MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Two women who are longtime friends and former co-workers have joined forces to open a coffee shop and yoga studio in north Mandan, naming it after the animal tied in myth to the discovery of the drink.
Karen Schmidt, 46, and Dawn Hager, 45, opened Balancing Goat Coffee Co. on Jan. 6.
Legend has it that a goat herder in Ethiopia many years ago noticed how much energy his critters had after eating the berries from a certain tree. He demonstrated this to some local monks, who threw the berries in a fire after passing off the goats’ reaction as the devil’s work, Schmidt said. The smell of the berries in the fire was enticing, however, and at some point the roasted coffee beans were introduced to water. The drink helped the monks stay awake during prayer time. The drink and the tribute to the goat now are global.
“There are goat coffee shops all over the world,” Schmidt told The Bismarck Tribune.
She and Hager added…
