ABOUT US
Our
Founder
Hello!
My name is Lisa and, like every hard-working woman in America, I enjoy an exquisite cup of daily brew, whether it be coffee or tea.
My life’s goal certainly did not begin with "Let's start a business!” It began with long hours climbing the proverbial corporate ladder, which included a lot of travel. During this time, I acquired a wonderful opportunity to try delicious beverages. Then, one day, after surviving many corporate restructures, I was downsized. Not too long after that, I found myself a divorced mom of two. During all this, the one thing I was sure of:
God's plan is greater than ours. As always, life's journey through that plan has an interesting way of giving more than it takes, and American Serenade has given me, and others, a way to enjoy a new journey: an American Product Journey.
My focus on life began to shift: I was realizing how hectic and fleeting life is…
Our lives are nuts these days, aren't they? We have crazy work schedules, baseball games, music lessons, and never-ending errands and 'to do' lists. Checking social media, those texts you think you answered, but realize at 2am that you forgot to respond.
Sadly, family time happens in the car while running errands. Friend time happens during a rushed phone call while you're trying to get the kids out the door. Me time, if it happens at all, occurs when you're putting your make-up on at a stoplight on the way to work.
Being YOU is exhausting sometimes!
See anything missing?
We’re ALL so busy…. we don’t make time to hang out, reconnect, and refresh.
My focus on life began to shift: I was realizing how hectic and fleeting life is…
Our lives are nuts these days, aren't they? We have crazy work schedules, baseball games, music lessons, and never-ending errands and 'to do' lists. Checking social media, those texts you think you answered, but realize at 2am that you forgot to respond.
Sadly, family time happens in the car while running errands. Friend time happens during a rushed phone call while you're trying to get the kids out the door. Me time, if it happens at all, occurs when you're putting your make-up on at a stoplight on the way to work.
Being YOU is exhausting sometimes!
See anything missing?
We’re ALL so busy…. we don’t make time to hang out, reconnect, and refresh.
As I was experiencing all this, a relative had shown me a wonderful original sketch created more than 70 years ago by a young American schoolgirl, Cecelia DuBay. Cecelia DuBay Johnson’s 1940′s sketch is named Grace.
As I looked at Grace in appreciation, a sudden calm and yearning came over me. It hit me, like a new , yummy Michael Kors bag….time was going by too fast and I wanted it to slow down and find more time to appreciate it!!!! I wanted MORE…more time…more memories….and a time when life did not seem so frantic and we did not have to ‘schedule’ time to spend together: a time when you and a friend said ‘Let’s do lunch!’ and you actually ‘had lunch’.
As I looked at Grace in appreciation, a sudden calm and yearning came over me. It hit me, like a new , yummy Michael Kors bag….time was going by too fast and I wanted it to slow down and find more time to appreciate it!!!! I wanted MORE…more time…more memories….and a time when life did not seem so frantic and we did not have to ‘schedule’ time to spend together: a time when you and a friend said ‘Let’s do lunch!’ and you actually ‘had lunch’.
Grace is classic, but she understands what we go through in today's world. She doesn't have friends over, she is the ' Hostess with the Mostess' and she makes it look easy. Grace is one-of-a-kind. Grace is busy taking care of her family but she also knows how important it is to make time to recharge. She understands the pulls and tugs of the modern woman but reminds us to take time for ourselves and create memories with our loved ones.
That's why you really need to meet Grace!
Coffee and tea are the perfect excuses for me to have #GraceTime. Enjoying time with family or friends around the table drinking American Serenade beverages or even ….a little ‘me’ time to re-charge. Me-time is not a bad word. It is almost a necessity in our lives these days. For me, it just makes me a better mom, business woman, friend etc, etc...
Grace reminds us that it's possible--even required--to make special time to be with yourself, your friends and your family. You can be a modern woman and still make time for yourself.
We only get one life, make the most of it. Life is fleeting, but memories will last.
After seeing the image of Grace, I knew what my vision for American Serenade was going to be centered around..
• Exquisite coffees and teas to spoil and pamper all of us hard-working women and men
• A creation of, & encouragement to, experience #GraceTime to remind us how life is fleeting …memories will last.
• Topped off with hands-on customer ‘care’…the way it used to be. The ole’ corner store feel.
Hence, American Serenade was born in late 2013.
We would love to hear from you, our beverage family, about how you are experiencing #gracetime .
So what makes our coffee stand out from the rest? Read more below in our ''About our Products'
Cheers!
• A creation of, & encouragement to, experience #GraceTime to remind us how life is fleeting …memories will last.
• Topped off with hands-on customer ‘care’…the way it used to be. The ole’ corner store feel.
Hence, American Serenade was born in late 2013.
We would love to hear from you, our beverage family, about how you are experiencing #gracetime .
So what makes our coffee stand out from the rest? Read more below in our ''About our Products'
Cheers!
Lisa MItchell
Founder, American Serenade
How our Founder finds #Gracetime in her life?
Our
Coffees
So what makes our coffee stand out from the rest? There are several factors that go into producing an amazing cup experience. There are three major factors that impact that taste of our coffee:
1. Specialty grade beans used for roasting, from the best farms
2. The way we roast. Remember: Not all roasters are the same.
3. Grind does matter
Let me explain...
There are two types of coffee beans: the Robusta bean and the Arabica bean. Within the Arabica bean, there are several grade levels. The Specialty bean includes the top 2% of coffee beans. So you NOW have the BEST OF THE BEST bean...
Is it that simple? You would think, BUT, there is still more to it. Just like wine, coffee beans are affected by the temperature, rainfall, soil content, altitutde etc. So, beans can taste differently - even if grown from the same country and will taste differently after each harvest.
We then couple this knowledge with our expert roasters, who hand-roast each harvest and each country’s crop until they find the PERFECT taste.
Not all roasters are alike, just like all other products, it takes a true artisan + highest grade specialty coffee bean to = the results we are able to achieve. Our coffees are all hand roasted in no more than 20lbs at a time. They may go through several iterations of roasting to find the perfect way to roast that specific Costa Rican harvest vs how they will roast the crop from Guatemala. Their goal is to bring out the natural taste of the bean and the result is a smooth tasting and unique cup of coffee.
Lastly, just a couple simple steps at home can alter the taste of your coffee. Both the
water used and the
grind size can impact the taste of your resulted brew.
- Filtered or spring water only
- Coffee ground for your brew method (coffee pot, keurig, french press, chemex etc) .
Never fear.....We want you to enjoy your #gracetime, not worry about grind methods. We take care of this for you when you tell us your brew method. We create the perfect grind for your coffee maker. Curious to read more? ..... See
grind does matter article
We love when our customers tell us they usually added cream or sugar to their coffee, but ours they drink black. We love hearing the stories of how our customers are Experiencing Beverages Differently.
Let us pamper your taste buds!
Our
Teas
if you are new to "loose tea". We want to say Welcome and let you in on a secret. "This is not your parents tea!" Our teas are:
- 100% U.S.D.A certified Organic & Fair Trade.
- They are all loose leaf from the highest quality leaves.
- All of our ingredients are natural. No added sugars or extra junk. So you can feel good about what you are drinking.
- We hand care and hand package our teas
- No bitterness in the cup and lots of natural flavor.
If the above has not sold you, let me say in addition to the quality and taste in your cup, there are a slue of health benefits in loose tea that can not be achieved with bagged.
High quality loose teas are made form the top-most shoots of the tea plan. All of our teas are hand plucked, not by machine.
Just like wine and coffee the soil, elevation, climate can all affect the overall character of the tea leaves. We strive to bring out that natural taste of those leaves and the health benefits.
Just like wine and coffee the soil, elevation, climate can all affect the overall character of the tea leaves. We strive to bring out that natural taste of those leaves and the health benefits.
There are 4 true types of tea: black, white, green and oolong. We offer them all and some variants. Each tea type offers and the teas within those types offer their own
unique health benefits.
Shop our teas to find out more.
