Melissa Krueger, 35, Williamsburg, Mass., has been a café owner and independent coffee roaster for the past several years and, typical of those in the coffee industry, is fanatical about good coffee. But there are countless coffee lovers and baristas out there. What makes Melissa unique is how she has combined coffee with her other passion: educating the public about and supporting the LGBT community.

To that end, Melissa opened Gay Coffee, an online business with its roastery located in her hometown, this past October. Already, she has seen a strong positive response, including orders from throughout the U.S., Canada, and as far away as Europe. The Gay Coffee line, featuring five blends so far, is in two Massachusetts stores at present, as well as one in San Francisco, where Gay Coffee launched at the Castro Street Fair. The company has been profiled in several newspapers and websites, including a German publication called “L-Mag” and the Canadian “Xtra! Toronto.”

By Heidi Mann, Associate Editor

Rev. Heidi Mann serves as Associate Editor, copy-editor, "Someone You MUST Know" feature author, and all around "God send" for 10,000 Couples. She is also a freelancer and owns Final Touch Proofreading and Editing, LLC. Heidi has been something of a wordsmith in various contexts throughout her life, from junior high, when she first started writing poetry; through high school, college, and graduate school, where writing skills came in very handy; and on through 13+ years of ministry as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a role in which she wrote regularly for sermons, newsletters, and correspondence. Heidi lives in the tiny and delightful town of Hendrum, Minn., with her husband, 2 young sons, and 4 mischievous cats.

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