The coffee is strong and bold, with a rich aroma and a wake-me-up attitude.
Honest Coffee – and served with a story behind it.
Beverly Lowe, the Liaison for Veterans Affairs for the City of Huntsville, is one of a number of City employees who visits Honest Coffee often enough to qualify for a varsity letter.
They are often strong-willed individuals. And sometimes their demands are simple when it comes to a cup of coffee.”
“In commemoration of Veterans Week, we thought it’d be nice to have a special coffee to honor the veterans,” said Lowe. She asked one of the baristas about the possibility of a new blend to share this week. Thus, this coffee that doesn’t spare the weak.
Savannah Woodall of Honest Coffee answered the call to duty.
“I was thinking that people in the military go through a lot of training and see a lot of things us civilians might not understand,” Woodall said. “They are often strong-willed individuals. They are brave. And sometimes their demands are simple when it comes to a cup of coffee.”
Woodall began Googling and brainstorming over what to label the coffee.
“I was looking up slogans for people who served and I came across ‘Victor.’ Victory, right?” she said. “I thought this would be awesome for Honest to name a coffee ‘Victor’s Cup.’”
‘Victor’s Cup’ is brewed up
Especially because there was a namesake.
Victor Robert Burlingame II was a U.S. Marine who served four tours in Vietnam and retired as a Lt. Colonel. He was awarded two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts and numerous other medals.
Like many veterans, he didn’t open up much about his war-time experiences.
“All his medals did his talking for him,” Woodall says.
“He was a quiet man. But he was always very loving,” she continued. “He was very strong-willed, stubborn at times, but always a joy to see him at family reunions.”
Burlingame, who died on Oct. 30, 2014, at age 73, was Savannah Woodall’s uncle.
Victor’s Cup won’t be a one-week special. It will remain a fixture on the Honest Coffee menu.
Strong and bold, like its namesake, like all the veterans it has been created to honor.
