Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
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Publisher Kenneth R. Olson Editor in Chief Sarah Allen Art Director Demitri Fregosi Powers Online Editor Ashley Rodriguez Copy Editors Erin Meister, Chris Ryan Photographer Jian Yang Business Manager Cheryl Lueder Advertising Sales Sarah Allen 800.296.9108 Contributors Tracy Allen Patrick Burns Kay Cheon Liz Dean Roukiat Delrue Stephanie Frommlet Jason "Double J" Johnson Alex Lambert Phil Markel Erin Meister Jack Pollock Ashley Rodriguez Chris Ryan Juan José Meza Sánchez Lindsey Shea Christopher Sturm Jeremy Tooker Joshua Vasko Jasper Wilde Editorial Advisory Board Nora Burkey, The Chain Collaborative Anna Gutierrez, Barista 22 Hidenori Izaki, Samurai Coffee Experience Heather Kelley, Stumptown Coffee Roasters Sam Low, Da Lin Todd Mackey, Bolt Coffee Co. Mike Marquard, Blueprint Coffee Noah Namowicz, Café Imports Lorenzo Perkins, Fleet Coffee Sarah Richmond, Bay Area CoRoasters Craig Simon, Think Tank Coffee Jess Steffy, Square One Coffee Teresa von Fuchs, Genuine Origin Coffee Project Laila Willbur, Cherry Street Public House Barista Magazine 4345 NE 72nd Ave. Portland, OR 97218 phone: 800.296.9108 fax: 971.223.3659 email: info@baristamagazine.com www.baristamagazine.com Barista Magazine is published bimonthly by Ollen Media, LLC. Subscriptions are $30 in the United States, $45 USD in Canada, and $60 USD for the rest of the world. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Postmaster please send address corrections to: Barista Magazine, 4345 NE 72nd Ave., Portland, OR 97218. ISSN: 1944-3544 Copyright 2017 Barista Magazine. All rights reserved. BARIST A M A G A Z I N E E D I T O R L E T T E R on mentorship IN EARLY JUNE, I was in Berkeley, Calif., perched on a stool facing some pretty amazing women in coffee: Kristen Nelson, owner of Modern Coffee in Oakland, Calif.; Elizabeth Goldblatt, co-owner of Six Degrees Coffee Service & Dis- tribution in Chico, Calif.; Amanda Juris, green buyer for Verve Coffee in Santa Cruz, Calif.; Sarah Richmond, then director of operations at Bay Area CoRoasting in Berkeley, Calif.; and Siobhan Gottlieb, who works in quality control for Genuine Origin in Petalu- ma, Calif. The occasion was The Coffeewoman, and the 200+ people in the room had just fi nished applauding a rousing keynote speech delivered by Helen Russell of Equator Coffees & Teas. Next up was the panel I was moderating called "How Did I Get Here?" Originally conceived of by Gerra Harrigan of InterAmerican Coffee, the panel was devised to bring together a group of successful coffee professionals with various areas of exper- tise, and have them share their personal journey in coffee, from when they were a rookie to where they are today. It's meant, at its heart, to inspire and remind everyone listening—newbie baristas and jaded coffee veterans alike—that there are countless fascinating ways to be a professional in coffee. Moreover, they say, "Here's exactly how it happened for me." Early into our onstage conversation, the dialogue turned to mentorship. Amanda told a funny story of how she aspired to have the exact same job that her mentor did. Kristen recalled sage advice from her mentor, words that really helped carry her through the diffi cult fi rst years of running a retail business. Each panelist spoke of these guides, counselors, and friends from whom they had received support with affection; they had those far-off looks in their eyes that you get when a joyful memory comes to mind. Suddenly though, a member of the audience shot their hand up, snapping the panelists back to atten- tion. "That's all well and good that you all had great mentors," the person said. "Some of us, though, aren't so lucky. What are we supposed to do?" The question rocked the six of us on stage to attention, and I quickly asked myself: Do we sound privileged to be talking about people we've been for- tunate enough to have received guidance from? Is having a mentor an advantage some don't have? I only had to think on this for a second before I came to the fi rm conclusion: No. Realizing your dreams for a coffee career takes guts and heart. It takes time, patience, and an unwillingness to quit. The people I look up to in coffee earned their spot—they didn't just luck into it. They were proac- tive, seeking guidance and experience for years. Are you waiting around for an accomplished coffee professional to ask you if they can be your mentor? Not gonna happen. If you take the ini- tiative to seek out a role model, a guide, a mentor and friend, however, you can pretty much count on them being happy to help. This is the special- ty-coffee industry, remember? People here tend to be pretty nice. You don't get ahead in coffee by complaining that enough isn't being done for you. Go out and fi nd it! In a mentorship situation, start small: If there's someone you admire and want to learn from, ask them politely if you can take them to coffee, or send a few questions in an email. Let them know you appreciate their time and energy, and the relationship should grow naturally at its own pace. At the annual International Women's Coffee Alliance Breakfast at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle earlier this year, hundreds of women listened with rapt attention as the keynote speaker, two-time Mexican Barista Champion Julieta Vázquez Rivera, refl ected on her coffee career. She remembered back to 2008, the fi rst time she saw a barista competition, and how inspired she was watching a woman win the Mexican champion- ship for the very fi rst time. That woman was Alelí Labastida, and we're honored to feature her on the cover of this issue of Barista Magazine. "I saw that anything is possible," Julieta told the IWCA audience of seeing Alelí win and asking Alelí for advice. "I left with a new dream, and a new role model, too." Alelí became Julieta's mentor, advising her as she went on to practice for barista competi- tion. Today, Julieta owns her own successful coffee company in Mexico: Arandela. There's no one right way to fi nd a mentor. For some, it will take the form of a close friend; for others, a boss or teacher. Others will get valuable advice from someone they know only casually. May- be you're inspired by a person you've read about in a magazine but haven't ever met. Reach out to them! Send them a message on Instagram. You just don't know where the guidance you need will come from, so keep seeking it. Be persistent. And then one day, when you're sitting on a "How Did I Get Here?" panel, you'll have an inspiring story of your own to share. 14 barista magazine