by Richard Sandlin, Fair Trade USA – Coffee For most of us living in the global North, working in coffee is a choice. Regardless of your association to Specialty Coffee–barista, roaster, importer, etc…–you’ve made the decision to pursue a career in coffee. We can switch companies, and still be in the coffee industry. For coffee …
Though it is spread all over the globe, the specialty coffee community is like a close-knit family. And when a family loses a member, everyone feels it deeply. This past weekend, we lost Jim Karr, one of the coffee community’s most beloved and respected figures. Jim’s work was in – as SteamVolt, the company he founded, …
Dear SCAA Members: I am pleased to announce that after extensive discussions, the SCAA Board of Directors and Marty Curtis have come to an understanding about the recent election process and have found a productive path forward. All parties remain committed to operating in the interest of the Association and its members, for the health …
By Mark Inman, Olam Specialty Coffee, Roasters Guild Executive Council Chair The Ka’u Coffee festival is held annually in Pahala on the island of Hawaii. I was was fortunate enough to be invited to attend and speak on behalf of the Roasters Guild at the event this year, which was held May 8th through 11th. This event …
CoffeeCon is the place to connect with the most engaged, excited coffee consumers. Since the first event in Warrenville, IL in 2012, the event has rapidly expanded—one CoffeeCon has already taken place in Chicago so far in 2014, and three more are planned, in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. Founded by Kevin Sinnott, …
by Lindsey Berk, Operation Groundswell “Eating is an agricultural act.” —Wendell Berry, American novelist, activist, cultural critic, and farmer We seem to have forgotten that. At least, I had forgotten that until I left my corporate job and my NYC apartment in 2011 to begin a three-year journey around Latin America and Australia. Working …
by Andi C. Trindle Mersch, Philz Coffee Green coffee buyers essentially operate right in the middle of it all: we serve as intermediaries for the coffee bean, standing between growers and final consumers. Despite the bad rap “middlemen” have received in the coffee trade over the years, speaking from the middle as a green coffee buyer myself—I …
by Francisco A. Mena, Exclusive Coffees S.A. Many of the other participants in this issue are green buyers who work for roasters or importing companies. In this feature, we shine a spotlight on the role of an exporter, which is someone who consolidates crops from producers for processing and sale to out-of-country businesses. Francisco Mena, standard-bearer …
by Jessica Cole, Elysian Coffee Roasters There are a few things about green buying that aren’t what I expected. I thought green buyers trotted over volcanic terrain shouldering sacks of coffee, heroically hopping around like nimble-footed mountain goats. I thought being more connected to purchasing would shed some light on coffee’s more existential questions: what …
How and when did you begin working in the coffee industry? (What was your first coffee job, or did it all start with Verve?) I began working in the coffee industry in 2005; my first foray into coffee was actually as a business owner. I had finished college and was working a “professional” “job” using …