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In this episode, specialty coffee roaster Areli Barrera Grodski shares the origin story of how she and her husband Leon bootstrapped Little Ways Coffee Roasters in Durham, NC. She takes us along on recent trips to origin in Brazil and Colombia, detailing learnings about women producers, processing methods, and building relationships. Areli discusses sourcing challenges from the pandemic and her future goals for supporting producers and providing career wages for her team. Hear more during the post-show banter!Follow the podcast on Instagram!https://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fmMy intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZCreative Commons LicenseCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

Bonus post-show conversationPaisa CoffeeFollow the podcast on Instagram!https://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fmMy intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZCreative Commons LicenseCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

How did an archaeology degree lead to overseeing quality at a decaf facility? Stacey shares her love of coffee competitions, robustas, and the exemplary cafes she experienced in Australia. She explains Swiss Water's process for ensuring decafs match the original.Stacey cups each coffee decaffeinated at Swiss Water to ensure all our coffees taste as wonderful as we expect. Stacey stays involved in the coffee community outside of Swiss Water, and is a former Coffee in Good Spirits finalist and a member of the Barista Guild. Here is the link to the postshow bonus chat.Follow the podcast on Instagram!https://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fmMy intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZCreative Commons LicenseCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

Hyacinth talks about their barista journey through the world of specialty coffee, from getting their first job at Starbucks to competing in national barista championships. Their passion for latte art and deep knowledge of coffee shines through as they describe bouncing between shops, attending throwdowns, and making connections in the industry. The ups and downs of working in coffee, finding community among fellow baristas, and always striving to improve their skills make for an inspiring story.Link to bonus post-show chat!As mentioned before the podcast, there was a discussion about world events regarding Israel and Palestine. Here is the link to that discussion.Follow the podcast on Instagram!https://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fmMy intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZCreative Commons LicenseCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

Bonus conversation!Copyright 2024 Elena Mahmood My intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZhttps://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fm

Here is a link to the post-show convo!Follow the podcast on Instagram!My intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZhttps://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fmCreative Commons LicenseCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

Andrea Rubi, a second-generation coffee producer in Honduras, shares her journey into the world of coffee in this transcript. Initially disinterested in coffee, Andrea was persuaded by her family to join the family business. Through hard work and education at a cupping school, she developed a passion for quality and began leading the harvest of their specialty coffee. This led to a successful relationship with a roaster who expressed interest in purchasing their entire harvest of commercial coffee. Andrea discovered that by applying quality control measures, their commercial coffee achieved impressive cupping scores. She emphasizes the potential for success in both specialty and commercial coffee, with the right relationships and quality control.Andrea's story reflects the power of perseverance and dedication. Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her family started roasting and selling their own coffee, creating their brand and opening a coffee shop. Their passion, resilience, and commitment to learning have allowed them to attract customers and grow their business. Andrea acknowledges the support of her family and emphasizes the importance of transparent and fair relationships with coffee buyers. She believes that more attention should be given to the struggles of producers at origin, including language barriers and low prices, in order to create a more equitable coffee industry. Andrea's journey exemplifies the importance of passion, resilience, and connecting with others in the industry.Bonus post-show conversationhttps://beans-without-boundaries.captivate.fmFollow the podcast on Instagram!My intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZCreative Commons LicenseCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

Tanya Rao, owner of Kaveri Coffee Works — a small-scale, independent roasting business in Berkeley — coffee has been a family tradition for more than half a century. The Raos’ connection to coffee dates back to 1941, when Tanya’s grandfather, M.V. Rao, opened India Coffee Kiosk in Bangalore, India, in the Karnataka region — known for being the country’s largest coffee producer. When M.V. could no longer run the family trade, he passed it on to Tanya’s father, Mohan Rao. Ever since then, coffee has defined a sense of home and purpose for the men in Rao’s family.No one, however, expected or groomed Tanya, the youngest daughter, to take up the mantle. Yet here she is.“I was next in line to get married,” Rao says. “But instead I broke barriers and challenged the status quo by leaving my [former] career to travel and own my business.”My intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZHear additional post-show chatter here!Copyright 2024 Elena Mahmood

From home roasting to making an impact globally, Stephanie's story is one to hear.Stephanie, the owner of Swelter Coffee, shares her journey into coffee roasting and the origin of the name "Swelter." The name is derived from her maiden last name, Walter, and her shorthand, S. Walter. Stephanie started home roasting about 10 years ago and friends and family began calling it Walter coffee. When she turned her passion into a business, she decided to stick with the name for its personal connection. Stephanie's interest in home roasting began when she stumbled upon a book by James from Blue Bottle, which taught her how to roast coffee at home. Over time, she developed a taste for lighter roasts and expanded her roasting capacity. Stephanie also started roasting at a co-roasting space in Berkeley, further fueling her love for the process and expanding her knowledge of coffee origin and processing.Stephanie's idea of owning her own coffee shop became more serious after she had her daughter. She wanted her business to have a meaningful purpose and decided to focus on supporting women coffee farmers. Inspired by a talk on supporting women farmers for sustainability, Stephanie delved into learning about the challenges faced by women farmers and fair pricing. Despite the pandemic causing delays, Stephanie launched Swelter Coffee in the summer of 2020. The pandemic served as a catalyst for Stephanie's entrepreneurial journey, and she is determined to make a positive impact in the coffee industry by championing gender equity and sustainability.Stephanie's journey in the coffee industry has been driven by her passion and commitment to making a difference. She emphasizes the importance of building connections with coffee producers and sharing their stories with customers. Stephanie is also dedicated to gender equity and has created a coffee brand with a focus on supporting women farmers. She has innovative approaches to sustainability, such as her Zero Waste Coffee Club, which offers a packaging solution that reduces waste and energy consumption. Stephanie plans to continue improving and expanding this circular packaging system, with a long-term vision of operating her company in a sustainable manner.Stephanie's involvement in the coffee community has led her to attend various events and summits, such as the SCA Expo and the Women Powered Coffee Summit. She has felt a strong connection to mission-driven initiatives and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and dialogue across the global coffee community. Stephanie also discusses the challenges of balancing her role as a full-time mom with running her coffee business and her desire to create a supportive work-life balance for her staff. Despite the difficulties, Stephanie finds motivation in being a role model for her child and maintaining hope and a positive mindset when starting a business.https://sweltercoffee.com/My intro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mojo/rebelLicense code: LSMVDPBXNKA1UQSTMy outro music is from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kidcut/coffee-on-the-roofLicense code: U295XJURUTU70RHZCopyright 2024 Elena Mahmood