The Industry.

 in the earlier years of my carrier as a woman coffee roaster, I felt intimidated by all of the grander of the Coffee Industry.   I thought it was going to be hard to fit in or be a part of such a powerful industry. I really thought it was a man's industry and I better watch out to the male oriented, power driven and anti woman group of professional Coffee Roasters.  Boyyy was I for a big surprise, I remember the very first SCAA Event that I went to, it was about 5 years ago, I was blown away by the reception and the good will of the people I met.
I was bless to learn so much of this amazing industry from some very seasoned professionals and experts in the field. They where so supportive of my work and where so kind to offer me any help and assistance I needed to learn and get better at what I was doing and yes the majority where men.
And I also had the great opportunity to meet some amazing women who where also leaders in their field and where so instrumental in my growth in this industry.  Here is the really cool thing, a lot of the people who made a deep mark in my development, I don't think they know they were so instrumental in doing what they did in my life.
But I think that happens to all of us, people make deep marks in our life's and they do not know how much impact they are making.  They simply are doing what they do every day with all their passion and love, with all their enthusiasm that comes so natural because they know that what they are doing is why God put them in this earth to do and they are happy to do it.
From women coffee growers who where push to become growers by their husbands living them with their children to feed and a coffee field to grow, to the women who are roasters and teachers for Baristas and Rosters they all are so very important.  We are not a minority in an industry we are a part of an industry where we all men and woman are doing important work not just to bring the consumer a cup of coffee, but to put food on the table in the lives of families. We are changing, and preserving the human rights of many men and women and children.  We are part of an industry that celebrates us all in our differences in culture, color and race, and where its OK to demand that you are treated with respect and that your labor is well compensated.  It is not just enough that I am roasting coffee and selling it to my clients I have an obligation to promote all of the people that are part of the chain that makes my industry.
Why you ask?.  Simple I know God put me on this earth to be doing what I am doing, "I am a Coffee Roaster.".

For children to work or not to work. That is the question.


In all my travels to origin I have found that the majority of the producers that I have met, the whole family works on the farm including the children I also see the children working at the plaza selling jewelery and other small items to the tourist. And even though it breaks my heart, I understand the need for them to contribute to their families income.
Needless to say my heart aches when I see them, instead of going to school and enjoying their childhood they are hard at work every day, all day. One time I saw this beautiful little girl she was about 4 or 5 years old. I notice her nose was bleeding and her older sister told me:" she is OK she is thirsty that is all". When she told me that it dawn on me she was dehydrated. She was selling me a small doll that she had made with ribbon and wool. I told her I would buy it if she promised to go and buy something to drink right away,and she did.
From all of these experiences it makes it even more difficult for me to come back to the USA and see how many people enjoy drinking coffee from the giants who sell their coffee for so much and give so little to the people who work so hard to plant and take care of the coffee trees. These growers have to sell to the giants for a very low price.
Then this company pretend they are doing something for the growers such as dig a couple of water holes and buy some coffee for a bit more than their usual price, making a huge deal about their efforts, spending millions letting you know with their beautiful marketing.
The truth is that they still are buying 90% or more of their coffee for almost nothing, using Coyotes or middleman to purchase the coffee from the small grower who does not have neither the volume or the know how to sell their coffee for the price they deserve.
The truth is that whether I wanted or not the children will still have to work until we all as consumers are smart enough and courages enough to realize that marketing for as beautiful and powerful as it may be, it's not really giving you the real story. It wont stop until all of us as consumers pay attention to the independents who are putting all on the line to show you the truth and sell you the best. Is it worth it for you to have to drive a bit longer or get out of your car to buy your coffee from and independent coffee shop or roaster who you know for sure are buying their coffee for a fair price? You tell me.....



The Coffee Life


I have been a part of the Coffee Industry for 13 years, I can truly say that it is one of the most wonderful Industries that any one can get involved in not only because I love coffee, but because of the chain of human beings that are involved to bring my daily cup of Joe.

When I first started in this business I started in it because of what I found out the growers of coffee where going through and I could not imagine how when I payed 4 to 5 dollars for a latte or mocha,

the grower was only getting .5 cents per pound. I literally could not believe it, I had to find out for my self.

So me and my best friend Sylvia decide it to go into the coffee business and try to make a difference in the life’s of the growers, so after owning 3 coffee shops and then learning to roast and become a Q grader today I fill like we are finally able to make a contribution to the growers, and our clients.

I design a Bank of Profiles of coffee for the region of Chiapas Mexico, the State of Chiapas has been an amazing part of the birth and development of the bank I have two amazing ladies who together with me are committed to work on this project till we can grade, cup and catalog the coffee of every grower in Chiapas.

Secondly we are in progress of creating a full coffee curriculum for the prestigious culinary institute of Mexico City and the culinary institute Koben-Yah in Chiapas. This curriculum is extremely important because we are able to bring the chefs a sophisticated and complete look at the world of coffee. For years there has been a disconnect between the coffee grower and the chef.

Today that is changing the grower understands the value that the chefs bring to their coffee, and chefs are learning how amazing and sophisticated coffee is jest like wine and all the options that they have to pair with their menu.

My love is to work with chefs and design blends for their menu. It is so fun to have a chef cup the design blend for their menu and how amazingly it completes the full experience of their amazing food creations.

If you think about it when you are in a restaurant and at the end of your meal the server comes and offers you a cup of coffee, you immediately say yes and you never ask the server; well how much is a cup?, or what kind of coffees do you have?, you jest say sure I will have a cup.

But you will certainly remember if that restaurant has good coffee or bad coffee, today I am proud to say that for every chef and or restaurant that I have design their coffee program all of them have had to start selling their blend by the pound because their clients want to take some home.

In one of the early meetings that we had with the growers from Mexico I remember this young men and his 8 year old son who had walk for 3 days him and his son to bring me a sample of his coffee. When he handed me the small bag of green coffee he told me in Spanish:” please seƱora represent our coffee and us well over in the United States”. I can not tell you how much that impacted me to see this man who was putting so much trust in me, to represent him here to you all.

Even do I love what I do it has not been easy, this market is very competitive and there is a lot of bad information in the market about coffee. For independent roasters like me is not easy to fight all the bad information and the marketing of the giant companies who we all know very well.

None the less I will never change what I do for any thing. I have given my word to the growers that I would do my best not only to represent them well to you all, but to roast and highlight their amazing product to every chef, every restaurant and to every retail client I have.

Susan Jaime

21st Century Rodan

The upper right-hand
corner of my desk blotter;
a fresh, stark canvas
this morning, now a sepia
montage of concentric
accomplishments.
I sip,
I Think.
I sip,
I think.
I sip…
I think.
Sip.
Think.
Sip.
Think.
Sip
Big sip
sip sip sip
sip sip sippppp.
Ahhhhhhh.
Final sip, cup down.
A caffeine-laced
still life of a Slinky.
Boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-man
was-I-ever productive
today!

-Mark L. Lucker