On this episode, I have Alexandra Lisbeth Zepeda, a current Q grader for Volcafe Specialty Coffee, and a proud El-Salvadoran born Bronx New Yorker. She's coming in hot like a firecracker and stripping the romantic scene off of coffee farming and letting people know the nitty gritty.Unapologetically herself, she keeps to her truth and explains the frustrations she's dealt with over the course of her coffee career. And her main passion towards creating a safe environment for BIPOC and women to learn more about the industry.https://volcafespecialty.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

Camila Khalifé, Q Grader and Founder of Botanica in Quito, Ecuador

Elena Mahmood, an Arab queer, started this journey late 2022 to bring together a community and collective of hardworking individuals to highlight their stories traversing the space of coffee and life. She chats with fellow colleagues within the coffee industry that identify with the lack of representation who identify as being women, BIPOC, and queer to navigate hot discussions about social structure and dynamics that are dealt within the environment of coffee. Each episode provides a segment called "The Hot Take"; the moment our guests have a chance to vocalize their opinions that can be controversial and spark awareness towards the audience. 

We work towards bringing light to the realities that exist in the specialty coffee world and give gratitude towards the work being done globally.