This is our first show, and to be honest we're a little nervous. But the opportunity to showcase what we believe to be a pretty incredible company along side some of Canada's leading green organizations is pretty exciting.

So what exactly are we offering at the event?

 Special Thanks to Lee @ You Say Yeah! for all the photos: http://tr.im/ftjcopics

We’re happy to have been a part of the successful fundraising efforts for this years Cabbagetown Nuit Blanche, and we’re really exited to be running two community arts projects in the ‘Zone’, both supporting causes.

Our first project is an interactive photo booth showcasing the skills of Toronto freelance photographer Rannie Turingan. Attaque des Araignées! (Attack of the Spiders) "Un film en noir et blanc de Rannie Turringan pour War Child". We’re holding a pay what you can casting call in support of War Child Canada as part of Cabbagetown’s Nuit Blanche Celebration. Bring props, and add your scene! Located at Théâtre Fair Trade Jewellery Co. 523 Rue Parliament Toronto 7:00pm until Je ne sais pas. ‘Actors’ will be photographed in black and white with/without thought or speech bubbles to add dialogue to the scene. Photos will be placed in story board format in our front windows where people will have the opportunity to change the order and help create a ’scary’ story (aroooooo) for the evening. The final ordering of photos will be compiled and uploaded on the web where they can be downloaded & shared.

Or second project is Arachnattack! an experiment for a local collaboration project between businesses and residents. This year, our neighbor Rama Caritey, Dean from ‘The Lamp Cage‘, and our favorite local Simon Rollason (who helped with equipment and beverages from Great Lakes Brewery) will work all night create giant spider lanterns inspired by Vancouver’s "Illuminaries Festival" & Elora’s "Twilight Zoo" We’re gonna get your hands dirty and we hope you’ll join us as we rally behind community ‘creation’. Once completed, the lanterns will be installed on the roofs & sides of retail buildings along Parliament St. the following week and stay up until Hallow’s Eve! Proceeds from the decorations will go directly to a local community group.

Participants will be able to help build/finish the spiders we have been working on by:

- Making faces for the spiders

- Build out the legs using empty beer cans, canvas, cheese cloth, tissue paper & glue

- Installing lights

- Enjoying the process

We hope you can join us tonight and while you’re here check out the other incredibly cool projects in our zone @ http://www.cabbagetownnuitblanche.ca

Special thanks for the poster go to Al Morton who continues to amaze. We love Al.

Little did we know at the time, that our journey had only just begun with that trip. The months of work renovating an average space into a unique & welcoming creative studio were shared by family, friends and strangers alike. In itself an incredible story of the power of community and a desire to be a part of something good and different.

The challenge was to design and make bridal and engagement jewellery that was worthy of these ethically mined metals. And in doing so, to make a strong statement of intent to the established order. At this point, we feel we have accomplished both.

Our community outreach work which began with HoHoTo, SpinTO, and WarChild is only the start. But it was a good one. In the coming months we will announce some new partnerships and collaborative programs designed to change the way non profits connect with creative communities and their donor base.

The delay: Our original date of September 25th was delayed for a number of reasons, which was somewhat disappointing but this project has never been about rushing the idea or our products. The extra month has allowed us to prepare for the next stage next journey the one that starts after all excitement the next day, on the 24th.

We hope you can join us for what promises to be a wonderful evening. Because this is a private event where cocktails are served please take a moment to RSVP if you have not already on Facebook or our invite page: http://reno.ftjco.com

Schedule for the evening:

19:30 – 20:15 Hor’dourves, cocktails & our specially brewed ‘Stein Paper Scissors’ ale in collaboration with  Beer sponsored from Simon Rollason of Great Lakes Brewery
20:15 – 21:00 Special screening of our documentary (working title) ‘The Last Gold Rush’ by Michael Penney of Afterlight Films
21:00 – 21:20 Ryan Taylor introduces the Fair Trade Jewellery Company
21:20 – Interviews, Meet, Mingle… Dance! Thanks to Duarte DaSilva

*Updated*

The big day is almost here, and we certainly picked a busy week in Toronto for our launch. Though unintentional, it’s somehow appropriate that the (2nd) date we chose to ‘officially’ launch was during LG Fashion Week. The event provides an elegant back drop to our project,  making it impossible to escape the excitement generated by local designers inspiring us and providing a goal for our anniversary. To our friends attending that event we’re preparing a special private gathering just for you.

For all our friends attending our launch we thought we’d make a few local suggestions in the spirit of  #fireplacefriday / #patiofriday. Here are some options for those in the area early, and where to continue the party.

Food & Drink: 

House on Parliament Toronto’s best ‘Gastro pub’.

The  Cobourg  just north of the atelier is a wonderful little pub with a decent wine and scotch selection.

Jam Café has a big wine selection and a very cozy environment.

Big Mamma’s Boy Excellent food, a great place for a group meal.

& Samovar Our local ‘Night Club’ has a special on Vodka bottle service and a Dj Friday night(s) 

 There is so much more to discover in Cabbagetown here’s a complete list of our neighbors: http://www.cabbagetowneat.blogspot.com

We’d also like to share the ‘You Say Yeah!’ Toronto event calendar http://yousayyeah.com/calendar (thanks for the support Lee!) which also lists our friends at GenYTO who like totally copied our date! But they’re supporting Unicef at this months event so we’ll forgive and probably pop in to spread the love

Photo: Simon setting up the Great Lakes Brewery ‘Pilot System’

So what is a Stein beer?

*"..In the early days of brewing, brewers were much more concerned with method than style. Heating the water and boiling the wort were probably the greatest obstacle to making a decent beer. How in the heck were you supposed to brew without the modern conveniences of steam jackets or direct heat? For brewers in the Middle Ages, hot rocks were the most logical means of conducting heat. When dropped in a wooden vat filled with wort, the heated rocks had a cauldron effect, causing the wort to boil vigorously over a period of several minutes. This resulting brew became known as "stein beer." From the name – "stein" is German for "stone" – we can gather that Germans developed this traditional brewing method. Stein beer was most common in the Alpine regions of Europe, where stones were easily quarried and transported back to the brewery. With the Industrial Revolution came easier means of heating wort, and by the start of the 20th century, the method was obsolete."

*Content from BYO 2001:

To summarize we’re gonna throw really (really, really) hot rocks into beer.  Heating the rocks (pink granite to be exact) is often done in an open pit fire, some brewers have built fires around kegs with the tops cut off in which the stones are placed. But, we had a better idea. Because we use extremely high temperatures in the process of jewellery casting it only made sense to use a kiln rather than an open fire to super heat the rock to a specific temperature. 900 degrees Celsius (1652 degrees Fahrenheit) to be exact.

Photo: FTJCo’s Kiln & the Pink Granite sourced from a local beach.

By heating to such a temperature: (a) it would be really cool (b) unknown volatiles would be released by the wort that normally wouldn’t be extracted by simply boiling (c) something would catch fire (and did) (d) we hoped because of the heat some of the sugars and proteins would deposit on the rock as it ‘cooled’ in the brew, creating natural and subtle burnt caramel flavours.

The ‘Stein Paper Scissors’ Recipe: (Influenced by a Sierra Nevada Pale ale)

5kg of Canadian Pink Granite (from the beach) at 900 degrees C at 60 min

Malt: 2 Row, Crystal, Wheat

Plato Readings: Before sparge: 19 / after sparge: 12.6  / after boil: 14.4 / after rocks: 15.6

Hops: Ammarillo: 200gr at Boil,  Cascade: 200gr at 55min

Pink Granite heated in conventional goldsmith’s convection casting kiln over 5 hours allowing the rocks to soak in heat gradually until reaching and maintaining 900 degrees C.

Rocks were removed from the kiln and literally thrown in the wort using wood we soaked all morning in boiling water.

Also added a couple of super secret ingredients <here>

The rocks were added after the Cascade hops had 55min of  ’rolling boil’, producing a violent ’super boil’ instantly.

We had expected some caramelization on the rocks however the extreme temperature created enough steam to protect the surface of the rock.

Fermentation: California Ale Yeast

We decided to add the rocks to the fermentation process hoping some sugars were extracted into the rock.

C02 Bubbles a good sign shortly after finishing.

We’re extremely exited about the process and there is some potential here to create a really incredible and unique process. If you’d like to try our ‘Stein Paper Scissors’ Great Lakes will have limited quantity  (about 20 pints) available for sampling at their Project X #3 tasting on Sept. 10th at 6:30pm. The last cask will be saved for our opening party on the 25th of September if you’d like to attend please RSVP here: http://reno.ftjco.com

We’ll be updating this post with some process and recipe tweeks, tasting notes, photos of the final product. If your interested in the process, have some questions please feel free to leave a comment below we’ll try to fill in any missing bits.

*Update*

Thanks to Jack from Great Lakes Brewery for delivering me a bottle of ‘Stein Paper Scissors’ to sample. Here are some photos and tasting notes.

Unfiltered with a deep Amber colour, sadly the head quickly dissipated leaving only a bubbly ring around the glass.  (Though I probably wasn’t using the correct glass) A 

Smell was floral, rose, caramel, citrus a complicated but balanced smell almost like a perfume. A+

Taste. %^!*^#ing Wow. Explosion of so many tastes that almost feel like they evaporate off your tongue, it’s the oddest sensation. It leaves behind a very tasty but extremely bitter hop flavour that seems to coat the inside of your mouth. A burnt, peppery, woody undertone is complimented by some citrus flavours produced by the Cascade hops and that ‘rose’ flavour/scent keeps popping up. A++++++++

The high alcohol volume (approx 6.5%) is unnoticeable when drinking, and dare I compare it with Southern Tiers ‘UnEarthly’ I.P.A for complexity? I’m interested in Simon’s review as the IBUs are so very high I would no longer classify this as simply a Pale Ale but an American style I.P.A. 

I’m obviously biased but this one of the most interesting beers I’ve ever tasted. We are awesome

HoHOTo (aka HoHoTo) was another massive success raising $10,500+ on a very HOT night for the Daily Bread food bank in Toronto.  (On top of the $25,000 in December ‘08 that’s not to bad)

Everyone who make these events a success, especially the volunteers – Thank you!

*Thanks to @hyfen for the great photos

But it’s not over! Tonight the team will be auctioning off various items for one last push and we’re hosting the goods, and selling more ’swag’.  Not to mention we’re maintaining a year round drop off/delivery point if your visiting please consider bringing a non perishable food item with you.

For details on how to participate please visit:  http://hohoto.ca/2009/08/20/the-hohoto-hangover-swag-auction/

AUCTION SESSION ONE: 7:00 – 8:00pm

Lot #1 -  Four tickets for August 21st performance of Falemalama
Sponsor: Harbourfront Centre (part of Harbourfront’s Planet IndigenUs festival)

Lot #2 – Autographed Lee Stempniak Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Stick
Sponsor: Direct Energy

Lot #3 – Hosting & Geektastic Book Bundle
Sponsors: Wiley Canada and Hover.com
Includes:

• Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets
• Facebook Application Development
• Mac OS X Leopard Portable Genius
• PLUS: Gift certificate for one year hosting package from Hover.com

Lot #4 – Love your iPhone/iPod Bundle
Sponsors: iLounge.com & Wiley Canada
Includes:

• Griffin PowerJolt SE – charger for iPod/iPhone
• iPhone 3G Portable Genius book
• iPhone Fully Loaded book
• EcoRunner case for iPod Nano

AUCTION SESSION TWO: 8:30 – 9:30pm

Lot #5 – Gift Certificate from Cake or Death - $500 value!
Sponsor: Cake or Death (well, duh)

Lot #6 – Get Your Fit On Book Bundle
Sponsor: McGraw-Hill
Includes:

• How Lance Does It: Put the Success Formula of a Champion into Everything You Do
• Prescription Alternatives
• Building Bone Vitality

Lot #7 – Movies & Swag Pack
Sponsors: Cineplex (via @digallo) & Rightsleeve
Includes:

• Set of Cineplex gift certificates, good for any 2 Cineplex movies plus popcorn
• Complete hoHOTo merchandise kit

• Gift certificate for one year hosting package from Hover.com
• Complete hoHOTo merchandise kit

• Good Drinks for Bad Days
• Travel Therapy

FTJ’s Store Hours for pick-up and donation:

Mon – Tue By Appointment Only
Wed – Fri 12pm – 7:30pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 6pm

The Fair Trade Jewellery Co.
Atelier: 523 Parliament St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4X1P3

p: 1-647-430-8741
p: 1-866-95-FTJCO (1-866-953-8526)

And for those interested here’s a little plug for my friends at St. James Cathedral as they’re raising a whopping $3M for the Cathedral Center. The center will continue to provide (incredible) drop-in and community outreach programmes, a facilities upgrade is definitely needed to maintain/support these service(s).