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Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Commonplace Coffee Team Up to Celebrate the City’s Oldest Park
New Blend Celebrates Recent Park Improvements to North Promenade
PITTSBURGH – March 19, 2024 – Today, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Commonplace Coffee announced the release of the Allegheny Commons Park Blend, the latest in a series of coffee blends recognizing the city’s parks. This blend release follows the recent completion of a $2 million improvement project that restored pathways, installed new lighting, and created a public plaza along Allegheny Commons Park’s North Promenade.
The Parks Conservancy and Commonplace Coffee kicked off their partnership in 2020 with the launch of Frick Park Blend and have since partnered on the Schenley Park Blend, Highland Park Blend, Riverview Park Blend, Emerald View Park Blend, and Mellon Park Blend.
“As a fifteen year resident of the Mexican War Streets, Allegheny Commons Park is central to my life,” said Frank Battista, Commonplace Coffee Retail Operations Manager. “I have loved my time there with family and friends alike, whether it be at the dog park, playing frisbee, enjoying the farmer's market, or when the rare opportunity arises to enjoy everything that frozen Lake Elizabeth has to offer. It is incredibly special that my work life and personal life are coming together in this collaboration. I'm proud that we're able to contribute to the improvement of one of my favorite city parks through the sale of this blend.”
Initially dedicated as a park in 1867, Allegheny Commons Park remains a community treasure serving the residents of the Northside and beyond. The 84-acre park is known for its central promenade, the beloved Patricia Rooney Memorial Fountain, large mature canopy trees, and Lake Elizabeth, a popular location for photographs. In recent years, the Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh, and Northside-based organizations collaborated to revitalize the park in accordance with the community-driven Action Plan for Allegheny Commons.
Vikki Harris, head roaster at Commonplace Coffee, explains the inspiration behind crafting the blend and paying homage to Allegheny Commons Park in the process.
“I am excited to work with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy again. It is really cool to create blends for parks around the city, and I have some pretty strong memories at Allegheny Commons,” Harris said. “As a Texas native, the first time I ever saw a frozen body of water was my first winter in Pittsburgh after working at our Mexican War Streets cafe. I was walking to the bus stop, and could not believe it when I saw people ice skating in a park. This blend comprises two coffees, both of which come from Nicaragua: a honey-processed Pacamara from producer Luis Alberto and a washed Caturra from producer Walter Perez. Both of these coffees were really exciting for me this year, so I’m thrilled to blend them together. They have a nice synergy, presenting notes of butterscotch, stone fruit, and hazelnut.”
In coordination with the community celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony open to the public and scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. near the corner of Arch Street and West North Avenue, Commonplace will be on hand to provide tastings of the new blend.
The custom blend is sold at commonplacecoffee.com, Commonplace Coffee cafe locations, and select Commonplace Coffee wholesale client locations. Commonplace will continue to donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of the custom blend directly to the nonprofit.
To purchase a bag of the Allegheny Commons Park Blend, visit commonplacecoffee.com/coffees or visit a Commonplace Coffee location. To learn more about opportunities to support the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, visit www.pittsburghparks.org.
Contact: James Snow
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
412.682.7275 ext. 220
jsnow@pittsburghparks.org
Caroline Constantine
Pipitone
434.251.7580
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About Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy:
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh’s historic city parks. A non-profit organization, the Parks Conservancy works closely with the City of Pittsburgh under an official public-private partnership agreement to restore and improve the city’s park system to its full potential. To date, the Parks Conservancy has raised more than $145 million and completed 22 major park improvement projects. The Parks Conservancy works with thousands of volunteers, hosts hundreds of events, and provides programming for more than 7,500 children annually.
About Commonplace Coffee:
Founded in 2003, Commonplace Coffee is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with seven community-based coffeehouses in Western Pennsylvania. The flagship coffeehouse as well as an additional cafe and bakery are located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The remaining five locations as well as the roastery/headquarters are in Pittsburgh. Commonplace offers handcrafted coffee and pastries in an atmosphere that builds and fosters the neighborhoods it serves. Commonplace also provides cafe consultations, wholesale coffee, equipment, service, and training to a diverse cross-section of businesses looking to create or build their coffee program.