Like siamese twins, this is one of those posts that is especially hard to birth. I’ll just go ahead and put it out there: Today is the one-year anniversary of Whynatte.com.

One year ago today, we put up the first post on what was at the time a crude shell of a website. It was this video:

Our goal was to raise the Whynatte from total obscurity, to moderate regional obscurity. Never did we imagine that Whynatte would be served by name at bars around the world, attract a following of loyal fans, have a website flooded with visitors, and grace the pages of Rolling Stone Magazine.

It’s safe to say that what was once a crude conch shell, is now a full-fledged chambered nautilus. It’s also safe to say that if not for the hard work of all those that have put their blood and tears into spreading the good word, there would be no Whynatte. Like a grove of Aspen trees, we realize that we are many trees connected to the same root.

This past year was just the beginning. You haven’t seen anything yet — in short order, we’re going to turn the beverage world upside down. If it seems as though we have been rather dormant recently, it’s only because we are plotting what will turn out to be the biggest coup in latte history. This grizzly bear is about to wake from its slumber.

I feel like there is so much to say, so many people to thank, and at the same time, so much to look forward to. Some of you have been there since the beginning, and you are too numerous to call out by name; I have a nice Shiatsu oil rub with your name on it.

Maybe Boyz 2 Men said it best when they wrote the following words:

I don’t know where this road
Is going to lead
All I know is where we’ve been
And what we’ve been through.

And I’ll take with me the memories
To be my sunshine after the rain
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

Anyway, I’m getting all emotional and bent out of shape. The truth of the matter is that we threw an absurdly nice one year anniversary party this past weekend. Picture the Grammy’s, and then triple the number of people arriving in hot air balloons, and quadruple the number of people that left on exotic animals.

I received a few of the photos from the Whynatte One Year Anniversary Party (more to follow in the coming days).

Of all the special guests that attended our anniversary party, none were quite as honorable as Roberto Unicoi. Mr. Unicoi is the founder, and CEO, of the Latte International Foundation (LIF). If you’ve ever enjoyed a latte, regardless of where it was from, chances are that Mr. Unicoi had something to do with it.

We presented Mr. Unicoi with a special edition Whynatte shirt:

Mr. Unicoi is approached by attractive women on a regular basis; He is the Michael Jordan of the latte industry.

Myself, in the white shirt on the right. To my left is Andy, one of the other Whynatte founders, with his tie hanging off him like he’s been trading bonds all day. David, the whynatte.com website prodigy, is sporting the heavily stained blue shirt.

Throwing up a toast to Whynatte’s first year. Much more to come in the coming year…I can’t give you all of the specifics, but it’s the latte equivalent of scientists bringing back the wooly mammoth.