Press Releases

We Send Specialty Gourmet Coffee from Florida to Alaskan Sled Run

Boca Java, Inc., a retailer of fresh-roasted gourmet coffee, announced today they have provided the participants of the 2009 Serum Run ‘25 with enough coffee to help fuel their journey.

Through a unique twist of circumstances, the Deerfield Beach, Florida-based Boca Java discovered a connection it has to the run, which began in 1925 as a quest to deliver emergency diphtheria serum to Nome. Now Boca Java is delivering specialty gourmet coffee to the 2009 Serum Run!

The annual run, which commemorates the original 1925 run lead by Col. Norman Vaughan and his courageous team, is now used as a tool for public health education along the route, which begins at Nanena in the interior and ends 768 miles northwest in Nome, near the Artic Circle. It will happen simultaneously with the famous Iditarod dog sled race on the same course.

The run is a combination of traditional mushers (dog sleds) and snow machines (snowmobiles) and will take the 20 participants nearly 20 days to complete over Alaska’s frozen rivers, tundra and sea ice. The team will help widen the awareness throughout Alaska of the need for inoculations for children, and will stress important health issues such as immunizations, medical exams, cancer screening, tobacco cessation, accident prevention, and HIV awareness and many other wellness programs.

“We are thrilled to provide our fresh-roasted coffee, tea and gourmet coffee accessories to the 2009 Serum Run ‘25,” said Kevin Holbrook, President, Boca Java, Inc. “It is just so ironic that we’re in the hottest part of the country and a part of us will be there in the coldest part of the country. It’s an odd coupling, but it’s very exciting to us; to provide any comfort and enjoyment we can to these brave and dedicated people on the 2009 Serum Run.”

The connection between the specialty gourmet coffee retailer and the Serum Run is one of family relations; one of the expedition’s medical participants, Leslie Stephens, is the sister of a BocaJava.com employee. “It seems only natural that we participate, given the great cause, hot fresh-roasted coffee, and a special extended Boca Java family member being on the Serum Run in Alaska,” commented Holbrook. “We will be with them in spirit and online through their blog updates and wish them success and safety!”

For more details about the 2009 Serum Run ‘25, or to track the run progress as it unfolds, visit http://www.serumrun.org/index.html.