Sales of a new kind of coffee are percolating through the desert this fall.

Boresha's Bskinny Coffee dubs itself as “the fat-burning” coffee that helps with weight loss.

Gina Wilkerson, a local distributor, said she lost 7 pounds after drinking it for three months. Fellow distributor Mark Chamberlain, lost about 20 pounds, she said.

“If we could drink coffee, lose weight and have better health, that's a great thing,” the La Quinta mom said.

The coffee is sold via the Internet by Boresha International, which specializes in teas, sweeteners and other products using low-glycemic food technology that increases metabolism.

Wilkerson is one of a few distributors working locally. She said a small group started launching the product here a few months ago with coffee tastings, participation in September's Walk from Obesity event in Palm Springs, radio interviews and simple face-to-face sales pitches in public.

Each bag of coffee makes 10 to 12 cups and retails for $5, Wilkerson said.

Wholesale pricing is available online.

School fundraiser gains sponsorship

St. Theresa School in Palm Springs has a big corporate sponsor for its 50th Golden Jubilee Fashion Gala next month.

The Macy's store in Palm Desert is providing clothing for children to wear on the runway on Dec. 3 at the Riviera Resort & Spa.

“We know that our customers and associates like us to be an active community partner,” Kelly Fernandez, store manager, said in a statement.

The annual event started 50 years ago with clothing rescued from the rummage room of the school. It has evolved into a social event and, this year, it benefits the student scholarship program, principal Cheryl Corey said.

Reservations are being accepted now at the school and through its Web site. See the contact information below.

Shop expands sales of scrubs, uniforms

Are scrubs, restaurant uniforms and lab coats part of your daily fashion? Are stethoscopes an accessory?

Marivic's Scrubs & More has opened its second desert store in Rancho Mirage. The store's original location in Indio opened five years ago.

Owner Marivic Ortiz-Luis decided to expand because of good leasing rates available now. Plus, with the long list of restaurants in Rancho Mirage, there is greater opportunity to sell restaurant uniforms to service employees nearby, she said.

“You have to take a chance,” Ortiz-Luis said. “If we're not going to open businesses, how are we going to improve our unemployment rate?”

Company goes from land to sea

Mark Farley gets a good chuckle out of being asked if he will need to change the name of his Elite Land Tours now that the company is offering sea excursions.

“They said that,” he said, referring to employees and friends. “But a big portion of (our tours) are in the luxury Hummer still.”

The touring company known for its adventures into the desert is taking to the deep blue ocean this season. The idea came from one of the guides, who had been a fisherman in Alaska, Farley said.

The menu of Elite Land Tours daylong trips now includes a “Kayak Adventure,” the “Romantic Sailing Experience” and a “Deep Sea Fishing Adventure.”

From mid-December to March, the company will offer a whale-watching expedition, too.

“It's great when people get tired of golfing,” Farley said of the new tours.

Sea tours start at $209 per person and include breakfast and lunch.

Happy anniversary

There are a few anniversaries to celebrate here in the desert.

The California Farm Bureau Federation had a lot of candles to blow out last month when it turned 90.

The organization was created on Oct. 23, 1919, with delegates from 32 county farm bureaus gathered at the University of California at Berkeley campus. Today, its membership consists of 53 county farm bureaus, including the Riverside County Farm Bureau.

“We are still, and will continue to be, a fighting organization,” president Doug Mosebar said in a statement. “We are now fighting for a reliable water supply to grow the crops that feed our people and that fuel our rural economies.”

• • •

It was over a drink 10 years ago that Gabriele Luetke and Patti Pandolfo were discussing over how they needed a new venture.

And, in November 1999, they opened the doors to a small, upscale shop in Palm Desert, Patiells Boutique.

The store carries more inventory these days with its contemporary clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories.

Luetke said the key to standing out from other boutiques in the desert is to find things that are different.

For its 10th anniversary, the shop is having a trunk sale on Dec. 3. A portion of sales that day will benefit The Ranch Recovery Center in Desert Hot Springs.

Luetke's advice to those starting their own small business: “Stay with it. Stay focused. It takes at least two years to reap the benefits.”

• • •

That first year in business is one lesson after another, mom-and-pops will tell you.

And one lesson after another is exactly what Sharon Fletcher and Nancy Rarig have been giving for the past 365 days at their Cathedral City-based golf school, Luminosi-tee.

Sessions focus on the meditation behind golf, helping to quiet the mind when stepping up into that tee box or setting up the perfect putt.

The duo has expanded their golf academy to River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard and Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley in the off-season.

Learn more...

For more information on the businesses and products featured in All About Business, try the following:

Bskinny Coffee, local distributors Gina Wilkerson at (760) 772-6878 and Mark Chamberlain at (760) 963-1742. www.boresha-bskinny-coffee.com

St. Theresa School, 455 S. Compadre Road, Palm Springs, www.stsps.org. Phone: (760) 327-4919

Macy's, 72780 Highway 111, Palm Desert. Phone: (760) 340-0111.

Marivic's Scrubs & More, 42-452 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage. Phone: (760) 776-7577. In Indio, 81-557 Dr. Carreon Blvd., Suite B3. Phone: (760) 342-0234.

Elite Land Tours, 540 S. Vella Road, Palm Springs, www.elitelandtours.com. Phone: (760) 318-1200.

California Farm Bureau Federation, www.cfbf.com

Riverside County Farm Bureau, www.riversidecfb.com

Patiells Boutique, 74-924 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert. Phone: (760) 674-9591

The Ranch Recovery Center, www.ranchrecovery.org

Luminosi-tee, www.luminosi-tee.com, Phone: (760) 636-9523