This month, we’re celebrating the incredible accomplishments of Black Americans and those across the diaspora that built the specialty coffee industry and continue to guide it forward – from coffee farmers, to exporters and importers, to coffee roasters and baristas.
As we reflected on Black History Month, we looked for meaningful ways to educate ourselves and take action, and make it ingrained in our culture so we can continue the work throughout the year.
To that end, we are affirming our commitment to:
This month’s Brazilian coffee is sourced by Equatorial Coffee Consultants, a Black-owned green coffee supplier and support organization for coffee growers from around the world seeking to expand their scope and accessibility throughout the US specialty coffee industry.
This is our first time sourcing from Equatorial, and we are looking forward to sourcing more coffees from Black-owned importers and farms.
Our commitment to sourcing from Black-owned green coffee suppliers won’t end in February, and we will continue to bring in delicious origins from other black-owned importers throughout the year, like an upcoming Brazilian coffee sourced by Phyllis Johnson at BD Imports.
We also will be looking to source more coffee from Black-owned farms. As Mbula Musau of Utake Coffee Limited, one of the first and only certified SCA Premier Teaching Campuses in Africa, says: “Are you supporting local and indigenous-owned coffee businesses at origin?”. We will be inquiring about the ownership structures of the coffees we buy, and aiming to source from black and indigenous farmers.
In February, we will be donating 5 cents of every pound of coffee roasted to the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE), an organization “committed to building a racially diverse and equitable coffee industry”. Learn more at https://coffeeforequity.org/.
Each week, we’ll be sharing Black-owned businesses, organizations and individuals to support, both over email (sign up for our digests here!) and social media. Follow us on Instagram!
We want to educate ourselves along with you, and refine this as we go. It’s the first step in our journey, and we’re excited to be making this a priority for Driftaway!
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