew Zeleke’s burgeoning coffee business; in this case, replace "lemons" with "spent mortar shells" and "lemonade" with "coffee machines". It may not have the same ring as lemons-lemonade, but you get the idea.

At a time when most of the coffee-related news out of Ethiopia has to do with a nasty trademark dispute between local farmers and Starbucks, Zeleke's story stands out for its inspirational tone. He and his six staff take spent shells left over from the 1998-2000 Eritrea/Ethiopia conflict, transforming the shells' aluminum cylinders to channel water, milk, and coffee instead of explosive powder.

This story continues past the break; click "Read More" to continue reading.

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Two thumbs and two toes up!

Proverbs at Work: From Burnt-Out Shells to Coffee Machines