First Inaugural Iron Bean Nation Gathering

     This summer on July 21^st several of the Iron Bean Nation members got together in person for our first ever get-together. The event was open to all who could attend and was open to the entire family, young and old. We came together to celebrate Iron Bean’s first full year, a milestone reached in December of 2017. The gathering was graciously held at the home of Iron Bean nation member and long time Dedrick friend, Kevin Walentowski.

Kevin hired a DJ and a photographer and even made the arrangements for food.

He did an amazing job and helped make the day fun and special for everyone involved.

The event was particularly special because many of the Nation members were meeting the Iron Bean founders Chanell and Fred, as well as each other for the first time. Almost everyone that attended were longtime friends from various online coffee groups who finally got a chance to meet in person. The day was filled with lots of chatting, smiles, hugs and laughter. Some members were somewhat close to the event but some traveled hundreds of miles to attend. That speaks volumes to the heart of the nation!

It was definitely worth the trip!

Iron Bean fans got to see and explore the Roost inside and out. Sitting in that driver’s seat sure gives a whole new appreciation for the truck’s scale. The behemoth truck stole the show and made a great backdrop for photos!

There were several special mug giveaways throughout the day as well as coffee samples made up for everyone to take home. There was some dancing, arm wrestling, cake, drone flying and even some wild baby bunny rescuing. We definitely made the most of our time together. The event ran pretty late into the night, no one wanted it to end! The best part of the event in my opinion was watching Fred and Chanell’s joy in meeting the Nation and their pride in having accomplished their first year running Iron Bean.

What truly made everything special was the sense of community. Iron Bean is nothing without it’s supporters and Chanell and Fred never forget that. The event was a celebration of the entire nation and what we’ve all come together to accomplish. IBCC is huge on giving back and the gathering was a way to show that we’re all in this together. The event truly was a gathering of friends. It was exciting to connect outside of a computer screen and discover how much more incredible everyone is in person! There is something special about the Nation the transcends coffee, it felt more like a family reunion than a coffee company celebration.

In total 64 people attended the gathering, which is a spectacular turn out for the first ever event!  Rumor has it that the gathering will happen again next year toward the end of July! Keep your eyes peeled for details! We hope to see an even larger turn out and look forward to meeting even more of our Nation!